Save Me From My Nightmare

‘Um, I must have accidently left it at my friend’s. I took it off this morning when I was in the shower and must have forgotten to put it back on,’ I lied, forcing a smile as Joel let go of my hand and shared a glance with River who was towering over me on the other side. There was a car rolling onto the driveway, the sound of a horn beeping loudly causing me to gulp as I knew exactly who that was. I could tell by the purr of the Mercedes Benz’s engine that groaned when he tugged on the hand break and caused the car to lurch. ‘Iain’s home now, I better get some lunch ready. Are you staying for lunch?’ Translation: stay with me because he won’t hurt me with you around.

Joel looked over at River, asking him quietly if they were going to stay or not. My older brother looked down at me for a moment with a sad expression, saying that he needed to get back to the club and Joel needed to get back to work. ‘Keeley, darling, are you home?’ Iain yelled through the house, causing me to subtly shudder as Joel helped me from the sofa and wandered out to greet my fiancée as I scampered into the kitchen to prepare dinner for him before he had another reason to hurt me when my brothers had left. ‘Mmm, I’m in the mood for some chicken salad.’

Iain’s arms were locked around my waist, holding me to his front as I started cutting up the raw chicken ready to cook on the griddle. ‘And then I’m gonna fuck you up so badly for not having your bloody ring on,’ he growled lower in my ear so that my brothers wouldn’t hear as they wandered into the kitchen. ‘Thanks for stopping by, guys. I’m sure Keeley is very grateful for your help. See you soon.’ The back door slammed shut loudly, but I ignored it and turned on the stove with the pan I’d thrown over his head resting on top. The oil sizzled loudly as I dribbled it into the pan; turning away to cut the chicken into chunks again.

My hand was restrained suddenly, being held in an iron grip with the blood flow stopping and causing me to wince. I could see his knuckles turning white with the force of his holding my joint, raising it to his face. His smirk licked onto his lips, kissing my wedding finger slowly as I looked up to see him with a fearful look in my eyes. A scream ripped through my body when he slammed my hand into the boiling oil, burning my flesh as I shrieked and cried with agony. ‘No, please, fuck. Let go of me, please!’ I yelled, kicking and punching his arm between screams. He merely laughed at me, pushing firmer on my hand causing it to sizzle as he cooked my flesh.

At last, he let go of my hand and threw me across the room. My head hit the kitchen table with a thwack, blood sticking to my hair as I clutched my wrist close to my chest. Pain coursed through my body with each new pound of my accelerating heart beat, sobs choking my throat to the point where my breath barely reached my lungs. ‘You’ve been with another man. I can smell it on you,’ Iain sneered, his face close to mine as he grabbed my hair and pulled me up into a standing position again. I spat at him with a foul glare, kicking him as best I could when he slammed me into the wall and wrapped a thick hand around my throat; restricting my oxygen levels.

‘One day I’ll get bored of you and you’ll just be another notch on my bed post. I came home early especially for you. I guess I should go back and teach my receptionist a few new positions; at least she’s able to harbour children.’ Iain smirked as he saw the agony in my eyes. It was his fault I could never have kids and he knew it, hitting me where it really hurt. ‘The only things that will grow in your womb are cobwebs,’ he spat, slamming my head harder against the wall as I gasped for air. The floor welcomed my body with a hardened exterior, cool and smooth against my burning flesh. A kick to the stomach only hit the air from my lungs once more, darkness erupting behind my eyes.

The next thing I knew, my whole body was aching as I lay motionless on the floor. Too weak to curl up under the baggy t-shirt he’d left on me, I just stayed as still as possible as he redressed. A sickly smile curled onto his lips, watching me as I began to splutter on blood that was collecting in my throat. Tears stained my sore cheeks, the friction of my thighs burning like the red of my hand where blisters were beginning to form. The whole underside of my left hand was peeling away, the smell of decaying flesh radiating from it and hitting my senses with an almighty blow that I made me want to vomit. A set of keys were thrown on my face, the metal scraping over my reddened cheeks as they slid down to the carpet in front of me.

‘Go get your hand fixed in hospital. Can’t have people thinking I’ve been hitting you, can we? You tripped in the kitchen, alright, bitch?’ I didn’t bother nodding. He knew I’d heard every word by the way my spine shuddered with disgust. The bedroom door slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by the infamous whack of the front door being closed loudly from downstairs. I waited lifelessly on the floor for the second he’d left the driveway to sit up and trying to tie my hair back a little neater. Each tug of my hair gave me another wave of pain to add to my splitting headache. Trying to ignore it, I pulled the shirt from my body and threw it across the room before finding some more underwear. I stopped in front of the mirror after catching a glimpse of my reflection.

Is that really me?