blood runs red ✓

XXX

'drunk words are sober thoughts'

- unknown

august

"Juliette, open the fucking door right now or I will kill you."

"Mama?" Nine-year-old August whispered. "Why is he shouting?"

Juliette had her hands on August's ears, trying to block out what her husband was saying. He'd not heard anything, but could tell that his father was shouting. 

"I don't know, baby. Just stay quiet, and keep your hands on your ears. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded.

"Open the fucking door or I will break it down."

Juliette stayed silent as well, hoping that Andrew would get impatient and leave. Her heart stopped when she heard a gun click, the safety being turned off. 

"I know you fucking heard that. Open the goddamn door."

Her legs felt featherweight as she walked towards the door, hands trembling as she unlocked it. She didn't know her husband owned a gun. 

August stared at his father standing in front of his mom with a gun pointed at her face. In his other hand was a bottle, completely empty. He was drunk.

"Mama?"

"August? Why is he in there with you?" Andrew stared back at his son. "Are you trying to hide him from me?"

"Yes, Andrew, I am. You're drunk off your face and you have a fucking gun." Juliette snapped. "Put it away. Why do you have one when there is a child in the house?"

He grabbed her wrists, dragging her out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. The gun was pointed at her forehead, the cold metal touching her skin. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry, please. Put it away. Don't take August's mom away."

"He wouldn't care if you didn't get so attached to you. In fact, he'd probably think someone else did it. But no, you locked him in there with you, so now he fucking knows." His voice was low. 

"Andrew, please."

August was stood still, hands still covering his ears. He hadn't moved at all since his mom opened the door. He felt frozen, in shock. He didn't know what a gun was, but his drunk dad had it pointed at his mom's face, and she was scared. So he was too.

"Mama?"

"Andrew, please. Please don't."

Juliette didn't care about her own life. She was focussed solely on her son. Her son, who she loved to the moon and back. With every fibre of her being, she loved August, and he was stood in shock because his mom was scared.

That hurt her more than her husband's abuse.

"You're fucking lucky this time, sweetheart." Andrew spat, lowering his gun. "This time."

August didn't notice his mom come back into the bathroom, holding him tightly, whispering words of affection and reassurance. He was still staring at the door, staring at his father. His eyes hadn't moved at all.

"August, baby, please say something."

He didn't talk for a while after that. He didn't notice anything. For a while, he was just back in the bathroom staring at a gun.