Haunted Chp 4
Chapter 4
The fire crackled behind him as he walked toward me in long proud strides. He'd done the bad thing again and I shuddered in fear at the monster before me. American's golden boy incarnate. I had never seen myself as weak but something in him scared me to the core, something that I didn't realize in this moment did not mean I was a victim. My husband was not fit to be called monster.
"Don't go toward the fire. What's wrong? Why are you outside?" He spoke quickly and positioned his body in front of my eye line, always meeting my eyes with that piercing blue gaze focused on me with an attention he normally did not possess. The honeymoon phase was definitely over. I wasn't unaccustomed to niceties when he needed something however and right now it was clear he needed me to go away.
"Something smells funny... it doesn't smell like wood. I came out here to feed the rabbit we saw earlier. It looked hurt," my eyes were hard as I took in his disgusting self. I showed no fear and fought every urge to run away and not hear the sounds I knew would come from his mouth. My heart beat quickly because I knew I needed to know what he'd done. Needed another reason to leave.
"What does it smell like?" He asked on reflex and his face froze as if he'd made a mistake. He'd brought up the topic he was so carefully trying to avoid.
"It smells like burning flesh. Like burning hair," I'd never smelled it before but something innate from my ancestors bloodline seemed activated in that moment. The knowledge of a hunt. I knew without knowing and it overwhelmed me.
"The bunny ran away probably. It's wild." He was trying to change the subject.
"It was hurt it couldn't have gone far. I'll look for it." I went to walk around the house and he let me. It infuriated me that he let me. I knew he was letting me do this in vain and it made my blood boil. I rounded the corner of the house with him hot on on my tail murmuring.
"It will be fine we can't save every bunny. Besides dinner is ready and it will get cold if you don't come in and eat." He trailed me like a kid that had done something wrong and I knew that mentally maybe he was stuck in that state of childhood.
"You burned it didn't you?" I had never been this direct and the brazen words empowered me. His expression changed from innocence embodied to something I felt was sinister, depraved. The crickets chirped loudly filling the silence between us and I shuddered as the first winters breeze blew by.
"I did. Yes." He smiled now and I wanted to puke. The idea that this man had been inside of me, touched me, was too much to take now. "I burned it alive. I broke the legs first. You kind of caught me in the middle of that earlier," he spoke as if we were discussing tomorrow's dinner.
I couldn't turn it off. He wouldn't stop speaking now and I regret everything that had brought me to this moment.
"Why would you do that? It was a defenseless animal." I could hear the soft whisper of a voice that exited my mouth but it did not sound like mine.
"I hate animals. I told you that. This is your fault for bringing it around here. You should have made it run away." He crossed his arms now. He was scolding me for being foolish and I did feel foolish. I knew he was a monster capable of dastardly deeds and yet I set myself up for failure every time. I knew he wasn't good for me.
Suddenly I didn't have the energy to eat or stand but I felt my feet carry me away from him to the bedroom to close the door and go in the closet. I shook violently as I cried silently. I dared not free my anguish in tears to feed to him. It was only after the crying subsided and red hot anger soared through me that I emerged to face him.
"You are a sick perverted asshole and I do not want to ever have you touch me again with your disgusting hands! You think you're a big man because you attacked a defenseless animal? You need help." Venom for venom. That was how this relationship operated. His face was red and screaming back giving me just the thing I needed to fuel me more.
He was sick. He deserved to be called these things and he wasn't worth my time. His hand was swift and hard when it put me back in my place. My jaw stung with the effort to scream as he kicked me in the chest.
"You're disgusting. Just like your mom always said..." He stomped down into my stomach and I felt the victory leave my lips so fast I wondered if I'd ever tasted it.