Their rooms were right next door to each other. Every night he could hear it. Every night without fail, he could hear the muted sounds through the walls of his brother's room. Every night he cried himself to sleep feeling powerless to stop their father from hurting his siblings. He didn't know what to do any more. It felt like he'd failed the people who loved and idolised him as their big brother.
Billy was curled up in his bed, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders. He hugged his knees to his chest, trying desperately to block out the cries of his younger brother. He'd heard his father walking down the hall and the door opening just a little while ago. He'd tiptoed from his room to Garret's, holding his breath so as not to be found.
He pressed his ear to the door slowly. He could always hear the muffled cries from the other room, but this was different.
"No, daddy, I don't want to tonight!" Garret whimpered, "Please, daddy! Please!"
"You think you can defy me?" Gordor's enraged voice came. A loud smack followed the man's yelling. Garret's terrified whimpering quickly became loud sobbing. Billy could clearly hear Garret's clothes rustle and drop. The sickening rhythm of his brother being spanked made him cringe.
"Daddy, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Garret's pleas slowly devolved into unintelligible crying. The sound of the boy's thin frame being thrown down onto the bed made Billy jump back from the door. He knew what happened next. He'd known all along. He didn't want to accept that it was happening and he couldn't stop it. That he couldn't protect his little brother.
He backed up, stumbling over the bottoms of his pyjama pants and dashed back into his room. He covered his ears with his hands, curling up under the covers of his bed. His baby brother, his precious brother...
"I'm sorry..." He whispered to himself in the dark.
He didn't know how long he'd stayed like that, just laying curled up in his bed. He heard the loud creak of his door being opened and poked his head out from underneath the blankets.
"Big bro?" Garret's little voice trailed off at the end. Billy felt the tears coming again as his brother stood before him, hair a mess and eyes glassy, "Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked, looking at his elder brother with blank eyes.
"Of course you can." Billy said, choking back tears as he made space for Garret in his bed. The boy climbed up onto the bed slowly, as if moving hurt him greatly, and curled up against Billy's side.
"Thank you, big bro. I love you." Garret whispered, his eyes slipping shut as soon as his head hit the pillow.
