Behind these walls

Hidden

I stand at the front door of my house, not sure if I should knock or just enter freely as it isn't locked. No lights blaze from any windows and no shadows dance along the walls. The overhead light on the veranda shone to life at my presence. I stood there, hand on the metal door handle, the cold panging into my flesh and bones. Seconds, minutes, hours tick by as my breathing quickens with swirls of hot breath escaping my lungs and my heart lurching out of my chest.

"Standing there isn't going to achieve anything."

I freeze in place at the sound of the voice, the blood running cold in my veins. I stop breathing and strain my ears to see how far away he was. Ever so slowly, I turn around, terrified of who was standing there. Too quickly, my eyes meet Kylen's green ones, who stands leaning against a large oak tree on the front-yard of my house. His short dark hair is tousled at random angles as he puffs on a glowing red cigarette. Black clothing covers his lean body. Removing my hand from the door handle, I take a step back, my shoulders banging into the wooden door behind me. I don't have time to register the pain because of the fear clawing itself inside my stomach.

"What are you doing here, Kylen?" I force my voice to not waver and lift my chin up high to show as much confidence as I could muster.

"Just came to talk, that's all." His own voice sounds lazy and low as he flicks the cigarette onto the ground and squashes it with the toes of his steel capped shoe, incinerating the fiery glow.

Black, stormy clouds hang over the house and thunder rolls around in the sky, the loudness of it making me jump. Droplets of water begin to rain down, hitting the soft, green grass in gentle masses.

"Scared of storms, huh?" The rain pours down heavier, as he takes big steps forward until he stands just at the stairs of the veranda, not quite under the shelter from the storm.

"Not usually." I quiver.

"What makes today so special?" The sound drowns out his voice, but I hear enough to make out what he is trying to say. He was close, too close for me, as I subtly shift to the gate on the other side of the veranda, just inches away from where I could escape from him. I swallow down, hard, as he jumps onto the stairs, taking two at a time.

"Get out of here, Kylen. You shouldn't be here."

"Really, why? It's not like daddy's going to protect you." I swallow again, as I realise no one will. This is a battle I'll have to fight alone. "And what about Ryland, huh? The punk that can never mind his own business, where's he right now?" He walks closer and I shuffle nearer to the gate. If I just reached out, I could grab the handle and fling it open and I could-

Kylen's big hands wrap themselves around my waist. His hair drips with rainwater onto my arms as he holds me close to him. His green eyes hold an amusing gleam in them as he smirks coldly. His right hand travels down, down, as I bring my knee up and with as much force as I can muster, and hit him between the legs.

"Remember that time, I told you about hitting you there if you annoyed me? Is this a good time to mention that I stay by my word?" I say.

Kylen slumps to the floor and moans the word 'bitch' in pain. I fling open the gate and run down the side steps. I sprint towards the forest behind my house, hoping I can lose him in the dense trees. I hear rustling behind me and his intake of breath. He's faster than me, so fast that I know I have no chance of outrunning him, even if the forest is only metres away. Hearing him laugh, I take a quick look behind me and find him closer than I thought. My legs protest, but I keep going, I'm so close to the forest, so very close as his body suddenly hits mine and sends me tumbling through the grass.

We topple in the grass, rolling through the hard rain soaking our bodies as mud clings to our skin and clothes. He lands on top of me, his hands pinning mine on either side of my head, slick with water. His gaze looks down on me as his grin widens, and I realise what is about to happen. He's going to finish what he never started, and this time, I'll be awake to know it. I scream, so loud that my voice rings out across houses and streets. He puts his hand over my mouth to stop any more sound coming out.

"Get off me, Kylen, you don't want to do this." I try saying through his hand covered tightly over my mouth. I struggle in his grasp and he holds on tighter, making me not be able to move at all. Crying gasps escape me as he gets more comfortable. I've never been so happy before to be wearing skinny jeans and a big sweater, but I know that won't stop him. I look at Kylen in the eyes, and bite him as hard as I can on his hand covering my mouth. I taste hot blood and he screams, lifting his hand up so he can see it. I push him off me so he falls hard on his back. I wipe my eyes and run into the forest. Roots grab at my feet and branches scratch my face, producing hot mounts of blood. My hair sticks in my wounds as I turn around and see Kylen's figure dart into the forest behind me. I look around me, realising I basically just made myself trapped. In a quick decision, sensing him far away, I climb up a thick trunked tree. I reach up high, grabbing on sturdy branches and haul myself up. My hand slips from the wetness of the rain, and suddenly, I'm only hanging on by one hand. I look down, noticing I'm only a few feet of the ground. I blink water out of my eyes as I look up, trying to make out another shadow of a branch through the rain.

"Come on Clara, I'll find you soon enough." His voice rings out through the forest, slightly muffled from the harsh sound of the falling rain. He's gaining on me fast, too fast. I lock onto another branch, a big wide one that could hide my body and lift until I'm sitting on top of it. I stop breathing as I hear his footsteps coming closer. And I close my eyes, clinging onto any hope I've ever had of survival.