The Parker Boys

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After my girls night I decide to tell the girls I’m gonna walk home. Tori kept asking if I was sure and I simply shook them off and said I’d be fine. It was only about a half an hours walk to the house and I simply needed to clear my head.

As I made my way down the road I let my mind drift to the past week or so. The boys now knew my secret, the one thing I’ve kept hidden for several years that I never thought I would ever tell till either I was forced or I died. 

There were a few times I really thought I was going to die at the hands of my father, and I wouldn’t stoop so low to say that he would never do that. I had no doubt in my mind that he would kill me. I was the one thing that ruined his life, the thing that took the one thing he loved most in the world away from him. 

I pushed these guilty thoughts aside not wanting to reflect upon them any longer. I started to think about Cole, these last few days he’s been nothing but sweet and gentle towards me. He told me he would change my life one day at a time and I believed him. I’ve started to open up more to people and not be so harsh to them, I’ve also talked to Caden when I needed. Cody was there when I felt like crashing back down. Conner was always the ghost that popped in and out when I needed a reminder.

Most of all Cole had been all of those things. I was able to feel comfortable around him, he was my rock. Unlike what my thoughts were the boys didn’t treat me differently, they actually looked at me the same. That’s what I loved the most was being able to tell them and not have those pity eyes cast down on me.

I turn the last corner to start my way towards the house when I stopped in my tracks. Something wasn’t right, I could feel something off. I felt a presence watching me, maybe I was just being paranoid, but why would it start now. Why not when I found out that my father escaped. Could he have found out where I was? No, it can’t be possible.

I start to quicken my steps in slight fear of what this feeling was. My heart rate picked up speed as the paranoia grew. He was here, he came for me, he’s found me. 

As those last thoughts streamed through my mind, my vision went black.

************

I woke up to a massive headache, my hand went to my head as an instant reaction. I pull it away confused when I felt a sticky wet substance, I look down at my hand to see blood. Why is my head bleeding? Where am I? 

I look around at my surroundings and notice I’m in an empty room of what looks like an abandoned warehouse. My senses heighten as the panic sets in, what am I doing here? How long have I been here? 

I frantically search for my phone when I hear a deep bone chilling voice, “Looking for this?” he asks me coolly. He holds up the shattered remains of my phone then chucks it into a bin. He gradually takes steps closer to me, my breathing hitches to a halt when he starts to come closer. 

I am paralyzed in fear and I can’t seem to get my legs to co-operate. He comes to stand in front of me and gently trails his hand down my cheek. A small whimper escapes and I feel the hard slap across my cheek almost instantly. I fall to the ground in a heap from the impact, “What have I told you about keeping that little trap of yours shut!” He spits at my face.

I don’t dare say a word as he pulls me back up to standing. I can’t look him in the eyes, I’m terrified of what this man will do to me. This man that stands in front of me is no longer the man I once called daddy or dada, this man is the sickening image of the father I once knew. A man capable of the cruelest of punishments. This mans name was Ryan.

Ryan gives me a menacing glare, “Do you know what it’s like to be in prison? No! Of course you don’t. Once these people heard about what I was in for they hit me like savage beasts, like I deserved it. But in all reality it was you who deserved it, you killed your mother. They didn’t understand that I was punishing you, they thought I was just cruel. Is that what you think?” 

I quickly shake my head afraid to disagree with him not wanting to make him angry, “See, you understand. They didn’t know that though. Because of you I got hurt, this is your fault too” I tense knowing what he’s about to do. I hear the blow before I feel it. Pain lances through my side as I drop to my knees.

“You caused your daddy pain because you couldn’t keep that mouth of yours shut!” he screeches at me. I can tell the more he talks the angrier he becomes. “Now I’m gonna show you, exactly, what they did to me” 

I braced myself before I felt the kicks and punches against my once healed and now fragile again body. The pain kept getting worse till it all stopped. I gasp in relief only for it to start all over again. After a few sessions of beatings it all ends. Ryan drags my near lifeless body and puts me into a chair.

My weak state barely allows me to lift my head to look at what he’s doing. Ryan sits in a chair opposite of me. “This is what they did. They would beat me then they would leave me alone. Thinking it was over, they would come back and do it again.” If I could tense up I would knowing that this was just the beginning.

Ryan pulls out a phone from his pocket, “I bet they are starting to worry about you. It after all has been a long day.” I barely catch a glimpse of the time. 12:15 a.m. I register in my mind that I left Tori’s house around noon. I’ve been missing for 12 hours, I began to hope that someone found me.

They had to be looking for me, Tori would have been wondering if I made it home. She would have called to check in and knowing I wasn’t there the boys would start to get suspicious. They had to be looking for me, there was no question about it.

I notice that Ryan has stood up and is now towering over me. I flinch when he raises his hand to me. He smirks, “I see I still have an affect on you” 

At this point I’ve had enough, I was tired of staying silent. I was sick of being that Kat who was afraid of everything, who couldn’t even defend herself. “What’s wrong with you?” I spit out in hatred. He takes a step back in shock looking bewildered. I feel a sense of satisfaction, but I wasn’t done yet. “How could you do this to me? I’m your daughter! I was a little girl! Do you know what it’s like to be a child coming home in fear everyday. Afraid of her own father and blaming herself for her mother death. No! Of course you don’t” I spit his words right back at him.

Ryan seems to compose himself as I see the hatred fill his eyes and the anger take over. That’s when I’ve realized I’ve gone to far. I should’ve kept my mouth shut and I know it, but why then did it feel so good to let it out? 

Ryan punches my face and I go sprawling to the ground. He continues to beat me letting his rage out on me, but I no longer feel the pain of the beating. I feel the pain of longing and hope that may never come.

Just as I’m about to pass out and let darkness overtake me, I faintly hear the sounds of doors being kicked in. I feel the relief of being able to breath. 

The last thing I hear is a heavenly voice shouting at me, “Kat! Don’t leave me! Kat, wake up!” 

And the rest was dark.