All Roads Lead Home (Book #1)

Chapter 17

I just walked into the house. I've been at school all morning so there is no reason for him to be mad at me. I didn't do anything but go to class and eat my lunch. No fights for me.

I look around the main floor for him, but he's not down here anywhere. Odd, he's usually in front of the TV with about a half case of empty beer bottles strewn across the floor, always nursing another bottle.

That's when he's the worst. That's when he hit me yesterday but I got away before he could do it again.

I go up to my room to put school bags away and to change into comfier pants. I hear him yell my name from somewhere downstairs, along with some other slurred sentence. Oh fuck, he's been drinking again.

I walk into the kitchen and stop. He's standing in the doorway still nursing a bottle. The smell of the beer is nauseating. He slurs another incomprehensible sentence. Did he just say that he wants me?

As I stand there in the kitchen with him blocking my exit, I look around rapidly trying to find an escape. The back door was out of the question. He could just catch me out there because there was no escaping that yard.

He uses my moment of distraction to take advantage of me. After he was finished he made me clean up. I had to take a shower to get him off of me. Making love to Jay was never like that and never made me feel like this.

I decided to go outside after I finished my shower. There was no point in calling the cops. They didn't do anything yesterday.

I didn't count on him calling me back inside. 'What now?' When I walked back in the house he was waiting for me in the kitchen again. He had a look in his eyes that I've never seen before. It was pure hatred and it was directed at me. 'What's his problem?' I think to myself.

I quickly glance out the window and see a reflection of something in his hand. It's long and silver with a sleek wooden handle; it's a knife! "What the hell!" I shout at him. That puts him into full-on rage. He comes at me with the knife raised, resting evenly with his jaw.

'He's nuts!' I think as I narrowly escape the sweep of the knife. I slip past him through the kitchen door and try to get to the front door. Suddenly he grabs my hair. I scream as he pulls me to the ground. I scream from the pain of the impact and from the fear of what's coming.

I try to fight him off but he's too heavy. I feel the knife sink deep in my thigh. I glance down and see the blood begin to seep out of my leg as he shifts the knife slightly, enjoying the pain he's causing me. The pain that's ripping through my leg is unbearable. Fuck it hurts so much.

A wave of nausea washes over me as white spots appear in the corners of my eyes. "Don't pass out! You have to get help! Call for help baby! Don't pass out!" I can hear dad yelling at me as I try to remain conscious.

He rips the knife from my thigh and sinks it back in my leg, this time in my calf. I can't stand this anymore. 'Daddy, I can't do it. I can't yell. There's no one around to help,' I think to myself. I start to cry, silently sobbing trying to mask the pain.

Then I hear the footsteps coming up the gravel walkway. Someone's coming! I gather up all the strength I have left and yell. "Help me! Please, someone help me! He's trying to kill me!"

The front door flies open and Jayden runs in with a police officer following, gun already raised shouting orders to drop the weapon. I look over to see the officer. A small gasp escapes as I see the same officer from yesterday. 'Maybe he did believe me,' I think to myself.