Author's Note:
Hello our lovely fans! How are you guys all doing? Dino-SOAR and I just wanted to give you all big hugs and kisses for taking the time out of your day to read, review and follow this story. It means a lot! This chapter was fun but difficult to write. Hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to tell us what you think. We love getting your feedback.
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Munchkins and donuts,
herUSMCdream & Dino-SOAR
Victoria POV -
"Who are they?"
"I told you I heard something!"
The little girl and I exclaim at the same time to the other persons in our group. I watch as the little girl who can't be more than twelve, with pixie cut dirty blond hair and expressive blue eyes, turns her head towards me and shyly smiles, clearly liking my obvious amusement at one upping my best friend. Her mother wraps a protective arm around her shoulders and opens her mouth to speak when there is a loud bellow that comes out of nowhere and from somewhere in the store. The two ladies flinch and the mother's arm tightens around her daughter before we all turn and look in the direction of the voice.
"CAROL? SOPHIA? WHERE THE HELL DID YOU TWO RUN OFF TO?"
Just than a man appears, his face red with anger. He glances right and then left before he finally spots the petite woman and her daughter. He storms towards them, rage weaving off of him in waves. I notice he's mumbling under his breath, his head shaking back and forth with every long stride he takes. Finally reaching the mother and daughter duo, he firmly takes the woman's forearm making her yelp in pain. The arm she has around her daughter's denim clad shoulders drops as she is pulled further into the angry man's body. The little girl steps back some and both Hayley and I meet her halfway so that she is standing between us. I notice Hayley wrap a protective arm around the little girl this time and bend to whisper something in her ear before straightening.
I turn back to the man and woman, my mouth opening in horror as I see the man with his arm extended back until he zings it forward and slaps the woman straight across the mouth. The lady cries out and falls onto the floor, her arms stretched out at the last moment, trying to catch herself, tears already streaming down her face and droplets of blood pooling out of her mouth, as she looks back up at the man and then at us. The man catches her staring and turns to see what she is looking at.
"Who the fuck are you?" he barks, making a move towards us.
"Ed!" The woman grabs his arm, holding it so that he has to pause and look down at her. Even from here I can see her pleading through the same colored eyes as her daughters, not to do us any harm. The man named Ed scoffs at her after a moment and wipes his boot on her side, as if to give a message to her that she's less than him, not an equal.
"Mom!" I hear the little girl yell from my side and instantly put an arm in front of her to stop her from going to them. I couldn't and wouldn't let her get into the drama that was unfolding in front of me.
The man's glare deepens as he turns to face us again, his eyes shooting daggers and I know that what is about to happen between us all isn't going to be pretty.
"Just who the fuck do you think you are?" he yells and I can't help but roll my eyes at how much of an asshole this guy is. If there was ever a good time for a bunch of dead looking, hungry people to come walking through Wal-Mart, it would be now. I could kill this guy with my bare hands for hitting his wife and talking to Hayley and I like we were some new piece of bubblegum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"I could ask you the same thing," I snap back.
"That's my daughter! You have no fuckin' right!" He says with confidence.
"After the way you just treated your wife, I feel like I do." I try and stay calm.
"Looks like she's not the only one who needs a slap or two." He says, his voice deep, taking a threatening step in our direction.
"Daddy, don't!" The little girl cries, shoving my arm away and stepping closer to her mother and father. I follow her movement, ready to step in front of her if her father decides to lash out again. "Mommy and I were walking around the store looking for some clothes when we saw them at the door. They aren't doin' anything wrong. They are just here like we are. Trying to make it."
Woah, the kids wise beyond her years. Lord knows she has to be, living with a deadbeat father who beats her mother for shits and gigs.
I cross my arms, raising a thin eyebrow at the man, daring him to find another reason to get upset. His hands ball into fists as he stares at his daughter and I know he is getting ready to take action.
I move my right hand to the zipper of my North Face, lowering it slowly so that I can easily get the knife that is hidden underneath my white T-shirt. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Or what?" he scoffs, taking another step towards us.
I lift the hem of my shirt, revealing the butcher knife stored inside my jeans. His eyes widen and I see a look of fear cross his face before it's replaced by a mask of indifference and hostility. The laugh that leaves his mouth moments later is long and hard. It makes me want to punch him in the face repeatedly until he is black and blue all over and can barely open up his eyes.
"You couldn't hurt a fly even if you wanted to." he lets out between chuckles.
"Wanna bet? I've done a lot worse today." The blood smeared across my jacket should've proved to him that I'm willing to do a lot to keep the ones I love from getting harmed. I look down at my North Face, my eyes scanning the blood on it and then traveling to the right hand that is covering the knife's handle. "Killing you would be easy as pie especially after seeing what you did to your own wife. You deserve to be tied up and beaten. You deserve to rot in hell for the rest of-"
Hayley puts a hand on my arm mumbling a quiet "Victoria." When I look to see what she wants, she nods her head in the direction of Ed and the woman. Ed is visibly shaking out of rage, his nostrils flaring, his fists clenching and unclenching every couple of seconds. Hayley, the little girl and I take a large step back, afraid of what might happen to us if we stay put.
Seconds seem like minutes as we all stand there, holding our breath waiting for Ed to explode. To each of our surprise and relief, Ed storms away in a huff of rage, walking over to a rack filled with sweatshirts. He picks up the metal rod that is in the center of the rack and flings the entire thing across the store before storming away from us.
