The Gates of Hell

Flashback Memory—
Brian’s POV—

“She’s not coming at all?” I murmured staring at Danielle who was dressed as a dead nurse; she didn’t try to look sexy, but dead. She figured it was Halloween, the night of scary things not let’s dress like whores and get away with it night.

“She’s staying with Haven so Zacky can come, she offered I think,” Danielle explained, clapping me on my shoulder twice. “Go flirt with someone Brian, you need a girlfriend or just to get laid.”

“Thanks Danielle,” I rolled my eyes playfully and walked back out of the kitchen, into the massive crowd surrounding the living room. Matt and his damn Halloween parties, I would never understand why he had to have them.

“Dude!” Johnny was beyond wasted, he was dragging Briony’s mom, Diane by the arm as he navigated a path through the crowd to me. “They are playing strip poker in the dining room, go play!”

“Nah, I think I’ll head to bed,” I mumbled and patted his head, it wasn’t spiked up since he’d been wearing a Kung Fu Panda outfit, Diane was Tigeress—way to childishly creepy. They exchanged hopeless glances as I traveled away from them to the stairs, it was a pain in the ass getting up them without falling or shoving someone off the railing, but I made it without injury or casualties. I had just past Caty’s room when I heard noises; I rolled my eyes thinking some guest had traveled a little too far away from the party. I opened the door to tell them to get the hell out for Caty, but I was greeted by one hell of a surprise. “Zacky, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Don’t say a fucking word to Briony,” Zacky pointed a threatening finger at me and I froze. It wasn’t like he scared me or anything, but he had just been caught in the act and I had caught him.

Caty stared at me the whole time I stood by the door, I waited until Zacky left and I walked in, shutting the door behind me. “Why would you do that to Briony, you’re her best friend, her cousin for Christ sake,” I said softly, sitting at the very end of her bed, no where close to where they touched.

“I don’t know,’ she was being honest as she could, I could tell because she was speechless. “I love him; we’ve been doing this since Briony couldn’t have sex anymore.”

“Why would you tell me that?” I was starting to grow angry. She was a bitch after all, Michelle had warned us.

“You seen it, you might as well know it all,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t want to hurt Briony, but I deserve some happiness too.”

“Yeah, but not with her husband.”

Flashback Ending—
Briony’s POV—

“I do recall it happening a couple more times after that,” Brian grumbled, he wasn’t smug like I had expected since he dished on my cheating husband.

“You’re a bastard,” Zacky seethed glaring at Brian. “I said for you not to say a damn thing! We’re like brothers, family man!”

“And what am I, Zacky? Fucking dog shit on your shoe?” I shouted standing up, “I am your fucking family, your wife you piece of fucking trash!” I wasn’t depressed or crying anymore, I was fucking pissed off. “He isn’t the bastard; you fucking are and guess what? Everyone will know!”

“What’s going on?” Matt and Jimmy walked out into a war zone, I had started throwing things at Zacky’s head. Glass ashtray, tiki torches, candles and such. “Whoa! Briony you almost took out my—watch it!”

“You son of a bitch! I hate you!” I was crying now, tears of anger burning my face instead of tears of sadness, these were worse, my heart was broken. “I loved you so much; you did this because I was having our child? You knew I did everything for you! I gave up my life. My, everything for you and you do this!”

“Did what?” Jimmy looked around utterly confused, his puzzlement was clear as crystal. “I’m so lost…”

“Zacky, did you cheat on Briony when she was pregnant with Haven?” Matt understand, why he was the only one was beyond me. When Zacky stayed quiet, his face reddened. “You are a fucking bastard.”

“She cheated on me!” Zacky threw out when he knew he was going down like the titanic.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” Matt stated begrudgingly. “And besides, moron, she only cheated because she felt abandoned by you, because you fucking cheated you fuckhead.”

“Fuck you!” Zacky shouted just when the door opened, Caty attentively stuck her head out and then walked out fully, quietly.

“When you spit that child out, me and you are going to settle all of this,” I pointed at her and she instantly knew. She drew back. “I trusted you, my own fucking cousin, we’re family you pathetic bitch.”

“Come on,” Brian tugged me into his arms and pulled me inside where everyone else was, listening. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m so sorry baby?” my mother whispered, ignoring Brian as she stared at me.

“You knew?” I whispered, everyone looked down in shame or at each other. “You all knew and wouldn’t tell me?”

“We thought you knew,” Danielle spoke, her eyes wide as could be. “We thought that was why you were falling apart with Zacky, no one spoke of it so we never—“

“Oh God,” I whispered closing my eyes, my hands covering my face. “Brian…”

“What baby?”

“Thank you for telling me the truth,” I said softly, he nodded silently and pressed his lips against mine. You’d think after a lifetime of hell it would only get better in the future, but that’s life for you, filled with ups and downs that can make or break a person, unpredictable. I guess I’m strong, I’ve had my back broke by the worlds woes time and time again, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right? “My life filled backwards, Brian.”

“Hell I know, mine has too,” he grumbled and looked at the girls behind us; Johnny had slipped outside with Matt and Jimmy.

“Caty may have deceived me but you all haven’t, I’ll stay here with you and my child, no matter how much I want too leave,” I said softly, they all smiled and seemed to sigh out the breath they had been holding. “Will you help me?”

“Across the skies to heaven and through the gates of hell, nothing could stop us,” Michelle seemed happy, it kind of shocked me, until I realized she knew Brian had loved me even before he had, she came to grips with it, just like I would have to with Zacky and Caty having their child. It would hurt but life was pain if anything, I could tolerate it, with the help of my real family and friends, and Brian who loved me for me.