Broken

Chapter 4

*Mild violence in this chapter*

I woke up several times in the middle of the night.

I was having one of the reoccurring nightmares of my father.

I'd come home, eager to show him my good grades, only to find him drunk. "Dad, I got 3 A's on my report card!!" Now I know better that those weren't very well and that it wasn't very smart to yell or even talk to him while he was drunk, but being a little kid I hadn't understood that yet. It wasn't until a year later that I learned that."3...." he mumbled. "Yes! 3! My teachers said I was doing very well but I needed to work on not talking when she's talking."

"How many times have I told you this?! You do not talk when your elders are speaking! You do not talk unless spoken to!! You do not talk, period!" He screamed, as he threw his arm back and brought his hand up to my face. "OW!!" I shrieked, obviously in pain. His hand was was twice the size of my head.

"Stop making noise! Do you want the neighbours to hear?! Do you want them to take me away?!" he screamed again as he grabbed my wrists and pulled me upstairs. I wanted to scream yes and run away but I was helpless. I couldn't get away and I didn't want him to hurt me again. He'll do it anyways.

He throws me in my room and walks in, slamming and locking the door after him. My room is the only room without windows. With the door locked their is absolutely no way for me to get out now. Just me and him.

He comes towards me, balls his hands into a fist...

And then I wake up. Sweating and out of breathe I go to the kitchen area and run water into a cup. There is a loud bang just outside my door and I decide to go see what's going on. When I open the door there are three men fighting. One looks very familiar....

"Maria!" one screams. I then notice that he is holding a gun. Life or death. Fight or flight. In this situation, that I have been in many times before, all my senses heighten. My muscles tighten up, my vision gets sharper, my hearing gets- is that water?

I never turned the water off. Two men are attempting the hold down the one holding the gun. They seem occupied. I run into the kitchen to turn the water off, but the cup was blocking the  drain so the water poured off the counter and onto the floor. I hear more screaming, I slip, and I..I  can't hear.. anything. I can't.... feel..anything... I can't see...anything....

***************************************************************

I wake up in an unfamiliar apartment. There's noise all around me but all I can see is a tan wall. Or ceiling. Below me is soft, either a carpet or a bed. Or a couch. Looking around results in a sharp pain in my neck and my heart beat filling my ears. Migraine. Now.I'm left to lay here, unknowing of my surroundings until, A) My headache goes away or, 2) Somebody comes by and tells me.

I feel a pressure on my back and the room starts slowly moving upward. More softness, I'm assuming a pillow, is placed behind me. I am now sitting up and can see everything going on around me. Lots of cards and men drinking alcohol, which re-engages fight or flight mode. I try to get up and move but I'm caught by a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see who it is, to see if I can recognize him.

"Ryan?" I ask. It can't be him.. is it? "Hey, Maria. I hope you didn't mind me bringing you here. That guy had a gun and I didn't want him to come back and hurt you so I brought you here to protect you..." He answered, barely breathing between words. "I, uhm-it's fine.. can I have a drink? Why can't I move without being in pain?" He already had a drink, which I assumed was his but he handed to me immediately."You slipped and fell trying to turn of the water. I turned it off by the way."

He handed me an aspirin which I happily took. I'll feel better soon, nothing I haven't felt before. "Where are we?" I asked as I swallowed the aspirin and a sip of water. "Far side of town, Brown's Apartment Complex to be exact." He replied while dealing a round of cards to three other men.

"Oh yea, I've been here before.." I said, looking back to a few weeks ago when a rude man paid me to "Come home and have a few drinks with him." He actually meant,' I'm going to force you to drink alcohol and then I'm going to do whatever  I want with you because you'll be too drunk to defend yourself.' I limped for the next 4 days.

"You have? I mean, you live on the other side of town-" I cut him off. "Yes but I've dealt with some pretty far out men." A look of confusion washed over his face until he realised what I meant. "You know, you shouldn't do that..." he mumbled.

"I do what I have to to keep me alive. I do it for money so I can afford a bed and food." "But now your in danger... you can't go back out there. You can't roam the streets looking for random men to hook up with for money. You could get caught with one of the guys after you.." It seemed like he almost... cared. He couldn't though. Nobody cares about me. They never did an  never will.

"Why do you even care?" I shifted on on what I have determined to be a couch, finally able to move without it feeling like I'm being stabbed. I sat up to look him directly in the eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt, ok?" He turned back to the card game. It looked like they were play 500 Rummy.. I'll have to ask to play with them later.

I didn't answer. I stood up and pretended like I knew where I was going as I wandered down one of the many hallways. How many people lived here? Ah, I found it. I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Wow. I quickly wiped off my makeup and threw my hair into a messy bun.

When I came back out the men were still playing their games but Ryan was in the kitchen, looking through the fridge. "What would you like to eat?" I haven't had anybody cook for me since my mom died. "Uhm.. just.. I'll eat whatever you make?" I wasn't sure what to say, I didn't want to be picky.

"Eggs and bacon alright with you?" "Yea.. that's alright." I'm happy with what I get.. I walk into what seems to be the living room and sit on the couch I woke up on. I look over to see that the game has just ended and they were starting a new round.

"Do you.. do you mind if I join in?" I barely whispered. Those people were scary looking and it would probably hurt if they hit me. "Go right ahead." one guy answered. I joined right in,instantly remembering all my tricks and how to get good plays.

By the time breakfast was done we had played two full games of Rummy, both of which I won. We talked throughout the games and looks are very deceiving. These guys were actually really nice people, as long as you don't do anything to tick them off.

We all sat down and ate breakfast, like a big happy family. It was an amazing feeling to feel like part if a family. I didn't have this feeling for long when I was a child.

After we got done eating and I had one 3 more games, Ryan pulled me back into the hallway. "Maria, the guys seem to really like you. Would you like to say with us for a while?" he asked me. "N-no. I couldn't." "Please stay?" he asked again looking down at me.

"I'll stay but not for long."

Not for long.

_______________________________________________________________

This story is coming along nicely. I really like it.
Do you guys actually like it or are you just saying that so you don't upset me?
Lemme know if ya still like it
Thanks for reading!
-NXx