Living Again

Chapter 13

Cassie's POV:

Silence was what greeted me as I opened the door. And silence is what I was most afraid of. I stepped inside, trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn't want to break the silence and I was scared of what was going to happen if I broke it with the slightest noise. Inheaded to the kitchen to get some ice for my shoulder.

"What took you so long?" someone asked from behind me.

I stiffened  and turned around to find my father looking at me.

"Mr. Simmons asked me to help him with his things" I mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Speak louder" he ordered, his tone rising but not enough to be considered as a yell.

I repeated what I said, but this time louder. I sneaked a glance and I saw him staring at me through narrow eyes. I was afraid because he was so calm. He was never calm. I know him as someone with a short temper who'll snap at the smallest of things that I do and always screaming at me. This was new.

I don't know what is going to happen nor what he is thinking.

He stepped towards me and put a hand on my chin. He tilted my head up so that I was looking at him. His eyes were glazed over and he was looking at me but I could tell that it wasn't me that he was looking at.

"Simmons? Is that the bastard that you left me for? The bastard that you ran away with?" With each other word, his grip on my face got tighter and tighter. He was hallucinating.

He thinks that I'm mom

I tried to get away but his hold on my face got firmer. With no other choice, all I could do was listen to him.

"You made a big mistake leaving me" his hand moved down to my neck. "A.VERY.BIG.MISTAKE" he gripped my neck and his grip got tighter and tighter.

My eyes widened and I tried to wrestle his hand loose. I was losing oxygen and dark spots were starting to appear in my vision. I looked in his eyes and all I could see was hatred.

Is this it? Is this how it all ends? Choked to death by my father?, I thought calmly, even if I was trying to wrestle free. Funny as it may, I felt nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I felt no fear.

I guess I was also waiting for it all to end.

When everything was almost black, he dropped his hand and I fell onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air. I looked up at him. His eyes were cleared now but he was just staring down at me as I gasped for oxygen. After a minute, he turned around and walked away. I heard the slam of the door as he went to his room.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I stared at the mirror blankly, looking at the handprint that was left on my neck. I held up a hand to touch it. I remembered how he looked as he choked me. Emotionless, I wrapped my hand around my neck. I recalled how it felt.

How air was being cut from my lungs.

How I desperately wanted to breathe but couldn't.

How everything was slowly going dark.

I was so close, I thought. Was I feeling disappointed?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "A lowlife like me couldn't escape that easily" I muttered, grabbing a scarf to wrap around my neck.

Jake's POV:

"Oh man, I'm late!!" I muttered to myself as I ran in the hallway. In my haste, I bumped into someone. The person fell onto the floor.