Page 3 of Bleed for Me

My hands tightened into fists within the cuffs, and I worked to steady my breathing and slow my thoughts to the best of my abilities. Finally, when I concluded that this was the calmest I’d probably get given the situation, I started again.

“I went out the back door and slammed it behind me in an attempt to capture his attention. It felt like it had taken hours, but he finally stumbled onto the back porch.”

“What the hell are you doing out here?” he slurred, pulling the door closed behind him.

Our backyard was big—too big for my liking. A large fence surrounded it, making it that much more secluded from our neighbors. My heart thudded dangerously within my chest as I stood in the middle of the yard, a light breeze sweeping across my flushed skin. It did little to settle my nerves. Clutching the weapon to my side, my fingers tightened around the hilt.

Gentry sneered at my lack of response and stumbled down the steps. A part of me hoped he’d trip and bite the cement.

“What, you go off to college, come back and think you’re too good for this family now?”

If I wasn’t so terrified, I might have laughed at the way he’d said ‘family’. My mom was a drunk who barely came out of her room and her husband was an abusive asshole who drowned himself in liquor, too. All he did was cheat on her, but she wouldn’t leave because she’d rather endure that than get her shit together and be a responsible adult.

With every step he took toward me, I took one back. That is…until the sound of a twig snapping caught my attention. Gentry froze, clearly having heard it as well.

Horror consumed me when I caught sight of Daisy, hugging the side of the house and peering into the backyard. She must have gone out the front door and circled around.

With a newfound determination, Gentry started moving toward her instead, having a much greater head start than me. His drunken stupors never got this bad. It made me wonder if he’d done something to her while I was away. Guilt slithered through me, coiling around my stomach until bile burned the back of my throat.

“Stop!” I screamed at him, even though I knew it would fall on deaf ears. He was blinded by hate, and what he wanted to do most in this moment was inflict pain. “Leave her alone!”

Daisy was frozen, unable to move as she watched in horror. He was coming for her, and she was terrified. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I made a beeline for him. Unfortunately, there was no way I’d reach him before he got to her. We were too far apart, and he seemed to have a rush of adrenaline, too.

The moon shone overhead, highlighting the grass around us, giving us just enough light to see. It didn’t take long for him to reach her, and when he did, he latched onto her arm aggressively, jerking her toward him. Daisy released a surprised yelp, her body far too weak to withstand his strength. Panic seized me, but I didn’t slow down. He was unknowingly getting closer to me as he walked backwards with her in tow, her body flailing every which way in an attempt to get away from him.

I bulldozed into him with as much strength as I could muster. He fell to the ground with a thud, but kept his hold on my sister, forcing her down with him. They rolled a couple times, her scream permeating the air which sent ice daggers careening through me.

“You fucking bitch,” he growled, leaving Daisy on the ground as he forced himself to his feet. He whirled on me, a fist flying in my direction. It was the slowest punch I’d ever witnessed and I dodged it easily, stepping to the side. The failedhit caused him to lose his balance, and he buckled forward, but quickly regained his footing.

He lunged for me again, but this time I was prepared. My arm came up and I sliced the knife through the air, cutting a path along the outside of his exposed arm. The pain didn’t even seem to register, not even when the blood started trickling down his arm. In fact, his eyes blazed with fury, and he kept coming at me.

Fear snaked through me as he tackled me, throwing me on the ground beneath him. The wind left my stomach when my back connected with the hard soil and the knife slipped from my fingers. My body slackened with defeat. He was using his weight against me, I was disarmed, and he was past the point of rationalization.

My gaze sought out Daisy. I hadn’t gotten the chance to see if she was okay. To my relief, she was up and standing again. Her small arms hugged her body as she watched the scene unfolding before her helplessly. Despite the pain throbbing in my spine, I forced a smile to reassure her the best I could.

Gentry’s hands curled around my throat, and he squeezed, sucking the air right out of my lungs almost immediately. Panic seared through my chest and my fingers scratched at his wrists to no avail. His eyes were hard and empty, like a demon had taken up residency within him. If he killed me, who knew what he’d do to Daisy afterwards. She didn’t deserve to see this.

“Run,” I mouthed, tears stinging the back of my eyes.

She looked between me and Gentry, but stubbornly remained rooted to the spot. If she could just go get help, we’d survive. But how could I expect a little girl to do something like that? If the roles were reversed, I probably wouldn’t have done much better as a child. It wasn’t her fault.

Dark spots danced around the edges of my vision, my eyes beginning to burn from exertion. My hands fell to my sides, thegrass brushing against my fingers. But…something else was there, too. A hard object. I latched onto it, recognizing the feel of it against my palm instantly. Hope blossomed in my chest, and I slashed the knife across his chest. My movements were uncoordinated due to the lack of oxygen to my brain, but it was enough to make him loosen his hold on me.

I sucked in a mouthful of air, my head spinning. He snatched my arm and slammed it into the ground forcefully, causing pain to ricochet through it. A whimper fell from my lips. He took the knife in his grasp and slashed it into my lower abdomen, causing me to scream out in agony.

“Rosalie!” Daisy’s frantic voice called out, fear lacing each syllable.

As much pain as I was feeling right now, I couldn’t let that control me. Her life depended on it. Even as she rushed forward, panic twisting her delicate features, I shook my head at her, silently begging her to stay as far away as possible.

I tried my best to focus my thoughts, trying to ignore the sharpness spiraling through my stomach. My fist shot out, connecting with the edge of his jaw, sending a current of pain through my wrist as well. I’d never learned how to punch, considering I didn’t make it a habit, but it still affected him just the same. His head snapped sideways. He started flinging the knife around and an ear-shattering scream pierced my ears as Daisy fell to the ground holding her neck. Blood seeped through her fingers as she hit the ground, her eyes glazing over when she turned lifeless.

Agony slithered inside of me, twisting my insides and tears streamed down my face.

“Look what you did!” I cried out, pounding my fists against his chest where he straddled me.

Even he froze, looking over at the little girl he pointlessly murdered. Her death seemed to sober him for a moment, shockcontorting his expression. I snatched the knife from him and drove it into his chest over and over again. Tears blurred my vision with every stab, blood spraying me in the face, but I didn’t care. When he toppled over sideways, I stopped. My chest heaved relentlessly.

Pushing the bastard off of me, I crawled over to my sister, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. Her body was completely still, her eyes distant and unseeing. My hands drifted through her hair, and I sobbed. She couldn’t be dead. She just couldn’t. This was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare.

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