TWELVE DAYS OF REIGN

ALL THE WAY

"Whew!" Joseph placed a halting hand up trying to catch his breath. "Hold on, guys. Uncle Jo needs a break."
Joseph left his nephews outside playing by themselves for a moment. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a drink of water. The little ones had worn him out. Stacy came in the kitchen with her hands full of dishes from dinner.
"Stacy, you don't have to do that," Joseph said. "I'll get to it later."
"I don't mind," she said in a raspy voice.
"Stacy," Joseph turned her around, "Are you alright? You sound like you're about to cry."
Stacy sniffed and wiped a tear away.
"It's just my allergies. They're always bad around this time of year."
"Oh, ok," he smiled. "Reign has bad allergies too. I just bought her some allergy medicine from the drug store if you want some. It's up in her room. I can go get it if you want."
"No!" she grabbed his arm stopping him. "No, I don't need any, really."
"Are you sure? Reign wouldn't mind you having a few," he said hurrying towards the staircase. "I'll be right back."
"Joseph!" she called running after him towards the staircase. "Joseph, wait!"
Joseph paused and looked back at her. Stacy was panting with her hand over her chest. Large tears were washing her face as she whispered a plea to him.
"Don't go up there."
Joseph glanced between the upstairs and Stacy. He slowly inched his head away from her and went up the steps and down the hallway to Reign's room.

______________

The towel was smothering my air. I could barely breathe as my body was being rocked back and forth. Reuben wouldn't let my head go, not even for a single breath of air. Sweat gathered on my brow as I struggled to inhale through the pores of the towel. Each shallow drawn in gasp was an achievement.
I could not see. My eyes were buried in the towel. All I could hear was his ragged breathing and the harsh comments Reuben made in between, flesh slapping against flesh, and then, I heard the preacher's voice, as clearly as I heard Reuben's mockery.
If you pray with a sincere heart and ask the Lord to save you, to take you away from the life you live on the streets, he will hear you, and he will save you and take you away, far away from all of that because you accepted Christ as your Savior. Do you understand, Reign? He is the Savior after all.
I wanted to cry. The tears were already spilling from my eyes long before I heard the preacher's sage words, but those were from the pain Reuben was giving me. I wanted to cry because I wanted to believe that now, even now, God would save me—from Reuben, my life, and take me away—from everything. Was it possible that a woman like me could gain God's ear? Even me? I didn't know but I had nothing to lose.
"Save me," I prayed on the next shallow breath I inhaled. "Jesus, please save me. Even me."
Suddenly, the weight of Reuben lifted off of me and I was flung onto the floor. I inhaled a sharp gasp, coughing and catching my breath. My lungs licked up the air as if they would not get the opportunity again. I clawed at my throat as the air broke free inside me, giving me my life back.
Joseph!
He had thrown Reuben to the floor as if the man weighed nothing at all. He stood in front of me glaring down at his brother. The sun golden flecks in his eyes had dulled to a molten red. His fists were balled so tight that a light streak of blood began to ooze from where his nails met flesh. His teeth clenched, and his nostrils flared like a bull digging in the dirt, preparing to charge.
"You rat bastard!"
Joseph's voice deepened to depths I hadn't known was humanly possible. I could almost hear a rope being pulled apart inside of Joseph's framework as he huffed and puffed, blowing his cheeks up as fury doused his blood. The strands were ripping, tearing apart as if a piano was knotted on the other end of it. This wasn't good. If he were anything like the preacher, then he was about to go to a place he would regret later on.
"Jo, wait a minute!" Reuben said scampering to stuff himself back into his pants. He zipped up and hurried like a jackrabbit to his feet. "It's not what you think!" he gestured with his hands, and frantically tapped his chest.
"Jo! She came onto me!"
Snap!
Joseph lurched at him, swinging his fist. Reuben dodged the blow. I hated that he was spry for an older man and quick on his feet. Joseph swung again, this time landing the punch across his jaw. Reuben staggered back into the wall, a mistake on his part. Joseph growled a low throaty tone as his fists went left and right, pounding his face until Reuben was finally able to push off the wall and run at him. The two collapsed down on the floor. Reuben was on top of Joseph. He gripped him by the neck of his white T-Shirt, ripping the seams as he gathered the material up, and delivered a white-knuckled punch to his face. A streak of blood oozed from Joseph's nose. But as if he did not feel the pain, he gripped Reuben by the collar of his lavender button-down shirt, slipped his knee up from beneath him and flung him over his head. Reuben launched through the air and skidded across the bathroom floor. Before he could get up Joseph was on him stumping him in his crotch. Wails of agony leaped out of Reuben's mouth as he caught Joseph's foot and pushed him back, making him stagger into the counter. Reuben rolled on the floor holding his sore parts. Joseph went back and stumped him some more, crashing his foot into his chest and stomach. His foot cut across his head tearing into the flesh.
Reuben wheezed, still trying to recover from the blow when he dug into his back pocket and pulled out a handgun.
He looked Joseph in the eye while a trickle of blood oozed down towards his ear. Joseph backed away from him with his hands up.
"Reuben, don't!" I screamed.
Bang!
I gasped. Joseph slowly exhaled. He lowered his head down to his chest as red blossomed across his shirt like a rose. He blinked, dropping to his knees.
"Joseph!" I scampered towards him, catching him before he could fall on his face. "Joseph!"
I eased him down to the floor and shook like a crack addict as I pressed my hand down on his chest, to slow the bleeding. A gasp came from behind me at the door. I glanced up to find Stacy standing there with her hand covering her mouth, wide-eyed and trembling as bad as I was.
"Stacy, call the police!"
Bang!
My eyes grew as wide as the door itself. Blood squirted out of her neck. Stacy lifted a shaky hand to the wound. Then her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed, breathless on the floor.
"O my God!" I cried, shaking all over as Reuben's gun turned on me. "Jesus!"
"It's like I always say," Reuben smirked. "If you're going to do it, do it all the way."
Bang!