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Chapter 5 - Trigger Finger

The morning came with a powerful headache. Lucy rolled onto her stomach and groaned. Her throat felt dry and she could still feel pain in her neck. Sleep had come easily the night before. After she had brawled her eyes out for hours nonstop, she had dozed off.

The morning also came with an intense feeling of hunger. In fact, it was this feeling that woke Lucy up. She had forgotten to eat all day yesterday because she was so occupied with crying. She had tried to think of different ways she could save herself from the sinking sand that had rapidly become her life. At a point, she considered calling and asking Martell to let her live with her and her family. She was willing to put her ego aside, and beg.

But then, she would have to explain everything that had happened from the beginning to the end and Martell’s parents were definitely going to want to involve the police. That would only cause more trouble for Rita and Lacy. She needed to disappear alone.

Lucy heard a rapid knock on her door and when she turned her head to the side, Lacy walked into her room, fully dressed and ready for the day. Lucy frowned, wondering how Lacy had gotten ready so early when the day was just starting.

“What time is it?” Lucy asked her with a hoarse voice.

“It’s past ten,” Lacy answered, settling on the bed. “Why are you still asleep so late?”

“Why are you up so early?”

“I’m up because I’m going to Stefanie’s house. Today’s her birthday.”

“At ten in the morning? What? Is it a brunch party?”

“No, not really.” Lacy shook her head. “The party starts at three, but I’m going early because she needs us to help her pick a dress or something.”

“She wants to pick a dress on the same day she’s throwing a party?” Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows.

Lacy shrugged. “Apparently, she bought like five different dresses in the last week. Stefanie is very indecisive.”

“Good for her. It’s not a sleepover, is it? What time are you going to be back? Do you need me to pick you up?”

Lacy shook her head. “I think I’ll spend the night. I’ve told mom, and she’s okay with it, so… Besides, Stefanie wants us girls to watch a movie together after the party. I can’t be the only girl who leaves the party.”

“Fine, just be careful, okay?”

“Always,” Lacy replied. She looked away and fiddled with her fingers before speaking. “Lucy, try not to… just avoid him, okay?”

Lucy turned her head toward the window. “You know I always avoid him, Lacy.”

“I mean from now, actively avoid him. He’s pretty pissed that you cracked his head open with a bat. He’ll be looking for any means to hurt you back. John holds grudges, you know this. That’s why he and mom don’t get along.”

“That’s not why they don’t get along, but it’s okay, I get it. I too don’t want anything to do with him, so yes, I will actively avoid him.”

“Good,” Lacy said. “Thank you.”

“Alright then,” Lacy said, standing up from the bed. “I’ll see you when I get back. I’ll try to bring you some cake. I know how much you love cake.”

“That’d be awesome, thank you.”

Lucy watched her leave and after a couple of minutes went by, she sat up on the bed. Shortly after, she felt her stomach rumble. Her throat also itched. She needed water and food, desperately. But it was the weekend, John was in the house, but she wouldn’t know where he was until she stepped out. The thought of running into him made her skin crawl.

“Oh, whatever.”

She dropped her phone on the bed and walked out of the room, moving as fast as possible. Her goal was to reach the kitchen, grab a bottle of water and some snacks and head back into her room without raising her head.

“Look who finally decided to come out of her room.”

Lucy shut her eyes and bit her lower lip. Of course, Rita was in the kitchen cooking for her dear husband. But the small hiccup didn’t alter her plan. Lucy ignored her remark and walked directly to the fridge.

“You know it was John who put all those nice things in the fridge. That bottle water and juice you’re stuffing under your armpit. How about you thank him? Or at least say sorry?”

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. She turned slowly without letting go of the bottles in her hand. Lucy approached her mother and stopped a few inches from her face.

“Did he apologize to Lacy for assaulting her?” she rasped. “Did he apologize for knocking me unconscious?”

“Did you apologize for breaking his head with a bat?”

Lucy squinted her eyes. “What is the matter with you?”

Rita raised her finger to Lucy’s face and arched her eyebrows. “Now, you listen–”

“Why do you always pick a fight with me? I just wanted water. You could have ignored me and continued making the pancakes for your loving, caring husband. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“You live under my roof, and I expect that if I ask you to do something, you do it.”

“This isn’t your roof. We have this big house and we’re comfortable because of dad’s money. The money he left for his daughters. The one you’re squandering on your abuser.”

Lucy could see Rita’s lips begin to quiver. She was angry, but she was also at the verge of tears.

“Get out of my sight,” Rita whispered. “Now!”

“With pleasure,” Lucy said, turning to leave. “Oh, and I have bruises on my neck. You know, from where John almost choked me to death. I think I’ll go back to the station and show the police. They are sure to take me seriously now. I’m also pretty sure his fingerprints are all over my neck too so… how about that?”

