The Runaways

Chapter Fourteen

Clearly, he has been drinking. A lot.

"Dad, I'm really not in the mood to talk right now." I make the effort to not even look in the direction of the closet. My father glances toward the curtains over the window, and I gulp. He rips back the fabric to reveal the gaping hole. My body feels weak, and I'm having trouble breathing, but I stand and move away from the window as fast as possible. The bedroom door is wide open behind me, but I'm not leaving Luke.

"Needed a little fresh air?" My dad says sarcastically. He makes his way toward me, and I back up even more. My heart is beating a million miles an hour. Please, don't let him find Luke.

"Dad, I'm still here, so there's no reason to be upset."

"No! You left me, remember? This just proves how stupid you think I am!" he slurs as he stumbles over my shoes in the floor. "I bet you think I don't know about that boy who helped you get away?"

My throat tightens. "No, I barely knew him, and all he did was take me into the woods. He's not important." The words tasted like poison in my mouth.

"Well.." he slowly walks in my direction, " Guess its just you and your big mouth, now. Maybe you should've thought of that before you were such a smart-aleck yesterday."

I step back until I bump the wall and try my hardest not to panic. He slaps my face, just when I thought the swelling in my eye was beginning to lessen. I regain my balance as I listen to my father scream profanities at me. Blocking out his voice, I slap him back as hard as I can.

The cussing stops. He crosses his arms and stares at my now blood-red face. His eyes scream hatred.

"Bad idea," he growls as he grips the back of my neck and throws me into the floor. My breath is taken away. Out of the corner of my good eye I see someone quickly emerge from the closet behind my insane father. The grip on my neck strongly tightens, then releases completely.

"Luke, no! Get out of here!! Please!" I scream just before I get repeatedly kicked in my ribs harder than I ever have. My insides hurt. Horribly. He stops kicking just as soon as he spies Luke.

"DON'T. TOUCH. HER." Luke commands him as he steps closer.

"Or what, kid?" he asks. He laughs before kicking me one last time, not breaking eye contact with Luke.

Luke runs up and throws him against the wall, punching him in the face. My father yells angrily. He shoves Luke down and beats Luke's chest in with his elbow.

I'm constantly coughing. I'm trying to catch my breath, but the coughing doesn't cease. My lungs feel like they're on fire, but I'm distracted from it.

All I can hear is Luke screaming out in pain. I have to stop the fighting. Dad is going to kill him. I try to call out to Luke, but result in a huge fit of coughing.

As I try to crawl over to their wrestling figures, blackness creates a ring, outlining my vision. I feel some kind of fluid in my throat as I continue to cough. Just as I'm attempting to put my hand over my mouth, I sputter up blood. I faintly hear my name being called before the darkness takes my sight completely. The metallic-smelling liquid covers my hands and face before I become totally oblivious to the world around me.