Impulse

The door opened; heat crept through the open area. Emma held on to herself tightly, body shaking. Sunlight filled the car; the bright light making Emma's head throb. Her hands were cold, shaking violently as she tried to keep herself from crying. Her muscles were tight, her jaw locking as his large hand wrapped around her bicep, pulling her from the seat.

Her breath shortened as her feet hit the ground. What was now long and smooth was short, sharp, and ragged. Her body was shaking, legs becoming weaker with every step she took. Brian lead her to the house; his steps fast, not wanting to waste any time. He was excited, angry, impatient. Emma had done wrong, and he was going to let her know.

Emma forced herself to take the steps, she knew what was going to come, she couldn't get away from him. Not this time, when he was this angry, she had tried to run before, and Brian made sure that she wouldn't do it again. Her body was frightened, her body temperature dropping, her stomach churning, sweat rolled down her face, her lips chapped.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She felt as if somebody was pressing on her chest, someone had a grip on her throat, forcing her to struggle for oxygen. Shaking hands met her lips, her legs finally giving underneath her weight. She heard Brian grunt, picking her up, placing her over his shoulder.

She watched people pass by, her arm outstretched, pleading for them to help her. She wanted them to turn around, see what was going on. She needed them to save her; to take her away from this man. Her husband, her soul mate, her abuser, her monster. The door opened, Emma's body went limp; she knew she couldn't get away, she was inside now, and there was no getting out.

Her body hit their hardwood floors, her head hit the material. She gasped, the throbbing in her head becoming worse. She was sick, her stomach churning, the contents inside slowly rising. The acid burned her throat, she felt bile rise, she swallowed it down, sighing as her head hit the floor once again.

His legs moved, one after the other as he approached her. His footsteps were loud, and heavy, echoing in Emma's head. She watched him come near; she felt herself freeze, her breathing becoming shallow. His knee hit the floor; his face coming close her hers.

"On your feet" He said, standing.

Emma let out a shaky sigh. Brian stood over her, watching her closely as she stood. Her legs were shaking, his hunger being fed. He wasn't going to be satisfied, he wasn't going to walk away from her until he was full. He watched her shake, her skin flushed, her hair disheveled, her mouth apart, her breathing labored.

He began to yell; his voice was loud, booming, sending shivers up and down Emma's spine. She was terrified, she watched him, his voice deafening. His words were harsh, they hurt her, he knew how to break her down. He knew how to push her so low, how to tear her down, reduce her to nothing, leave her crying, wishing she had never met him. It was what he did best.

His fist came back; snapping forward. Tattooed knuckles came in contact with Emma's already bruised jaw, sending the small girl to the ground. Hands clenched, he walked over to her, arms flexing as he sat himself on top of her. Right fist came down, connecting with Emma's face, left doing the same. It had started.

He was angry, he had let it overcome him. Her nose was bleeding at this point; her body limp underneath his weight. Saliva covered the side of her mouth, falling to the floor. His hands were covered, slick as his fist came down, the impact made Emma's legs jerk, her arms lifting from the floors.

His breathing was heavy, his anger fading as his hand wrapped around Emma's throat. She gasped, body coming to life as her legs kicked, her fingernails digging into his arms. His grip tightened, he watched as her mouth opened, her eyes closed, her cheeks red from lack of oxygen. He released, watching her gasp, getting back air she had lost.

She looked up at him; a cut graced the bridge of her nose, blood and saliva covered her cheeks, nose and mouth. The cut on her lip had opened up once again, bleeding, staining the collar of her shirt red. She exhaled sharply as Brian stood, leaving her in between his legs. His foot moved away from her, coming forward, giving her a sharp kick to the ribs.

His right foot came in contact with her side, his left foot keeping her in place. Sweat was beginning to form at his hairline, his leg becoming tired as he stopped. He looked down at her, she was breathing heavy, her teeth clenching as she groaned in pain. Running his tongue over his teeth, he walked away from her.