“Lucy.”

Lucy didn’t wait. She ran up the stairs and quickly entered her room. That was sure going to keep them away from her for a while. She had no idea why she brought up the bruises, but when she thought of it, reporting it was a good idea. It could pin John as the abuser that he was, once and for all.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

The way John barged into the room caused Lucy to pee a little. She jumped, and jumped again when he slammed the door shut.

“Please leave my room,” Lucy stuttered.

“You’re going to report me to the police, huh?” he said.

It was either his eyes were red with rage, or he had been smoking all morning. Lucy couldn’t tell which it was. She had no idea he had been listening to the conversation. If she knew, she most definitely would not have said those things so boldly.

“You misunderstand, little girl,” John continued. “I didn’t save you from going to jail. That’s a lie your mother might have told you. No. I let you out of jail because I wanted to get vengeance my own way. Now, I was willingly to take my time with it. I wanted to craft a good way to hurt you. But you are getting on my last nerve.”

“If I show any officer these marks on my skin, they would know instantly that you tried to kill me. So, I propose that you stay far away from me, and I will do the same.”

John shook his head. “If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Those marks you’re talking about? I could make them a lot worse.”

“You’re just full of threats, aren’t you? I already said I won’t go to the police if you stay away from me. It’s really not that hard. You and your wife can love yourselves to your hearts’ content, I will not come in between you both again. You can keep beating her all you want. Just leave me out of this.”

“Oh, and what about my head?” John frowned. “You think I am just going to forget that you sent me to the hospital?”

“Isn’t choking me enough? What else do you want?”

“I want you to feel the same amount of pain. Maybe more.”

He began to approach her slowly. Lucy swallowed hard, watching the look of sheer scorn on his face. She knew what was coming. Lucy knew that this time, if his hands found her neck again, he would squeeze the life out of her. She had threatened to report him to the police, he wasn’t going to let that happen.

Lucy instinctively reached for the baseball bat underneath her bed and tightened her grip on it.

“Do not come any closer,” she warned. “I did it once, and I can do it again.”

John did the opposite. He ran, catching Lucy off guard and before she could react, he had his hand on the bat. John growled and yanked it away from her grip, throwing it to the ground. Lucy tried to push him away, but John grabbed her by the throat instead and threw her to the bed.

“Get away from me,” she rasped.

She tried to escape through the free right side, but John held onto her leg and dragged her back down before grabbing her throat again. He squeezed as Lucy kicked with all her might. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Lucy scratched his hands, trying to pry him off her.

But then, John reached for his belt and pulled out a gun from beneath his shirt. Lucy froze immediately, terrified by the sight of the weapon. She had no idea that John had a revolver. Her breath shuddered and she could feel cold tears well up in her eyes. John’s grip began to ease, but he didn’t let go of her neck.

“Oh, so now you can be quiet,” he whispered with a smirk. “You see something you like? This one in particular is my favorite. I have a pistol too, if you’d prefer that.”

Lucy’s throat clammed up. She didn’t dare look away from John’s finger on the trigger.

John let go of her neck and grabbed her jaw, pressing his fingers into her cheeks. He pried her mouth open and stuffed the muzzle of the gun into it, chuckling as he did.

“Do you like how it tastes?” he asked.

Lucy started to cry. She sniffed hard, her nose ran, her lips quivered. She felt horror, the cold black horror of death and she didn’t know what to do.

“Do you want to know what the bullet tastes like too?” he continued, his finger playing on the trigger.

“No,” Lucy managed to whisper. “Please.”

“I could end your life in a matter of seconds, and trust me, I am dying to do so.”

“Please,” Lucy whispered.

John pulled the hammer back to cock the gun, and in that moment, Lucy’s life flashed before her eyes. She shivered, unable to push the hefty man off of her. The next second, John pulled the trigger without hesitation and Lucy felt a zap run through her body like a bolt of lightning. The hammer clinked on an empty chamber. John’s face spread in a malevolent smile before he got off her and got to his feet.

“The next time I have to point a gun at you, I promise you, it’ll be loaded.”

He disappeared behind the shut door and her tears gushed out. Her belly was still stiff, her heart still thumping hard in her chest. Her wailing only increased as the minutes passed. She’d been so close to death. She never expected that John could do something like that.

She was still on the bed, shivering and crying when she registered the deep base of her ring tone. But she couldn’t pick the call now. She needed a minute to compose herself and she took it, allowing the first call to ring to a stop. By the time the phone started ringing again, she was better prepared. She picked the call and tried not to sniff.

“Hello?” Lucy said with a quaking voice.

“Hello? Is this uh… Lucy?” the husky voice asked. “Hi, it’s Defoe from the police station.”

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