Learning to Live, Again

Chapter Thirty-six

Niamh

Furious knocking at the door made me jump.. a lot of things made me jump. The wind outside blowing against the trees, making branches tap against the windows, for example. It reminded me of cold nights against the concrete as I listened intently for any sign of someone..

I walked to the front door slowly, my heart racing. I didn't want to admit it, but this house terrified me now, like it had my mother. The only reason I haven't left, is because I have two small children who don't need to be moved around anymore. It wasn't safe anywhere else. I knew this house.. I knew how it sounded; the little noises it made. I could protect them here...

I unlocked the door, and it burst open. I had to suppress the scream of fear as my fist connected with someone I hadn't been expecting.

"Jesus.. Ow Niamh!"

"Corbin," I hissed at him, holding my hand to my chest. "What are you doing here? It's late!"

He nods, looking behind me frantically. "I know; I know. Come on. Grab the boys.. we're getting out of here." 

He pushes past me, grabbing my coat and bag and tossing them at me. "Corbin, what the hell-"

Walking towards the kitchen, he suddenly stops and spins around. "No; there's no time. We'll get something once we're far enough away. Come on Niamh. Help me grab the boys."

I grab his hand, making him stop. "Corbin, stop it. You're scaring me," I whispered, chills crawling up my spine as I watched him push my hand away and run up the stairs. I could hardly breath, the fear clutching my throat as I jogged up the stairs after him. "Corbin, wha-"

I stopped talking. Corbin stood in the middle of the hall, the boys' bedroom door open. My heartbeat slowed as I neared Corbin and the room. I couldn't breath, and I didn't want to imagine what I would see on the other side of the door.

I went to push past him, but Corbin put his arm out and stopped me. "Niamh, please, run."

"Corbin, what is wrong with you? This isn't fu-" I walked into the room, my heart stopping at the scene before me. 

"Why hello Niamh.. it's been a while."

I couldn't breath as tears sprang to my eyes. Ponyboy stood in the middle of the room holding Heath in his arms. Heath turns to me, grinning. "Hey momma! Ponyboy says he's gonna teach me to ride horses!"

Bile rose in my throat at the smile on Ponyboy's face. When he talked about horses, he didn't mean the animal kind.. he meant the kind that started with wh- and ended with -ores. "How's that sound, momma," Ponyboy sneered at me, his teeth rotting out of his head. 

Corbin made a move towards him, and he responded by lifting his shirt a bit, revealing a shiny, black gun. "It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt, right Heath?"

Heath nods, laughing, totally oblivious to the danger he's in. Dean stands in the back, by the window. He's clutching his teddy for dear life, and he won't look up. This was not what he needed.. after everything he'd been through.. he deserved better.

"Mommy says that all the time," Heath says, bringing my attention back to him. My skin crawls seeing this monster's arm wrapped around my son.

"Well soon, we'll have super fun. Mommy and my friend is coming over. His name is-" Ponyboy catches himself before he says the name. "Well.. the name isn't important. He's tons of fun."

Heath bounces a little. "Yay," he cheers. "We haven't had fun in forever! Mommy's too scared."

It hurts, knowing I've kept my son from having fun due to my fears, but I couldn't help it...

The front door opens downstairs, and a voice calls in. "Niamh, are you here? Corbin? Your girls are crying.."

My head swings to Corbin and he looks scared. 

"Hello? Is everything alright, you guys?"

"Caleb we're up here," Heath yells, grinning.

I shoot him a panicked look, and the smile on Ponyboy's face scares me. I know what he's thinking... he's going to lure Caleb up here, and he's going to kill us all....

He takes the gun out, pointing it against Heath's head. He frowns a little, surprised. "Mommy says you're not suppose to point guns at people. She says it's not nice."

Ponyboy smiles at my son, and Heath looks sideways at him, as if just realizing this might not be as fun as he originally thought. "It's just a game," Ponyboy says, bouncing Heath a little. "This is a fun game. Mommy played it with me a lot while she was gone."

Heath looks at me, and I can see the fear in his eyes. He knows now that this man isn't a friend, and he's realized this isn't a game. Slowly, I nod, giving him a reassuring smile. "Okay, mommy," he says slowly, looking anywhere but at the gun.

"Niamh," Caleb calls, and I can hear him making his way up the stairs. "Look, I know you said you didn't want to see me anymore, but there's something I need to tell you.. Can we ta-"

I know he's behind me, and I know he seems my son, my little boy, in the arms of this man. "Hello, Caleb. Look who's decided to finally join us!"

"Where is he?"

"Oh, he'll be here. You can be sure about that. For now, why don't we all just relax a little?"

Caleb steps beside me, and I can feel the heat from his body. "It'll be okay," he whispers to me. "I'll fix this..."

"Hey," Ponyboy shouts, "this is my game! And the rules are: no whispering!" He pushes the gun harder against Heath's head, and I have to stop the sob that threatens to escape my lips. I needed to be strong...

"I did what you guys asked of me," I whispered. "I did everything you asked.. please.. do what you want to me, but don't hurt my sons. Don't hurt my boys.."

He smiles at me, his mouth rotten and his eyes evil. "You should thought about that when you decided to keep that baby inside you. This whole 'it's my body' nonsense is really annoying. The dad should have a say, shouldn't he?" I suppressed the urge to gag. This man was not a father, and he never would be. "Well, I say get rid of it. Or shall I get rid of someone else to make it even?" 

He pushes the gun harder against Heath's head. I snap, running at him.

"Niamh no!"

Gun shots ring out, but I can't tell where they're from...