Ghosts of War | CoD - MW

Chapter 41.

Friday, 24th of December, 2021.

Kimberly stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheek was swollen and bruised. Her back ached, and she had a painful bump in the back of her head. She let out a sigh as she pushed her nausea away, walking up to the clothes that John had given her the previous evening. She dressed in the ugly, green Christmas jumpsuit. It had printed several santa faces, reindeers, snowmen and snowy trees on it. It looked completely horrendous in her opinion.

She knew John just wanted to enjoy this Christmas, having the team gathered outside of work, but all joy had left Kimberly. Every second she thought, she only thought about Phillip's fist in her face. The way he had been inches away from stabbing her in the chest. Her brain and heart ached with fear and confusion. The peace of mind she had worked hard on gaining since escaping the cartel, was gone. She was back at rock bottom.

She stared at herself in the mirror once more, and even she could see how broken she looked. She just looked like a shell of who she used to be. Her left eye was bloodshot, the black eye disgusting to look at. She closed her eyes and gathered herself. The last two days had been a battle just waking up and getting out of bed.

Everyone had been distant yesterday, a heavy and tense air floating around the house. Kimberly had been thinking about what Phillip had told her. How she only ate jam and ham when she had been pregnant. She knew it was weird how her period had also just come around, but she reassured herself. She had destroyed everything in her abdomen. There wouldn't be a chance she was pregnant. Not after being raped several times through two years and not getting pregnant.

Kimberly unlocked the bathroom door, opening it. She stepped out into the passage, hearing talking from the kitchen. She let out a sigh as she walked down the passage and into the kitchen.
-"Good morning, sweetheart," John said, smiling towards Kimberly. As he laid eyes on her face, his smile disappeared. He threw Phillip a glance and it itched in his fingers to just shoot him right then and there.

Kimberly settled down in between John and Kate as usual. She didn't look at anyone as she reached for one slice of bread, still feeling dizzy and nauseated. Kate had reassured her that she didn't have a concussion, but she wasn't so certain anymore. Kimberly stared at the jam for a second, but she didn't bother to put it on the bread.

She grabbed the single slice of bread on her plate, taking a bite out of it. She put it back down as she chewed, continuing to stare at the jam. Everyone was watching her, worried to speak. They didn't want to question her, aware that she was about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

John hated seeing Kimberly like this, but he didn't know what he could do to help her. All the progress she had managed to do was just gone. As if Phillip had sucked it out of her. She seemed so empty, and it broke his heart.
-"So," John said, rubbing his chin. "I figured we would need a tree to put up today. I need some volunteers to help me pick out a tree."

Kyle, Simon, König, Phillip and Kate volunteered to go with him, feeling uneasy around Kimberly.
-"I only have space for five. Phillip, why don't you go outside and shovel away some snow," John said, aware that everything around his house had snowed down in the blizzard.
-"Sure," Phillip muttered, crossing his arms.
-"Then Kimberly and Johnny can stay here and relax a little," John said, looking over at Kimberly.

It didn't even seem like she heard him. She just seemed gone, but John knew she had heard him. She grabbed the dry bread, taking another bite of it.
-"Should we get going? Can we change clothes first?" Kyle asked as he stood up. He pointed towards the green jumpsuit he was wearing, feeling embarrassed to wear the same as everyone else.

-"No, the suit stays on. Phillip, I don't want you back in the house until every snow flake has been moved away from the front side of the house," John ordered as he stood up. The others grabbed their jackets and left the house. Phillip, Kimberly and Johnny were the only ones who remained, and the tension was thick.