Dark Trade

Bad Habits

My father's been a gambling deadbeat for as long as I can remember. It's the reason why mom left his sorry ass. She said she couldn't be a wife to a man who puts his bad habits before his own family. I was about 14 when she left, and when I asked her why she couldn't take me with her, she said, "Someone's gotta stay here and watch after your dependent father."

It's been five years since my mother hit the road, and it only made my father's gambling problem even worse. He comes home late every night with this sorry look on his face, and when I ask him why he continues to gamble, he says, "Because,...I'm hoping to better our future."

I know why he still gambles, it's because it's manifested into an addiction. Bad habits start out as simple little tendencies that are tough to shake off, but when they're not dropped, they become an addiction.

I was sitting in my room, excepting the same old night I always have, but when my father came through the door, he was covered in blood and bruises.

"Come on Cat! We gotta get da hell outta here before they get here!" My dad ran upstairs and started frantically packing a bag.

He stuffed the duffel bag with clothes, chump change, and a gun. "Haul ass Cat!" He yelled down to me. Somehow, I knew this day was comin', so I had an emergency bag already packed. Inside my bag were some clothes, vitamins, water, a flashlight, batteries, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and money.

"What the hell did you go and do this time!?" I yelled as I slung my backpack on my back. "Honey bun, I done gambled with the wrong people this time." He lugged the duffel bag over his shoulder, and grabbed the car keys. "Out the door!" Dad held the door open for me as he unlocked the car.

The night sky was covered in stars, it would have been a prefect night to sit on the roof like we use to do, if it wasn't for my dad's extracurricular activities. Dad locked the house door before hustling over to the car.

"We gotta lay low for a while Cat." He put the car in ignition. "These guys...they're not normal. They ain't like us." Dad pulls out of the driveway.

"What do you mean they're not like us?" I asked buckling my seatbelt. My father laid back in his seat, trying his best to relax as he drove. "They ain't human." He rubbed his chin, and placed his hand back on the wheel.

I wasn't sure what kinda shit daddy went and got us into this time, but I was sure that something had him scared like a turkey in November; I just didn't know what it was.

((Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Don't forget to comment and vote. I love getting feed back, so don't be afraid to point out small or huge typos X3))