Page 82 of From That Moment

The man, at least it felt like a man, pushed me down to the floor, and I screamed.

And I looked up, recognizing the shape and the build and the clothes of the person who had attacked me in the parking lot.

“Why?” I asked, trying to crawl away.

Another person stepped out of the shadows and kicked me hard in the side. They were wearing high-heeled shoes with pointy toes, and I swore I felt something break. I groaned, trying to roll away. Then the woman was on her knees, punching me, slapping my face and pulling at my hair. The man was there too, kicking, his hands around my throat as he tried to strangle me. I pushed away, trying to save myself, trying to do something. Anything. They were so strong together, though.

There were two of them, and it didn’t matter that they were older, the woman weaker than me, because I was outnumbered.

And then the man squeezed enough that my airway got blocked, and I thought I saw stars.

Then the woman backed away and slapped the man on the back of the head. He released me, and I gasped for breath, clutching at my throat, trying to breathe. The man took my hands and pinned them above my head, his whole body pinning me down.

“You bitch,” the woman snarled, and then I got a good look at her, at her dry hair, her wide, manic eyes, and the snarl that was so familiar.

“Mom?” I asked, disbelieving.

“Don’t you call me that, you whore. You’re nothing. You were always a waste of space. And now look at you, thinking you’re all high and mighty with your big house and your big fuck toy. You’re nothing. You sent me to jail. Do you know what they do to people in jail? I didn’t deserve to go there. Your daddy might have because he was a sick son of a bitch. I never did. I was a good mom. And you sent me there.”

“You killed Tracey.” I expected the slap. I didn’t expect it to hurt as much as it did.

Blood filled my mouth, and I blinked, trying to focus again. My head had hit the floor hard when I fell, and the lack of oxygen for that moment hadn’t helped.

“Don’t you dare speak to me. You sent me to jail, and you did nothing. You paid for nothing. You have this perfect life, one that I should have had. But no, I had to have you and your little brat sister. Well, fuck you. You’re finally going to get what you deserve. And Kenny here is going to make sure that happens.”

“Anything you want, baby,” Kenny said, breaking his gaze on me.

I shivered, bile rising in my throat.

“I got myself a new man. Your daddy ain’t worth nothing. Never was. Kenny here? He did good for me. Always did. You remember him, honey, you met him when you were a little girl at our house.”

“I remember her,” Kenny said, and I froze, my body recoiling.

I remember Kenny. He had been one of the men who had watched Tracey and me when we were younger. And now, apparently, Mom was with him. And she was out of jail. It had been her. It had always been her.

“You’ve been watching me.”

It wasn’t a question, but my mother answered anyway. “Yes, we had to make sure we could get in. Make you pay. And they’re going to blame your father. Because he’s the one who got the worst charges. And now he’s out of jail, and I can finally get what I want. Revenge.”

Mom stood up, began to pace, stretching her arms. She was high on something or coming down. I wasn’t sure which. I was going to die today. I knew it. I didn’t have my phone on me. I didn’t have a weapon. And both Mom and Kenny were stronger than me in this state.

I was going to die unless I could find a way out of this. Though I wasn’t sure I could.

Mom walked towards the kitchen, pacing again before I could say anything. A key slid into the lock, and tears started to prick at my eyes. No, it couldn’t be. Please. Not now.

The door opened, and Prior walked through, a smile on his face until he turned into the living room and saw the tableau in front of him.

Me on the floor, kicking and screaming, the man above me, pinning me down and ready to kill me.

He didn’t see what was behind him.

And even as I screamed for him, “Prior, behind you,” it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t fast enough.

The light above shone on the blade as it arced down towards Prior’s back. He shouted, turned. It was too much.

My mother stood, that manic gleam in her eyes as she looked down at Prior as he fell to his knees, the knife in his back, blood pooling all around him.

I screamed again.