Counting Down

Chapter 7 - The Past Catches Up

"Ah, so you do remember me," he chuckled, sending him into a fit of coughing.

"I thought those things would have killed you by now," I said in a steely voice. "Pity."

He shook his head. "I came to see my fag of a daughter but found out she didn't meet the same fate as the other one."

I cringed.

"This is from the other side," I growled before my fist connected with his jaw.

-

"Jackie? Are you ready to go?" my mother asked from the living room.

I stumbled in, my chubby, seven year old face still splattered with cookie crumbs. "Yes, mommy," I mumbled between bites of the remaining cookie.

She groaned and stomped her feet. "Jacklyn Penelope Meyers!" she screamed. "We're going out to eat! You'll ruin your dinner!"

I started going into a fit of giggles, and eventually she started laughing as well. "What will we ever do with you?" she asked as she wiped my face off with a paper towel. "Are you ready to-" she started, but stopped as she heard her phone ringing. She left the room and picked it up, talking into a hushed tone. I peaked my head around the corner of the doorway for the kitchen to listen in.

"The divorce?" she asked. "She's handling it well. Though, I can't say the same for my oldest, Isabel. She's distraught. Thankfully, her watch keeps her going. It's going to be three days. She's pretty eager." She turned her attention to me and shooed me away once she realized that I was eavesdropping

I reluctantly backed up and sat on the couch to wait for us to leave. Just then, Isabel can bounding down the stairs in her waist-high skirt and sweater. She had her hair hung around her face in flawless honey golden ringlets. She took a seat beside me and began fiddling with her watch. Being only twelve years old and about to meet the love of her life was practically anyone's dream.

My mom had finally finished talking on the phone and went to gather Isabel and me when we heard vicious knocking on the front door. "Who's there?" she called out. She looked slightly confused, until she peaked out the window and was taken over with terror. "Girls, go upstairs and don't make a sound. Now!" she screamed.

Isabel grabbed my wrist and lead me upstairs. We both hunkered in the corner of our mother's walk in closet, Isabel behind a pile of clothing and I behind a large dress. I heard my mom scream, "What're you doing here?" Some sounds of struggle came from downstairs and then a scream. A sound of solid flesh hitting flesh echoed in my ears before stomping feet came up the stairs. I leaped from my position before Isabel could grab my leg and yelled, "mommy!" before colliding with someone's body.

"Not quite," a deep voice rumbled. "I've always wanted to meet you."

"What?" I asked. Suddenly, a pair of meaty, bruised hands wrapped around my frail wrist and drug me like a rag doll down the stairs. I screamed in pain as my boney body collided with each step before agonizingly meet the bottom of the staircase.

I saw out of the corner of my eye my mother standing up, wiping blood out of her eyes that was dripping from her forehead. "You're not allowed here. Leave. Leave!" she screamed. I never heard my mother so powerful, demanding.

"No! She's mine," growled the monster holding my arm like a vise. He continued dragging me out of the front door, but not before smashing his fist into my mother's jaw and knocking her out cold. I'll never forget the sound of her body hitting the ground.

My tiny heart couldn't take it anymore. I screamed at the top of my lungs and pounded my lethal little fists into his side, but he only chuckled and tossed me into the back of his pickup truck.