Beyond Shadows

I don’t know how long I’ve been locked up in the basement. All I know is that I’m cold and
starving. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, then again how could I? It’s dark and there’s
nothing here but the washer and drying machine, I’m completely nude, I’m cold, and the fact that
the concrete floor doesn’t make a suitable bed.

I take a seat on the stairs and stare at the window where the light from the sun hit the floor. Even
if I try to escape, I couldn’t. Matt has every window in this house at maximum security. The bars
on them, reminds me those you see in prisons.

Though I’m not a prisoner, I feel like I am. Here I am getting beat because I’m a huge fuck up
and there Matt is, the authority. I have to obey his every command, and if I don’t do as I’m told
then I get what I deserve.

I lean back and stare at the dark ceiling, where the light bulb is supposed to be at. Then I spread
my arms and slowly close my eyes, pretending to be dead.

About a moment later, I hear the basement door open. My eyelids spread apart and I quickly
stand up to see Matt firmly standing at the doorway. His eyes wonder around my body, but his
serious expression doesn’t change.

He’s wearing the clothes he wears when he goes golfing. “Next time you act the same way as
you did last night, I’m going to beat you with my golf stick, got that?”

I feel grateful that he only have locked me up in the basement for the night. Normally, he’d
locked me up for days, and sometimes even weeks. There are times he feeds me when I’m down
there in the basement, and times when he doesn’t. It all depends on his bitchy mood.

“Yes.” I say in a quiet whisper. “It won’t happen again.”

“Better not.” Matt glares at me. “Now make me something to eat before I leave.” I make my way
out the basement and start heading to the bathroom. I want to wash up the dry blood and see the
damage Matt has done to me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I pause to turn around and look at him. “I’m going to wash up and change.”

“Did I tell you to wash up and dress?”

“No.”

“Then? I said to make me something to fucking eat.”

“I’m sorry.” I face down in shame. “I’ll go make you something to eat.”

“Good. Now go and don’t make me wait.”

“Yes Matt.” I change directions, heading straight to the kitchen.

I take out the sausages, the eggs and the bacon. Then I open the cupboard in search of the
pancake mix, but my eyes ends up focusing on the rat poison. Just one taste of it, and all my
problems would be free. No more needing to deal with the pain.

“Claire! I don’t smell food! Get cooking or the only thing the stove will burn is you!” I hear
Matt’s footsteps heading my way.

I quickly grab the pancake mix and start cooking. By the time I’m nearly done, Matt impatiently
decides to wait in the kitchen table, hollering at me to hurry up. He was ready to stand up and
shove my hand on the burning stove, until I quickly opened up one of the cabinets to take out a
plate.

“It’s done.” I serve his food and sit it down in front of him.

“Well it’s about the fucking time.” Matt picks up the knife and fork.

“When one is cooking, the food takes time to be done.” The words slip out of my mouth.

“Are being a smart ass with me?” He’s offended.

“I-” I choke back words, deciding it’ll be smarter move to keep my mouth shut.

“Next time you’re acting like a smart ass, I’m going to burn that tongue of yours.” Matt takes a
bite out of his food.

“Yes, dear. I’m sorry.” I stare down at my bare feet.

“Go make yourself a plate. I want you to sit down and eat with me.” Matt offers me a seat next to
him.

I go make myself a plate and set it down next to Matt. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Tea. One and a half spoons of sugar.”

I nod and start when to start boiling water. A few minutes later, I serve the hot water in two cups,
then I two tea bags to place in each cup and had the sugar. I grab the cups and hand one to Matt.
“Thank you dear.” He takes a sip of his tea. At last you do something right.” Matt closes his
eyes, enjoying the tea.

“Would you like anything else before I sit down and eat with you?”

“That will be it.” He opens his eyes and continues eating.

I take my seat and quietly eat my food. My food had a funky metallic aftertaste, which was
probably from last night. I still could taste the blood in my mouth.

Matt finishes eating before I do and drinks the rest of his tea. “I’m leaving now. I’m not coming
home until dinner time, so I expect you to have food ready until then.”

“Yes Matt.”

“Oh and just this morning I’ve bought you some hair color, hair dye, paint for your hair, or
whatever that shit is called. So When I come back, I want your hair to already be a different
color and short. You’ve got that?”

“Yes, Matt.”

“Good. If you’re good by the time I get back, then you’ll be having all of me tonight.” He stands
up. “So tell me, are you going to be a good girl?”

“Yes, dear. I will.” I look up at him.
“Good.” He leans down to kiss me. “See you later.” I watch him leave.

I clear up the table, clean up the kitchen before making my way to the restroom. I startle myself
by the time I look at the reflection of myself in the mirror. Matt fucked me up bad. An Eye is
bruised up, my nose is covered in dry blood, but surprisingly it isn’t broken.

