Our Broken Girl

Chapter Five

A Week Later: (Richard)

   It has been a week since Matt and I had rescued Lily from her capture. She slowly started to come out of her shell but she still flinched if we moved too fast. If we stepped to close without warning she tenses, and her sleep is still filled with nightmares. She still slept with Matt every night but had started to let me kiss her. Only a few pecks here and there and though I was not going to push her seeing her so close to Matt and not me was messing with my head. Whispers and memories surfacing from the past, coming to taunt me in the dead of night. There were a few times I had almost lost my cool with the other people in my apartment when they had gotten too close during a flashback.

   It had pushed me to start taking walks at night, trying to keep my brain active and focused on something else. I walked until I felt like I couldn’t anymore, then I’d turn around and head back home where I would fall into an exhausted slumber. Only to be woken up a few hours later by screams or whimpers from Lily. Sam is still living at our apartment to help Lilly get cleaned, dressed, or calm since Lily still wasn’t comfortable with either of us men doing it.

   Right now I am on my way back from my nightly walk. This one had been a little longer as I had passed out by accident and had woken up in a cold sweat with all the muscles in my body clenched tightly. Seeing Lily going through what she currently is, is bringing up bad memories for both Matt and myself. I pushed my body into a flat out run trying to strain my muscles to their full extent. Though it wasn’t working to distract me tonight, the memories and flashbacks coming in faster and harder then they had in years. My vision blacking out, my breath rushing from my lungs in fast and panicked spurts.

   I pushed harder and harder trying to escape the yelling voices inside my head. My chest tightens to the point that I can't catch my breath. I don’t stop though, I just keep running. The yelling gets louder and I can hear footsteps pounding behind me. A sob escapes my mouth as I push to avoid the pursuers. All of a sudden arms wrap around my waist and I’m tackled to the ground. A scream is wrenched from my mouth as a hand grabs my shoulder and spins me onto my back. Panic clouds my vision, all I can see are the faces of my mothers ex boyfriends.  A fist lands a heavy blow across my jaw and my head wrenches to the side. Thankfully it snaps me out of my daze and I’m able to focus on my surroundings.

   It's not one of my mothers ex’s above me but one of the brothers of the girl I fucked a while ago. I guess they hadn’t forgotten like I had been hoping they would have. He hits me again and blood fills my mouth that I spit out onto the sidewalk next to us. “Your going to pay for hurting her.” He growls at me as he brings his fist back for another punch.

                                                      ***
   Groaning I sit up, blood immediately starts pouring from my face. I turn my head to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood into the grass. Well, that was interesting. I struggle to my feet, the pain in my body just as bad as the open wounds on my face. Huffing I begin my limp back home. After the first dude started in his brothers had caught up and stared kicking me in the sides. I brace my sides with my hands as I limp and stumble back.
At one point, after my eyes had swollen pretty much completely shut, I trip and hit the ground. A shout of rage and pain rips through my lips. I allow myself to lay there for a second before pulling myself painfully back to my feet.

   I stumble back into my apartment about eight-thirty in the morning with a heavy limp and my eyes swollen shut. I feel stiff and sore as I drag myself in to see everyone standing in the middle of the living room in a circle. Worry is etched on to all of their faces as they take in my appearance. Its Matt that makes the first move though approaching me quickly. “Where the hell did you go and what the hell did you get yourself into!” He shouts at me getting into my face. On reflex I grab him by his T-shirt and throw him back. He lands on his back and lays there looking at me with an unknown look on his face, some mix of fear and anger.