𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 - The Walking Dead

ᴛᴡᴏ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ || ᴘɪʟʟs
ᴘʀᴇ sᴇᴀsᴏɴ

Ottilie lay trembling on the cold basement floor, her body wracked with pain and fear. Her back ached in pain, she could feel the blood trickling down her back from the metal part of the belt, that part hurt the most. Ottilie feared her dad, she feared what he could and would do to them, but it was all so confusing. In her eyes her daddy did love her, that's just what love was, there was positives and negatives sometimes daddies have to teach their daughters. Her daddy kept a roof over her head and kept her safe but it still didn't stop the feeling in her belly every time she saw him. Her belly almost ached around her dad, Ottilie thought it was like magic, a bad type of magic. One that would come and make her feel really scared and gave her an uneasy feeling. She wondered if it was only her that got that feeling, maybe she was just not normal. Aderlee was always so happy and talkative, why couldn't Ottilie do that? It frustrated her, something so simple as talking scared the six year old.

Aderlee held her close, whispering soft reassurances. She kissed Ottilie's forehead, a gesture they had shared since they were little, trying to kiss away the pain. Aderlee hated when her dad would take his anger out on her sister, she hated it more than when she got hurt. Deep down Aderlee always knew that Ottilie was more sensitive than she was, she reacted differently than Aderlee did and that was okay just heartbreaking.

"It's okay, Ots. It's going to be okay," Aderlee murmured, her voice a fragile thread of hope in the oppressive darkness. She stroked her sister's hair, tears streaming down her own face. "Daddy can be mean sometimes, it wasn't your fault Ots." Aderlee always tried to give her sister comfort by saying it wasn't her fault but Ottie didn't take comfort by it, she knew it was her fault. It was always her fault, her leaving her bear on the floor was her fault even if she hadn't realised it was there. There was no room for mistakes, not in this house, not with Johnathan Bates.

Time seemed to stretch, each minute an eternity. Ottilie stopped crying, each time she got beat her crying lessened. Not because it hurt any less because Ottilie thought it hurt more than anything, well anything she had ever felt. Maybe a waker bite hurt more, maybe one day she would know if her daddy's belt hurt more than that.

Eventually, they heard the heavy thud of the front door closing as Johnathan left, likely to assist the Governor with some pressing matter. Ottilie was almost expecting him to come down here and teach her a lesson for crying, it wouldn't be the first time anyway. She really needed to learn to not cry afterwards but it was just so hard sometimes. Aderlee let out a shaky breath, grateful for the temporary reprieve of her father leaving.

Ottilie sat curled in the corner, clutching her book of wild animals as though it could shield her from the harsh realities of their life. Her sister had brought her the book down after the beating, know Ottie might take comfort in it. Aderlee knelt beside her, her heart aching at the sight of her sister's tear-streaked face and disheveled hair.

"Should I do your hair, Ottilie?"Aderlee asked softly, this was something that happened regularly with the girls, Ottie loved having her hair done by her sister especially when she'd do it to calm down after their dad, fixing all the hair that was messed up from their father. Ottilie nodded, her movements slow and hesitant.

Aderlee gently untangled the knots, her fingers moving with practiced care. Each stroke of her fingers was a soothing rhythm, a small act of normalcy in their otherwise chaotic world. The six year old loved when people would play with her hair, well by people she meant Aderlee.