The Devil Appears...
Her father came over in the middle of the night, dressed in all black and carrying a gun. He set the apartment building on fire trying to flush her family out. The sleeping family were awakened by a dog barking near a back window and they could smell smoke coming from the outside hallway in front of the door. Winnie was so scared. "Mama, what's going on? Are we going to die?", she asked in horror. Her mother, reassuring her that everything was going to be ok, grabbed the kids and hid them in the bathroom. "Call 9-1-1!", her aunt screamed. Her mother knew it wasn't just a fire, but that her husband had come for them. She remembered his promise to kill them if she ever left him. He had been all over the borough looking for them and found out where they were staying. The family was trapped inside the apartment building, not wanting to exit through the window in fear the father was waiting to kill them outside. Although the building could have gone up in flames, it's a good thing her mom followed her instincts to remain safe. By the time the fire department got there, her father was gone. Desperate, the mom grabbed the kids and headed down south in the middle of night. They moved to a small town in Georgia where they stayed with a family friend until they could get on their feet. They were safe for now, but trouble would soon follow.
On the Run...
It had been months since their escape and the family was adjusting to their new surroundings. Although they were scared of being found again, they were enjoying the simplicity of country living. It was a bit of a culture shock for them, but anything was better than where they came from. Winnie's mother found a job and soon they moved into their own place. Life was starting to look up for them again. Winnie and her siblings were enrolled in school. After the end of the year, Winnie's oldest brother went back to New York to visit family members for the summer. He ran into his father by accident and was so happy he received his driver's license that he told his dad about it. In an attempt to find out where they were living, he asked his son to show his ID, which displayed their current address. The chance encounter would spark a chain of events that would change their lives forever.
After a year of looking for his family, Winnie's dad now knew where they stayed. He came up with a plan. He drove down to Georgia and came to their house. Winnie's mom, who had recently bought a handgun, was still afraid of him but came out on the porch to talk. He apologized and pretended to want his family back. He even cried. He said all the right things and after much convincing, her mother let him in. Winnie was scared but as the baby, she was just glad to see her dad again. He moved in with the family. At first, things seemed to be pretty normal. But after failed attempts to find a job with a criminal history, Winnie's dad was back to drinking. And soon, he was back to his old self, yelling and screaming at everyone. One day when her mom came home from work late, he punched her in the face and accused her of cheating. Winnie was so upset all she could do was hug her mom as she saw her crying on the kitchen floor.
No More Running...
Later that night, Winnie's father continued drinking and she could hear yelling coming from her mother's room. After a while, things seemed to quiet down and Winnie drifted off to sleep. Around 3 o'clock in the morning Winnie and her siblings were awakened by four loud gunshots. Pop, pop, pop, pop! Her mom had shot her dad in the head. She was sick and tired of the abuse and wanted it to end. Before he passed out drunk he told her that he was going to kill her, the kids and then himself the next day. And she believed him! Her mother knew from before that he was serious and she was not going to allow him to make good on his promise this time. While Winnie's mother gathered their belongings, Winnie snuck into the room and saw her father on the bed bleeding from his head. "Daddy are you ok?", she screamed as she watched him dying. Her mother grabbed her and left the house and she never saw him again. Winnie's mom was later arrested for murder. However, because of the years of documented abuse, she was released on bail and was never convicted due to self defense. The family was traumatized by the incident, but were eager to put the past behind them. Winnie escaped with her life, but will forever be haunted by the sounds of those four shots ringing in her head.
***Enjoyed This Short Story? I'd Like Your Feedback...Please Share Your Thoughts Under Comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment