Run

Ever since he killed them that horrible day, I had been outrunning the future. But as the future stalked closer, I guess I can only run so far.


Chapter One

I was twelve when he did it.

After coming home from school, the house was quiet. It was weird, because I had three younger siblings who were always loud and jumping all over the place. Mia, Anna, and Joseph. The house was clean as well, and an eerie feeling washed over me. I called out my mom's name, because she stayed at home with them, along with Nana.

But no one asnwered me.

I dropped my book bag off my shoulder and walked up stairs, scaling each step carefully. When I was at the top, a soothing hum and a bittersweet smell wafted around me. Confused, I followed the path of the hum to Mia's room, and looked through the little crack. It was small, but just wide enough for me to make out what was happening.

Dad was slowly stroking Mia's hair while he hummed. Mom sat on the rocking chair, her face pale and sickily. I swallowed nervously and looked down, finding Joseph and Anna lying on the floor.

If I hadn't seen the red pool of liquid stained in the carpet beneath them, I would have thought they were sleeping.

But they weren't. Oh, God, they weren't.

A scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. Dad stopped stroking Mia's hair and his eyes darted up to mine, hard and cold. He knocked Mia's small, fragile body off of his lap and she let out a scream of both surprise and pain. I stayed long enough to see my mom fly to her, making sure she was safe, and to see the long gash traling down Mia's leg.

I ran then, pelting down the steps and running towards the door. Dad's foot falls were close behind me. I didn't know he could run so fast, and so I picked up my pace, my adreneline rolling hotly. I was almost there, a foot away...

...Until he grabbed me. He hooked his meaty arm around my stomach, slamming me against his chest and slapping his hand over my mouth when I opened it to scream again. Tears were bleeding from my eyes. The grip of his arm was so painful...

I thrashed around, kicking my legs and waving my arms. But it didn't faze him. He told me to shut up, then walked up stairs, his footsteps heavy against the wood case.

We were walking back to the room and I didn't want to. I didn't want to see Joseph and Anna lying on the floor, dead. I didn't want to see Mia injured or my moms ghostly face. I wanted to start the day over, to be happy and so oblivious again. It was weird. Beyond weird, actually. Crazy. My father, the one who was supposed to protect me, supposed to love and cherish me, had did this. It was obvious, because he wouldn't have ran after me. He wouldn't have been stroking Mia's hair while his two children lie on the ground, lifeless and white as paper. He would've been rushing to the hospital with my mother, demanding them to be taken to the ER and for them to care for and heal his children.

He threw me on the floor and closed the door. Mom had Mia close to her chest, rocking her and whispering a sweet prayer in Spanish. I didn't want to, but my eyes somehow wandered down to my two siblings. They were only four. They're life had just begun. They didn't deserve to die. I dare to look at my father who was walking towards Mia and mom. He grabbed Mia's arms, ripping her from my mother's grasp, making them both cry out. I then noticed my mother's injuries.

They were bad. Her shirt was torn, complete with a gash where it was stationed. Some of her hair was singed off, and an obvious iron print was stamped along her face. I winced, scared for what was to come of me.

Dad sat back down in the chair, watching me as he stroked Mia's hair. "Get up," he demanded slowly, the smell of alcohol rolling off his lips. I look at mom for some sort of guidence, and she stared back at me with a pleading look, as if to tell me it was wise to listen. So, I did. I stood, my legs wobbling beneath me. Dad smirked and told me to come here. I obliged to that, too, taking slow steps towards him and Mia. Mia turned her head to look up at me before dad pushed her off of him again. This time her head hit the floor, and she staretd to wail. Mom grabbed her, holding her close again and I swallowed tightly. "Walk faster," he barked. My eyes widened and I walked faster, stopping when I stood in front of him. I thought he would hit me, call me names or yell. But, no. It was much, much worse.

He pulled me into his lap and then kissed me.

It was...I wanted to throw up. I pushed myself away from him, scrambling off his lap and running for the door. I didn't even get it open before he grabbed my arm, jerking me towards him and kissing me again.

It was wrong. It was vile and disgusting. He was my father. He wans't supposed to hold me like this, or kiss me like this. I wanted to hurl, I wanted to go cowar away in a corner and never leave.

