“I’ll kill you, you fucking twerp!” The man bellowed, enraged, and leapt at the boy, who squealed and ran inside the house. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh1Gpm2TFT
“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!”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuh7C5J1eu
“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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cw62hA0D3
“Mama!”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrudj1C92K
“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.”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROITV2n123
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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo6d0cwihr
The boy smiled timidly, uncertain.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLYvQC8GXn
“Abrielle!” The man cried, humiliated.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2Vqu7awHT
“What?” The woman snapped, the smile disappearing from her face.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt4VhNj8L0
“What for punishment?”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIfXuvXw4n
“I don’t care. Do whatever ya like. Just don’t kill ‘im.”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjesJuZ3kh5
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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFujxj1dtMn
“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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFr6z5Frbw
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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPlLnGKGlI
“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.”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EDF0BdFiY
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.” 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWC8pXdI7V
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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgRPO0Rlw8
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... 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BFipEPJHZ
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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cUsgCr3aD
“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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaogOZjWZt
“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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9hIfxfjda
“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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBINuB3y2F
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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUE26YKzOu
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.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSng4xSjRq
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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OaLgw0bty
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. 684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD9IYFuJGV
“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.”684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdvNcqp7tq
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.
