how to save a life

7: Joe and cherry to the rescue (again)

Reki rushed into his house, flinging the door open only to find his parents fighting. He wasn't surprised when his dad tried to hit him.

"FUCK OFF." He yelled, narrowly missing his hit and running down the hall to his sister's room. He found his sister lying on the floor, her shirt off and her trainer's bra covering bloody bruises formed in straight lines. The twin sisters were sleeping next to her, holding her hands.

He felt her pulse, she was alive, but she was not doing well. Her breathing was raspy and forced, she was in pain.

"Hey. I'm home now everything is going to be okay. Everything's going to be-"

The door slammed open and his dad stormed into the dimly lit room. He grabbed him by his hair and dragged him out. The twins were left crying without him.

He yelled out in pain as his dad threw him across the hall, ripping out a chunk of his hair. He howled in pain, holding his head where he had a new spot of missing hair.

He heard the clatter of his dad's belt buckle and he knew what was about to happen. He tried to get away but his dad stomped on his leg, forcing his whole body weight into his foot. He heard a crack as his leg went numb.

He felt his shirt being pulled off, and moved in panic. He screamed in agony as he tried to move his leg and his dad finished pulling off his shirt.

He felt the cold, harsh sting of the belt as it collided with his back. He screamed for help but his mother just stood back and a few minutes later, left the scene.

"LET ME GO." He cried as the whip of the belt hit him again.

"HELP" he screamed, his voice was raw. No one came to help.

Sobs racked his broken body. He was unable to move his leg at all.

"GO AWAY" He yelled at his dad as the belt slapped him again. Dark bruises in straight lines had already formed on his back, spots of dark red were welling underneath the skin and around the bruises.

His eyes were wide with tears.

He yelled in pain from his leg as he flipped his body over facing belly up. His dad quickly took the opportunity to damage his stomach as much as his back. Every part of his body was in a deep aching pain.

He quickly pulled his good leg up, letting his shin get hit instead of his stomach. He then extended his leg and hit his dad in the balls. He was rendered immobile as he stood in pain.

Reki threw himself forward, away from his father's grasp and felt a wave of crippling pain as his broken leg got kicked in his dad's attempt at recovery.

"YOU CALL THE POLICE AND ILL FUCKING KILL YOU. ILL KILL YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR SISTERS WHILE IM AT IT. YOU LITTLE SHIT DONT YOU FUCKING DARE CALL 911 YOU LITTLE FUCK UP." His father yelled as Reki crawled away.

His body was pulsing in pain with his heart beat. He wanted to leave this place. He wanted to leave the hell hole he had to live in forever. He wanted to escape, to leave anything and everything and escape. He wanted to go and never come back. He wanted a blank slate. A new body, one that wasn't littered in bruises and cuts and scars. He wanted a new life. A life where he was happy. A life where he got good grades. A life where his parents didn't fight. A life where he didn't have any reason to have so many scars. A life where he wasn't living in constant physical and emotional pain.

He managed to get to his sister's room and grab the first aid kit his smaller twin sisters had attempted to wrap his smaller sisters wounds in. It was a fail.

He looked nauseousley at his leg. Mid calf his leg was bent sideways, but the bone, thankfully, wasn't sticking out. He grabbed onto one of his sister's sweatshirts and stuffed it into his mouth.