Laughing in the Face of Death - Chapter Four
Zack woke up the next morning in his bed in his sister's apartment. He had had an uneasy sleep; the constant thoughts of his father kept him up most of the night. Liz said that it would be okay, but Zack wasn't too sure about that.
After he had gotten dressed Zack trudged into the kitchen where Liz was making breakfast.
"Are waffles okay with you?" she asked him as she placed a plate of steaming hot waffles in front of him.
Zack smiled. "Only if you make them." He began to munch on the waffles when the phone rang. Liz picked it up.
"Hello?" she said. "Oh, sure. Of course you can." Liz turned to Zack. "It's Freddy," she whispered. She smiled and handed the phone to Zack, who eagerly put the receiver to his ear.
"Freddy?" Zack almost screamed into the phone. He heard someone laughing on the other end.
"Hey Zack! Why do you sound so anxious to talk to me?" came the answer.
"I've just missed you that's all."
"Wow! I feel loved!"
"Oh shut up! You know I mean it!"
"Yeah I know. Listen, my parents arrived at the hospital around one o'clock in the morning. They are planning on taking me home around four. So I guess I can try to see you then."
Zack paused for a moment. "I might be back home by four."
There was a silence on Freddy's end of the phone. After a moment he spoke. "Listen Zack, I don't want you to take any crap from your father. Do you hear me? Do not take any crap from your father. If he touches you in any way then I want you to call Liz or me right away. Promise me that."
"I promise," Zack whispered into the phone.
"So you're okay right now?" Freddy asked him.
"Yeah," Zack answered. "I'll be fine."
"Good," Freddy replied. Zack heard him talking to someone else. "Listen Zack, I got to go eat breakfast with my parents."
"Alright," Zack said.
"Bye!" Freddy called into the phone.
"I love you!" Zack called back.
"I love you too!" Freddy whispered before Zack heard the phone click off. He handed the phone to Liz, who hung it up.
Zack folded his arms on the table and then buried his head in them. "Oh Liz!" he moaned. "I'm so afraid of seeing dad later! I know he's going to hurt me! I just know it!"
Liz moved over and pulled her brother into a hug. "I don't know what will happen to you later," she admitted. "But I do know that if he hurts you that I want you to call me or Freddy."
Zack peered up at his sister. "Freddy said something like that."
"I'm not surprised if he did."
Zack sighed loudly. He pulled himself away from his sister and walked into her den. He flopped on her couch and put on the TV. He had read in the paper last night that MTV was having a day of rock classics.
Zack had been watching MTV for a few hours when he heard someone knocking on Liz's door. He shut off the TV and peered over the edge of the couch to see if he could see anyone.
Liz walked to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was Mr. Mooneyham. He looked to be in a sour mood.
"Dad," Liz said courtly. Mr. Mooneyham strolled in.
"Where is he?" he asked in a solemn tone. "Where is that lying piece of shit that I call my son?"
Zack cringed from his spot on the couch. "He's in there," he heard Liz answer. There were footsteps and soon Mr. Mooneyham was leering over Zack.
"Hey Dad," Zack said meekly, giving off a small smile.
Mr. Mooneyham didn't return a reply. He just nodded to the door. Zack pulled himself off the couch and headed to the door. As he was about to leave he looked at Liz. She was pointing to the phone. He nodded and then left.
The father and son walked down the long hallways that finally lead to the ground floor. Mr. Mooneyham led Zack to the family car, which was a black Mercedes. He pushed Zack into the black seat and then drove off.
Nothing was said between the two. Zack could tell that his father was in a very dangerous mood by the way he cut a few cars off and cut the turns at high speeds.
'Maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe Dad will crash the car and I'll die and I'll never have to deal with him again!' Zack thought to himself. Then he remembered Freddy. Freddy would be crushed if Zack died. Freddy had been through so much already...
Zack was jolted from his memories of Freddy when Mr. Mooneyham pulled into their apartment parking lot and slammed on the breaks. He removed himself from the car and then opened Zack's door.
"Get out," he commanded. "Get out!"
