Bill groaned as the alarm clock went off. Sam put a pillow over her face in protest. He turned it off before rolling over and kissing Sam on the cheek. He got ready for work while she fell back to sleep. Just as he was about to leave he went into their room gave her a hug and planted a wet kiss on her lips.
"I love you, Sam." He said softly as he stroked her hair. She mumbled a response.
Tension befell the neighborhood as Peggy tried to get the rest of Rainey Street on her side. They told her to just let Sam and Bill be. She just couldn't let it go. Something wasn't right. It didn't help that Hank was making excuses for him either. Peggy took another sip of her coffee as she watched Bill pull out of his driveway. Maybe now that that brute was gone for a little while she would have a chance to speak with Sam.
"Dang it, Peggy, are you still thinking about them?" Hank asked in annoyance as she set his coffee down on the table in front of him.
"Hank, for the last time something is not right!" She huffed as she pulled out a carton of eggs from the fridge.
"They're still trying to figure it out for themselves. I talked to Bill yesterday in the alley and he said the pregnancy was taking it's toll on Sam, something about her wild mood swings or something. Yes they did get in pretty bad fights, they seem to have patched up over the past month. So everything is probably fine." Hank said tiredly before taking a long drink from his mug.
Peggy rolled her eyes and cracked a few eggs into the skillet. Sure she could be nosy at times, but was she the only one with eyes around here?! Sure she only met Sam twice, but that was all she needed to determine that woman was not like Lenore. Sam seemed utterly repulsed when Bill kissed her. That was awkward for everyone. Peggy couldn't help feeling frustrated with how everyone was making excuses for Bill.
"How do you know he's telling the truth? Have you seen Sam since that night? How do you know there aren't anymore bruises or worse, Hank?!" She said as she practically slammed his breakfast down on the table.
"Peggy! Calm down, I've known Bill since we were kids, sure he and Sam had a few bad fights, but we talked and everything is fine." Hank said as he flipped tiredly through the newspaper.
"Oh you two talked and now it's all fine! What about the chairs bolted to the floor? Or the pad lock on the outside of his front door that he locks religiously before leaving for work?!" She snapped, gesturing wildly with her hands.
"Like I said, it's baby proofing." Hank said in annoyance.
"Babies don't walk, Hank. Bolting the chairs down, or pad locking the doors on the outside of the house is not baby proofing...It's to keep someone from leaving!" Peggy said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Hey! He may have hit her, but don't go accusing him of whatever you are accusing! Bill Dauterive is a good man and he loves his wife dearly!" Hank yelled as he slammed down his paper and stood abruptly. Peggy gasped, her fists balled at her sides, the nerve of that man!
"See you later, Peggy. Stay out of their business, love you." He said quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek before leaving.
"Stay out of their business, for the love of god!" She growled as she waited for Hank to pull out of the driveway. Soon enough he was gone.
She slid on her loafers and marched across the street. She made it to Bill's front door and paused for a moment, taking in the padlock that was definitely locked on it. She was hoping she was wrong and briefly considered turning around. No, who padlocks someone inside? Peggy took a deep breath before knocking. She waited a moment and listened, silence. She took another deep breath and pounded on the door, all but shouting, "Hello?!" Still silence, she was beginning to feel foolish, but decided to wait more. It was rather early after all.
Sam stirred awake and looked around bleary eyed. Was it her imagination? She heard someone knock again. Fully awake, adrenaline kicking, "Wait! Be there in a moment!" She hollered as she sprinted to the front door.
"Hello?" Sam called out shakily.
"Sam? Dear, it's Peggy, sorry to wake-" Sam cut her off.
"Peggy listen carefully. I've been kidnapped and held here against my will for months. You have to call the police. I can't access the phone if he still has one. Call the police!" Sam said in desperation. This is it, she hoped.
Peggy couldn't believe her ears, of course she had some suspicion, but now it was all confirmed. "H-hold on, I'll be right back!" She said as she jogged to her garage.
"No! No! Don't go! Please! Help!" Sam yelled as she watched Peggy from the cracks of the boarded up window. Tears rolled down Sam's cheeks as she waited impatiently.
A few moments later Peggy emerged from her garage with an axe and made her way back to Sam. "Sam, back away from the door, I'm getting you out of there!"
Sam sat on the couch, in disbelief that she was actually getting rescued. A loud crack startled her so bad she jumped. Then another.
Peggy swung at the lock. She got it on the seventh swing and tried the door. It was still locked. "Sam, honey, you have to unlock the door handle." Peggy said while catching her breath.
"He locks it from the outside!" Sam yelled, unsure of what to do now.
"Of course." Peggy muttered before taking a swing just above the doorknob. She swung a few more times around it before the door slammed open.
"Oh my god! Thank you!" Sam cried in relief as she bolted out of the house stark naked. She wrapped her arms around Peggy as best she could and just cried for a moment. Peggy stood there in momentary shock before acting.
"Follow me!" Peggy said urgently as she dragged Sam towards her house, axe in the other hand.
Peggy shut and locked the doors, before calling the police. Sam didn't even care that she was naked, she was so relieved and happy to be free from him. It was finally over.
Before she knew it, Peggy brought her a knee length dress with a pair of short cotton shorts.
"It was my maternity gown so it should fit." She said as she laid the garments on the table.
