You found yourself sitting in your old house on the dusty old green couch that your father designated as your sitting area. You could smell your mothers cooking in the kitchen and your stomach turned with hunger. It had been years since you’d been in this house and even longer since you’ve smelt this aroma that immediately made you feel like home. The only problem was that home wasn’t a good place and you knew that now. However nine year old you had no clue and waited for mom to pick you up from school so you could return. Your father was sitting in the recliner by the window chain smoking while watching the sports channel.

You looked down at your clothes and noticed that they were what you wore to the fight and you weren’t nine but your parents looked exactly the same as how you saw them last. Mom was dirty and tired and looked like she was ready to pass out of exhaustion and dad sat like a fat cat ready to be served his next meal. You walked into the kitchen and saw your mother sitting in the floor and bandaging her cuts and scrapes that dad had given her. Her bruises were deep and the size of his fists in shades of purple and green. Silently tears fell down her beautiful face and she held in each one of her cries as she cleaned her wounds with alcohol and peroxide.

You started to shake and cry with her. How is it that you had no clue what was happening to your mom behind closed doors? How did you not recognize the small grunts and grimaces she let out when you hugged her?

If you would have known what daddy did to mommy you would have helped her. You would have been a good girl and made life less hard for her. You would get good grades and not spill your food at the table. You wouldn’t ask for things at the stores anymore and you’d help around at the house.

But daddy was never mean to you. He took you shopping and to the park. He loved you, but that love is what cut off his love for mommy. It was your fault that he hurt her.

Dad yelled out for another carton of cigarettes for mom to bring to him, but she wasn’t quick enough. She couldn’t get herself to stand up with the screaming pain that her limbs held. Her efforts to peel her body off the ground wasn’t fast enough for daddy’s short fuse. He came into the kitchen and his face suddenly changed from the sweet daddy that you knew to a man who was possessed. His balled his fists until his knuckles turned white and he barred his teeth like a rabid dog ready to attack its prey. He raised his fists and swung then violently at mom, beating her further into the floor. She didn’t dare make a single sound to make him even angrier.

You tried to push him away from her using all of the force that you had in your body, but he wouldn’t move. Not even a single inch. You tried and tried crying harder by the second with each blow that he landed on her swollen and bloodied body.

You knew that this was the day that he would take her life if you didn’t stop him. Her years of constant anguish and fear would come to an end by the pounding fists of this devil. The day your mother was freed was also the day that your life fell to shambles by the lack of the loving parents that you believed that you had.

You went stiff as you saw her body slowly start to release its tension into a quiet stillness. She became unresponsive to any form of touch as he continued to release his anger on her already lifeless body. And then he turned to you with a look of disgust, one that he similarly exhibited to the woman who you used to cherish the most in the world. You slowly began to back away from him bumping into chairs and tables. But the more you ran the more he enjoyed the chase. He reached for you and grabbed you by the shoulders shaking you violently. –

“Y/N, OPEN YOUR EYES” a voice yelled to you.

You tried to force your eyes to open still in a panic from your nightmare. Your eyelids felt like they were glued shut and it drained all of your energy trying to force your eyes to open wide. Your body hurt and you felt like you had been crushed under a bus. It was physically exhausting trying to make yourself wake up. You could feel the tear stains that traced the sides of your face and continued to flow down out of your dreams and frustration.

The feeling of being shook started again and you suddenly remembered what happened just before you out. You summoned up every ounce of energy to force your eyes open and fight for your life. Your eyes slowly opened and your vision was a blurry teary mess. You could make out that you were no longer in the old building that the fight was in but you had no idea of who you were with. Your ears started to ring and you swallowed to try to make them pop. Nothing happened and you became panicked all over again. Your throat was dry and choking you with every breath that you took. You suddenly began to hyperventilate and cry mercilessly. Your body shook and you rocked back and forth while trying to make any sort of noise to call attention for someone to help. You immediat