The Insiders

CHAPTER UNO

The smell of cigarettes and beer is the only thing they smell around here. Who's 'they' you ask?
Simply teenage girls who have been locked in this rotten place since the oldest were ten.
It's a shame isn't?
Girls who haven't done the slightest thing to have to deal with misery as great as this. It all started with a slightest incident, Jenny, the girls' mother was shot by a man at a drive by when they went to visit a small town. She was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.
After their mother's death, John, their stepfather started abusing them. Got a drinking problem always getting high, he lost his sanity.

"Where the hell is my freaking bottle" John shouted with his raspy voice. "You already drank your last one" One of the girls, Stephanie shouted from the basement. "Who in the mighty freaking universe are you talking to like that you little bitch" After a few minutes came a huge 'slap'. Stephanie was left with a hand print but didn't back down.
"All you ever fucking care about is your fucking bottles, grow some fucking balls and just admit mom's fucking dead" She spat in his face.
"You bitch" John went to hit her again but was stopped by Saray, the other oldest of the girls. "Please John stop, she didn't mean it, you have another bottle left, here" She told him handing him a beer.
"You should act like your sister, she knows how to act like a good bitch" John told Stephanie.

"Hey Steph, you okay?" Saray whispered, kneeling down to check up on Stephanie's bruises and cuts. All those bruises and all of those scars the girls had were caused by their step father. John, who had raised the four girls as if they were his own children, now, he's treating them like trash. "I'm fine." Stephanie mumbled wiping off some tears. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"Hey Janet, where's Angie?" Saray asked as she walked up to Janet with Stephanie besides her. Janet let out a shaky breath, and her eyes were stained with tears. She shakily pointed at John's office.
"No! Ow, stop it, that hurts!" They heard the youngest child, Angie, cry out in pain.

• Saray's POV

Anger boiled in my veins. All three of us have been trying to protect Angie from John. She's only eleven, but she's still the baby of the family. Me, being sixteen, and the oldest, well Stephanie is only twelve minutes younger than me, but I'm still older. I busted the door open and saw John repeatly punching Angie in the abdomen.
"Get off of her you bastard!" I yelled, running towards them, pulling John away. "Watch it brat." John hissed.
"You get away from us, you monster" I spat as I pull Angie carefully behind me. "Don't you talk to me like that!" John exclaimed. "I'll talk to you however I feel like it, you were once our father, now you're just a monster."
"Oh that's it." John stomped my way, ready to punch me, but Stephanie grabbed his fist and twisted his arm behind his back. "This is for everything you have done to us." Stephanie pushed him to the ground, and started punching him in his face several times. "Steph, that's enough, come on." Pulling her away, we backed away slowly. John was starting to get up, he had a side smirk across his face. We all knew that was bad. Without another word, John pulled out a switchblade. We stared at him wide eye, we knew he was crazy, but not a psychopath. "We'll all join your mother soon." As those words left his mouth, he had tears, his eyes already red and puffy. "No" I kept repeating over and over. "We can be happy again, all together, you girls will start calling me 'dad's again... I can stop being insane, it'll change us as soon as we're with Jenny again." That's when I realized... I know John abused and treated us bad, but that was because mom was gone. When mom was still alive we were the happiest family in Owasso. We called John 'dad' or 'daddy' when we were scared or sad. He treated us like his own daughters, he gave us his last name..now his a broken man who wants his wife back.
I know he still loves us, but there's something in him that can't be in peace. "Get away from us." Janet stammered. For a thirteenth year old who's been beaten more than anyone has count, I think she's pretty tough.
Without thinking about it twice, I kicked John straight in the stomach, making him loose grip of the switchblade. We ran, trying to get out of the office but John was faster. "You girls are not going anywhere." John grabbed Janet by her throat, holding her against him. "Any of you try to leave, she dies."
Fear. It's all I thought about. This is exactly what I was afraid of. John killing one of my sisters. "Let her go!" Before we could have time to react Angie ran up to John, biting him in his arm as hard as she could. John let out a scream of pain, letting go of Janet. Taking advantage Janet and Angie both pushed him with strong force. That's when it happened.
John hit his head in the corner of the small table he had in the office. "Oh no... no, this can't be happening." Stephanie rambled. She was a wreck. I wasn't any better, I was nervous, scared, and worried. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed. I noticed he was still breathing, slowly. "He still has a pulse, he's alive" I said. "Stephanie and Angie go pack some of our clothes, Janet get some food and money, John hides money for his weed and beer in the top cabinet, now go" I order. They follow and left quickly. I on the other hand, stayed in the same spot, staring at John. "No matter how much you hurt us, I still love you dad, I hate you but I love you, I'm so sorry for everything, you were being selfish for only thinking about yourself. You thought you were the only one grieving, hurt for mom's death.. But you forgot about our feelings" I sobbed in the shoulder of the man that once read me bedtime stories, sang to me, scared the monsters away, helped me with my first heart break, and cared. I stiffen up, wiping my tears away. Grabbing a hold of the old phone by the desk, I stared calling 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"

"Um, uh my father hit his head at the corner of our table, can you guys please send an ambulance?" I was trying to stay calm, but it was hard, my voice was shaky.

"Sure thing, what's the address?"

After giving the lady the address, she said they'll be here in 10 or 13 minutes. I ran to the bedroom I shared with the girls. "All packed?" I asked.
"Yeah, we're just waiting for Janet." Stephanie said.
Less than a minute, Janet came running to the room, with a backpack in her back. "All done, I grabbed bread, peanut butter, some ham, and beans and corn that were in cans, also there were fifty-two bucks in the top cabinet." Janet said.
"Good, let's go." Grabbing one of the duffel bags that had some of our belongings, Angie and Stephanie grabbed the other two bags and we ran out of the house. After running for about five minutes or more we were pretty far from the house. We were able to hear ambulance sirens, meaning the paramedics were there to get John. "Where we headed?" Angie asked "Far."