Chapter 4 � PAIN

Millicent watched in horror as the gun fired. As through time has slowed down, she could see the bullet skating thought the air. Alice watched the pebble of lead aimed at her like a running bull, shivering unable to move. All at once the boy jumped out of the bushed, grabbed Alice and dragged her to the ground, out of the bullets path.

 

Millicent sighed in relief that quickly faded as the gun cocked a second time. She screamed at the couple lying on the floor. But it seemed Pip was already ahead, pulling Alice to her feet once more he pushed her out of the way of the second bullet before jumping out of the way himself. The bullet hit a near by tree, joining its brother embedded in the bark.

 

Stepfathers face burned red. Jamming his hand into his trouser pocket he pulled out a small box of cartridges. But as he opened it, a fist struck the side of his head, causing him to step back a few paces, stunned. Pip, light on his feet, advanced once more on Stepfather, and knocked the open box from his hand and into the fire. As quick as a dart he grabbed Millicent by the hand and began to pull her away.

 

“ALICE!” He cried, waving at her to run. But as he did so, Stepfather put his arm around Millicent’s waist and yanked her back to her place on to the wet ground. Aiming a kick at the boy’s head he stuck Pip right on the noise with his boot, forcing the boy to fly into the bushes and out of sight. Panicking Alice ran to Pip’s aid, disappearing after him. With a crude laugh, Stepfather swept up two cartridges that lay on the ground by the fire and loaded his gun once more. With careful aim he fired the two rounds after the couple.

 

Listening carefully for any sounds, Millicent tried to muffle her own tears, but as no other noise sounded but the crackling of flames, she soon gave in. Stepfather neither moved nor breathed in the moments after; instead he just stood there, as if waiting for something to happen.

 

A howl in the distance awoke Stepfather from his trance. Footsteps charging down the muddy slope alerted him of the percents of the hunt.

 

“We heard gunshots!” Exclaimed the bloodhound owner. “What happened?”

 

Stepfather looked over his shoulder at the man, his eyes hollow in the firelight.

 

“It is done.” Was all he said, waving gun at the men so that they would leave. Pulling the grieving Millicent from the floor, he dragged her back thought the woods and home. Setting the weapon on the table, he took up a bottle of his favoured liquor and a seat and stared at the crude thing before him.

 

Millicent dried her eyes on the sleeve of her dress, an emptiness filling her heart, losing its will to beat. Coldness hung in the air, a tension as strong as steel; yet still the emptiness was all that consume her thoughts. Automatically she went to the stove to light a fire for Stepfather, but his raised a hand to halt her. 

 

“Best to bed.”

 

When Millicent entered her room and closed the door behind her, she collapsed on the pallet and began weeping uncontrollably, unable to stop. She never even heard the key in the lock.

 

*****

 

Millicent woke the next morning with the sun streaming unsympathetically though the miniature window. Her arm ached from sleeping atop it, and her stomach groaned with the pain of starvation. Millicent stood up, dazed by the light of the sun, and looked out of the window. Startled by the bright light of day, Millicent rushed from her room, late for making breakfast.  Coming to an abrupt halt by the kitchen table she heard someone speak.

 

“You’re sure?” Said Stepfathers voice irritably from the porch.

 

Millicent took a few steps back, so to be hidden from plain sight of the doorway. Footsteps paced along the boards, like a drummer beating for an execution.  

 

“Yes, my friend!” Said another voice. “There was nothing.”

 

Millicent gasped, that was the voice of the bloodhound owner. A man she despised to the very core, seconded only to Stepfather. Tears of loathing welled up in her eyes as she though of the two friends who had hunted her sister to her death. They had killed all Millicent lived for and now the only person Millicent loved that was left in this world was her mother, imprisoned for life.

 

Millicent went to the sink, took a glass and half filled it with water. The cool liquid raced down her throat soothing her thirst, driving away a slight light headedness that had began to strike. Millicent’s mind became unfocused, eyes drifting of their own accorded and settling onto the surface of the glass in her hand. Colours swirled inside its texture, dancing with the light from the sun, silently singing, and calling. From the whispering colours formed shapes, the lights of which merged together, gently swirling until they formed images. Like a memory the scene before her eyes recaptured Alice’s sweet face, their Mothers smile, happiness, every good thing that had ever happened to the girls. And then just as quickly as it had come the sense changed. Inside the glass the moment when Stepfather pointed the gun grew more and more vivid in Millicent’s eyes. His crude mouth smirking. Eyes fire red with unjustified hate. Finger squeezing the trigger.

 

The glass shattered into hundreds of pieces. But Millicent was neither startled nor caring. After the advents she had witnessed how could anything be worse. Anything as frightening. Slowly her eyes began to refocuses on where the glass has been. The flesh on her hand was torn and bleeding heavily. Small shards of ice white glass lay in the skin, decorated with crimson.

 

“Millicent?” Said Stepfather from the doorway.

 

But Millicent did not turn for him and neither did she reply. Instead she just watched the blood surge from the wound. Soon Stepfather’s shadow fell on her. His hand gently took her wrist and rinsed the blood from her own with water. Gently he picked the glass from the cut and then rapped her hand in a handkerchief. He then led her to the table and sat her down on a chair.

 

“You must forget you ever had a sister.” He whispered.

 

Stepfather then made himself busy, collecting cutlery, plates and food and produced a small lunch for them both. He ate in silence, seemingly unable or unwilling to speak, while Millicent just sat there, eating nothing and seeing little of the world around her other then darkness.

