Interlude Two:
"Can we go play in the rain, mommy?" The young girl asked. She had copper brown skin and dark brown eyes that twinkled when it caught the sunlight.
"I already told you no," THE QUEEN said with a hefty huff. "You'll catch cold and paying a doctor's bill is the last thing we need right now. Now, go clean up your toys."
The girl pouted, but obeyed. THE QUEEN stayed in the kitchen, preparing the chicken breast for tonight's dinner. The door opened and THE QUEEN started, eyes wide.
Heavy footsteps came in through the front hall of the small house. Chills mixed with dread shivered down THE QUEEN's spine. But, she ignored the shaking of her hands and focused on her chicken.
A tall man came into the kitchen through the side room. His skin was dark from endless hours working in the sun. THE QUEEN looked up to acknowledge her husband before glancing back down again.
He came to her, and THE QUEEN stayed completely still. Large, dark hands trailed down her back and waist, and THE QUEEN inhaled.
"Hello, sweetie," THE QUEEN greeted the man softly. "How was your day?"
He put his face in the crook of THE QUEEN's neck and THE QUEEN held her breath. "Fine," he mumbled. "Still waitin' for that raise, though."
"Any day now," THE QUEEN replied complainantly. "You're home early, did something happen?"
"The rain," he replied gruffily. "It's messin' with the work. We gotta wait it out, so don't start askin' for anythin'. They'll be cuttin' out hours pretty soon, I'll tell you that."
"Well, hopefully, we'll be done with it, right?" THE QUEEN smiled and turned to the stove, setting it on the sizzling pan so it could cook quickly.
He glanced over and sniffed, raising an eyebrow, "What you got cookin'?"
"Just chicken and potatoes," she replied and he nodded.
"Better not have all that seasoning on it," he said with a distasteful grumble. "I hate it when you pour the entire can of seasonings on it. That's 'pensive seasonings, you know? And wastin' in on some goddamn dead chickens."
THE QUEEN stayed silent, allowing him to talk. Then, THE QUEEN's daughter ran in, smiling bright. "I finished cleaning, Mama! Can I go outside now?"
"Go outside!?" The man demanded, glaring from the girl to the woman. The girl, who hadn't realized her father was in the kitchen, stepped back. "You told her she could go outside?! In this rain!?"
"No, wait, Henry, I-" THE QUEEN stammered, but she wasn't able to get the words out. His hand came flying, as if out of nowhere, and striked her face. The woman collapsed, already weak from the beating from the night before.
"Don't you dare go outside!" Henry growled at the girl, who just nodded out of fear. "You know how much doctor's bills cost!? Too much! If I see you step even a toe outside this door, your ass will be beat!"
"Yes Papa!" The little girl cried, tears slipping down her face. Henry didn't seem to believe her answer.
THE QUEEN saw his hand go in the air again, and she screamed, "Don't touch her!"
The man turned back, eyes flaring. "What did you say to me?" Fear flashed on THE QUEEN's face. The man let the girl go, and she scrambled back quickly, tears in her eyes.
"I... I..." THE QUEEN stammered, waiting until the child had ran out of the room. "I'm sorry, Henry, I didn't-" he didn't give her the chance.
He stalked over and reached out for the first thing in his area, which happened to be the burning skillet. He shook the food in the counter and held it above THE QUEEN.
The next few things THE QUEEN remembered was almost a blur. THE QUEEN screamed and Henry held her down, bringing the skillet down on the vulnerable flesh of her cheek. Tears burned THE QUEEN's eyes and her screams reached a crescendo. THE QUEEN's eyes rolled into her head and tears burning her eyes.
Finally, he put the pan away and glared at her. "I give you one job," he spat, huge fists clenched tight. "I bring the money, I bring the food. I pay the bills and you can't do your one damn job!"
THE QUEEN didn't move, the feeling of her skin searing on her face still taking priority in her mind. THE QUEEN felt something weigh down on her, something harsh and dark. THE QUEEN's pain began to subside immediately. Then, she felt nothing. THE QUEEN was empty.
That was when THE QUEEN heard the voices.
They came at once, screaming and chanting. THE QUEEN held her breath, but she didn't feel pain. They yelled at her, screaming nonsense, but THE QUEEN just looked past it.
Henry came back, angry, "Are you listening to me!?" He snapped, then kicked THE QUEEN in the stomach. "Get up!"
