Late into the night.
A woman's scream jolts her awake.
A flickering light illuminates the scenery to the forest's quiet gaze.
Anne's eyes flutter open as the screams of her mother jolts her awake. She rises slowly, then crawls out of bed sluggishly, making her way to the parlor_ if it could even be called one.
Where her father is yet again, taking out his frustrations on her mother's limp body lying on the floor.
This again.
She thought.
She flexed her shoulder, walking towards them.
As long as I can get him to stop hitting mother.
Anytime he would start his madness, taking out his frustrations on either of them, the other would take the beating so one could escape out of the house.
So it had been, and so it would continue to be..... she sighed.
Immediately he noticed her presence he left her mother and approached. The closer he got, the more she tensed up, awaiting the first assault. But she did not move from a spot, she stood staring at her angry father as he stood in front of her.
His brows raised, a vein jerked in his neck: expecting her to run away, or whimper, or cower in fear..... but she just stood still, taunting him.
Irritated, he turned towards her mother.
Anne, quickly realising his twisted intentions, ran towards her mother. Taking the kick meant for her, her body slammed hard against the feeble walls of the house, but he didn't stop there. He kicked her hard in the stomach as she groaned in pain.
In the corner of her eyes, she glimpsed her mother's body lying lifeless on the floor, minutes passed but she did not get up, or move, at all.
Why hadn't she left yet, she was supposed to leave, just as planned.
Fear crept in as realisation set in at the sight of blood pooling around her mother's belly.
She was dead.
And so was her unborn sibling.
Her pulse stopped dead.
She stared harder, eyes widening in horror.
There was blood, a lot of it.
Mother was silent.
Unmoving.
Why?
Why?
Why?!
Why!
Something snapped. She felt it,
In that moment..... Rage.
Thirst for vengeance.
Hunger for blood!
She got up from the floor despite the continuous beating, not sure what had snapped in her, but with an unknown strength, she lurched towards him, screaming, kicking and clawing.
Lashing out with whatever was left of her strength.
He caught her midair, shocked and furious, he flung her out of the house and banged the door shut.
Anne curled up on the dry forest floors and wept,
for her mother,
for her unborn sibling,
for herself.
She felt a pang of pain when it suddenly started to rain heavily. She got up, her back bent, feets hurting, and made her way far away from the house without a last glance.
I can't go back there,
not anymore,
not after what just happened.
She turned away, walking straight ahead till she felt a calm and cool wind blow past her.
It felt like freedom, like relief.
She collapsed to the ground, her legs could not hold her weight any longer.
Not long after, a group of wanderers found her and carried her bruised body away, though she remained unconscious throughout the time.
Free indeed??