Shattered

•Nineteen•

THEN

It felt like it was raining, except it wasn't wet.  My eyes fluttered open.  I was at the bottom of the stairs, thankfully all of my limbs intact.  I moved but my body felt so sore.  My hands went to my belly, praying the baby was okay.

Jack sat on the bottom step, a box in his lap.  He was looking at a Polaroid photo, then tossed it before picking up another one, doing the same.  I glanced around, noticing a few on me and around me. 

"I like this one.  It's sweet.  He seems loving."  Jack didn't look at me.  He tossed it like frisbee and it landed next to my head. 

My breathing was fast and deep.  It was like I couldn't get enough air, like I'd been held under water, nearly drowning.  The wind had been knocked out of me.

I looked around for anything I could use.  Anything.  The kitchen was behind me.  If I could just get up, I could grab the keys off the rack and run.  I sobbed knowing it was useless.  Jack was too fast.  Unless I could somehow stop him, it wasn't happening.

"Aw, Daddy is kissing the baby belly.  Sweet."  He discarded the photograph in the same manner he did the others.

"Jack," I whimpered, rolling to my side, gathering my wits.  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"You just did, sweetheart."  He slammed the box closed and smiled.  "I just assumed, when I found these."

I groaned, lifting myself up.  Moving slowly, I crawled toward the kitchen.  Jack watched, amused. 

"I thought I was a coward for fucking Grace behind your back," he sighed.  "But at least I understand how protection works."

I reached the cabinet below the sink.  As Jack stood, placing the box of photographs on the stairs, I panicked, pulling the cabinet door open.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled, walking toward me.

I grabbed the first thing I could get ahold of and jumped up to my feet, pain screaming through my back. 

Spraying the can of disinfectant into Jack's eyes, I kneed him with as much power as I could physically muster.  Jack cried out, turning away, hands covering his eyes.  He gritted his teeth, cursing me out.  I threw the can at him and turned to the keys hanging by the door.  I grabbed my key ring and ran.

In the garage I jumped into my car and opened the garage door, shoving the key into the ignition.  The car roared to life and I threw it into reverse, peeling out.  Backing out of the driveway, I shifted the gear to drive and looked back at the house.  Jack ran into the garage with his keys.

"Christine!" He hollered.

I whimpered and took off, praying to whoever was listening that Jack didn't know where Tom lived.  It was raining, and hard.  The wipers flipped back and forth, clearing the windshield of the sheets of water.

Turning carefully down the street, I watched in the rear view mirror, anticipating Jack's headlights.  Between my tears and the rain, it was hard to see clearly. 

The darkness behind me was suddenly interrupted by the harsh glow of headlights.  I pressed down on the gas terrified of Jack catching up.  I stared ahead in terror at the stop sign coming up.  I slowed just enough to be sure there was no traffic at the crossroads and ran through the stop, watching Jack from the mirror.

I had to lose him, otherwise he'd follow me straight to Tom's.  Then what?  He'd kill me before he let me step foot into his house.

Ignoring my destination, I focused on getting away from Jack.  If I could get over the bridge fast enough and turn on Main Street, the extra traffic could make it easier to ditch him.  The engine roared as I pressed down further on the gas pedal.

The lights behind me grew brighter.  I became hysteric and angry.  Angry at Jack, angry at myself for waiting so long.  I drifted toward the middle of the road, eager to keep him behind me.  If he passed me, I knew he'd stop and trap me somehow.  What I didn't expect was for Jack to bump me from behind. 

The car fishtailed as I gripped the steering wheel, desperate to gain control.  I hit the gas again, seeing the bridge straight ahead.  Jack gained on me and bumped me again.  This time, I lost control as the car spun along the wet asphalt.  I held onto the steering wheel, gasping as the car flew off the side of the road just before the bridge.  It didn't matter how hard I stomped on the brakes.  Nothing was stopping me from going over.  Nothing but the tree I smashed into. 

Lights out.