Loyalty

THAT NIGHT...

AVA'S FLASHBACK

I woke up to my mother screaming. I jumped off of the couch and slowly walked down the hall towards the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen I see my mother holding a knife to my father's throat. Her right hand rested on her stomach as she hunched over in pain. Her face was bloody and badly beaten.

"Somebody is gonna die tonight and it ain't gonna be me!"

She screamed as she lunged  the knife into my fathers gut. I ran towards her screaming and crying. I fell into a maze of broken glass. I remember seeing my blood everywhere. My body went numb and then my vision went blurry. Finally, they had stopped fighting.

DANA'S POV (Ava's Mother)

"I'm pregnant, tee."

Those words made him tick. The vein on the side of his neck began to pulsate. His eyes, wide and full of fury. I slowly inched my way out of the bedroom into our narrow hallway as he began to come closer to me. Once he made it In the hallway he plunged at me.

"Tee why are you mad?!"

I yelled but he had begun to beat me. One punch after the other. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak and I couldn't move, I froze. You ever been so hurt that you go numb? You can't even cry? Well, that's how I felt at that exact moment. It was like I'd run out of tears . I felt nothing and then he quickly brought me back to reality with a hard blow to my stomach. I scream out in agony as he watched me suffer. I curled up in fetal position trying my hardest to breathe. It was like all of the pain that this man had caused me hit me in that exact moment. The infidelities, the baby he had by that good-for-nothing b***h Shay, the beatings, the financial burden of him not working, the isolation from my family and friends and the total control he had of me. I lay across the kitchen floor looking and feeling extremely helpless and more than anything, worthless. As my mind continued to wonder off tevin laid on top of me. To be so skinny he sure was heavy.

"Tee please, get off of me please!"

This jerk beat me senseless. He's punched me in my face, my chest, my head and my stomach. It's getting harder and harder to breathe. At this point I am tired and weak, mentally and physically. He began to grope my breasts and thrust his body into mine. I felt his erection through his jeans...

Is he trying to get some?!

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Get off of me!"

I yelled as I scanned the room for a possible weapon. I had so much anger and rage in me. And for the first time in my life I had enough courage to fight him back. I spot a steel pan and a sharp knife near me.

"Ugh! "

The knife is too far out of my reach.

Think, Dee.  I got it!

I thought to myself as I found the strength to push his skinny a** off of me. I Head towards the pan but he pushed me face down on the tiled floor.

"B***h! I'll kill you and that baby, know it ain't mines."

He yelled as he tried to pull my shorts down. I was able to turn around and fight him off using my legs to kick him. I break free from his hold and this time I ran straight for the knife. His caramel complexion went pale as I gestured cutting his throat.

"Ha! You tough now? You can have all the weapons in this world babygirl but you will always be a weak a** hoe."

"Go join your mama in hell, tevin!"

I scream as I jam the knife into his gut. He stumbled backwards into the refrigerator and I stood there and watched him struggle. Am I sick for enjoying every moment of this? He deserves it. He deserves much worse but I am no killer. As I'm looking for the phone I hear my 6 year old daughter scream.

This god damn child.

"Ava!"

I called her name and she didn't respond.

"Ava! what the hell are you do—-

S**t!

I was mortified when I discovered my child on the floor practically bleeding to death. She fell into a bunch of broken glass and busted her head on the floor just outside of the kitchen. Her little body was limb and so pale. I grabbed a dish rag and tried to use it to stop the bleeding. She was slipping in and out of consciousness and I began to panic even more. I was terrified. I had an acs case earlier this year that was just closed and now this.

"Oh god I don't need this s__t right now!"

Ava is hurt, this looks really bad. This is it. They're going to take my kids away and I'll lose my housing voucher. Where the hell am I gonna go?! I tried. I've failed the girls. They're probably better off in the system anyways.