I pushed at his chest, but my weak arms did nothing. His hands started to roam, started gripping at my clothes and inappropiates places on my body. "You're body is perfect, mi hija," he whispered once he pulled away. I flinched and turned my head away, refusing to look at him. "Y...you..." I stammer, turning to look at him briefly. "You...hurt them. You...you're a monster." I spat the word out, using as much venom as I could muster. Dad snarled and raised his hand, striking at my cheek the next second. I screamed in pain and my hand shot up to the sore spot, rubbing at it gingerly. But I refused to break down. "You bastard," I cursed. Then he shoved me hard. I fell to the floor, landing painfully on my hip. I hissed in pain and pinched my eyes shut.

"That is enough!"

I opened my eyes to see my mom standing up, Mia by her feet as she shuffled forward, her face red, making her pale complexsion disappear. I beckoned Mia to come to me and she did. Well, crawled. "You..." Tears were streaming down her eyes as she jammed her finger at his chest. "You killed three people! Three people that I love! People that you should love too!" My eyes went wide at the news. Three people. Anna, Joseph...who else?

Then I thought of Nana. Poor, old, frail Nana. I didn't want to believe it, but somehow I do. More tears sprung up in my eyes and I brought my hand up to my mouth, biting my nails nervously.

"Gabriella?" I looked down to see Mia crawl up slowly next to me and I pulled her into my arms the best way I could, trying to avoid contact with her cut. "I'm scared," she admitted, tears falling from her eyes. I nodded. "Me, too. I'm scared, too. But I'm going to save us, okay? We're going to leave."

"But what about mommy?"

"Mommy will be okay," I say, but I knew it was a lie. She wouldn't be okay. By now, nothing would ever be okay. "Just tell me, why did daddy hurt Anna and Joseph?"

Mia sniffled. "After he hurt mommy, they...he hit them. And they were crying. He didn't like it, so he brought out the knife and he hurt them with it. Then, Nana walked in and he...he hurt her, too." She sniffled again and looked like she would say something else, but a scream of pure agony both caught our attention. I turned to see dad pushing mom against the wall, a knife in her stomach. Mia cried out and I scooped her up, standing as I did so.

I ran again, this time successfully making it out of the room, down the stairs and out the house. I ran and ran and ran, refusing to look back. I was scared I would see him, see Anna and Joseph, see the knife and the blood. God, where did life get so messed up? What changed? Why did he do it?

"Gabriella?"

I stopped, finally, and that's when I noticed the burning pain locked in my legs. I must've been running for an hour, at least. They buckled underneath me, sending me crashing to the ground. I looked up to see Mrs. Dawson, the nice lady who worked at the supermarket. Her eyes were wide, her mouth gaped open in shock. "Oh, Gabriella," she said, crouching down next to me. I gasped, feeling like oxygen was impossible to get to. "C'mon, get up."

"I...I can't," I gasped, shaking my head, my lips trembling as I tried to string words together to at least make a coherant sentence. "He...he..." I swallowed. "He killed them." I could see myself in her wide, shocked eyes. Two little girls, broken down and injured, scarred for life. Oh, that was so true, it was so true that it hurt.


Eight years.

It had been exactly eight years since it happened. I was twenty and Mia was twelve, the mere age I had been when all of this mess started. After the incident and a lonely trip to the hospital, everything went haywire. They had found Joseph and Anna's bodies crumpled up in the closet, Nana's body floating away in a lake and mom's...oh, God, mom. He had done more than just stabbed her. He had cut off her arms, her legs, her nose, her mouth, skinned her and so, so much more. Her body was so bloody and gruesome, during the funeral, we couldn't see her. She wasn't simply mom anymore. She was a sack of meat. It was crazy to think that he had once actually loved her.

But the worse of all was that they didn't find dad. He knew the police were coming, so he ran, leaving back no evidence to where he'd gone at all. It was like he vanished. Still, almost a decade later, he was nowhere to be found.

At least by the police.

Mia had claimed she'd seen him at school. She began having nightmares, ones that were memories of what he did. She was only four, but she remembered every detail. We moved after her first sighting, just because I didn't want her to become paranoid. But everywhere we went, she always seen him, and we always left.

