Do you see the shadow,
The darkness that draws near.
If you see the shadow,
It's nothing you should fear.
If you hear the shadow,
Do not put up a fight.
For others will surely follow
When it's time to say goodnight.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but what if a person didn't have a soul, then what? What would looking in their eyes be like? Joelle could answer that question easily. It was like looking into a deep abyss, nothing but darkness reflected in the blue, green, brown or whatever color eyes the person had.
That was what she was looking into at that moment. A deep abyss. Her attacker had no soul; his was lost long ago to whatever dark pasts he had.
They were so familiar though. Just like his. It sent a chill down her spine; her mind was in overdrive as possible scenarios played out behind her eyelids.
It's funny how a simple walk home can turn into a nightmare.
It reminded her that the nightmare she had lived every day never really ended since it began all those years ago when the first man attacked her. The man was one she would've never expected, he was the one that was supposed to take care of her, to protect her, but instead, he turned into something straight out of a horror film.
Thinking back, Joelle realized that's when her heart became tainted.
***
"Dad, you home?" Joelle called as she closed the front door to her house; she had brought home dinner from her part-time job at a little restaurant in town. Ever since her mother died in a robbery shooting, her father, Robert, slipped away more and more each day. Oh no, he wasn't dying, he just checked out on life.
First it started out with him acting like a robot, going through his daily routine like it was a chore. Wake up, eat, go to work, come home, eat, and sleep. Then he started taking whiskey with every meal, soon he was staying home from work for days without calling in sick which resulted with him getting fired.
In a matter of months, the bills had piled up and Joelle found herself taking care of her father and the house while going to school to keep up her grades. Soon her silent father started making demands, "go to the store and get me whiskey" or "Make me something to eat."
It took a toll on poor Joelle, she was a child acting like an adult, but as she managed to gather her courage and told him that she refused to buy him any more alcohol. Frustrated and stressed, she suggested he find work, after all her part-time job was not going to keep them afloat. However, Robert had reacted violently, the whiskey bottle had missed Joelle's head by a good two inches before it shattered on the wall behind her.
That was the end of the one-sided conversation and also when Joelle knew, her father was a ticking bomb. As time passed Joelle was always on thin ice around Robert, the man had turned into a complete drunkard, sometimes he'd leave the house for days then returned demanding alcohol and food.
So the night when her heart was dyed black was no different.
Joelle said her greeting when she had stepped through the door but she received no reply. She was a little late from work due to a small celebration that was being held that evening but she figured that her father would still be awake.
