The hitman's wife

CHAPTER 2: REUNITED

Voices penetrated the darkness and the pain in my head increased with word spoken until I thought my head might explode. I forced my eyes open and bright lights blinded me so much that I forced them closed again. I felt someone touch me and panic flared within me. I began to struggle. I had no idea where I was or what was happening and fear consumed me. 

"Relax, we're here to help you," a deep voice said. I couldn't relax though and I didn't know who they were or if I should believe them. Everything was a blur and all I really knew was that I was scared. I began fighting in earnest and heard a man swear, presumably where I had hit him. Everything was hurting and I couldn't see or even think straight but I was too panicked to give a shit. 

"We're paramedics and we're here to help you," said a second voice, this one softer and more feminine. I heard the words but I was too far gone to understand them and I screamed as I thrashed from side to side. I needed to be free, I couldn't stand this darkness and this fear. Amidst my panic I felt a sudden scratch on my arm and my eyes flew open of their own accord to find two concerned faces staring down at me. My vision began to blur at the edges even as I continued to feel afraid. But the fight was draining out of me and my strength was weakening. I was afraid and I didn't know what to do. 

"Theo," I said softly and I wasn't sure whether I was begging for his help or acknowledging that he was the only person who had ever helped me. Then everything went blissfully dark and I sunk in to it gratefully. 

Images assailed me and here, in the darkness, I was powerless to prevent myself from remembering. The group home I arrived at after the social worker moved me was only slightly better than where I had left. The adults who worked there cared little for the kids and as some of them were there because of their antisocial behaviour it seemed we were all tarred with the same brush. The adults worked in shifts and they were all pretty much the same. They made sure we had food food and drinks and that we didn't kill each other but otherwise they spent most of the day watching tv, smoking and ignoring us. It was clear this was just a job to them and none of the other kids seemed to bothered by the lack of supervision. As with every place i had been there was a top dog and everyone knew to stay out of their way. In this home the top dog was Brian. He was a bully of the highest order and he had decided from the moment I arrived that I needed to show him more respect. For the first three days he tried to make my life hell and his minions laughed at every cruel act he did. First, it was hiding all my clothes while I was showering so that I was forced to wear the lost property clothes that were way too baggy for me, then was the dining room fiasco where I tripped and ended up with pasta sauce all over me. Each act escalated until I was actually coming away with bruises. A well placed foot had me stumbling down the stairs and I winced as I bumped my head and bruised my arm. An accident, the staff called it. Clumsiness, Brian had assured them. I wasn't sure what exactly Brian hoped to achieve but if he wanted me to fear him then he was fighting a losing battle. Whatever Brian did to me couldn't compete with the hell I had left behind. I had been through far worse than what some stupid kid could inflict on me. 

It was the fourth day when everything changed. The day had started the same with Brian and his cronies ensuring I woke up to a bed filled with several spiders. Several of the other girls in the home shuddered at the thought but it hadn't bothered me much. What did bother me was when Brian laid his hands on me. It was after breakfast and as it was a weekend we were allowed to venture out as long as we didn't cause any trouble. I had headed to my room as I had nowhere to go and that was when Brian cornered me and dragged me to my room. His grip was tight on my wrists and I knew he would leave a mark. He didn't even close the door, safe in the knowledge that nobody gave enough of a shit to interfere. Leaning close, he cornered me against the wall and I assumed he meant it in an intimidating way. All it did was piss me off.