Zack pulled himself from the car and followed Mr. Mooneyham into the apartment building. They climbed the stairs until they reached the hallway in which they lived. Mr. Mooneyham dug around for his key in his pocket. He found it, opened the door, and then pushed Zack inside. He closed the door, took off his jacket, and went inside for something.
Zack looked around his home. It was still the dirty mess that it had always been. He looked around for his mother. He heard soft weeping noises coming from one of the rooms inside. Zack ran over to the nearest room. It was the guest bedroom. He peered inside.
Sitting on the floor was Mrs. Mooneyham. She was holding one of her many handkerchiefs and dabbing her eyes. She was wearing the color black, which was normal to see on her. Zack supposed that Mrs. Mooneyham wore black as a sign that she was mourning over something. What it could have been Zack did not know.
"Mom," Zack whispered, getting down on his knees and eyeing his mother sorrowfully. She was a beautiful woman. Or she had been. The countless years spent with his father had changed her physical form so much.
"Zack," she whispered. She held her arms open. Zack hugged her. Suddenly, a cold voice could be heard behind them.
"Move away from your mother, Zachary."
Zack turned around to see Mr. Mooneyham standing behind him. He was holding his leather belt in his hand.
Zack didn't move. He didn't want to leave his mother. He closed his eyes and waited for what was to come.
Mr. Mooneyham raised the leather belt and brought it down hard on Zack's back. Zack screamed out in pain as he rolled from his mother's arms and laid on the floor.
His mother screamed next to him as she jumped up, ran into the guest room bathroom, and then locked the door. Hysterical weeping could be heard from inside the bathroom.
Mr. Mooneyham raised the belt again and brought it down hard on Zack's stomach. Zack screamed out in pain again and clutched at his stomach.
Mr. Mooneyham kicked Zack in the side. Zack winced. He felt himself being jerked upwards by his father until he was face to face with him.
"How dare you lie to me," Mr. Mooneyham whispered in a deadly tone. "How dare you." He shoved Zack into the wall.
Zack hit the wall, and a vase that had been on a shelf above him fell off and hit him on the head. Zack screamed as a piece of stray glass sliced the palm of his hand.
Mrs. Mooneyham screamed from the inside of the bathroom again. "My baby!" she shrieked. "My baby!"
Zack cringed as Mr. Mooneyham grabbed him again. He was pushed to the floor. Mr. Mooneyham began to hit him with the belt again and again until Mr. Mooneyham was sure that he had left permanent damage. He left the guest bedroom and then the apartment.
As for Zack, he was still lying on the guest bedroom floor. His hand was bleeding, and he was pretty sure that he had at least four gashes in his back that was bleeding. He felt so weak, so alone. He couldn't move.
Zack lay on the floor for at least an hour. Finally, he felt the strength to move. He dragged himself over to the door, and pulled himself up. He clutched at the wall as if it were a walking stick, and somehow made it to his bedroom.
Zack collapsed on the bed. He shoved his hand under the pillow and felt around for something. Finally he felt it. He pulled out his phone. He dialed a number that he knew so well by heart.
"Hello?" a female voice answered.
"Mrs. Jones?" Zack whispered into the phone. "Is Freddy there?"
"Sure Zack! Hold on for a moment!" Mrs. Jones put down the phone. It was picked up a moment later by an anxious sounding Freddy.
"Zack! Zack! Are you okay?" Freddy screamed into the phone.
"Oh Freddy," Zack whispered. "My Dad...he was brutal...I'm hurting..."
"He abused you!" Freddy yelled into the phone. "Zack, Zack hold on!"
"Listen," Zack whispered. "Get Liz. Bring her here. Hurry before he gets back..."
"Of course," Freddy whispered into the phone. He hung up.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going out!" Freddy called, grabbing his jacket and running out the door. He took the elevator down to the fourth floor. He ran to Liz's apartment door. He started banging on the door. Liz opened it.
"Zack needs our help!" Freddy cried out.
"He called you?" Liz exclaimed. Freddy nodded.
"Yes! Now hurry up, before it's to late!"
Liz grabbed her car keys. "Let's go!" she cried out.
Xxxxxxxx {tbc}
