The Unescapable

Untitled Part 3

This time I hadn't said anything. I had learned that lesson. Staring was enough for him to decide that I was good enough to hit. He had woken up early that day. We were all getting ready for nature day when we heard the stairs creek. Day was my safe time. But not when he was around. father was nothing but darkness. Pure evil darkness. He stopped in front of me. "Has your Mother never taught you that it's impolite to stare?" then he slapped me across the face. I could see tears well up in Mothers eyes. But she remained where she was. She knew it was better that way. Father then proceeded towards the table and sat down. We hurried out of the house, knowing that of we stayed much longer a fight would arise. That day, she told us the story.

The story of how we were special. We lived in the middle of nowhere, and we were born in the middle of nowhere, at home. Mother told us how we were both born on a stormy night. Three years apart but under the same conditions. Father had been there. Father was also the one who decided we were not to be baptized. Born at home. Not baptized. Homeschooled. No one knew we were even alive except for Mother, Father and ourselves. We were nobody's to the world. But that gave us so much more power. Sometimes I pictured myself killing Father. Nobody would ever know it was me. I just wanted him to stop hurting Mother. I wanted him to pay for hitting James. These two people who were like my Angels. There were two Angels and only one Demon. How did he win? "Remember boys, you have to protect each other. You have to look after one another." I had zoned out, I didn't really know what Mother had said before that. I wondered why she was saying this now. But as a seven year old boy, sometimes I didn't understand sentences, sometimes I only understood the words that formed them.

When we got home, Mother sent us straight to our room, as usual. It was starting to get dark out. She turned on the light and smiled. "Lock the door, okay boys? I'll come give you supper later, when it seems safe. I love you." she said. James nodded and we both gave her a hug before she walked out. James and I had a collection of books in our room. We loved to read, it was a way to escape the world in which we lived. James read novels, and I read smaller books. Reading was one of the first things Mother had taught us. James took a book and patted the spot on the bed beside him. "Come. I'll read to you." he told me. Although I knew how to read, I loved it when James would read to me. The books he would read always had words I didn't understand, and then James would explain to me what they meant. But often times, although I understood the words, I didn't understand the sentences. Not long after he started reading, we started to hear Fathers voice raise. That was only the beginning, and it was only going to get worse. It always did. "Why?" I asked James. He didn't answer and he didn't need to. Neither of us knew why Father was the way he was. He just was. He didn't need to be provoked. He didn't need anything in order to hurt someone. Maybe he just needed to hurt someone in order to...I don't know.

That night I dreamt of a happy place. The same happy place that the comfort of Mothers stories often brought me. It wasn't part of our world. James was there, but not Mother nor Father. But tonight I could hear the echo of hate through a noise I couldn't describe. Was Father hurting Mother again? No, I would have woken up if that were the case. This was something else. It felt so real. I was torn away from this place by Mother. It was time for nature day again. It was time to escape Father.

Something struck me as we were getting ready. I noticed a scar on Mothers neck. But not a bruise. More like a cut. "What happened, Mother?" I asked. "What did he do to you!?" I asked, starting to raise my voice. Mother took me in her arms and hushed me. "It's okay baby. Don't worry about it." I knew better than to talk to loud. But the thought that Father made Mother bleed was unbearable to me. A tear rolled down my cheek. "Please don't let Father take you away. Please don't leave us alone." I begged. Mother shook her head. "If ever anything were to happen, you have James. Remember what I said yesterday, you have to stay together boys. Always. You have to take care of one another. Mother loves you very much and she wants to be sure you're always safe."

When we got home, Father was no longer there. He had gone back to wherever he was going. I didn't really care, as long as he was no longer there to haunt our house.

The week progressed in a fairly un eventful way. Until Saturday. On Friday night Mother kissed us goodnight. "Sleep well. No nightmares." she said after she had told us our bed time story. "I love you." I woke up on Saturday at around 10:00, the natural hour around which Mother woke us up, only she hadn't woke us up yet. I looked over at James, who was still asleep. I decided to wait a little longer. But when the clock read 11:00, I knew something was off. I woke James up. He read the look on my face and immediately caught on. "We would have woken up if he was home last night. There would have been a fight. And we would have woken up." He said, trying to reassure not only myself but also himself. It was true, but my mind couldn't help but imagine the worse, even though I had no idea of what that could be. James picked up a book. "Come. I'll read to you until Mother comes."

Hours passed. And Mother didn't come. It was now 3:14 in the afternoon. That's when we decided to go see what was happening. As we walked out of our room, we saw Father sitting at the table. Now I was terrified. I looked over at James, and I could read the same fear in his eyes, but his face remained expressionless. "Where's Mother." he said. He wasn't asking, he was stating. He knew that neither of us would like the answer. He knew that something had happened to her, and he wasn't asking where she was. He was telling Father that whatever had happened, he would pay for it. "Come here." Father said. The fear in James's eyes had left. It had been replaced with pure hatred. He walked towards Father and Father took him by the collar and brought him close to his face and whispered out loud "Mother's dead." Then he released James and shoved him into the wall. "Your Mother is dead. She was ill. Cancer. I found her dead when I got home. While you worthless men were sleeping, your Mother died." he told us. James and I were both speechless. James yelled and punched Father. He was going to hit again, but Father took him and slammed him against the wall, holding him by the throat. I ran towards James, hoping to help, but Father only threw me away. He released James and without another word, he left to his room. James and I did the same, making sure to lock the door.