Patricide

Kara parked in the driveway of her decrepit house dreading the inevitable actions that she’d grown accustomed to. It was the same day after day. She’d come home after a long day of work to her drunken father spewing insults at her. Today was going to be no different. She pushed back the front door only to hear the all-too-familiar sounds of bottles rolling back. Kara shut the door behind her as her father shuffled over to her in a drunken state.
“Where have you been all day?” he demanded in a slur.
“Working, someone has to earn the money around here.”
“Whore! You were out walking the streets all day, weren’t you? No wonder your mother died, she couldn’t stand having a slut for a daughter.” He spat at Kara. She felt her anger flare.
“Me?! You’re the drunken asshole that drove her to an early grave! But since that fact isn’t written on your precious bottles you probably didn’t know that.” Kara turned away, trying to get away from him and into the safety of her room.
“Bitch!” Her father yelled then threw a bottle that cracked against her skull. She grabbed the back of her head instinctively as another bottle hit her back. She spun around ready to hurt someone.
“Don’t you dare!” she demanded.
“Or what, you’ll hurt me? I’d like to see you try.” he laughed.
“You’re right, I was being rude. Let me get you a drink.” Behind Kara’s overly sweet words there was the faint outline of a plot forming. She walked into the kitchen past the towers of unopened packages of alcohol to the medicine cabinet. She grabbed a few random containers and emptied their contents onto the counter. Kara ground them up and then dumped them into the nearest bottle she could find.
“Here you go, Dad. Drink up.”
“That’s better.” He started to chug his drink. She grinned inwardly; her temper had always gotten the better of her.
Kara walked to the only haven she had in this house, her room, and locked the door behind her. She took a deep breath and slid down the door. This hell she’d been forced into at an early age had been eating away at her. She pulled out her cell phone and called the one person she could always turn to.
“Hello?” A male voice asked.
“Ty?” Her voice broke.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t handle this anymore. He hit me with a beer bottle in the head!”
“I’m sorry. Want me to come over?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll be right over.”
“You better wait a few minutes to make sure that he passed out.”
Ty sighed, “How much was it this time, Kara?”
“I’m not sure. It was a lot of random stuff from the medicine cabinet.”
“One of these days the man is going to O.D.”
“If I’m lucky. I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Kara hung up the phone and rested her head in her hands. She was still only a teenager but forced to grow up so much faster. After her mom died, her father turned to alcohol to make him feel better. Little did he know that with every drop Kara become worse off. Soon enough he had lost his job and they began to live off everything her mother had worked so hard to save. As his drinking developed into an obsession, their money drastically decreased. The burden of bills became Kara’s responsibility so she got a job that provided enough to keep their heads above water. As much as she wanted to watch him drown, she knew that he would take her down with him. He grew more and more abusive over the years but Kara was finally old enough to stick up for herself, she was through with his cruelty. She refused to take any more of it.

Ddddiiiinnnngggg-Ddddoooonnnngggg!!!
The doorbell brought Kara out of her thoughts. She dashed to the door and into her boyfriend’s arms. He held her close as they walked back into her room and sat down on the bed.
“How’s your head?” Ty asked, touching her head tenderly.
Kara winced, “I’ve had worse.”
“I know you have, that’s what scares me. Why do you put up with him, Kara? You can move in with me, we’re both eighteen now, there is nothing he can do to bring you back.”
“You know if I leave he will come after us. I refuse to risk your safety!”
Ty pushed Kara back to get a better look at her face, “Like I’m concerned about him hurting me! You know I could take him.”
“Yes but still, I won’t risk losing you. You’re the only good thing that man hasn’t taken from me! If he were to hurt you…” Kara was interrupted by a sob.
“Kara honey, don’t cry.” He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know.” She smiled slightly.
The two lay in each other’s arms for what felt like a lifetime.
Kara broke the comfortable silence, “I’m going to get some water. Want anything?” she asked.
“No thanks.” He kissed her softly before she left the room.
Kara walked absentmindedly to the kitchen not paying any attention to where her father was supposed to be asleep. She filled up a glass with water and swallowed two Motrin for her head. On her way back to her room Kara walked in sight of the couch. What she saw there made her stop dead in her tracks as panic coursed through her veins. A pair of large hands grabbed a hold of her from behind, covering her mouth.
“How’s about you show Daddy what you do for your customers at work, slut?” Kara could feel her father’s hot breath on her ear and neck, along with a hand groping from her breast to her butt. Adrenaline replaced the panic in her system sending Kara into frenzy. She shoved her elbows back into his ribcage as hard as she could. His grip released her as he doubled over clutching his sides. Kara spun around and round-house kicked his face.
“You will never do that to me again!” Kara screamed her demand, watching her father collapse in pain below her. She continued, “You son of a bitch! I’ve had enough of you and your actions. It’s time you felt pain like I have all these years!” Kara kicked him hard in the side a few more times.
“Kara, are you okay?” Ty ran into the room, “I heard yelling, I was worried that your dad… What the hell is going on?!” His mouth hung open at the scene in front of him; Kara stood over her father, one foot on his throat. Kara looked up to him and smiled wickedly.
“His time has come.” She stated calmly despite her wild eyes. Kara leaned forward and forced her foot down with all her might. They heard choking noises then his body fell limp. Kara turned around slowly and approached the shocked Ty.
“Ty, honey, how much do you love me?” Kara asked.
“I love you more than anything.” he replied, not looking into her eyes. He was trying to process what just happened.
“Then help me. I need to get rid of this,” she gestured to the corpse, “Please, Ty. I love you.” She stroked his face forcing him to look away from what lay in front of them.
“Kara! Do you realize what you just did? You killed your own father! I know he was a terrible excuse for a human, but did he deserve this?”
“You know he did. Weren’t you just saying that I shouldn’t put up with him anymore? Now I never have to!”
“I didn’t mean you should murder him!”
“Ty, don’t be like this. You said yourself it was only a matter of time until he overdosed; I just made time move quicker. All we have to do now is bury the body out back. Who knew living so close to a forest would come in handy?”
“I suppose you're right.” Ty agreed with her. He loved her too much to deny her anything.
“Thank you, Love. Let’s get this over with.” Kara tried to move the body but it was too heavy for her.
“Let me carry him. You go get a shovel or something.”
“Okay.” Kara held the back door open for Ty then ran to the shed. She brought two shovels to the place where Ty had dropped the body.
“Here is good. Start digging.” Ty ordered. Soon there was a hole big enough for her father’s body. They pushed it in and started filling in the dirt. Ty turned away to fill his shovel with dirt then heard what sounded like a moan. Kara screamed and pointed at a dirt-covered mass in the ground. There they saw a hand moving through the dirt.
“Why won’t you die?!” Kara yelled in a panic. Ty lifted his shovel and began to beat the body. Blood cascaded everywhere.
“Well, he’s dead now.” Ty stated looking down at the mess of blood and flesh that was once a head.
After they finished filling the grave Kara dropped her shovel and jumped at Ty. She kissed him passionately and told him, “I’ll love you forever. Thank you so much.”
“I love you too.” They picked up their blood and dirt encrusted shovels and walked hand in hand back to Kara’s house.