Triggers: Domestic violence!
His hands shook as he stared down at the broken plate on the floor.
Fuck, not again... this was the third time he’d broken something, and the bruises on his stomach, neck, legs, and arms were still fresh from the last two times.
Hearing the front door creak open and slam shut, his whole body trembled like a terrified Chihuahua, knowing what was in store for him.
“Joshua?!”
The voice of his husband boomed from the living room, and Joshua didn’t want to answer, but he knew that if he didn’t, he’d get what was already coming to him ten times worse.
“Yes, Vic?”
Victor rounded the corner, and the first thing he saw was the plate in a thousand tiny pieces on the tile floor. Turning his gaze up to Joshua, the other held in a whimper at the sight of his eyes, knowing that look all too well.
“C’mere.”
Vic did the finger gesture slowly, and Joshua obeyed. He was numb to the swift hand across his face and the words that followed.
“I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me!”
“Please, Vic, I’m sorry, my-my-my hand- my hand, I just- I lost my gr-!”
Another slap shut Joshua up, and he tasted something he’d never tasted before: blood. He must’ve bitten his tongue...
“You clumsy shit! You’re useless, I don’t even know /why/ I married your ass! You have the housekeeping skills of a goddamned gnat! Did you-?!”
A soft cry from the baby monitor interrupted the rage-filled rant, their newborn son having awoken from his slumber.
“Go get ‘im. After you’re done, I expect you to clean this up unless you want one of these shards shoved down your fuckin’ throat, got it?”
Joshua nodded, hurrying out of the room and to the nursery. He closed the door behind him and picked up the baby, settling him against his chest as he shushed him softly.
“It’s okay... we’re gonna get out of here soon, I promise...”
The young man adjusted little Luke’s blanket, sitting down in the rocking chair beside the crib and trying to tune out the football game on the TV just outside the door, soon accompanied by the all-too-familiar sound of a beer can being cracked open.
“I’m...”
“What? What is it?”
“I’m leaving... I got a job offer in Denver.”
“Nat... please... you can’t-”
“Dammit, James, I /have/ to take this opportunity! God, I knew you’d do this, I just knew-“
“Well, how the hell do you expect me to react?! You’re moving halfway across the fucking country! I want us to make this work, but you-”
“Oh, shut the fuck up. You don’t fucking get to do that to me, you don’t get to guilt trip me into not taking this chance! YOU DON’T GET TO DO THAT!!”
“What about our LIFE TOGETHER?! Huh?! Did you even THINK ABOUT OUR FUTURE?!”
“NO, BECAUSE MY LIFE DOES NOT ALWAYS HAVE TO REVOLVE AROUND /US/, JAMES! Believe it or not, I have to do things for /myself/, that benefit /me/!”
“...”
“...James...?”
“Pack your shit. We’re through.”
“You cannot be serious, this is so typic-“
“I’m not gonna tell you again. Pack. Your. SHIT.”
“...Fine.”
He stared me down as I avoided his gaze. However, I could feel his eyes bearing into my skull, hot and heavy and downright... creepy.
“Please,” I whispered, “I... I want to live.”
“Give me one good reason why I should let you walk out of here in one piece,” his voice was like a knife stabbing my ears.
“I... I have a family. A mom, a dad, siblings, aunts and uncles and cousins... I have a niece, and another on the way soon.” My eyes brimmed with tears, blurring my vision; however, this was only nailing my plan to seem convincing even more.
“So?” God, I wanted to fucking kill him right here, right now. “They don’t care about you, they haven’t even noticed you’re gone.”
“I want to see my nieces,” I reiterated, a sharpness in my voice that startled him a little, judging by the way he jumped a bit, “you can’t keep me here forever.”
“Oh, but I can try,” he chuckled, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. I bit at it, but he pulled back before my teeth made contact with skin. Then, he roughly grabbed my chin, bringing my head up to look at him, look into his eyes.
“Trust me, I’m the only one who cares about you right now. There aren’t even wanted posters up looking for you.”
I took this moment to gather up enough saliva to spit directly into his eye. He grunted, letting me go as he wiped at his eye.
“You’re a feisty little girly.”
“Let. Me. Go.”
He sighed, then got a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. I raised a brow, then gasped as he grabbed me by my waist, pulling me towards him, our bodies soon touching.
God, the smell of his cheap cologne was enough to make me want to throw up, but I gulped it down. He cupped my cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.
“I’ll make you a deal,” he purred, “fuck me, and I’ll let you go.”
My face took on a look of disgust. Oh, God, I didn’t want /him/ to be my first time.
An idea soon passed through my head, and I feigned a smile, trailing my hands down his shirt and towards his stomach.
“Okay,” I replied, “deal.”
As he was distracted with taking his pants off, I took the opportunity and grabbed the knife I’d hidden underneath my shirt. Then, just as he was getting his fly unzipped, I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back up.
With a merciless smile on my face, I plunged the blade deep into the side of his throat, then pulled the knife toward myself. Blood dripped quickly down his throat, staining his shirt.
As I was preparing to make my exit, I looked back at him. His eyes, once alive and full of light, were now blank and staring into darkness.
“You’re really pathetic for an abductor, y’know that?”
With a short laugh, I hurried up the stairs and out of the building.
