Notoriety | By RynoJuice

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." I found myself mentally articulating as I lay sprawled out on the cold floor, every breath a struggle.

I cant help but feel the weight of my memories crashing over me like relentless waves. It's funny how, in the final moments, the mind chooses to revisit the darkest corners of the past. I remember the events leading up to this point; Tonight I'd become a victim of the unthinkable. 

The cold night air stung my cheeks as I walked home from school. Sounds of sand shifting beneath my feet filled the air with an odd rhythm, accentuated by the gentle swoosh of weakened waves coming unto the shore.

Smiling gleefully at the serenity of natures own lullaby, I walked along the beach while being careful not to get sand in my shoes. It was as if the world itself was in harmony, echoing its own beat with the ebb and flow of the ocean.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I neared the beach house up ahead, navigating the landscape of shifting grains, each step closer was a delicate dance between stability and uncertainty. With each footfall the sand molded itself around the contours of my shoes, leaving behind fleeting imprints that are quickly swallowed by the next wave or gust of wind. 

"Mother, I'm home." I spoke aloud, declaring my arrival whilst I excitedly made my way up the small flight of steps leading to the old wooden door.

Approaching the front door, I reached into the pockets of my khaki pants and fished out a bunch of keys, the familiar jingle startling a sleeping mongoose into fleeing his spot beneath the stairs. Inserting it into the lock, I turned it with a practiced ease, expecting the usual click as the mechanism disengaged. Instead there was resistance, a stubborn refusal from the lock to yield.

Confusion furrowed my brow as I made a second attempt, this time applying more force. But before I could even comprehend what was happening, the door suddenly gave way with a violent lurch, swinging open with a force that sent me tumbling inside.

Shock rippled through my body as I regained my footing, heart pounding like a bass drum in my chest. What was that? What's going on? 

A chilling sound froze me in my tracks­­­- the desperate voice of my mother, strained and panicked.

"Please!"

My heart jerked in my chest as I fumbled past collapsed table and broken glass that was scattered along the grey carpeted floor and headed straight for her bedroom where the noise was coming from..

Hurriedly I had flung the bedroom door wide open, and the scene that met my eyes was nightmare incarnate. 

As I entered the dimly lit room, my attention was immediately drawn to the vivid, dark purple bruises and welts that marred her otherwise smooth, brown skin. She sat there, vulnerable and exposed, tears streaming down her cheeks, her breath coming in ragged gasps. It was as though each mark told a story of pain and suffering etched onto her flesh.

She glanced up at me, her eyes pleading, a silent plea for understanding and perhaps rescue. In their depths, I saw a mixture of fear and defiance, as if she were simultaneously begging for help and warning me to stay away. It was a haunting gaze, one that spoke volumes without uttering a word, leaving an indelible impression on my soul.

With every sob and every labored breath, her silent agony echoed through the room, filling the air with a palpable sense of despair. In that moment, I felt a surge of anger and determination, a resolve to stand by her side and offer whatever solace and support I could muster. 

"Mother!" I barely managed to gasp before my gaze locked onto a masked figure charging toward me. With a sudden rush, he struck me, and darkness enveloped my senses.

When my eyes had opened next, it was as if every breath I took was a laborious struggle, each inhale a searing stab of pain. Darkness encroached, blurring the edges of my vision. My body lies broken, a twisted mass of agony on the cold unforgiving floor.

The assault was relentless, a torrent of blows rained down upon me like a hammer strikes in a hellish forge. Each impact sent shockwaves throughout my body, a symphony of pain that crescendoed with every merciless strike. Bones snapped like dry twigs underfoot, the sickening crunch reverberating through the room.

I could taste the metallic tang of blood, warm and coppery against my split lips. Every nerve screamed in protest as I tried to move, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. The world spun in a sickening blur, my senses overwhelmed by the overwhelming tide of agony.

Through the haze, I caught glimpses of her, my mother, crumpled and broken like a porcelain doll tossed aside by a careless child. Guilt claws at my insides, a festering wound that burns hotter than any physical pain. I tried to protect her, to shield her from the monster that invaded our home. But in the end, I failed.

The assailant's laughter echoes in my ears, a cruel mockery of the suffering they inflicted upon us. They left us here, discarded like trash, to rot in our own agony. Tears mingle with the blood that stains my cheeks, silent witnesses to the brutality of our fate.

Now, our figures lay sprawled on the cold floor, bodies contorted in agony, a stark testament to the violence we had endured. Each labored breath echoed through the silence, a desperate struggle against the darkness that encroached. 

My once vibrant eyes, now glazed with pain, darted frantically around the room, searching for an escape that would never come. Blood seeped steadily from the multitude of wounds that marred my flesh, painting a gruesome tableau of suffering. Each stab wound a testament to the cruelty of fate, each broken bone a rhythm of torment.

My pallid and clammy skin, bore witness to the toll of our ordeal. Each movement sent waves of torment rippling through my shattered frame, a cruel reminder of my mortality. Yet amidst the anguish there lingered a quiet resignation, a sense of acceptance that whispered through the shadows.

As the seconds stretched into eternity, the last vestiges of strength began to wane, leaving behind only the hollow echo of a life slipping away. And in that final moment, as the world faded to black, there was only the stillness of oblivion, a silent embrace for a soul on the brink of eternity.