As soon as he disappears down an aisle, the woman rushes over to the little girl and takes her in her arms. Her body trembles as she hugs the little girl to herself and big fat tears run down her cheeks.
"Mom" the little girl drawls out, trying to pull away from her mother's arms. "I'm okay. He didn't hurt me." I see her hand come up to touch the spot on her lip where there is some dried blood and there seems to be a welt forming. The mother winks and flinches, grabbing her daughter's hand in her own before turning to Hayley and I.
"Who do you think you are? That's my husband!" Carol yells, much to our surprise.
"He just slapped you!" I counter.
"That is none of your business. Two young ladies like yourselves shouldn't be getting involved."
"Are you serious?" Hayley steps in, a look of shock on her face.
Carol blinks a few times, trying to hide the fact that she has tears welling in her eyes again, before turning to walk away.
The next words out of Hayley's mouth surprise us all. "We have to get you two out of here."
Carol stops and turns to look at us again, her daughter attached to her hip.
"No." Carol replies looking at her like she's grown wings and a pigs nose, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "We're fine. He - he's just stressed is all. Ed has his reasons for being like that. It's been a long day."
"No shit it's been a long day!" I exclaim. "The world basically went to shit! You think it's been easy for us? But you don't see me slapping Hayley around!"
Hayley looks at me, raising her eyebrows, a slight look of amusement on her face. "Yeah ok."
"Whatever. The point is, he can't just hit you like that! It's not right!"
Carol takes a deep breath, looking down at her daughter. "Thank you for trying to help, but this isn't your business. We're fine."
"You're not fine!" I practically yell, my eyes darting between mother and daughter. I throw my hands up in the air and then turn to Hayley, making sure that she gets the full effect of my anger. "They're not fine!"
"Yes we are." Carol's voice is strong and forceful. "My husband is just stressed."
"How many more times are you going to repeat that sentence before you actually start to believe it?" I say under my breath.
Hayley's foot stomps down on top of mine, making me yelp. She is clearly annoyed at my bluntness but doesn't make a move to disagree with me.
"Look, what my friend here is trying to say is that we don't think it's safe for the both of you to stay. Who knows what can happen next." She tries to explain.
"We aren't leaving without him."
"He just beat you and was about to beat your child if it wasn't for me scaring him!" I yell back.
Sophia's eyes widen at my raised voice and she moves her body so that half of herself is hidden behind her mother. Hayley and I immediately notice this. She lets out a deep sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose out of annoyance.
"I think it's time for us to leave." Carol turns to walk away, tucking her daughter deeper into her side.
"WAIT, please" Hayley pleads, her arm reaching forward so that her hand settles on the top of Carol's shirt sleeve. Carol stops in her tracks, but doesn't take her eyes away from the wall she is currently facing. Hayley looks at me, pleading with her eyes to stay calm and level headed.
I step towards them, taking a deep breath before starting to speak. "We're just worried. Just please think about what we said. Think about the safety of your daughter. I know you love him but is your love that strong that you are too blind to see the danger you're putting her in?" Carol doesn't say anything or move away so I continue. "Just think about it. We'll be here for another ten minutes tops; gathering a few more items and putting the rest of our things into the back of the truck. I hope that's enough time for you to make the right decision."
We all stand there for a moment, lost in thought before Carol pulls her from underneath Hayley's hand and walks away. I see Sophia look back at us once more before they disappear down the same aisle we had seen Ed go down.
As soon as they're gone, Hayley spins towards me, anger flashing in her eyes. "You can't just yell at people like that!"
"I can and I will if it makes a person see that what they're doing to themselves isn't only endangering themselves but other people as well!" I say, using my hands for emphasis.
"And what about that guy, hmmm? The father? You can't just lose your temper on people like him! He could've hurt us like he hurt Carol. Or worse. He could've killed us!"
"I would've never let him do that and you know it. As soon as he realized I was serious about destroying anyone or anything that I feel is a threat he was out of here."
"Well some people won't take your shit Victoria! If you didn't threaten him with your handy dandy fuckin' knife he would've taken you down in an instant! You aren't as strong as you think you are!" She hollers. I watch her as she pinches the bridge of her nose again, taking deep breath to help cool her down.
"I wouldn't have threatened him if I didn't have the knife you dumb fuck! I may be hot headed but I'm certainly not stupid."
"So what, now that you've mercilessly KILLED some sick people you think you can just kill anybody?"
I stare at her for a moment, shocked by her words. "I didn't kill them. I saved you." I say with strength evident in my voice.
"Yeah well next time you want to be a fuckin' hero, try and think about the possible consequences. What if he had a knife too? Or a gun? You think he would've given a shit about yours?" She says sternly, yet keeping her voice at a normal level.
I don't say anything, too pissed to speak. I can't help but feel a bit offended. I just basically saved all our asses again and she was going to say that type of shit to me? The nerve of her. I mean, fuck, we just witnessed him hitting his wife for Christ's sake! Was I really just supposed to sit back and do nothing?
The long, tense pause that settles over us lasts not more than a minute, but it feels like hours before either of us says anything again.
"You think they'll actually come?" I ask.
Hayley doesn't say anything, just pivots and heads back to the cart she left at the front doors. I sigh, shaking my head at her stubbornness. For once, it's me who is following her.
