Bruise After Bruise (short story version)

Bruise After Bruise

~ This is only a short excerpt from the whole novel. This all leads up to the climax in the end part. Also, there is just a little mild violence. Enjoy! :) ~

“Hey! Analise!”, Jason shouted taunting. “How about you come over here and hang out here with us.”

I warily smile as I watch the insignificant little girl reluctantly walk over from her place under the shady tree. Her backpack hangs heavily on her back and she tugs at her long sleeves as she stumbles to the corner. Her long brown hair covers up most of her face. About the age of 16, Analise looks wary, almost ghostly.

As she enters our shady corner, Jason immediately throws a hard punch to her stomach. A small yelp escapes her that is quickly silenced by the dirty rag stuffed into her mouth by Derek.

Analise slides to the ground helplessly with pain sketched everywhere on her face. Her sleeves slide up to show the countless purple bruises spotted across every inch of skin. Jason crouches down in front of her.

“So, have you got what I wanted…”, Jason asked slyly.

“I...I don’t have the money right now. H...here, I only have this much, just...just don’t. Please don’t.” Analise’s voice was hoarse and scratchy as she handed the little bills. When she pleaded, she actually sounded pathetic. I glanced at Jason and could see he was thinking the same thing.

Jason counted the bills and released a sly grin. He nodded his head in Derek’s direction. Derek stepped forward with a wicked grin plastered on his disfigured face. In one fluid motion, he was above her, beating her with all his might. One hand pressed firm on the rag in the mouth, the other directing his meaty fist again and again into Analise’s stomach. Every blow sends one after another scream. She collapses on the hard concrete floor, gasping and reaching for the air that had seemed to be constantly taken away from her.

Jason slowly walks to her until he is directly above her. “You know, Ana-lise.” Jason pronounced her name in a mocking tone as he looks down. “This,” Jason says as he waves the tiny bills in front of her face. Analise tries to back up against the wall. “...is just not enough for me.”

When she just keeps gasping, Jason nods over to Derek. Several more minutes of muffled screams, pleads, and punches until Derek finally stops.

“Hey, Alec. Wanna have a try yourself. Feels kinda refreshing.” I look at him with an amused look and find Derek and Jason looking back at me with the same wicked smile spread across their faces.

“ Please!”, said Analise, after finally collecting her breath. “Don’t. I will give- AHH--mmmm!”. Her pleads were instantly covered by one of Derek’s punches once again.

“Why don’t you just be quiet for a sec.”, taunted Derek. “Or do you want your little baby brother to be all patched up in purple like you, huh?”

Analise’s eyes widen in the familiar terror at the mention of her brother.

“No...Please--”

I smugly stare at the girl in front of me get beaten to be unrecognizable.

“Here, your turn, Alec. Now stop acting like I’m not sharing.” Derek said.

I step up automatically.

“No… Please, I beg you. Stop. Don’t. I’m only doing it for him. Please!” she begged.

Her words never had made it to his brain, but this somehow got into his system.

I’m only doing it for him.

I blink and stop, confused and hesitant.

No one has has ever done something for me, ever. My mind drifts off to my own miserable life.

***

I was short. I was down beside my father’s knee. I pulled at his khakis pants. They felt rough and scratched my miniature fingers. I felt my stomach rumbling, twisted from the constant hunger of food. I pulled harder, trying to get his attention. Then, there were really loud sounds. I quickly cover my hands over my ears. I look up to find the sound from my father. He was yelling at Mom. I released my hand from my ears and continued tugging on my father’s pants, wanting his attention. In a rush of unknown frustration, he jerked me to the wall with an annoyed expression.

There was suddenly a huge pain in the back of my head and body. Immediately, sobs escape my mouth from the horrible, horrible pain, as if trying to wash it away from the rush of water coming out of my eyes. Through the watery vision and effort to open my puffy, red eyes, I find Mom beside me with a cloth soaked and sticky with red stuff. At the same time, Mom shouts loudly at me. I begin to cry harder not wanting to be yelled at, until I understand that she is yelling to my father.

Again, I hear another loud “BANG!”. I shut my eyes, trying to distance myself from the noises and pain. Mom tries to comfort me while shouting to my father. I open my eyes to find glass everywhere with vase patterns on them.

At that moment, my little brother, Ron, comes into the room, muttering, “Food….” over and over again.

Just then, he slipped in a big piece of glass and… fell..

“NO!!!!!!”, Mom left me on the floor in a rush and flew to catch my brother. But she was a second late and she falls. An ear-splitting scream. This time I don’t cover my ears, but instead look at the chaos in front of my eyes. Mom and my brother lay unconscious in the shards of glass, with red blood flowing in every direction. All I see is blood. And blood with more red blood.

