Finding Peace

Chapter Six

 I walk carefully down the hall. I can't afford to mess this up, they have guests over. Their friends from the police force are over for dinner. They usually come over every couple weeks. I can't stand them. I have no clue how they got on the force in the first place, they're always drunk, they're incredibly vulgar and they're even more violent than my father and that's saying something.

Balancing all the plates on my arms, I softly step into the dining room and place them down carefully. Sighing in relief, I keep my head down and turn to go grab the drinks.

"Aww, don't tell me you're leaving already, we was just about to get started. You wouldn't want to miss out on the fun now would you, sweet cheeks?" John asks while grabbing my wrist in his sweaty hands.

"I'm just going to grab the drinks for you sir." I mumble hoping that he'll let go of my wrist.

"Alright, but hurry on back." He says, slapping my butt when I turn to leave. Tense, I grit my teeth and walk out silently. They're always like this, there's crude comments, brief touches and lingering stares but none of them have taken it too far, at least, not yet.

Walking back in with the beer, I set it down and quickly try to escape before they notice me. I freeze when John speaks again, dreading the words he says.

"You don't really think you can walk away from me twice now do you?" I turn rapidly already knowing the drill. They had trained me well, I knew exactly what he was expecting of me.

"Of course not sir, I'm deeply sorry for offending you." I say, walking over to him and kneeling on the floor. I roll up my sleeves, holding my arms out to him wrist up.

"She doesn't even fight anymore, isn't that right little girl?" He asks, coming so close I can smell the liquor on his breath. I nod my head and prepare myself. John is the nicest of the three. He's real handsy, but he never roughs me up as much as the others. I close my eyes tight and hold my breath as he drags a knife down my arm.

"Such soft skin, cuts like butter. You'll remember to be a good girl next time right? You know how much I hate to hurt you darling." He says softly. I shiver as he drags the flat of the knife across my cheek, the cold steel forming goosebumps on my skin. He grins dangerously at me before passing the knife to Vince, the worst of them all. John doesn't do much himself, but he loves to watch as others beat me.

"Finally, it's my turn. Let's see if we can get a scream out of you today." Vince says roughly before grabbing my wrist in his meaty hand and dragging me to the middle of the room. He always likes to make a big spectacle of things.

Releasing my wrist, he grabs my throat with one hand, cutting off my air supply. They all watch, laughing as my face starts to turn red. He waits for just a second longer before driving the knife into my side, releasing my throat as he does so so that they can hear me scream out in pain.

I wake up gasping. That was just a month ago. I think as I trace the scar on my side. You'd think that they'd all fade together, that I wouldn't remember what happened for all my scars, but I do. I remember every single one.

It's still dark out so I know that I didn't sleep for long. I run my fingers through my hair and sigh. I know I won't be able to sleep again anytime soon and there's not much to do. I'm going to be in for a long night.

************

I watch the sky as the sun rises. I haven't been able to do that in a while, I'm usually busy cooking or cleaning. It's magnificent. There are so many colors that light up the sky, I can't help but lean back and sigh peacefully.