Page 9 of Out to Find Freedom

He’d always creeped me out.

Slowly, I’d stood from the bed in preparation to bolt and stammered, “I-I’m going to sleep.”

What was worse, I knew my aunt hadn’t been home. From the silence of the house earlier, I’d thought it was one of those rare occasions she’d gone out with Lenny.

He’d smirked and stepped closer. “Sleep sounds good.”

I’d brought my hands up as he stepped towards me. “Lenny, don’t—” I’d screamed as he lurched forward, his hand gripping my long dark hair and pulling me towards him. His lips had landed on mine, hard. I’d pushed, hit, and tried to knee. For a drunk man, he’d still been able to fight off everything I did.

When he’d pushed me, I’d fallen back to the cot and gone to scramble off and run, but he was on me. I’d screamed in his face, and he’d laughed. I’d gotten an arm free and elbowed him in the jaw. Immediately, he’d grabbed it and forced it down, then rolled me. My knees hit the floor hard.

“Don’t! Please don’t do this,” I’d cried. Tears had streamed down my face.

Fear like I’d never felt twisted my insides.

“Shh.” He’d petted my hair with one hand while the other pushed down my shorts. “You want this.” He’d leaned over me. Bile choked me. His rancid breath had fanned my face with his next words. “You tell her, I’ll kill you.”

But I didn’t have to tell Gloria.

She’d come down the stairs, took it all in within seconds, and bounded over. She pulled Lenny back, slapped him so hard he fell back to his butt. He’d started pleading with her, telling her it was my fault, that I called him down and came on to him.

In my shock, I’d crawled away from them both yelling at each other. My ears ringing, my body shaking, I’d sobbed and curled into a corner.

It was stupid to think for a second that Gloria was my aunt, that she would take care of me, would kick him out.

My eyes had sprung wide as I’d felt a fist in my hair again. Gloria dragged me by my locks to the stairs and up them while I’d struggled with her hold. Her words that I caught through my cries hadn’t made sense. “This is your fault…. You shouldn’t have ruined my life…. You took his attention away from me.”

She’d opened the bathroom door, dragged me in. Even though I fought to break away by kicking, twisting, and punching, she’d been stronger.

With her hand in my hair, she’d shoved me to the side. Gloria then bent down. “Shut up,” she’d roared in my face.

My lips clamped tight. Still, I’d tried. “Gloria, w-what are you doing?” I’d sat on the floor, arms wrapped around my legs, shaking, breaking. She had the cupboard open, searching for something. I’d gone to put my arms down, try and move from the room as she’d mumbled to herself over and over. Only as soon as I’d moved, her glassy eyes shot down to me. Her pupils had been bigger than I’d ever seen them. Something had been wrong with her.

“Don’t move,” she’d snapped harshly.

“Glory, honey, what’re you doing?” Lenny had asked in the doorway.

She’d turned to him, took two steps his way, and slammed the door in his face. Once she locked it, she’d faced me. My throat had thickened at what I saw in her hand. I’d moved back quickly, until I hit the wall.

“No, no, no,” I’d chanted as she came at me. “No!” I’d screamed when her blade sliced my arm.

“Keep fucking still or I’ll slice your throat,” she’d screeched.

Hard sobs jolted my body, but I’d kept my lips closed. I’d screwed my eyes shut and whimpered through her cutting my arms over and over.

“Once I’m through with you, he won’t look at you again. Thinks he likes your body. He won’t after this.” She’d laughed.

She didn’t stop at my arms.

My aunt carved at my chest, my legs, and stomach, then left me on the floor crying, bleeding, and dying on the inside once more.

The only grace of that night was when Gloria left the bathroom, stating for me to clean up my mess and get back down to the basement. If I didn’t, she was going to hunt down Harriet and kill her. From everything I’d seen and experienced, I knew her threats were true.

After I wrapped myself up as much as I could, I’d stumbled out of the room, down the dirty, messy hall where I’d spotted my old handbag on the floor. I couldn’t believe they stupidly just thrown it to the ground and it was still there after all of this time. My pulse had ticked over quickly. She must have dumped it there after she got my fingerprint to message Harriet and my bank card PIN number. Immediately I’d wondered if my phone and charger might still be in there.

Gloria had been in the living room yelling at Lenny. He had been screaming back just as much. Soon that meant they’d be screwing each other, so I’d had to be quick. Bending, my skin pulling, I bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself crying out. I’d looked inside it and found my phone and charger. I left the bag where it had been in case she noticed it gone. It was doubtful though, considering the unkempt state the house was in.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with my phone. Calling for help had not been an option; I couldn’t risk Harriet’s life for mine. Gloria and Lenny had already used the threat of killing her and her family if anyone was to find out what they’d been up to or if a cop came to the door. Their people were only one text or phone call away, and they would get it done without ever being caught. So my charged phone sat hidden for the day I knew both of them would be out and I could think of a plan to save Harriet, her family, and myself.

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