“I’ll kill you, you fucking twerp!” The man bellowed, enraged, and leapt at the boy, who squealed and ran inside the house. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxEfkqTvNE
“Mama! Mama!” The boy called, racing to the far end of the one story building. He stopped when he could go no further and spun round. The fat man came dashing down the hall, heading straight for the terrified kid. “Mama!” He shrieked as the man grabbed him by the collar. “Mama!”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T7Z1zUcaa
“What?!” a croaky dry voice shouted in return. His mother came slowly out of the bathroom, lank blonde hair dripping, towel pulled tightly around her white skeletal frame, and a cigarette hanging loosely from her mouth in its usual spot. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2TcBpcipu
“Mama!”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05QjSqEgwb
“Abrielle,” the man said, letting go of the boy’s shirt. “You needa discipline the lil shit. You know what he did? He put spiders in my rum. SPIDERS. And that boddle wa’nt cheap.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41yTer5Hsv
Eyes glued on the boy, Abrielle’s lips slowly pulled back into a frightful grin and she laughed her dreadful laugh. Her chuckling was more of a hoarse rasping than anything, and it always reminded the boy of a death rattle. It was an ugly noise. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjjaND5Vw2
The boy smiled timidly, uncertain.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCDjvjfCCP
“Abrielle!” The man cried, humiliated.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQE1A148aD
“What?” The woman snapped, the smile disappearing from her face.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavgGvyIe8A
“What for punishment?”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiizclWaUED
“I don’t care. Do whatever ya like. Just don’t kill ‘im.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mh9zznulK
The man grinned evilly. “Mark, listen to me,” the woman hissed, leaning into him. “Don’t rough ‘im up too bad, he’s got school tomorrow. I do NOT want child services on my arse again.” She stared at him, then reached up and pecked him on the lips. He smiled. The boy, terrified, tried to run past them, but Mark grabbed the kid by his hair and pulled him back. The boy winced in pain. “Now, now Damien. You need to understand that what you did is wrong.” He smiled sweetly at the boy, his voice condescending.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ5a2TfZNK
“No! No, Mama! Please!” The poor boy cried as the man pulled him away. But Abrielle just stared at her son with stony eyes and took a long drag of her cigarette.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfUsxKmGAL
Mark lugged Damien, who was struggling futilely against him, through the back door and into the hot yard. He hauled the child over to the bottle of rum lying on the grass and picked it up. Half had spilled out and was seeping into the earth, but there was still a large enough amount left. Damien could see the dead spiders floating inside. The really big huntsman, that he had been so proud of killing, was still in there, glaring spitefully at him. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSOaYmKH3A
“Drink it,” The man said, shoving the bottle into Damien’s hands. The boy shook his head and the man spat at him. “You’re gonna drink it.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBBKeFXlAk
He shook his head again and said, “No. I don’t-” But Mark threw him to the ground and sat on top of him. “Ya. Gonna. Drink it.” 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n9Ky86hbB
The boy stared up at the bright blue sky, he couldn’t breathe. The monster on top of him picked up the bottle carefully and held it in front of the kid’s face. It had a heavy, spicy aroma. He shook his head. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOK3xTyICU
The man pinched his nose shut with his free hand. Damien tried to keep his mouth shut, his lungs already on fire. He managed to keep it closed. Black spots started in front of his eyes... 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuRNO6Z03S
He gasped for air and Mark shoved the bottle in his mouth. The glass clinked against his teeth, and liquid poured out. It burned and scorched his throat, it made his eyes water and his nose run. He could feel the lumps in it, sliding around his mouth. Then the big one. The biggest spider in there. It sat at the top of his throat, too large to be swallowed whole. He could feel each of its long legs wriggling around with the rum. He started choking, he couldn’t breathe. Eventually, the fiery liquid was finished, all that was left was the spider. Damien gasped around it.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbJoe03ry9
“Ooh, wow. That’s a big one,” Mark casually remarked, then slammed the boy’s jaw shut. He could feel the spider on his tongue, it seemed a leg had broken off. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLnSZ7dJgJ
“Eat it,” the man glowered at the little boy. Slowly, hesitantly, Damien chewed it. It was horrible; it had a tangy, grassy taste, and it felt... just disgusting. He wanted to throw up. But with a massive gulp, he swallowed it down his burning throat, resisting the urge to puke. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4yBi9IUst
“There we go,” Mark said, grinning. “Don’t wanna waste good rum.” He pulled the kid up by his arm and smiled at him. “You be glad I love ya ma so much. If you were MY kid... you’d be a puddle on the grass.” He pointed to the ground. Damien barely registered what the man was saying; his head felt hot and flushed, and the world wouldn’t stay still. Mark’s voice sounded distant and submerged, like he was speaking underwater. His eyes were watery and his mouth felt red-hot. He was absolutely terrified.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfkcXzyQ80
Mark barked out laughter, then wandered off in search of his girlfriend, leaving Damien all alone. The world was spinning faster and faster and bugs fluttered in front of his eyes. He swatted at them and collapsed to his hands and knees. Then, he passed out.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzYFy2XEW8
A splitting headache greeted him as he opened his eyes. He was lying on his old lumpy bed in his small dark room. It was night outside. He sighed. He didn’t understand why his life was like this, why everyone hated him. He wanted people to like him, he wanted friends, he wanted a mother that loved him and didn’t get abusive boyfriends. He felt like crying.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvySHvG0Yn
Damien lay in the dark for what could’ve been hours, or only minutes. The pain wouldn’t subside. Rubbing his temples, a moan escaped his lips and he sighed again. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK8locbC6k
Behind him, the door creaked slowly open, spilling light into the room. Damien squeezed his eyes shut and begged him to go away. He assumed it was Mark; that horrible man sometimes made visits in the middle of the night, terrible visits that left the boy feeling dirty and corrupted. He heard the door click shut then light footsteps on the carpet. The smell of cigarettes wafted through the air and Damien opened his eyes. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBALmG6VE7W
“Hey, baby,” his mother said softly, in that croaky voice of hers caused by decades of chain smoking. The mattress sunk as she climbed on behind him. He could hear her rattle as she sucked in the smoke, then spewed it out in one long, winded sigh. She paused for a moment, then said faintly, “I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just... it’s really annoying when you do bad things. Mark hates it, and I just... just wanna make him happy. ‘Cause... cause if HE’S happy... then I’M happy. Don’t you want that for me?” She took another drag from her cigarette. “... I do love ya, baby. I don’t say it as much as I prolly should... but it’s true. I just want you to grow up proply. And that won’t happen if you’re not disciplined... I DO love you, baby.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaAYhAfl0E
Damien felt her put the cancer stick out on his blanket, then wrap her arms around him. In the dark, and in his mother’s embrace, he cried silently.