 

By then end of the day Millicent was tired again and rose from her place at the table to retreat into her room. But before she could leave the kitchen there was a knock at the door. Wearily Millicent opened it and was given a letter from a young boy, who then ran off. Millicent didn’t look at the address or name on the envelope for there was only one person it would be for. Slowly Millicent walked to the living room door and knocked.

 

“Enter.”

 

Opening the door, Millicent walked to the armchair Stepfather perched in and then withdrew. Back in her room Millicent looked over the belongings of her beloved sister and let out a heavily sighed. The books lay abandoned, never to be read again. The washbowl empty never to be refilled. And the cloths never to be re-worn. The moon light travelled over every surface giving it the appearance of a tomb.

 

“Millicent!” Called Stepfather.

 

Sighing, Millicent left the room and re-entered Stepfathers domain. Smoke glided through the air from a newly lit cigar. In his hand Stepfather held the letter out for her to take.

 

“Burn this in the stove.” He said calmly. Millicent frowned at the command, finding it strange and unnecessary. There was already a lit fire in the living room, why must she light a new one in the kitchen.

 

All became apparent when Millicent closed the door. When Stepfather gave her the letter it was opened and unfolded, the text facing up. Just by looking down Millicent could see the entire letter. In the dim light she made out the following:

 

We regret to inform you that at 6:15 yesterday evening it was discovered that your spouse has enter mortality…

 

Millicent world was spinning. Everything was falling down, the foundations of all hope cumbering, until there was nothing left. The colours of the room fluttered before her eyes, dimming, changing to grey. Everything was becoming nothing. The two people Millicent had ever had in the entire world were gone. She was alone and trapped with a man she loathed more then her misery. She was stone.

 

“I told you to burn it.” Said Stepfather from behind her.

 

Millicent could feel her breath shortening with the effort to keep from screaming. Her fist tightened around the letter. Her entire body was shaking like a volcano about to explode.

 

Something hit her hard from behind. Crashing to the floor, she let out a terrible scream, one of hatred and grief, now too much to bear.

 

Stepfather knelt on the floor beside her, and put his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams.  Tears formed in her eyes as he watched her curiously. No longer able to scream Millicent focused on her breathing and closed her eyes, only to open them again when she felt Stepfathers fingers gentle caressing her cheek. His face was so close to hers now, that she could feel his breath. Fear boiled in the pit of her stomach, and all around her the air filled with the sounds of the past, the screams of both mother and child at the hands of this man.

 

His face kept moving in. Pulling back sharply Millicent tried to pick herself up from the floor, but he just struck her again. Grabbing Millicent by the shoulder, Stepfather placed a heavy arm over her neck, slowly choking her, keeping her still. Pining the child down, he lower his mouth again and forced his lips on hers. After a few minutes he raises his head again.

 

“You’re my girl?” He crocked at her, impatiently waiting for a reply.

 

“You’re my girl!” He repeated, this time more forcefully.

 

Still the screams of the past would not silence. The sounds of women being dragged to their black destines. All the blood and pain of the past filling her eyes with water. Millicent smiled at Stepfather and said calmly:

 

“Yes I am.”

 

Stepfathers smiled widely at the helpless girl below him, and removed his arm from her throat. Slowly he closed his eyes and began to lower his head again. That’s when she did it. Thrusting her knee up as hard at possible she hit him in the groin. Shoving him into agony, no less then he deserved. He fell of her, rolling onto the floor beside her, screaming.

 

Quickly Millicent jumped up and raced out of the door, down the yard and along the street before he could recover. Running with all the might she possessed, Millicent raced through the wood and down the path towards the camp site, through the bushes to The Secret Sea’s shore…

 

But it was gone.

 

 

Reviews

[DarkAngelWriter]

Wow. This was amazingly intense. Keep it up.

[dkbooks]

This chapter felt a little like treading water. After all the action, the oddity of the stepfather being so unusually gentle was a bit disturbing. Many typos that did distract me in this chapter, but again...that is an easy fix. It all gives the reader some hope for the girl. I also was under the impression that the mother had already died. Some very good description, but sometimes it feels forced...like you were struggling to find a colorful word to fill in the blanks. I am all for description, but I don't want to have to overthink my reading. I write with a ton of description but I write simply enough for others to get my point and have it feel realistic.

[R J Askew]

Well, this was interesting. I thought the story was shifting and becoming 'quieter', like a river moving slower after some rapids, a sort of interlude. Then it took another turn, becomeig very sinister with great menace. The stepfather is a real callous monster exerting psychological power and pressure.......'You must forget you had a sister'...........'Burn this on the stove'.......the way he prepares a meal for them......whispers, smokes calmly. And then you unleash the physical brutality. There is great drama in the choking and the mock surrender to the insistent 'You're my girl...you're my girl.' ........the breath on her face and the caressing of her cheek. Horrible. But then another twist as the pent up violence in her errupts. And then the release of flight. And another disappointment. Great movement in this chapter. Very dark. Bug definitely gripping.

[Bubo]

So terribly sad............now she has no one and that brute of course is just not someone
you survive around..........the images you write are stark and distressing, making you want to rush in and
save the child.
Maybe Alice and Pip will save her.............on to next Chapter!

[Ruby Moon]

good for her
kick harder next time!!!
lol...good job on making me root for millicent and hate stepdad more
you really bring your characters to life
wish i had your skills
*look at you enviously*

[BrightEyes]

well, step daddy never quits here does he? I hope Millicent can find the Sea again...even if she doesn't ...I hope she gets far far away from Stepdaddy. I'm guessing from the snippets of conversation she overheard that Alice and Pip are alright - it did strike me as odd that Milli didn't figure that out or at least hope for it when she heard it. another fast paced and exciting chapter.

laura