My Mother's Boyfriend

Chapter 46

I need to get out, right now. It is winter, the house is freezing and Liam is checking on me more frequently. "The house is freezing." I complain when he comes in with some milk and cookies.
"I have a fire going." He says, glancing out the open doorway. "Oh no." He mutters, running from the room. I take this chance to slide on slippers and a thin jacket that I found in the closet, I grab a butter knife from the cart and slip it into my pocket. I tiptoe to the door and I see Liam at the fireplace poking at the wood. I slip from the room and down the hallway to the foyer. I grab the knob and throw open the door and dart directly forward.
I trip and start tumbling over the edge, I roll until I splash into water. I come up for air, my teeth chattering. "EMMA!" I glance over my shoulder, it is dark and I can barely make out Liam in the doorway. I start kicking my feet and thrusting my hands out. I go under water to try and move faster but I lose breath so I pop back up and I hear a splash. I glance over my shoulder and see Liam's head bob up under the water and I start to swim faster until a current sweeps me backwards. My head goes underwater and I pop up again and glance behind me and scream because Liam is closer. I thrash to get away from him but he is clearly a better swimmer than I because he grabs my waist.
"Get off of me!" I shout, reaching for the pocket of my jacket.
"Just come here!" He grunts and I grab a hold of the butter knife but then drop it. I gasp, elbowing him and then headbutting him. He falls back and I hold my head and hazily dip under water and swim down to look for the knife.
I am running out of breath by the time I grab something metal and I quickly swim to the top and resurface, gasping for air. I hold up the knife to make sure it is the knife but it is a part of a can. I throw it and I swim off. I look behind me but Liam is nowhere to be seen. I look in front of me and Liam is there with the knife and I scream again. I try to swim backwards but I only drift closer and he grabs me again. "It didn't have to be this way Emma." He says and I punch at his chest. He holds up the knife and I whimper, trying to reach for it but he only laughs. With the energy I have left, I ball up my left fist and pull it back and then drive it forward to his nose. He is dazed for a moment, losing the knife and I quickly grab it, trying to get away from him again. He is reaching out to me, one hand holding his nose but I only kick away from him. He grabs my ankle and I struggle to get out of his grip. I shakily put the knife in my right hand and drive it into his hand. He shouts a string of curse words and lets go of my ankle and I steer my direction away from him and the house.
I reach the shore of the other side of the lake and I walk onto it and stumble, falling down and shivering. I crawl toward the tall treeline and go on and lean against it before falling over and holding my head. I end up falling into unconsciousness due to the blow to the head.

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O.O -C