Stop A Bullet - Chapter Six

Stop A Bullet 1

Chapter Six2

I ran, my feet kicking up the dust of the dirt road. The houses around me a blurry mix of colors. My eyes darting in every direction, but behind me as my feet scraped along every surface : not caring at all whether or not I did any damage, the only thing on my mind was escaping the tragic actions of Trey.3

I could no longer hear anything around me but the sound of my heat thumping in my ears, like a bomb ticking, as if it was about to explode.4

My muscles tight as I tried to fight the boundaries of my physic. My fingers numb as the frosty winds of the early morning blew hard, shaking the trees around me, blowing garbage that the streets had acquired during the busy weekend across the sandy path: almost tangling between my toes as I drove my body to extreme limits, pushing myself as the adrenaline surged through my body like electricity through a cable.5

Had all of that just happened? Had Trey really stopped that low? So low as to show my mother the man that he really was? 6

That was his bed and while my heart yearned desperately for him to come out of this shell, this masquerade he chose to hide behind, my reasonings had triggered an all new fear inside me. One that I could not escape without running, running away from everything that made my life the way it was and who I was, or rather who I never would be or could be as long as I was under the hands of Trey Grant.7

How could he have done that to Tanya? How could he have shown her trust only to so easily tear that support and love from her, as if her feelings and emotions meant nothing to him? 8

I thought to love someone meant that you were their everything, their world. The one thing in all the darkness and despair in life that brought sunshine to your face and kept your spirits high when life was tough.9

What was love? Did it even exist?10

How could my mother just sit there and take it? lay there and take it? Sure Trey was strong but as my mother had Proven she has strength inside herself. She could of at least tried to defend herself.11

Then again, I knew the wrath of Treys power especially within the way his menacing body towered over the rest of us and how he made it certain that we knew the strength he maintained as he walked around shirtless, muscles bulging, crunching his biceps with every step he took. 12

How the hell were we supposed to learn and grown in an environment where love had no basis but heartlessness and animosity, amongst the dulling light of abuse, hatred, fear and resentment.?13

Not only had Trey broken every moral code that my mother chose to live by, but he had not even shown her the common decency and respect that she needed and deserved. That every human being deserved : Man or woman.14

She was a free person, not a coin-operated machine. She had the right to choose when and what she spoke about. 15

I did not understand this act of forcefulness when even her spoken words were now controlled my this machine, this monster of a man. He had drained last ounce of strength and had used her self-worth and exhaustion as a means of releasing his anger when in reality the person to blame was Larry. 16

Trey had no right whatsoever to be taking this out on Tanya. She was the victim and this was plain and pure profanity. A violation of my mother mentally, physically and emotionally and he had used her ordeal to trigger some kind of sick joy inside himself, some kind of release.17

I felt nothing but outrage and misery as I watched him hauled Tanya and Maggie through a chain full of brutish, punishments : None weaker than another all the same, all for his own diabolical, gratification.18

Why couldn't he just be normal and take his anger out on a punching bag or go to the gym Like normal parents? Or better yet why couldn't he take his sexual frustration out on one of those stupid blow up dolls? At least that way as stupid as it sounded; my family would be safe.19

I had no faith that he was normal anymore, no longer human : everything had and would always be filled with lies.20

All she had wanted was a few hours of peace, or realization; time to work through her emotions and her feelings and in my eyes as an outsider looking in. Time to forget about the ordeal she had been through before she took the courage, despite her disposition and did the honorable and courageous thing of reporting her abuse regardless of the outcome. 21

I felt powerful as I ran, on top of the world, immortal even. I had never known in myself to have that much strength, that much determination.22

Small flashes came to me, as I reminisced how the night had unfolded before my eyes. I was sleep deprive, my body craved it more than anything; but there was no way I was going to sleep, I needed the fresh air and adrenaline to keep me awake, I needed the mornings cruel winds to keep me emotionally stable.23

My fist hitting the wind felt nothing compared to the impact I had felt when my fist had collided with Trey's, but it was a memory for sure, good or bad had left an emptiness inside of me that caused my eyes to burn, with molten, hot, tears of rue.24

I could no longer hear anything around me not even the cars as I dodged them stepping back out onto the open, gravel, road: but the sound of my beating heart, throbbing and robbing me of every deep breath I inhaled, thumping, pounding like drums in my ears, like a bomb ticking, as if it was about to explode. 25

I wondered though as I began to slow down my destination now in eyes sight, would anyone have been able to take that leap; especially given the circumstance that I had been launched head first into. 26

Maybe I wasn't the hero that I felt inside myself to be at this present time, maybe I was just me and that was who I really was inside. I was definitely no hero, I was just a boy, a lonely boy who did what he had to, too defend someone he loved. Who could not stand the sight of another woman being let down. Who without a doubt had crushed a man, even if just for second: out of love, out of hope, out of compassion and for reasons which he still did not yet understand and might never will.27

From a moment I could feel my senses returning to me as I had ran bare foot, open shirt and flimsy, thin, pants the only clothing keeping me warm; I knew that if I looked back it was only ever going to slow me down and as much as I hated to think, it would have only caused me to turn myself back around and face the music much sooner than I needed or wanted to.28

I would go back, that was inevitable, but right now I needed to escape to a place that felt like home and always had been my home, despite how much pain I had gone though, and the many times when I could have sworn I had no where to go. I knew I could always find a home away from home and to be that was the safest place I could think of in my time of need.29