Emma laid in the middle of the floor, her side throbbing in pain. Her vision was blurry, her face warm as blood trickled from the cut Brian's ring had left. Her tongue came out, touching the cut at the bottom of her lip, hissing in pain as it stung. She looked up at the ceiling, warm tears passing her temples into her hair. He wasn't finished with her, not yet.

He came back in, Emma counted his footsteps. She looked up at him, she examined him, he had nothing in his hands. She watched him closely as he kneeled beside her. Her breathing was slow, her body calming down. She looked over at him, watching him take something out of his pocket. He grabbed her limp arm, pulling it towards him.

Her eyes averted to the ceiling, not wanting to see what Brian had in store for her. It hurt to breathe, her head was pounding, her ribs hurting. A small clicking noise was heard, and her arm was lifted. A hot sensation rushed through her arm, she gasped, looking over to see Brian holding a lighter to her arm, the orange flame burning her skin.

Brian looked at her, watching her scream in pain, begging him to stop. He brought the lighter closer, the flame burning the surface of her skin. Running the flame up and down her arm, he watched the tender skin as it burned. She was crying, hysterical almost. He was satisfied, a smile crept over his features as he dropped her arm to the floor, watching her curl into the fetal position, holding onto her injured arm.

He stood, knees popping as he threw the lighter to the ground. Running his hand through his hair, he listened to her cry, his eyes closing in bliss. Exhaling, he let his eyes open once again, looking down at his wife. Chuckling, he fished his keys out of his pocket, walking to the door. He opened the door, squinting as he walked outside.

The door slammed shut, Emma knew he was going to be gone for the rest of the night. She got to her hands and knees, crawling into the kitchen. She sat in front of the sink, her head coming forward, hitting the counter as she cried. She placed an arm in the sink, holding on tightly as she hoisted herself up.

Turning on the cold water, she placed her arm underneath the liquid, sighing softly. The pain was too much, she was sore, her legs weak. She looked out the window above the sink, not seeing Brian's car in the drive way. This was her chance. Pulling her arm from the run of water, she stumbled through the living to the stairs.

Gripping the railing, she pulled herself up the stairs, her legs shaking violently under her, getting ready to give out any second. She walked into her bedroom, falling to her knees as she grabbed the two suitcases underneath. Pulling them out, she crawled over to the closet. Standing up slowly, she opened up the doors, ripping her clothing from the hangers.

She stuffed pieces of her clothing into the suitcases. She had to get away from him today, it was her chance to run away from him, to free herself from his hands. She would leave, she wasn't going to let him keep her here anymore. She sniffled, wiping away blood and mucus from her nose, ripping the drawers open.

She would send somebody else to finish what she had started. She zipped up the suitcases. She dragged the two bags down the stairs, stopping in the living room to look around the house she was leaving. She would never come back here.

"What are you doing?" The front door opened.

Emma looked over to him, he stood in front of the door, bag in his hand. She stared at him, she didn't know what to do, what to say. She was never out of line with Brian, she never talked back, or yelled at him. She blinked, bringing herself back to reality.

"I-I'm leaving" She said, her voice failing her.

"No... You can't leave me, Emma" He said, his voice pleading.

"I'm tired of this, Brian. I'm leaving you" She said, grabbing her bags from the floor.

"Please Emma... Don't go, not now. I need you, I'm sorry for what I've done to you" He said, she shook her head.

"I've heard this all before Brian, please move, don't make it harder than it already is" She spoke, her voice soft.

"Please Emma, don't go. I love you" He said, she looked up at him.

There it was. That small gesture, the act of kindness she had been looking for, the reason she stayed with him, the reason why she endured everything. She watched him as he placed the bag on the couch, walking towards her. He looked down at her, he bit his bottom lip softly, wrapping his arms around her.

Emma released her grip on the bags, letting them fall to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his waist, gripping his shirt tightly as she cried into his chest. Brian sighed, his hand rubbing her back softly. Emma sniffled, closing her eyes. She was back, back in his grasp once again, she was his victim, his property, and he was going to to anything to keep it that way.

"I love you too"