Chapter 9: Motionless
"HOW COULD YOU, I'M ASHAMED TO EVEN CALL YOU MY DAD!"
Eric's eyelids slowly opened. He could hear yelling coming from downstairs and then the thump of heavy footstep coming up them.
"HE TOLD YOU DIDN'T HE!"
Eric shot up from his bed. That was his father's voice, his father's cold angry voice.
"NO, IT'S OBVIOUS, HE'S COVERED IN CUTS AND BRUISES FROM HEAD TO TOE"
Eric had never really hidden from his father before, but he knew what was coming and he didn't want Laurie there to see it happen. So after a split second of standing in the same spot, Eric dashed for the closet. Not entirely appropriate as there's no way of escaping from there but still a place to be hidden from sight!
"ERIC!"
The shouts echoed around his bedroom and back to him. He gulped. And tried to slow his breathing. His heart was pounding loudly at his chest. He began willing his heart to stop for just second so his body wouldn't make a sound. He tried to adjust his eyes to the pitch-black darkness of the closet and shuffled over further as silently as possible. Crouching at the far side of the closet. Facing the floor, he hid himself under a pile of clothes and waited...
He could hear footsteps shuffling around the room and shouts from both his father and Laurie!
Suddenly the closet door swung open!
"STOP OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"
Unfortunately even though Eric was trying so hard to shut down his central nervous system, he could not stop the uncontrollable shaking he was so desperately trying to hide.
The light stung his eyes as the pile of old clothes was ripped away from him, revealing his petrified quivering form.
"Thought you could hide from me, did ya?"
"Daddy, I'm calling the police now so you better not do anything crazy" Laurie said, the phone shaking around in her trembling hands.
Suddenly Red shot around and knocked the phone out of her hands, slamming it against the wall, into a pile of plastic and wires.
"I don't think so, sweet heart!" Red said almost too calm.
"Come on Eric, we're going" she said in a low but petrified voice as she stretched her hand out towards him.
She felt so much for him at that moment, as he crouched as far back into the closet as possible shaking like a cornered little animal.
Red just knocked her arm away, and reached down for Eric, grabbing a handful of his hair and dragging him out by it. Then he threw him in the direction of Laurie. by reflex he crouched up against the wall and curled up into a tight ball.
"STOP, DAD" she screamed.
But her cries were effortless against Red as he plunged towards them. Eric had his head in his arms and was crying now. The realization that not even with Laurie around he could be abused had been the last straw to crack him and Red knew this.
He laughed evilly as he watched his son mumbling something that sounded like "Please" over and over again, rocking side to side, as he cried into his arms. "YOU MONSTER!" Laurie screamed, standing in front of Eric.
Seeing that he wasn't going to stop, she looked around at Eric; he looked so innocent and hurt. Grabbing a lamp from a nearby drawer, she threw it straight for Red's head.
The piercing sounding of smashing ceramic echoed through the house. Red was now lying on the floor, no visible movement coming from him. The room fell silent except for the saddening sound of Eric's whimpers and the faint sound of Laurie's heavy breathing.
She stared blankly down at the body of her father. Was he dead? Did she kill him? After a moment she noticed another sound of heavy breathing. She turned towards the door, to see Donna standing at it, shock in her eyes!
Donna noticed a crying Eric in the corner of the room, and ran over to him.
She looked at him and then turned to Laurie who stood motionless in the middle of the room.
"What...what happened?" she asked concerned yet very confused.
Laurie didn't respond for a few seconds and then asked, "Can I use your phone?"
"Ye...r" Donna replied still needing to know what the hell had happened.
And with that Laurie disappeared out of the room.
Donna reached over and touched Eric tenderly on the shoulder. By reflex Eric scrambled away from her, shaking even harder. He didn't know why he was acting this way. He ached all over and he trembled with fear.
"Eric, what's wrong? I'm not gonna hurt ya" Donna said kind-heartedly.
Eric didn't answer, he didn't even take his head from out of his arms.
Donna had tears in her eyes now; she could see so much blood staining his body through the millions of holes, which covered his clothes. She could see the cuts and bruises and the marks, which were imprinted on his face and arms and body.
She glanced over at the body lying on the floor, and back at Eric. It seemed quite obvious to her now. Why he was so afraid of being touched. Why Red lay motionless on the floor, and why Laurie was acting the way she was. She hated herself for not knowing earlier.
After a second she moved over to Red's body and checked his pulse. He wasn't dead, just unconscious.
"She said she wouldn't tell, she said she wouldn't, why did she tell?" Eric began to mumble again.
"Eric, it's ok now, Red's not gonna hurt you again." She stated warmly.
She leaned over and brushed Eric's tatty hair out of his face, revealing his eyes so full of hurt and pain.
"Oh Eric, what did he do to you?"
She pulled him into a gentle hug, but this time he didn't move away. He just lay limp in her arms. Suddenly he began to cry harder than he had ever cried before. He pulled her closer to him, and cried uncontrollably into her shoulder as the sound of sirens neared.
The hug felt so warm against his cold and bruised skin. For that moment he could just forget about how bad his life was and the mental and physical pain he was in. He didn't want to ever let go; he wanted to stay in her arms forever!
"Please don't leave me," he whispered so silently that he didn't know if she'd actually heard him although she was only millimeters away.
"I wont," she whispered back as loud voices rung from downstairs.
At that moment darkness began to fall over Eric.
"Eric, Eric" the faint sound of Donna's voice drifted in the air as it slowly faded away.
Eric lay motionless in her arms as paramedics flooded into the room.
Well this is chapter 9, don't worry it's not over yet, there's still a lot more to go! So keep on checking for more, sorry this chapter took so long! My computer broke down, some Japanese virus! Tell me if you've ever got it. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and all the b4 it! Bye, Cesca x
"HOW COULD YOU, I'M ASHAMED TO EVEN CALL YOU MY DAD!"
