Four
A crash from downstairs jerks me awake.
I bolt upright in bed, panting hard. The room’s dark, April’s still sound asleep, the alarm clock on my nightstand blinks at me. 1AM. I try to calm down, reassure myself it was just a dream, but when I go to lay down again, I hear another noise. This time, it’s a big bang followed by a gruff curse.
My uncle’s home.
It’s late for him. He must have stayed at the bar for way longer than normal, which means he’s probably so fucked up that he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.
I eye the door, my heart pounding in my ears. When he’s this drunk, this delirious, there’s only one thing that really satisfies him. Throwing plates and smashing chairs isn’t enough. He wants to toss me around, too.
Sure enough, I hear the sound of his heavy footsteps making their way across the floor, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “Oakley,” he bellows, the syllables all slurred together. “Get your ass down here, boy.”
Panic claws its way up my throat. For a brief second, I contemplate ignoring him. I could just push the dresser in front of the door, grab April and all of our stuff and disappear through the window, into the night. We’d never have to see him again. But… I can’t do that. I have a decent amount of money saved, but not enough to last us very long. I need that trust fund, and in order to get it, I have to graduate. Graduating is only possible if I stay here, and staying here means enduring his wrath.
I can take it. Whatever he gives me, I can handle it. It’s better this way. I’d let him hurt me every damn day if it meant keeping him away from April.
I slide out of the bed, every step weighted and even more terrifying than the last, like I’m heading to my execution. I’ve got one hand on the doorknob when I hear a choked sob come from behind me. I spin, my eyes meeting April’s wide ones. She’s wrapped up in the blankets, her entire body trembling with fear.
“Oakley,” she gasps. “Please. Please don’t go.”
I shake my head, my vision blurring. “I have to, April.”
“No.” She’s crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “No, please—”
I rush to her, dropping to my knees beside her bed as I take her face between my palms. “Hey, listen to me. It’s alright. I’ll be fine. But, I need you to do something for me, okay?”
It takes her a few seconds to gather herself, but eventually she nods.
“When I leave, I need you to lock this door. You don’t open it for anybody but me, understand?” She nods again. It’s the same thing I tell her every time this happens, but I always make sure to remind her. I can’t take any chances of her forgetting a certain step. They’re all pivotal to her safety. “When you’ve done that, get in the closet and hide. If he leaves and I’m still not back, or if he tries to come in here, climb out the window and go to Mrs Sanderson’s house down the street, okay? She’ll help you.”
He yells my name again, the timbre of his voice rattling the walls, making my blood turn cold.
I let out a shuddering breath, my chest constricting at the terror on April’s face. I lean in, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I love you.”
She tries to hold me to her, but I force my way out of her grip and walk to the door, sparing one last glance at her over my shoulder. “Lock the door, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
As soon as I’m in the hall with the door closed behind me, I hear her little feet patter across the floor. The lock engages and then the closet door opens before quickly shutting again. She’s safe.
I make my way down the stairs, every step slow and measured as I eye my uncle warily, like I’m approaching a wild animal. He’s pacing, muttering to himself, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He notices me coming and stops, his eyes fixed on me. The way he looks at me, so full of hatred and disgust, and the stench of liquor and sweat he permeates, it all sends bile up my throat. I force myself to keep walking, until I’m right in front of him.
He watches me for a minute.
It’s too still, too quiet.
Then, his lip pulls back in a sneer, his breath leaving him in ragged snarls, and he lunges at me, hands around my throat. We crash into the wall behind us, the back of my head taking the brunt of the hit.
“Look at you,” he seethes. “You think you’re something special, don’t you? Think you’re hot shit just because you can clean up a few empty bottles.” That’s what he’s mad about? Because I cleaned up his mess? “Just like your daddy. He thought he was hot shit, too. And look where that got him; six-feet under and turning into mulch.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, letting his words roll right off my back. He’ll say anything when he’s like this to get me to fight back, but it’ll never work. “You’re drunk, Jamie,” I choke out. “Maybe you should go lie down.”
His hands squeeze harder, making my lungs scream in protest. “Maybe you should shut the fuck up,” he yells, spittle flying everywhere.
He yanks me away from the wall, throwing me halfway across the room. I crash into the coffee table and collapse to the floor. He’s on me before I can even process what happened. He fists my hair, holding my head up so he can throw his fist right across my jaw. Just one hit. Even drunk as a skunk, he still manages to limit the visible blows. Too many, and people will start asking questions. I’m dazed for a second, giving him chance to land a hard kick to my ribs. Then another, then another.
My body bows from the force of it, my mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
He’s going at me full-force now, kicking and stamping like his life depends on it. There’s a sickening crunch, my entire left side in searing agony. I try to get back up, to shove him off, but it’s no use. He’s got me pinned.
Thoughts of April flash through my mind, of her cowering in her closet, terrified. I hope she can’t hear what’s going on down here. I hope she’s got her hands over her ears, blocking out any noise.
My eyes start to slip closed, my consciousness waning. Stay awake, I scream at myself. Stay the fuck awake! You can’t keep April safe if you’re unconscious! What if he’s not had enough by the time he’s through with me? What if he goes after her next?
Some small voice at the back of my mind wishes that someone could save us, could take us far away from here. But I know that’ll never happen. Nobody’s coming to our rescue. They couldn’t, even if they wanted to. And the car sitting in our driveway, the uniform he’s wearing, the gold badge pinned to his chest, they’re all reminders of that. Because my uncle isn’t just a drunk, abusive asshole. He’s also a cop. But not just any cop, he’s the Chief of Leighton Bay PD. He’s at the top of the food chain, and not one single person in this town would dare cross him.
Not even to save us.
We have to save ourselves.
He’s shouting at me, hurling insults left and right, but I block it all out, force my hands to move until they’re flat to the floor, then try to push up. I’ve got half my body up, I can make it. I can—
He delivers one last kick, this one to the side of my head.
And then everything goes black.