Page 33 of Escape

“You’re not leaving me, Josie. I’ll make sure of it.”

I opened my mouth to speak, to reassure him I had no intention of leaving him, but that was as far as I got before his closed fist collided with the side of my face and sent me flying. I stumbled backward, my body twisting at an awkward angle, and my ribs screamed out in pain.

If it hadn’t been for the counter behind me, I would have fallen to the floor. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if that would have been better, because as I pressed my palms into the counter to steady myself and get upright again, Kurt shoved me from behind. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not leaving me.”

I was still seeing stars from the punch to my face, and the shove caused me to lose my balance again, but it was the least brutal thing I was going to experience. Going through this as many times as I had, I knew there was much worse to come. I just hadn’t realized how bad it could actually be.

Cautiously, I turned around. Kurt’s eyes connected with mine, and it was in that moment when I felt nothing but regret. I should have listened to Huck. I should have forgotten about the money and my things and gone with him yesterday.

Because Kurt wasn’t done. He was far from done.

It was all a blur, too.

For some reason, perhaps the finality of my decision, Kurt had decided he didn’t want to be lazy this time. There wasn’t anything he didn’t do to me. I got everything from being thrown harshly into the wall and over a table to having my hair pulled and being dragged through the house.

I was punched.

I was kicked.

There wasn’t a single spot on my body that wasn’t screaming in agony.

Somehow, it felt like it was happening at lightning speed and a turtle’s pace all at once. The physical assault on my body was unrelenting. It was one blow after another. Before I could react to a punch to my face, I was being kicked in the ribs. So, as quickly as the hits were coming, the length of time I’d gone experiencing them felt like an eternity.

Kurt pulled at my pajamas, tearing the material from my body, and shouted in my face. I struggled against him, clawing and scratching. Since I’d decided this was it, I figured it was time to fight back as best I could.

That only seemed to incense Kurt. I’d always thought I was getting the worst of it every time he abused me. But now I knew that hadn’t been the case at all. Things could get worse, so much worse.

Chairs were thrown, pictures fell off the walls, and glass had shattered as stuff clattered to the ground.

I wasn’t even sure how it happened, but at some point, I screamed out with the pain I felt in my shoulder. When I couldn’t seem to use it any longer, I was certain it had been dislocated.

And that was the point at which my ability to fight Kurt was significantly diminished. Despite my best efforts to fight back, the harsh reality was that he was bigger and stronger. I was only ever going to be able to do so much before he got the upper hand.

All throughout, the only two thoughts that ran through my mind were that I hoped I’d survive this attack and how stupid I was for not listening to Huck.

Suddenly, finally, it stopped.

Kurt pushed his hand hard against my head and stood up. My lungs felt like they were barely functioning, struggling to get in any ragged breath they could.

“Look what you made me do to you, Josie. You’re a fucking mess now. This is all your fault, you know?” His voice was eerily calm, like he hadn’t just expended a massive effort to beat me to a pulp.

My eye that hadn’t already swollen shut drifted close. I was tired. God, I was tired.

I vaguely heard Kurt’s footsteps in the distance, and I didn’t feel his presence looming over me.

Please go, I thought.

“You’re lucky I have to go to work,” he seethed. “I expect this place to be picked up by the time I get back.”

Nothing about any of this was lucky for me, so I didn’t respond.

Kurt didn’t seem to care. Because a few seconds later, the front door opened and shut. He was gone, and all I wanted to do was sleep.

I was so tired. This was the worst Kurt had ever beaten me, and the fight I’d put up took everything out of me. My body was in agony. I desperately needed to see a doctor. I needed to go to the hospital. But even that didn’t feel safe.

I took a moment to rest.

When I opened my eyes again, I couldn’t decipher if I’d passed out briefly, or if I’d truly only rested for a few minutes.