What About Now?

Chapter 24 - Echoes

Please! Just look at me! Talk to me! I cry out.

My mother's back is faced away from me as she sits on the dirty concrete floor. Her body visibly shakes and her loud sobs pierce through my heart.

She is hunched near a corner, trapped in a dirty cell that smells ghastly.

Rats scurry the corners of her cell, making loud squeaking noises as they screech and attempt to touch her. She pushes as many of them away as she can; but they are relentless. 

"Get away from her!" I grasp the cell bars and forcefully shake it, trying to find a way to get inside.

She hastily darts for a large rock in the farthest corner of the cell. Holding it somewhat shakily, she positions it to hit the oncoming rodent. Before the rodent could escape she beat it with the rock repeatedly.

The other pests took notice of their fellow comrades death and swiftly scurry away. As soon as they're gone she let's the rock roll away from her hand and rushes back to sit in her original position. 

I watch with sad eyes as my mother helplessly hugs her knees closer to her body, burying her head between them and rocking her small frame.

I can't keep my eyes off her as I watch her small form shake, whether from the fear or cold, and only break my gaze away from hers when the rock hits the adjacent cell bars. 

I perceive the rodent's blood dripping off the rock and become physically sick. Therefore, I quickly avert my eyes back to my mother.

Her jeans are ripped and barely hang around her waist properly, as if they don't  fit anymore. Her white tang top can be mistaken for brown. It would fall off her emaciated form if not for the straps tied around her shoulders.

"Mom, please!" I cry out. 

But she can't, she won't answer me. She just keeps shaking.

"Come on! MOM!"

I hit the cell bars with my fists. I punch, kick, and repeatedly barge into it with my sides, but no matter how hard I try it won't budge.

"This is all my fault."

I finally give up and grasp the cell bars with my bloodied fists. I lower my head in defeat, muttering, "I'm so sorry mom. They were after me, not you. It should have been me."

My sobs quickly match hers. Yet, surprisingly my crying only fuels my anger for being so weak; so helpless. Therefore, motivation strikes me to pound my fists against the wall once more.

"I will get you out!" I yell in frustration, resuming to kick and punch against the bars.

A loud noise is suddenly heard from across the cell. A door is opened, allowing light to enter the pitch-black vicinity. I squint my eyes and peer at the three huge men walking inside.

I attempt to assess their features but can't make anything out besides for their huge bulking forms. They keep their backs faced away from me and circle my mothers' hunched form.

"Time to have some fun," the man adjacent to my mothers huddled form says, chuckling darkly and motioning  for the other men to follow his lead. They all gather around my mother and grab her from different angles.

"No, No, No, Oh God No," I rattle the bars loudly and strike against it with my side once again.

My mother doesn't even put up a fight as I watch them grab her forcefully.