Everything Comes With A Price (The Grabber Fanfiction)

Till She Begged for Mercy

Susanna

An empty room has a way of making you feel so small, and there was nothing in the room, but the old mattress, Susanna, and her backpack. Her backpack used to be her lifeline. It was always stuffed to the brim, but full of everything she could ever need. Well now that she was sitting on the cold tile floor with the contestants of it scattered about. She was realizing that it might have been full, but that's all it was. It was full of nothing.

Susanna grabbed the bottom of the bag and began to shake it violently. Any clothes that were stuffed in there he took. Probably to dehumanize her more than he already had. As if caging her wasn't enough. He needed to control how much clothing she wore too. Although he was right to do that though. Because if she could she'd cover every inch of skin on her just to stop his beady eyes from looking at her.

Her wallet was gone, but anyone could have pick pocketed that. She had nothing in there anyways. A half drunken water bottle toppled out. She shoved her hand to the very bottom of the bag and fished around. She felt crumbs that accumulated down there, and some old gum wrappers.

Then she gasped. She had come across something cold, and thin. With her eyes shut tight she pulled it out. She let out a delirious laugh when she pulled out the hair pin.

Susanna's father taught her how to pick a lock a long time ago. So long that she wasn't sure if she even remembered. She forced back the two long pieces. She attempted to shape it into a straight line. Then shoved one end into the lock and began to wriggle it around. Susanna shut her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Come on Susanna, come on," she groaned.

Before the ongoing feud her and her father; they were inseparable. He father taught her everything. She used to believe that there wasn't a thing he didn't know. She used to trust him. That was a long time ago. When her father had more hair on his head. When he genuinely smiled when he saw her. Before her siblings came along and took her place. When things still made sense, and she still mattered.

⁂

"Daddy," A smile beamed from cheek to cheek, "Can we ride with the sirens on," she begged.

He flicked on the lights. They flashed red and blue. When they got home her mother was waiting outside on the lawn. Susanna's mother kissed her on the head. Susanna shimmied her school bag off her shoulders. Her mother grabbed the purple school bag before it dropped to the grass. Because heaven knows Susanna would have just left it there if it meant spending more time with her father. She ran for her him leaving the bag, and her mother behind.

"My little girl," Her father said as he scooped her up. He held her with one arm, and with the other he slammed shut the car door.

"It's almost time for dinner. Susanna, you got to wash up," her mother said.

"Noo..." Susanna rubbed her right eye. Her father exchanged a look with her mother.

'I got this,' he said with just his eyes.

Her mother let him work his magic. Because that's what it was. Susanna trusted every single thing that left his mouth. His words held so much power over her.

Susanna, and her father sat on the porch steps. It was windy out as it always was in Galesburg; something's never changed.

"You know sometimes I have to do things I don't want to do too," her father whispered into her hair. Susanna looked up at him and stared blankly.