I start washing my face clean, then I brush my teeth. Afterwards, I take out a pair of scissors
from behind the mirror and start cutting it short. I still don’t understand why he wants me to cut
my hair and dye it, but I’m still willing to do anything he tells me to do, just as long as it makes
him happy and not angry with me.

After I’m done dying my hair dark and have shower and dressed, I hear the house phone ring.
Assume it is Matt to check up on her, she immediately answers the phone without checking the
caller ID. “Hello?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Claire?” I hear a female’s voice, it’s not Matt.

“Yeah?”

“It’s Michelle, remember me from last night?”

“Oh Yeah, Sorry, I forgot we were going to meet today.”

“No it’s fine. I understand, just take your time okay?”

Does she really understand? Does she really know the monster that reveals in Matt’s shadow?
Does she really know what I have to put up with, every single fucking day fearing the man I
love? Well I guess I’ll have to see.

“That’s not the only problem. Matt tends to call every so and so to check up on me and make
sure I haven’t left the house.”

“Oh. Don’t worry, I’ll just come over.”

Come over? Does she know where I live? Does any of Matt’s friends know where we live?
There has never been a time when we had visitors. The only ones who normally visits are our
relatives, that’s about it, but never friends or anyone at all.

“Do you need the address?”

“No, I could find out from Brian, see you in a bit.” She hangs up the phone.

So Matt does give our home address to his friends, but yet they never come? Why? Maybe
Michelle could give me answers.

The phone rings once again. This time I check the caller ID and see its Matt. I answer in a
heartbeat. “Hey sweetie.”

“Hey, What are you doing?”

“I just finished cutting my hair, dear.”

“Good. Did you dye it yet?”

“I’m just about to.” I lie, knowing I have already dyed it.

“Good girl, don’t forget to have dinner ready by the time I get home.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. I’ll see you later then.”

“Bye Matt, love you.” He hangs up.

Someone knocks at the door and I go answer it, it’s Michelle. I greet her and let her in. “Wow,
you cut your hair, and dyed it.” She notices.

“Yeah, Matt thought it would have been nice for a change.”

“It looks really nice.” She comments

“Thanks. Would you like anything to drink?”

“No thanks.”

We go sit in the living room. “So how do you know where I live and know that Matt goes
golfing today?”

“Everyone knows where he lives, well the guys do. Matt and the boys usually party and meet up
at his cabin, the one by the mountains.” Wait, he has a freaking cabin and he didn’t tell me? His
wife? How come I never go to any of the parties he throws there? “And as for the golfing, we all
know he golfs with Zacky.” Who’s Zacky? My god, Matt’s like a stranger to me.

I have so many questions but, only one of them manages to slip out. “Has he always been like
this?”

“I’m honestly not sure. All I know is that you should leave him, before it’s too late.” Before I
could even ask why, she went on to answer my untold question. “Matt used to be married with
Val, my sister.”

She takes out a few pictures from her purse and hands it over to me. I take a closer look at it and
see the identical woman as Michelle in Matt’s grasp, both of them happy. I look at another
picture where she had dark hair, not blonde like in the other picture. Val was also dressed in a
lovely wedding gown. It seems like a big wedding, one I have dreamt to have with Matt instead
of a small simple one. I look at another one where she and Matt had similar Halloween costumes
at a Halloween party.

I couldn’t bear to look at the rest, so I hand them back to Michelle. Val was very beautiful, more
than me. And Now I know why he hates my hair blonde, because of his ex-wife. Luckily my hair
is shorter than hers now, and my hair isn’t as dark as the one in their wedding picture.

“What happened to her?” I ask.

“I’m about to get there.” She points out. “Matt was quite the charmer at first, until they came
back from their honeymoon. Val was interested in modelling and acting. Matt made her give it
up. Every time she went out, Matt started questioning her and blowing up her phone. Next his
aggression worsened. She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere at all. He started beating her. Even
when she became pregnant, he beat her.”

“Then what?” I ask.

“One day Matt purposely hit her big baby bump.” Michelle continues. “Val pleaded to stop and
cries out for help, but Matt kept on beating her. He viciously kicked her stomach hard, she cried
out in pain and blood began to spread from her pants. He had stopped when Val dropped
unconscious. I remember him staring at me, catching him what he was doing to my sister, I was
in shock. I tried calling Brian to tell him what I just seen, but then Matt threatened me to kill me
if I ever say a word to anyone.”

“And Val? Did she live?”

“Matt thought she have died, but she didn’t. I ended up calling the ambulance. She had a
miscarriage, the police got involved, Matt got arrested, but charges ended up being dropped for
unknown reasons. A piece of her died when she lost her baby though, and with Matt out there on
the loose, she ended up taking her life.”

I lean back, not knowing what to feel. All hope for a glimpse of goodness in Matt is gone. Now
that I know about Val and the child that never was, I don’t know if I still love Matt, a heartless
murderer. Val and the poor innocent baby, dead because of him.