Soul Splitters

Perdition

The pumpkin coloured room was shrouded in darkness, the oil lamps were turned off and the curtains drawn. A sliver of silver light cut open the room. Josh looked over his shoulder, the light illuminating his scar. The sliver became a stream, Autumn stood in the doorway. Her shadow stretching across the silver rectangle and covering Josh's face. She didn't need to see his face, his eyes almost glowed with resentment.

Dead air lay between them and the sullen seconds grew into minutes before a croak roused to attention.

"You promised." His eyes were devoid of any emotion, betrayal or otherwise.

"I had to go. My memories are coming back, I know who I am." Autumn wanted him to understand, she knew he had to relate somehow. She watched his figure, looking smaller than normal, as it hovered in the middle of the room.

His words seemed to make the room bigger, and make the air less dense. "I know."

"You do?" Autumn raised an eyebrow, relieved but also curious.

Joshs' palms rested on the table, his arms tense, back arched and head down. A tear fled to the table and rested as a little dark circle.

*

"I'm not staying here. William, I'm leaving. Do you hear me?" She dragged the suitcase, hitting each individual step on her way down. "I'm going you drunk sod. That's it." She stormed into the living room, the stench burning her eyes. "You worthless piece of shit! You don't even care!" She looked down at the armchair, one side of it had a vertical tear from the base to the arm. It hadn't been fixed for years, instead a red fire extinguisher had been put in front of the tear. Then she looked one last time at the man in the chair. His yellowed shirt clung tightly to his gargantuan frame that seemed to dissolve and become part of the seat. The empty bottle nestled next to him and was the source of the oval stain on his chest. His beard was scruffy and folded with his face, his eyes were glazed and thin and he was losing his hair. She hated him, pitied him but she loved him.

"I'll come for Josh when school finishes." She said finally.

"You're a bitch, Farah." He slurred. "Whoever you're screwing, I hope he knows you for the tramp you are." She took a breath, coughed because the air was so stale, and left.

Later that evening Josh waved goodbye to his group of friends and walked up the path to the front door of his house. He reached into his bag and retrieved a set of keys, pushed the key into the lock, and turned it. He walked through the door, wiped his shoes on the doormat, took off his bag and untied his laces. He put his shoes on the shoe rack, on the bottom because his Dad liked to put his own shoes on the top. He went up the stairs to his room and put his bag on his desk. He walked past his parents room on his way back, saw the draws pulled out and empty, the wardrobe without clothes. He ran down the stairs and into the living room, asked his Dad what had happened.

He heard his Dad shout at him. He watched his Dad stand up and backed away. Saw the bottle and panicked as his Dad picked up the fire extinguisher.

He screamed as his Dad raised it high.

He never saw his Mother walk up to the house. He never saw her wonder why the front door was unlocked. He never saw her look into the living room. He never heard her scream.

*

Autumn rested a hand on Joshs shoulder, he leaned into her and she wrapped him in her embrace.

"He did it to get back at her." Josh couldn't talk clearly for sobbing, "I lost my whole life just so he could get back at her!" Autumn soothed him, holding him tightly. He rested his head on her shoulder, weeping silently. She kissed him softly on the cheek as she pulled away from the hug, suddenly realising Josh was holding her hand.