I stepped across the street. Stopping on the pavement to catch my breath. 30

I had exceeded my limits, but I had not pushed myself to the point where I was gasping for breath: Not like I had before.31

Before me stood a Four-story, high, building. 32

From the outside it looked like a run down warehouse, but to me it was like a gateway to heaven. Its almost decapitated, staircase, reaching up high towards the roof, though I did not feel it in myself to take another dangerous risk this early in the morning. I had already had my fair share today: no today I would do as any other normal person would do. I would take the elevator.33

I waited a few moments, allowing my heart beat to slow in tempo, composing myself as best as I could, shaking as the morning wind blew heavy in my direction: paying no attention to it at all as soon I would be in the welcoming arms of warmth and support.34

Ashley, my savior, my best-friend and mentor. I knew that within the shadow of my darkened, life, that he was the one person I could depend on come rain or shine, hail or blue skies: He would be there no matter what and I could trust him, even if that meant baring my soul about the truth of my dysfunctional, family, circumstances. 35

It would be a short flight up and an even shorter flight down if Mr. Collinson was acknowledged of my presence, though in light of what had just happened and prior to my collision and my mother's battle with Trey, somehow the likings of Mr. Collison left me with out a worry, as I walked up the steps to Ashley's family hostel.36

I could see the light still flickering from Ashley's window, the blinds moving with the wind as it whirled, violently through the air. 37

I inhaled deeply, breathing normally once again as I stopped short in front of the dusty, glass, doors. 38

He was awake, I knew it, good old Ashley. The poor bastard hardly slept these days and who could blame him. His father had given him the night shift while his cousin had gone away on holiday with his family and there was no way in hell I could even begin to comprehend the amount of noise that echoed through the paper thin walls of the decade, old, establishment.39

It was just like him though and just my luck for I would not know what to do had Ashley not been awake and as I gripped my shirt tightly around my shaking body somehow the thought of seeing a grumpy, Mr. Collison started to play on my nerves more so than it had a few moments ago.40

In the last few months I had known him I had guessed the number of people boarding in the hostel had to be well into the fifties, even sixties if I counted the comers and goers that arrived here on a regular basis, looking for a place to stay out of the chilly, winter, winds or for a safe place for their children; away from the likings of the same abuse I had encountered for the past Three years of my sad and sorrowful life.41

“Everything will be okay, you're safe now,” I whispered to myself, my fingers trembling as I reached out for the buzzer. “Everything will be okay.”42

It took me a moment to compose myself, but after the moment had passed I could feel my finger lacing the gritty, White, button as I pressed it hard the familiar, static, sound of the buzzer filling the silence of the street.43

I almost wished that a car would pass by or a group of delinquent, idiots, would stumble past on their way back from the local pub just to the shake the nerves that were beginning to erupt in my stomach.44

“He can't get you, he doesn't even know Ashley exists,” I said reassuring myself, stepping a few small paces away from the buzzer. “He will let you in... he will let you in.”45

It was True, neither Tanya nor Trey knew of Ashley's existence and I planned on keeping it that way for exactly the reason I was here in the first place.46

If they knew, then I really would have nothing, no place of safety or solitude to depend on in a time of crisis. 47

Not only that I, but knew within myself that I could not live with the fact that I had put Ashley in any danger whatsoever. 48

Ashley's safety was my top priority, that and the safety of his family and even so a small extent the safety of the residence that were boarding or living in the hostel. I would never put any of them in jeopardy and I never would, all I had to do was keep Ashley a secret and as I ad proven to myself before tonight: I was very good at keeping secrets.49

Not that Trey would be stupid enough to harm anyone, but I never could be too sure.50

After a few seconds I could hear the beeping as Ashley had picked up the phone and was ready to sound his invitation. The sound was almost like calming music to my ears. He was awake : I could now be sure about that.51

“Ashley family hostel, Ashley speaking, how can I be of service to you?”52

I stood silence with my hands across my chest, the cold, air, strangling my lungs as I looked around, self consciously wondering if there was someone behind me, hoping there was someone to wake me up, to make me realize that this was somehow all a dream and that I was still at home in my bed listening to the haunting sounds of Maggie screaming.53

I listened, the essence and annoyance of Ashley's voice causing my lips to curl and a smile to crawl across my face for the first time this morning.54

“Ashley Family Hostel, Ashley speaking, how can I be of service to you?” Ashley repeated in a monotone voice that caused me to chuckle, he almost sounded robotic.55

“I..it's me Taint,” I muttered into the machine, my fingers fumbling around the buttons of my shirt nervously as I looked up to see Mr.Collison staring out the window into the street.56

“Taint,” Ashley asked, sounding surprised and he had every reason to, I was sure it would be getting on past Four now, school was creeping closer and closer by the minute as was the sunrise and that meant that Trey would soon be on getting ready to go to work and maybe by then it would be safe to go back home.57

“Yeah it's me, can I come up?”58

The line was silent as if Ashley was contemplating my question, but to my relief he did not ponder the question for to much longer.59

“Yeah, come right up I will buzz you in, elevator one is not working so you might have to take the stairs. I can meet you down there if you like?”60

“Yeah that would be great,” I replied, thanking him as the Red light of the buzzer switched of and the sound of the security padlocks clicked open, welcoming me inside with the mournful shot-gun clicking.61

I turned around, facing the door and wrapped my fingers on the knob reaching into the warmth of the lobby.62

“Home sweet home,” I whispered, “Home sweet home.”63