Out of Darkness

Tori sat beside her brother on the floor in his bedroom, listening to him rant about the way things had been going. They couldn’t stay in her room, because she didn’t have a door, and she loved hanging out in his room because his window actually opened.

“What’s pissing me off most is that you aren’t even comfortable in your own home! Every day they move things around and you can’t find your way safely anymore! I mean, look at that massive bruise on your leg from tripping over the coffee table! Maybe I should take you with me this time to Yumiko’s, the whole drug thing has calmed down a little bit, but there are some guys hanging around that I don’t like. They’re like, stereotypical tattooed asshole drug dealers, and I’m worried that they would try to do something to you. One of them tried messing with Yumiko but she beat his ass with a curling iron. It was pretty epic!”

“Brandon, those guys aren’t involved with Yakuza are they?”

“Actually,” he answered slowly.

“Brandon! Don’t tell me you’re getting involved too! I will beat the hell out of you, and don’t think that because I’m blind, I can’t, because Achilles can easily hold your ass still for me.” She threatened darkly.

“No! Hells no! I don’t do that shit!”

“You better fucking not,”

“I don’t.” he smiled, “You worry too much.”

She laughed and leaned her face against the screen of his window, taking in the cool rain scented air. Brandon described the weather to her. He said that it was sunny but still raining, and that there was a rainbow off in the distance against the darker rain clouds. She could smell the flowers blooming and hear birds singing in the rain, but she wished she could see the world glimmering in the sunlight as the rain reflected its golden rays back to the sky.

“I’m really happy that you came home today. I missed you a lot, and if you didn’t come home then I wouldn’t know what it looked like outside.” She smiled sadly.

“You’re welcome. Come on, mom’s home from getting food, so that means we can’t be in my room anymore.” He sighed and guided her down to the dinner table, which had been moved to the most obscure placement he could imagine.

“Victoria, I need to talk to you about Achilles.” Their father announced as healthy portions of Meatloaf was set down for everyone.

“What about him?” she demanded, feeling a knot form in her throat, and her heart tighten.

“The counselor believes that you are still too reliant on him, even though he lives outside in the dog house. He thinks that you should count more on us as your family than on your dog to guide you through life. I took him to a shelter while your mother was getting dinner. I made sure that it was a no-kill shelter, he is perfectly safe and will be quickly adopted into a good family.”

Tori felt her eyes burn with more than tears. She wouldn’t have been surprised if flames appeared behind her glasses as her head started spinning and she gripped her glass tightly in her hand.

Brandon slowly set his knife down, not wanting to risk stabbing his father at the dinner table, and put his arms around her shoulders as tears poured down her face while she fought to find words for her father.

Finally, she snapped and let it all go. Without saying a word she shrugged her brother’s hands away from her, stood up and felt her way up to her bedroom, stumbling over everything that was moved to the wrong place in her house. She went into her room and grabbed all of the clothes that were set off separately from the others; the ones that Brandon approved for her. She felt around until she found her phone, choking back angry sobs, and clenched it tightly in her hands while putting on her rain jacket, and walked back down to the front door.

“Just where do you think you are going, Victoria!?” her mother shrieked as she opened the door.

“Out.” She spat and went to step out, but her father was already at her side, roughly grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back into the house before slamming the door.

“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” she screamed angrily, hearing Brandon dart to her side, and knowing that he was now standing between her and their father.

“Victoria, calm down, please. You don’t need the dog anymore; you have us to help you!” her mother pleaded, making her cry harder.

“You don’t understand! Achilles wasn’t just my ‘dog’! He is my only friend! In all of Japan, there is only one thing that I can ALWAYS count on to be there for me! Achilles never left my side unless there was no choice! He never let anything hurt me! He never offered anything but comfort! And you fucking took him away from me! I HATE YOU!” and with that, she pushed past her father and brother, and ran off into the rain. She knew that her father was chasing her but she didn’t care, all she cared about was getting away.

She had enough money to pay for a cab to take her to a small motel, and what was left over was just enough to pay for a cheap room for the night. The room smelled like wet mold, the bedding felt like it hadn’t been changed in a year, the curtains gave a cloud of dust when she felt them, and she noticed that her door didn’t lock when she tried to close it. She wasn’t safe there, but she didn’t care. She was away from THEM, and that was all that mattered.

She opened her phone and dialed Alex’s number, hoping beyond hope that he would answer this time. When she heard his voice through the small device, she broke down. Sliding to the smelly carpeted floor she just sobbed her heart out, listening to his demands to know what happened, and if she was all right. Once she finally finished crying and was calm enough to talk to him, she explained everything. He promised to be back in three days to help her, but then had to hang up the phone because his sister was home and he had to talk to her about something very important. Tori was left alone again, and terrified.

That night it started storming. The wind howled in the window, the door moved with the wind, slamming back and forth in its place, the ceiling leaked, soaking the left corner of the foot of her bed, and the air was so cold that she had no choice but to curl up in the filthy bed for warmth.

In the next room a couple was having what had to be the roughest and loudest of all forms of sex, letting their headboard clang against the wall behind her with every thrust as she moaned and cried submissions, and he shouted orders and insults to her. Tori cringed with every sound, and quickly found herself crying again as the thunder echoed around her.

She felt a piece of paper in her pocket while pulling her jacket closer around her. Curious to what it was she felt over the brail printing and realized that it was Shinya’s phone number that he had given her that night at the hotel. She felt horribly guilty for calling him so late, but she needed someone to talk to, and wasn’t sure she could survive the night if she didn’t at least hear his comforting voice for a few moments.

Shinya was sitting in a quieter bar with Die and Kaoru, waiting to go home while they continued to “cheer him up” when his phone rang. None of them had gotten drunk that night, and were still talking seriously about Tori when he stopped their conversation to answer cautiously to the unknown number that called him.

“Sh-Shinya?” Tori stuttered when his confused voice reached her ears, making his heart stop for a moment.

“Tori-san?” he breathed, catching his friends’ full attention. It was obvious that she had been crying, and when he said her name he heard her begin to cry more and it worried him beyond reason to hear that.

“Is she all right?” Die asked quietly, but Shinya only held up his hand to signal for silence as he listened to Tori cry to him, apologizing for bothering him and pleading for a few moments of comfort.

“Please calm down, I can’t understand what you are saying. Where are you, Tori-san?” he asked calmly, though her tears were killing him inside.

“I don’t really know. I-I’m in a dirty motel… the room smells horrible, the storm is rattling the windows and door, the door doesn’t lock or close all the way, and I’m scared!” she cried, jumping and gasping when the thunder echoed in the room again.

“What is the name of the motel? I’m coming to get you; you shouldn’t have to stay alone.” He demanded, standing from his barstool and moving for the door with two extremely confused and concerned guitarists chasing after him, demanding to know what was going on.

He got half of the motel’s name before her phone died and the call was lost.

“Shinya, for the love of fucking god, tell us what is going on!” Die demanded, grabbing him by the shoulders and holding him still until he got an answer.

“Tori-san is in a filthy motel, terrified and alone. I couldn’t understand what happened, she was crying too much when she called, but I need to help her; she shouldn’t have to go through this.”

“She has gotten bruises and made excuses when we asked about them, and she has said that she doesn’t get along with her parents, especially her father… they wouldn’t have hurt her, would they?” he asked worriedly.

“It doesn’t matter right now, she is hurt and needs help.” Kaoru answered and got into the driver’s seat. Shinya gave him the name of the motel and they were off speeding in the rain to get to her as soon as possible.