THE QUEEN blinked. Then, THE QUEEN stood with ease. He stared at her face, shocked. THE QUEEN touched her own cheek, but she didn't feel the burn. "What... The hell?" Henry whispered, and THE QUEEN turned back to him.
THE QUEEN's hand reached behind her, her fingers wrapping around the still warm skillet. "The hell did you just do? How did you-?" He didn't finish.
The skillet hit the side of his head with a sharp crack. He fell to the ground immediately, but THE QUEEN wasn't finished. THE QUEEN held the handle tight and swung again and again and again. THE QUEEN felt strength surge through her and she did not feel exhausted. THE QUEEN didn't stop until she heard a small voice from the doorway.
"Mommy?" THE QUEEN looked up and blinked. "Wh... What are you doing? Is that Daddy? Did you kill Daddy?"
THE QUEEN blinked, "Yes," she said, feeling hollow and cold now that she wasn't killing him. THE QUEEN glanced at the man, the glistening red blood calling to her, longing for her. The voices in THE QUEEN's head didn't help this either. 'Kill the girl. Kill! Kill! Kill! Off with their heads!'
"Mommy, what did you do?" The girl was crying now, "Daddy!"
"Shut up!" THE QUEEN screamed, gripping her skull. The voices had gotten louder. So had the girl.
"I'm going to call the police!" She announced, running to the landline. THE QUEEN didn't process the words at first. Then, THE QUEEN realized what the girl was going to do, and what that meant.
THE QUEEN scrambled to get up running towards the girl. The girl was already talking quickly on the telephone, but when she saw THE QUEEN, she screamed, turning to run, leaving the phone off the hook.
The voices screamed at THE QUEEN as she chased the girl down the hall until she hid in the bathroom and locked the door. "Open this door!" THE QUEEN screamed with an intensity she didn't know she even had.
THE QUEEN banged on the door for what felt like forever, But the child did not open up. THE QUEEN glared at the door, but turned to the kitchen, realizing what a mess it was. Oh dear, if people were going to come over, they couldn't see this!
THE QUEEN began to clean the kitchen, fixing the table and scrubbing at the blood on the floor with bleach and wood cleaner. THE QUEEN moved what remained of his head away, which caused more blood to come out of his caved in skull.
As THE QUEEN cleaned, she began to calm down, and almost didn't even know why there had been a knocking on the door. THE QUEEN wasn't expecting visitors.
THE QUEEN answered the door, a look of confusion on her face. Two white police officers stood there. As soon as they saw her, they put their hands on their guns. "Yes, officers?" THE QUEEN asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"We got a 9-1-1 call to this home," One of the men said, looking THE QUEEN up and down. "Ma'am, is that blood?"
"'Blood'?" THE QUEEN repeated, and he motioned to her clothes. "Oh, yes, sorry. Things got a little messy," THE QUEEN laughed lightly, but neither of the men were smiling.
"I'm going to need you to put your hands where I can see them, ma'am," the other man said.
The voices seemed to surge at this moment. They screamed, 'Kill them! Kill them! Kill! Kill!' THE QUEEN had to contain her screams of pain, stepping back and hunched over, grabbing her head.
"Ma'am?" The men in front of THE QUEEN said, but she didn't hear anymore. Men were sick, disgusting, and no good. Look at what they did to THE QUEEN? They all deserved to die.
Something took shape in THE QUEEN's hand. When THE QUEEN looked down, she saw it was her skillet, but it had been turned a glossy, blood red. "Ma'am, put the weapon down!" One of them ordered loudly as they drew their guns at her.
"Get out of my house!" THE QUEEN screamed, raising the skillet. "Get out! Get out!" THE QUEEN heard the loud pop! of the gunshot, and something penentrating her chest. THE QUEEN didn't care, she charged, weapon held high. The continued to fire and blood filled THE QUEEN's lungs.
THE QUEEN swung at one of the men, and the other grabbed her around the neck, dragging her back. "Get out!" THE QUEEN screamed, but then she began to cough, blood trickling from her lips. "Get-" THE QUEEN wasn't able to speak anymore. The man continued to fire at THE QUEEN until she was completely numb.
For once, THE QUEEN smiled, what luxury was she granted to finally feel nothing. THE QUEEN's eyes glazed over at that happy, peaceful thought.
