‘A fear that follows’ by Nyree

My eyes were heavy. Dragging me down like an anchor, my mind was the ship. The floor ricocheted as he hurled himself through the front door and into our home. No. His home. I forced myself out of my bed, stepping lightly in case he heard . I headed towards Nathans room, avoiding the shattered bottle shards from the night before. I creaked open his door and lifted him off the mattress on the floor, cradling him and his teddy bear. He lay fast asleep in my grasp, he was used to this. I took him into the room where me and my baby sister slept and placed my bedside cabinet underneath the handle, sheltering us. I placed Nathan in my bed and tucked him in. I perched onto the edge of my bed, waiting endlessly. I felt the cupboards shake beneath my feet, as he threw them off their hinges. A matter of time before he found more of it. “I thought mum hid it last night?”, Nathan whimpered. “Of course she did, try get some sleep, I’m taking you to school in the morning bud” I whispered. I hated lying to him, mum hadn’t been home in days, I’d told him every night that she was working late, working late to get us food. I didn’t know myself when she was coming back, all i knew was it was us in this room against him.

Its almost 4am. I wasn’t going back to sleep. I just couldn’t. He switched the remote off. My heart began to beat. Harder, faster. It was silent, I couldn’t hear him anymore. My body wanted to relax, but I knew he wasn’t calming down so how could I. Thud. His foot shuddered the house. Thud. There it was again. With every, Thud. Thud. Thud. I felt him edging closer to me. I heard his voice calling my mothers name. Thud. He was at the top of the stairs, inches away from my door. The door that barricaded us from him. I knew if I hid for much longer he would punch his way through, to my baby sister, to Nathan. I couldn’t let it happen. I picked myself up, and gently placed my bedside table a few steps behind me. I twisted the door. I broadened my shoulders. I’m not scared of him I said over and over in my head, trying to deceive the truth. I picked my gaze off the floor and onto his dominating silhouette, covering me like a wall, layered tall and stong.

Without warning my thoughts were overcome with an earsplitting blare, my body seized with nothing. I mean nothing. My vision went blurred, my mind went blurred, until I felt disruption around me. My senses came back, a wave of realisation.

I was late for 2nd period.

My eye pulsated, felt weak to the touch. I steadily found my balance again, leaving the chilling seat behind me.

But it wasn’t a dream.