the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

salvation

sorry this is bad

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trigger warning: depression, suicidal thoughts, and mentions of abuse, murder, and self-harm

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Mitch sobbed softly and pushed himself farther into the corner of his closet, shaking hands getting out his phone. He flinched as he heard the sound of footsteps stomping up the stairs.

"Come out, you little bitch! You can't hide from me!" Mike called, pushing open the door to the upstairs bathroom.

Mitch trembled harder and bit back another sob. He hardly dared to breathe as he dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"M-My dad just k-killed my mom and he's c-c-coming for me," Mitch whispered, his voice shaking with tears. "I- I'm so scared, p-please help me, h-he's going to k-kill m-me." He sobbed at the sound of his bedroom door being kicked down and he had to stuff his hand into his mouth to keep his position a secret.

"Alright, we're tracking your call. Everything will be okay, honey," the operator soothed. "Stay on the phone with me, please."

Mitch screamed as his father forced open the closet door and dropped the phone. "Gotcha!" Mike snarled, grabbing Mitch by the shoulder and throwing him out of the closet. Mitch sobbed loudly and tried to push himself away, but Mike stomped on his chest to keep him down. "Shut the fuck up, you little whore. I killed your mother, and I'll kill you. Don't think I won't. I never wanted your bitch ass."

Unbeknownst to them, the operator was starting to panic. She'd heard the scream, and now Mitch wasn't answering. "Sir? Sir, where'd you go? I need to know if you're okay," she said, but the only response was another faint scream. The operator chewed her lip nervously as she sent the police and an ambulance to the house.

Mike had just pulled out of Mitch and he was holding the knife right above Mitch's heart when the police kicked the front door open. "This is the police!" the chief yelled, his hand on his gun. Mike let out a growl and he stabbed Mitch in the shoulder, and his scream alerted the police officers to where they were. The chief held his gun at Mike's chest as his men came forward to bring his arms behind his back, and a paramedic got Mitch, who was dancing on the edge of consciousness.

The world was spinning. Mitch could only hear white noise: the sound of the sirens, men shouting, someone crying. It was a few moments before he realized that that person was him.

The last thing Mitch saw before everything went to black was his mother, lying motionless on the floor.

+++

When Mitch woke up, he didn't recognize where he was. Panic rose in his chest and he tried to untangle himself from the blankets. "Mom?" he called, but his voice was hoarse from screaming.

A nurse came rushing into the room. "Mitchell? It's okay. Please calm down. You're safe now."

Mitch stared at her with wide eyes. At first, he wondered why he was in the hospital, but then everything came flooding back. He immediately started to cry, too heartbroken to notice the steady throbbing of his injured shoulder. He missed his mother already.

The nurse felt her throat tighten. This poor boy had witnessed his mother's mother at the hands of his father, and he had gotten raped and stabbed by that same man. "Do you need anything?" she asked quietly, and even she felt how lame that question was. The boy needed a lot of things, but most of them were undoable.

Mitch didn't answer, crying too hard to speak. He curled up in bed and buried his face in the pillow, sobbing into the fabric. The nurse couldn't bear to leave without doing something, so she upped his pain medicine before exiting the room.