Anyway, after everything, Mrs. Dawson took us in, but I didn't feel safe. After the funeral for my deceased family members, I left with Mia to New York, leaving behind Albuquerque and all my friends and family. It was a tough job for a twelve year old. We were on and off the streets, sometimes starving and sometimes full. If I would've stayed, it would have been different. But how, exactly? Would he come find us and kill us, or would we be okay? I didn't want to know.

So, now, we were living in San Francisco, our fifth home. I was the legal guardian of Mia, and we were actually okay. While running around, we met people. Melanie. Her father had abused and killed her mother, so she kind of knew how I felt. She gave me a large sum of money, telling me to use it wisely. I did, and that's why I had a stable job and a nice apartment for Mia and me. I was looking into going to college, too. Buying many books, I homeschooled Mia and me during the years. She was smart, something I knew would always happen. Life was sometimes hard, but I loved it.

"Mia, dinner's ready!"

Mia came running into the kitchen, her black hair pulled back in a pony tail. She looked so similar to me when I was her age, it was creepy. Her eyes were wide and brown, her hair long, dark and wild, like when I was younger. I smiled as she rushed up to me, holding out a magazine. "Alyssa showed me! You have to let me go. Adele's in town and they're giving away free tickets to people who come first. It's at the park, and they've only got like twenty tickets."

I smiled. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow. And it's Saturday!"

"No, I mean the concert."

"Oh." Mia glanced at the page. "Uh, June fifth."

"Well, okay. We can manage. If we win the tickets."

Mia's eyes lit up, and she began to squeal. "My first ever concert." She flung her arms around me and started to jump happily. "Thank you so much!" My smile lifted into a grin and I wrapped my arms around her, too. Suddenly, Mia stopped jumping, and she pulled back, a look of sorrow crossing her face. I frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just...I wonder what would happen if Anna or Joseph were here. And mom."

I swallowed tightly. "I'll go make your plate. Go sit." Mia nodded and walked off towards the table. She slid into a seat and I dropped a spoonful of spaghetti on her plate. Slowly, I walked over and placed a palte in front of her. I grabbed my own plate, then sat down. "How was school?" I asked softly.

She ignored the question. "Do I make your life harder?"

My eyes widened and I looked up at her in shock. "What?"

"I mean...some girls at school, they were saying stuff. Do I make your life harder?"

"What?" I repeated. "No, Mia. No, of course not. Without you, I'm pretty sure I would've killed myself by now."

"Gabriella, you know what I mean," Mia said. "You're twenty, and you're taking care of your twelve year old sister. It has to be hard to provide for two people, to pay the rent, and stuff. And to keep me safe."

"It is," I admitt and Mia sighed. "But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Yes you would," she muttered, rolling a meatball around with her fork.

"No I wouldn't, Mia. I wouldn't give you up for all the money in the world. And I can't believe you would even say that. I've stayed faithful to you since you were four, and since I was twelve. I would never..." I shake my head.

"Gabriella, you give up a lot for me. Because you have to worry about me, you don't go out or anything. I mean, I've had more boyfriends than you, and I've had my first kiss. Have you?" I flinched at her words and casted my eyes downward, my cheeks flaming. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "I, uh...I want you to be happy. Alyssa, she has an older cousin who's twenty-three and he's staying with them. Can you...can you come with me to meet him?"

"Mia," I groaned.

"Gabi, come on," she pleaded. "It wouldn't hurt."

"It would. He's still out there." My voice was so bitter, that Mia flinched.

"I'm twelve now, Gabi. I hardly think he'd recognize me."

I sighed, looking down and contemplating what I should do. My mind was reeling. I would love to go out and socilaize again. I han't done that in ages. Sure, Mia was nice to talk to, but maybe I did need someone in my life. She was right. Not counting the vile thing my father did, I hadn't had my first kiss yet. Or, a boyfriend, really. I smiled softly and nodded. "Alright, fine. I will. But, you're always coming first. Now eat."


This is my first fanfiction story, so if you have any advice to say, tell me. (: