Chapter 11
“There is no key to happiness, the door is always open.”
~~~
What would you result to when your existence was about to be wiped off and there was nothing you could do to dissuade it? I had made a vow to repent my sins and die a saved woman but at that moment, I didn’t want to die, I preferred to brawl. I had a lot I was yet to accomplish and dying young was not on my to-do list.
Drops of sweat formed on my head when I attempted to open my mouth and scream for help but it had gone completely numb. I was helpless and it was such a terrible feeling. After scooping me in his arms, Matthew carried me back to his apartment and dropped me on the sofa.
“Why are you doing this?”I whispered. He didn’t answer, instead, he began pacing back and forth, chanting words only he could understand.
“Why are you so stubborn? I could have hurt you badly.” He stopped to stare at me. I dropped my gaze, too shaken to say anything. I couldn’t comprehend how he turned into a monster. We did have quarrels before and he would shove or give me slight jabs but it was nothing compared to the blows he threw my way minutes ago.
“I told you she was going to be a nuisance someday.” Ian thrust his finger in my direction. His words ascertained my doubts about his resentment towards me. My eyes scanned the room, wondering where the rest of his friends were. As if on cue, they emerged from the hallway and my heart dropped.
“I don’t feel too well, please let me go.” I clutched my tummy, the pain was unbearable.
“Liar! You want to go and report me to your father.” He took the leash handed to him and made slow tentative steps towards me. I shook my head repeatedly, I didn’t want to believe that he would whip me like a child. I shut my eyes, put my palms forward, and waited, but it never came. The room was awfully quiet, pushing me to open my eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Shannon. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I don’t know what came over me.” He was on his knees, staring at me through remorseful eyes. I could barely mask my surprise at the sudden change. As much as I loved him, I couldn't get myself to forgive him. I preferred nursing a broken heart to this kind of trauma.
“What the fuck! You should get rid of her not beg her,” Ian boomed, his eyes dancing between us, disapproval written all over them. Matthew sprung to his feet and glanced from Ian to his always quiet friends and back to him. “What’s your problem, Ian?”
“Her!” He pointed an accusing finger at me. “She’s the fucking problem. Ever since you met her, you’ve changed.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to leave her out of your tantrums?” Matthew quickly covered the distance between them and eyed him challengingly.
I knew things were going to turn ugly when Ian’s fist connected with Matthew’s jaw. Within seconds, he was on the receiving end of Matthew’s merciless kicks and punches. As his friends were trying to break the feud, I took advantage of the moment to sprint to Matthew’s bedroom. The front door was locked, I didn’t stand a chance of escaping from it.
I hastily pulled on my jeans and t-shirt as I dialed Dad’s number. The call wasn’t going through so I hopped onto the bed and tried to swing my phone from side to side but nothing I did helped the terrible network. When it dawned on me that I was stranded, I plunged on the bed and broke down.
It wasn’t long before Matthew showed up. “Shannon, open the door. I want to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, I want to go home,” I cried out.
“Open this door now,” he yelled, banging on it with all his might. The hinges shook, I was far from safe. He must have had a personality disorder because he switched from good to bad so effortlessly it fazed me.
I dashed to the bathroom and locked the door before climbing on the toilet seat. Ignoring the shooting pain in my tummy, I unlocked the tiny window and screamed my lungs open, “Help!”
On the other end, an outraged Matthew and his friends were focused on breaking the door down. A few kicks had an echoing thud flooding my eardrums. I hoped, I prayed that somebody would hear me and call the police.
“Heeelp, please, somebody just help me!” I sobbed, I was frightened. I had never experienced such a nightmare-like kind of situation.
When the bathroom door was kicked open and somebody’s hands wrapped around my waist to bring me down, I lost all my will to fight. Alan and Blake, I suddenly remembered their names. They stood alert at the door, just in case I took a dash for it.
Pathetic losers!
After tossing me on the bed, Matthew unlocked his wardrobe and parted the lines of clothes in hangers to disclose a secret compartment I had never seen in the short time I dated him. A safe box sat behind it and he put the code before unlocking it. My eyes bulged open at the wads of cash staring back at me. Right next to it were several whitish powders. Drugs! Kayleigh was right, I should have heeded her advice.
He walked back to me with a bible in his hand and I chuckled inwardly, was he going to preach to me? He opened it and shoved it in my face. A gun sat comfortably in the case that would pass for a bible. I had never seen a gun up close, it made my hair curl.
Was he planning to execute and bury me in the woods in the middle of the night? Just the thought of it agonized me. He plucked it out and pointed it at me. It was so surreal; as if death had come knocking and was going nowhere without me.