Sam quickly got dressed and marveled at how nice it felt to wear actual clothes again. Peggy made a cup of tea for the both of them and sat down across from Sam.
"Thank you so much Peggy!" Sam sniffled as fruitlessly wiped away tears.
"I can't imagine what you've been through." Peggy said morosely.
"He...he..." Sam looked down at her hands and yanked off the wedding band, fighting the urge to toss it, and just set it down on the table. "My car broke down, almost seven months ago now, it was storming. I ran to the nearest house which happened to be Bill's. Well anyway he seemed kind enough, I was surprised when he said to crash on his couch. He brought me a towel and some pajamas. Well I fell asleep and I wake up tied down to his bed. He was going on about how they always leave and that he's not losing me. He told me he pushed my car off in some quarry, I don't know how true that is." Sam rubbed her eyes. Peggy stared at her with bulging eyes.
"I'm sure you know what's next. I seemed so young then, ya know? I just...anyway, he strapped a bomb to my chest and made me wear this big sweater to the county clerk. That's how we got married. It was either I do or be blown to bits. At the time I was more worried about the other people getting hurt that I did everything I was suppose to. He seemed to get off on that I was a virgin. He always went on about having the perfect family and purposely got me pregnant. I'm so far along I can't legally do anything about it." Sam sighed and wondered why the hell she was telling Peggy all this. At the very least it would be good practice telling the police.
"Well for the longest time he would lock me in this closet during the day. He left me peanut butter jelly sandwiches with a bucket for a bathroom. He would play music so loud to drown out any screams or noise." Sam stopped and took a long drink of the tea.
"I fought back, resisted, until the last two months. Giving in, he rewarded me with basic things like warm tea in a real mug and not some paper bullshit. I used any and everything as a weapon and still failed. That's why everything is bolted down and barred up." Sam said tearfully as she rested her head in her hands. Peggy hung on to her every word.
"That night when Hank and the other guys confronted Bill, I said not to worry because I saw Bill reaching for his gun and at the time I felt like it would be my fault. So I said everything was fine." Sam broke down crying again. Peggy sat there guiltily, not knowing what to say. It made her ill that this was happening right under their noses.
Bill huffed in frustration when he realized he had forgotten his identification and would have to go back, which would make him extremely late. He sped home and almost choked when he saw a patrol car in Hank's driveway. Ice ran down his spine when he saw his front door wide open. Where the hell could she be? How had she gotten out?! Rage filled him when he caught a glimpse of Sam in Hank's house. How dare she!
Sam anxiously awaited the arrival of the police. Shouting could be heard. Peggy looked out of the window to see Bill frantically looking around in the middle of the street. A patrol car rolled up into Peggy's driveway. The officer locked eyes with Bill, the two stared at each other for a moment. Sam's eyes widened when she caught Bill staring straight at her through the glass door.
He marched through the Hill's yard and yanked open the sliding glass door. He glared daggers at Sam, noticing that the officer was preoccupied with Peggy. The wedding band glinted on the table, catching his attention for a second. "So that's how it's going to be? You're a two faced lying cunt, Sam." He snarled as he brandished his gun, pointing it at her. Sam sobbed in defeat. "I loved you!" He snarled angrily.
The cop pulled out his gun and pointed it at Bill. " Put the your weapon down now!" He demanded.
Bill grabbed Sam and wrapped an arm around her throat while pointing the gun to her head. Peggy watched in silent horror as the two stared the other down.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time, put the gun down now!" screamed the officer.
"She's not going anywhere but home! We're leaving now." Bill snarled as he dragged Sam out the door. She elbowed him in the gut causing him to stumble and pull her down with him. She wrenched out of his grasp and scrambled away from him. He tried to grab her ankle and he was met with a kick, making him shoot the gun.
Sam screamed as she fell to the ground clutching her stomach where the bullet had ripped through her. Bill abandoned his gun and knelt beside her, checking her over, ignoring the officer rapidly approaching. He reached for the gun and held it to Sam's head. "She's staying with me! I'll kill her then myself. Stay back!" Bill yelled.
The officer didn't hesitate to shoot Bill when he pointed the gun at him. The back of Bill's head exploded, blood sprayed all over Sam, his body fell backwards with a thud. Sam writhed in agony and caught a glimpse of Bill's bleeding out corpse. It was finally over. She curled up and blacked out.
Sam sat on the couch staring out the window in disbelief; a year had already passed since the incident, it had all been a blur. It took some time to recover from the gunshot, she was lucky that it hadn't damaged any vital organs, the fetus however wasn't so lucky.
Lightning flashed in the distance, reminding her of the night her car broke down. She spent the last year attending therapy and living with her brother, unable to find work. She had sold what assets she got from his estate. It didn't take long for the media to forget her.
She had developed a drinking problem shortly after Bill's death. In the beginning it was the only thing that would get her through the day. She mixed alcohol and pain medication, anything to numb her mind and body. Her brother helped get her sober again along with intense therapy. Some days it all seemed so hopeless, others she was glad just be alive.
She lost touch with Peggy. Last she heard they were moving out of the neighborhood. Sam was grateful to her and wished them well. The rest of Rainey Street had moved on. The horrors that happened within it's walls were unbeknown to the family that had moved into Bill's house.
She still had a long way to go on the road of recovery, hoping one day she could live on her own once again. For now she just watched the world go by through the window in the living room.