Perpetuity

2

2

The wind rasped against the window, faster and harder by the second, as if it wanted Zion to come and open it, to let the monsters in to come take her. The thunder vibrated the floors and the rain pounded against the ground outside. But it wasn't the blustery weather that woke her up. It was her father's screams that blended in with the storm.

She slipped out of bed and wrapped her robe tighter around her, the floor creaking under her tiny feet as the made her way quietly past her parent's room and down the steps. Another scream rang out, startling Zion. She wanted to make sure her daddy was alright, that nothing bad was happening to him.

She made her way to the back door in the kitchen, looked outside and saw her father on his knees, his back hunched over. He had no shirt on, and Zion noticed a huge scar on his back. She saw him tense up, and before she knew it a lightning bolt crashed into his back and he screamed. Thunder followed seconds later. She stayed silent, watching as her father's blood dripped down his back.

"Dadd...y?" Zion whispered and his head snap in her direction, his eyes pitch black. He opened his mouth, but he coughed up blood, his hands immediately grabbing his knees to steady himself.

"Zion.. Babygirl, go back in..side, Ill---" He tensed up again and a bolt crashed into his back. He let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Zion flinched.

"Daddies ok, Zion. Hurry upstairs now." He gasped out, and then she gave him one last glance before turning around and running upstairs. She jumped onto her bed and hid under the covers, her lips trembling and her eyes filling up with tears. She rarely cried, and it made her upset to see her father getting hurt. Zion couldn't go back to sleep. Her father's screams kept her up. An hour later, which felt like eternity, the storm had finally calmed down and turned into a slight drizzle. She heard the stairs creak under her father's weight and then the knob to her door turned and then opened. The end of the bed dipped and her father pulled the end of her blanket, showing her cold, vacant eyes. She didn't cry earlier, she dried up her tears and sucked it up.

"I'm ok." He whispered.

"I'm ok baby, don't worry." He said again and held out his hands, inviting Zion into his arms. She hesitated then crawled towards him.

"Daddy." She sobbed into his chest as he rocked her back and forth, telling her that everything will be ok, that she wasn't supposed to see that.

"I love you babygirl. I love you so much. Everything will be ok, I promise you that."

Her father had lied to her that night. At the time she didn't know, but everything after that night was far from ok.