Eric's eyelids slowly opened. He could hear yelling coming from downstairs and then the thump of heavy footstep coming up them.
"HE TOLD YOU DIDN'T HE!"
Eric shot up from his bed. That was his father's voice, his father's cold angry voice.
"NO, IT'S OBVIOUS, HE'S COVERED IN CUTS AND BRUISES FROM HEAD TO TOE"
Eric had never really hidden from his father before, but he knew what was coming and he didn't want Laurie there to see it happen. So after a split second of standing in the same spot, Eric dashed for the closet. Not entirely appropriate as there's no way of escaping from there but still a place to be hidden from sight!
"ERIC!"
The shouts echoed around his bedroom and back to him. He gulped. And tried to slow his breathing. His heart was pounding loudly at his chest. He began willing his heart to stop for just second so his body wouldn't make a sound. He tried to adjust his eyes to the pitch-black darkness of the closet and shuffled over further as silently as possible. Crouching at the far side of the closet. Facing the floor, he hid himself under a pile of clothes and waited...
He could hear footsteps shuffling around the room and shouts from both his father and Laurie!
Suddenly the closet door swung open!
"STOP OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"
Unfortunately even though Eric was trying so hard to shut down his central nervous system, he could not stop the uncontrollable shaking he was so desperately trying to hide.
The light stung his eyes as the pile of old clothes was ripped away from him, revealing his petrified quivering form.
"Thought you could hide from me, did ya?"
"Daddy, I'm calling the police now so you better not do anything crazy" Laurie said, the phone shaking around in her trembling hands.
Suddenly Red shot around and knocked the phone out of her hands, slamming it against the wall, into a pile of plastic and wires.
"I don't think so, sweet heart!" Red said almost too calm.
"Come on Eric, we're going" she said in a low but petrified voice as she stretched her hand out towards him.
She felt so much for him at that moment, as he crouched as far back into the closet as possible shaking like a cornered little animal.
Red just knocked her arm away, and reached down for Eric, grabbing a handful of his hair and dragging him out by it. Then he threw him in the direction of Laurie. by reflex he crouched up against the wall and curled up into a tight ball.
"STOP, DAD" she screamed.
But her cries were effortless against Red as he plunged towards them. Eric had his head in his arms and was crying now. The realization that not even with Laurie around he could be abused had been the last straw to crack him and Red knew this.
He laughed evilly as he watched his son mumbling something that sounded like "Please" over and over again, rocking side to side, as he cried into his arms. "YOU MONSTER!" Laurie screamed, standing in front of Eric.
Seeing that he wasn't going to stop, she looked around at Eric; he looked so innocent and hurt. Grabbing a lamp from a nearby drawer, she threw it straight for Red's head.
The piercing sounding of smashing ceramic echoed through the house. Red was now lying on the floor, no visible movement coming from him. The room fell silent except for the saddening sound of Eric's whimpers and the faint sound of Laurie's heavy breathing.
She stared blankly down at the body of her father. Was he dead? Did she kill him? After a moment she noticed another sound of heavy breathing. She turned towards the door, to see Donna standing at it, shock in her eyes!
Donna noticed a crying Eric in the corner of the room, and ran over to him.
She looked at him and then turned to Laurie who stood motionless in the middle of the room.
"What...what happened?" she asked concerned yet very confused.
Laurie didn't respond for a few seconds and then asked, "Can I use your phone?"
"Ye...r" Donna replied still needing to know what the hell had happened.
And with that Laurie disappeared out of the room.
Donna reached over and touched Eric tenderly on the shoulder. By reflex Eric scrambled away from her, shaking even harder. He didn't know why he was acting this way. He ached all over and he trembled with fear.
"Eric, what's wrong? I'm not gonna hurt ya" Donna said kind-heartedly.
Eric didn't answer, he didn't even take his head from out of his arms.
Donna had tears in her eyes now; she could see so much blood staining his body through the millions of holes, which covered his clothes. She could see the cuts and bruises and the marks, which were imprinted on his face and arms and body.
She glanced over at the body lying on the floor, and back at Eric. It seemed quite obvious to her now. Why he was so afraid of being touched. Why Red lay motionless on the floor, and why Laurie was acting the way she was. She hated herself for not knowing earlier.
After a second she moved over to Red's body and checked his pulse. He wasn't dead, just unconscious.
"She said she wouldn't tell, she said she wouldn't, why did she tell?" Eric began to mumble again.
"Eric, it's ok now, Red's not gonna hurt you again." She stated warmly.
She leaned over and brushed Eric's tatty hair out of his face, revealing his eyes so full of hurt and pain.
"Oh Eric, what did he do to you?"
She pulled him into a gentle hug, but this time he didn't move away. He just lay limp in her arms. Suddenly he began to cry harder than he had ever cried before. He pulled her closer to him, and cried uncontrollably into her shoulder as the sound of sirens neared.
The hug felt so warm against his cold and bruised skin. For that moment he could just forget about how bad his life was and the mental and physical pain he was in. He didn't want to ever let go; he wanted to stay in her arms forever!
"Please don't leave me," he whispered so silently that he didn't know if she'd actually heard him although she was only millimeters away.
"I wont," she whispered back as loud voices rung from downstairs.
At that moment darkness began to fall over Eric.
"Eric, Eric" the faint sound of Donna's voice drifted in the air as it slowly faded away.
Eric lay motionless in her arms as paramedics flooded into the room.
Well this is chapter 9, don't worry it's not over yet, there's still a lot more to go! So keep on checking for more, sorry this chapter took so long! My computer broke down, some Japanese virus! Tell me if you've ever got it. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and all the b4 it! Bye, Cesca x