Strangers in the Shadows

Horror

Astra

8 years later

I dodge the vase that comes flying at my head from the raging monster in front of me. I frown as I look back to wear the vase shattered against the wall. That was my favorite vase...too bad he broke it. A grimace is set on my face as I turn back to him.... my so-called 'father' was having another one of his tantrums. Not that I wasn't used to it. They happened at least 2 times every day. I roll my eyes just the thought.

"Ohhhh. Now you want to show attitude? I see how it is" he says darkly before walking fast up to me and grabbing me by the hair. I scream and shout for him to let go and tears fall down my face as I beg for mercy. I hate crying. I hate the weakness it resembles. I am meant to be strong...but around him, I can't be how I want to.

The 24 feet hole finally comes into view as he walks toward it with me dangling from his hand. The hole is the worst punishment of them all. I go there when I really fucked up. Today I pissed him off by making a mess on the bathroom floor after trying to clean the bruises he had created on my body, but he got really mad when he found out I had been trying to go to people for help. Then I showed 'attitude' by rolling my eyes, which I wasn't even meaning to do!

The hole is where he leaves you there for a week to live off of nothing but rainwater that falls into the hole. He would then put sand in the whole the fills up half of the whole space so that I was trapped in it. He would then put insects and lizards in the hole to torturee for the duration of the week,

But fortunately for me, for once after 8 years, he made a mistake. As he made his way through the grass and into the backyard, he stumbled on a fallen twig, though quickly recovered. Unfortunately for him, I used that small trip to my advantage. I gripped the back of his neck with one and hand his head with another. I quickly flipped him over so that he landed on the hard ground.

He may look all bulky and has muscles, but he weighs nothing because of his stupid diet.

"You little bitch!" he screamed through the backyard. We lived in a small cottage n the edge of the forest with barely any people around us, so I knew no one could hear him.

"I would assume that's me?" I cocked my brow with a smirk. He got up and made his way towards me, but I quickly threw a punch at him before he could get to me. I knew I was physically strong and because of that, when he almost fell over his feet, I wasn't surprised.

Master Killo was an old man who had once found me crying on the side of our cottage. Although he couldn't take me in, he offered to help me with self-defense and to train me to get through the nights where I was weak. I also learned to heal myself with herbs. I would often go into our backyard and pick herbs along with weeds to tend the wounds that father had given me.

Sadly, Master Killo passed away last month...so now I was on my own.

As always...I was alone and I could do nothing about it. Just do chores, get beat, run errands, and get beat. That was routine. I always hated it obviously, but what the hell could I do about it? I was only 16 and had nothing to help myself with.

Bringing myself back into the present I watched as father struggled to stand back up. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to run away from his fallen figure...so instead...I waited for him to get up so I can beat the shit out of him like he did all those years. Good plan, right?

He finally stood and got to his feet with the help of a low-hanging branch. Damn tree branch. I got into stance and so did he. His lips turned into a cruel smirk.

"Getting feisty, are we? Ugh, you are so like your mother. Always trying to rebel back." He rolled his eyes and put his fists in front of him as we both circled each other.

"You know what, 'father'? I am done with your crap and today is the day we end it all. Let's make a deal, shall we? We do a brawl with no rules. I know you want to kill me, so let's do that! We can fight with no rules added. Just fight to the death?" I asked as I waited for him to respond.

He seemed shocked but soon recomposed himself and went back to being emotionless. The thing is, I always wondered why my father hated me so much, but deep down...I knew why.

Apparently, mother died because of King Titus. Mother and King Titus used to be in love and although I don't know the full story, I know that mother ended up falling in love with father who was a soldier at the time. King Titus was furious and so mother and father ran away to save themselves. They went into hiding and had me after 4 years of being happily married. King Titus found out they had a child and ended up tracking down the two of them after finding me playing outside in the village with my mothers' bracelet on my wrist. King Titus had given her that bracelet and had recognized it on me.

After he found me...the whole event happened. Still, remember everything so vividly. After the whole thing happened, father ended up hating me for the discovery. He blamed me nonstop and punished me as if I had killed mother myself. I already felt guilty enough and he never helped. I mean, we never had the closest relationship, but he went insane after mother died. It was like all the good had left him as well.

But I was done with him now. Eight years f torture was too much to endure and I'm done. I am finally retaliating. He will lose. Mark my words.