The Perfect Life

We Meet Again

The scream died in her throat when the burly man yanked her up by the hair. Dragging her across the threshold Eunhui struggled to get her footing. Reaching up she took his arm. Putting all weight on her right leg she pulled Kim Donghee over her shoulder, slamming him onto the floor. She panted, exhausted. Dizzy from the earlier fall Eunhui collapsed onto her bottom, watched as her step-father regained his composure.

Heart racing, she crawled to her feet and started running toward the open doorway. Too slow he grabbed her ankles forcing her to her knees. The pain shot up her thighs. She groaned. Twirling around she kicked him. He blocked. She tried again and succeeded in colliding foot into his face.

Eunhui struggled to her feet again, but this time he leapt toward her crushing the wind out of her lungs. Her nose buzzed. Liquid dripped into her mouth. She tried fighting as he fought to flip her onto her back. His thick body dug into her back, his middle hard and sliding against her upper thigh.

This time she cried. From pain, from agony. Because of fear.

Every time she heard the lock being picked she awoke from her dreams. Huddling against the headboard, pulling the blanket up to her chest as if that could protect her. And then her step-father would creep into her room. Finger up to his lips, "Shhhh..."

The weight of her bed would drop as he climbed up. He would pull her down by the ankle so she was flat on her back. Trying to hold her breath, praying and hoping with all her might that this was some horrible dream. But then he would touch her and put his hot mouth to her neck and kiss her down to her breasts. Tell her things like, "You were made for me."

And she would weep quietly as he slid her shorts down and relieve himself. Her insides were rotten, filthy, dead. She hated herself even more each time her body reacted, asking and pleading for more.

She wished she was dead every morning, had wished it every single day of her life.

A shriek emptied from her mouth and Eunhui fought desperately clawing at his face, smearing his blood into her nails. He slapped her senseless. Even when her entire left side went numb she still clawed at him like a furious cat fighting a dog. Mouth still open and screaming she became mute when he slapped her again and again and again until the corner of her lips turned purple and started swelling with blood.

The day Junmyeon died she wished he would have taken her, too. They could have switched places for all God cared. But he left. The only person she always relied on. Thought would always be there for her, but he went too soon.

She cried when his fingers slid down her belly to unbutton her pants.

She should have died with him.

"How do you like that? You like that, huh?" His deep voice growled. "Look at me." He raised his voice. Gripping her chin between his fingers he demanded, "Look at me!"

Was she dead yet? Her mind fazed slipping in and out. In and out. And then she heard it. The ringing of her phone. Coming to, she propelled her head up headbutting him as hard as she could. He cried out, clutched his face in pain.

Breathing hard she shoved him off and instantly made a run screaming, "Help me! Help me!"

No one opened their thick steel doors. Sliding toward the elevator in her socks she punched the button repeatedly and glanced back to see her step-father staggering out of her apartment. She wouldn't make it. Groaning frustrated, she dashed toward the stairs skipping three steps at a time, nearly tumbling down two flights. The doors slammed upstairs as he came after her, sounding like a heavy monster, a big foot, a sasquatch. Eunhui quickened her pace praying there were people still outside.