Tourniquet

Chris sits up on his bed and against his pillow as he drank another bottle of booze that night. It was his what? Third bottle of alcohol? It was about between there. He was wearing a black tang top and a pair of faded blue jeans with a few holes in them. His long blond hair was down instead of in a ponytail and his green eyes were piercing. Chris was muscular and stronger than his small girlfriend Phoebe (they both lived with each other and it's not going so well).
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Phoebe walks passed the mirror in the bathroom. Her black mascara and eye liner are smudged and she doesn't even bother taking it off. She didn't care about what she looked like. It wouldn't matter soon. Soon, all of this would be over. Phoebe wasn't as strong as her boyfriend Chris was but she was pretty. Her hair was shoulder length and brown. Her eyes were dark. She was wear a red T-shirt and black jeans that were a little tight for her, but she managed to slip into them. 2

She stopped and stared into the mirror. What she saw was her reflection. Her physical appearance was ugly because of her smudged makeup and a few bruises on her face. She wasn't ugly, but she thought so herself. Her abusive relationship that led her to depression has taken a toll on her. No longer can she deal with it. It's too much for her to handle. 3

Her and Chris have been dating for two years now. Chris is twenty-one and Phoebe is nineteen years old. They met at outside of school. The moment Phoebe saw Chris, she knew that she was meant to be with him. Chris was in love with her too and they soon grew in love with each other. When Chris moved out and lived on his own , she decided to live with him. Three weeks into the relationship, Chris started to abuse Phoebe physically. She wasn't allowed to look at another boy or talk to one. She even couldn't have any friends or hang talk to anyone. Chris made her isolated and depressed. He forbids her to even speak to her family and go out anywhere unless he's with her. Phoebe's rights were taking away by this man. Chris loves her and everything, but he wants her all to himself. Now, she's his. 4

After Phoebe told herself how ugly she looked, she walked out of the bathroom and ended up going in the bedroom where Chris was. She was going to get her suitcase, pack her things, and leave. Chris noticed her and placed the beer bottle down on the night stand next to his bed. He saw her grab a suitcase out of the closet. 5

"What are you doing Phoebs?" he asked her firmly. 6

"I'm leaving." Phoebe said after having enough courage to finally say that to Chris. It was about time she put her foot down and told Chris what she felt. He looked at her in a strange way. Phoebe saw it and knew what that look was. 7

"You're not leaving. You don't have a say in anything!" Chris exclaimed to her. He was ready to jump off the bed and beat her again to show her who's the boss of this household. To him, it wasn't his girlfriend. It was him and only him. No one else. 8

Chris got off the bed in a second and stomped over to Phoebe. When Phoebe saw him coming at her, she ran for it. Chris came after her and dragged her back to the bedroom. He slammed her down on the bed and went on top of her. A few times, he smacked her around. He slapped her and tried to thrash her head from side to side. 9

Phoebe dug her fingernails into his arm and he got off of her. Then she ran out of the room. She tripped over the stairs that she was walking up that led the hallway to the bedroom and she fell (there's no upstairs in the house). Chris tried grabbing her and she hurried to her feet before he grabbed her. She ran into the kitchen. Since the floor in there was slippery and still wet, she slipped and fell flat on her face. 10

Chris caught up with her and smiled when he saw her lying on the floor. She was probably hurt and that was good for him. He turned her around and slapped her face as hard as he could. Phoebe winced and fought Chris to make him let go of her. It was no use. He was too strong for her. 11

"How many times I do I have to tell you to not run from me?" he asked her while breathing right in her face. His breath smelled of whiskey. She shook her head and that was the wrong thing to do. Chris yanked her up by the neck and dragged her into the living room. He forced her to stand up straight and when she ran for the front door, he grabbed her by the neck and threw her against the bookshelf. Her head hit the corner of the shelf very hard. A sharp pain pierced throughout her head and when she slowly put her left hand on the back of her head and looked at her hand, she was horrified to discover that her head was bleeding a lot. 12

"I said you're not leaving!" he yelled at her. He didn't care if she was badly hurt and that she could die. That was the least of his worries. Phoebe looked up at her frightening boyfriend and cowered. She didn't care what he thought about her now. 13

When Chris bent over her to see the damage he did to her, Phoebe kicked him in the face and he fell backwards. She helped herself up and ran for the bathroom. Chris ran after her, but he was too late. By the time he was outside the bathroom, she was already inside and the door was shut and locked. 14

Phoebe slid down the wall until she sat down against it. All Chris did was bang on the door and kicking and punching it. It was no use. He couldn't break the down down. Phoebe cried silently into her hands. 15

"Open up this door right now!" he exclaimed with madness. 16

'Leave me alone.' She thought. 17

He continued to try to open the door. After several attempts to do so failed, he gave up and walked back to the bedroom where he was going back to watch TV. Phoebe stood up and unlocked the door. Then, she rummaged through the bathroom and found a razor blade. She held it in her hands before thinking about cutting herself. 18

For the next five minutes, she cut herself. She brought the razor to her wrist and cut. She flinched from the pain a little, but then she relaxed. Blood oozed out. She cut herself more and more. By the time she was almost done, her fingers, hands, and arms were trenched in blood. It felt good to feel alive again. Soon, Phoebe found a pair of red scissors she kept in the bathroom so she could cut herself when Chris wasn't around. Instead of cutting with the scissors she was going to do something else with it. 19

With the scissors in her hand, she accidentally tripped over her own two feet as she was walking to the other side of the bathroom near the tub (she wasn't being careful and the floor was wet because she mopped it not too long ago). The pair of scissors dropped out of her hand and she fell, the scissors suddenly stabbing her neck and that was it. With fear, she pulled it out of her and let out a scream. Blood poured out of her neck as she lay on her side. Not only did the blood gush out on her but on the white tile floor as well. Phoebe gasped for breath and her eyes were as wide as silver dollars. Her breathing was loud. This was the end for her. 20

***21

Two minutes later, Chris decided to go check on Phoebe. He felt bad for what he did to her before. Maybe she would forgive him like always and they could make up and he would promise her that he would never abuse her ever again. His promise was a lie and will be forever. 22

He knocked on the door and no one answer so he turned the knob. The door was now unlocked. When he opened the door and looked inside the bathroom, he gasped and fell to the ground. There lying on the floor in a puddle of blood was his girlfriend Phoebe, whom he abused and loved. He couldn't believe this happened! 23

"It's all my fault." he cried as he cradled Phoebe's dead body in his arms. He never cried before and tonight was the only night that he has ever done so. 'Because of what I did to her, she's dead now.' Chris thought. 24

"No!" he screamed, his voice full of fear. "She's can't be dead!" 25

She's dead.