The sight of the gory mess surrounding me was too much. I started crying and screaming, crying and screaming, but the image stays in my brain. My father just looked at the mess, stunned. His eyes, they were wild, trying to process this chaotic scene in front of him. He slowly backed up, reaching blindly for the phone behind him. As he stepped away from me, I screamed. This seemed to bring him to his senses. He looks around the room, with the unconscious mother and baby in her arms until his eyes land on me. With a terrified look on face, he scurried out the door.

***

“Hey! What are you waiting for!” Jason’s voice spilt through my thoughts. “I give you a little gift and you aren’t even appreciating it!

I close my eyes and open them again, clearing my mind from the awful memories. It was still fresh in my mind, resurfacing after it’s enduring disappearance. It was the first time that any of the past I spent my childhood years blocking, reappeared once again. I felt a long-forgotten hatred for the detestable man who abandoned me long ago.

I look at the pitiful girl curled beneath my feet.

Jason studied me carefully. I must have be a bit suspicious for being that hesitant to hit the girl. He seems to have seen that there was some doubt in doing the thing I usually volunteered at.

Jason stares me down and nodded to Analise.

“Do it. Remember, she doesn’t have the money. Make sure she doesn’t forget next time.” Jason ordered with his commanding voice.

Obediently, I curl my slim hands into fists and start slamming it in Analise’s stomach and arms as I cover her mouth with my hand. Her saliva comes running down my hand and slowly I find blood mixed with it until a huge bloody mess is all around me. Her back caves in from each impact. I can tell Analise is fighting to stay conscious. Her pleads have stopped and desperate moans replace them. When I stop, she clutches her stomach mournfully.

“Good!”, said Jason, switching back to his flippant self. “Now. Analise. I want you to come back with more than just this.”, he presses the bills to her shoulder. “Got that?”

On the floor, Analise continues to cower.

“GOT THAT?!”, Jason yelled in her ear.

Suddenly terrified, Analise jerks her head up and grimaces at the sudden movement. She slowly nods and scurries away, pulling her sleeves back down and caressing her stomach with her head down. She slowly limps away and I find myself staring after her.

“Derek, you go outside first.”, Jason said, his eyes on me. “Alec, come here. I need to talk to you.”

I could already see Derek’s raised eyebrows from behind my back.

I reluctantly follow Jason behind the school walls.

Instantly, Jason spins around and slaps me on the cheek, hard. Not all that surprised, I just massage the stinging burn swelling up on my cheek with my palm and look to the ground, guiltily.

Jason leans down to whisper in my ear. “I wasn’t sure what happened just now, but I want you to remember: You do, what I say, got that?”

I remorsefully nod my head and swallow the lump in my throat.

“Good.” Jason hissed and leaned his head back. “Tomorrow I see you and I don’t want you stopping yourself now, okay? Go back outside, you can drive with Derek.”

***

I threw myself on my tiny bed with a heavy thud and a squeak as I rolled over to face the ceiling. My miniature apartment was rented by whatever Mom’s last savings were with some help of friendly neighbors, though I barely acknowledge them nowadays. I have finally gotten over with their sympathetic glances in town or on the streets, probably because they know I just get annoyed with it.

This “apartment” is just the size of a room itself with a pint-sized bathroom down the hall, across the door. The old rusty paint is peeling off the walls with no recognition of any color once existing. The curtains on the window frame flap wildly letting cold winds in and out giving anybody goosebumps. The ceiling hangs low with only a light bulb above to fight against the dark.

As I lay there on my bed, my mind goes back to my short little flashback and the girl on the floor, Analise. She was just trying to protect her brother from harm, right? There really shouldn’t be anything wrong about that either. Was it even right to punish her and hurt her like that?

“Stop! Stop!” I say out loud to the emptiness of room. I shake my head to get the thoughts out of my head.

I shouldn’t be doubting Jason and Derek, especially Jason. They were the ones who I followed and just accepted me. They gave me the little money supply enough to keep me living.

So, I just have to choose wrong and right, though I still don’t really know which is which yet. Wrong or right. Wrong or right.

“Wrong or right.” I mumble to myself. I could help Analise and betray Jason or continue being with Jason and keep beating the girl.

I could become friends with her. I could have a life outside of the shady corner and Jason’s right-hand man. But, betraying Jason would mean…

“AARRGGHH! This is just SO ANNOYING!” I yelled angrily, again to nobody. I flipped my body around, my head in the hard pillow and muffle my irritated screams.

***

The next day, I drift through the school periods in a daze, still puzzling what to do. Occasionally, Jason would give me warning looks and small reminders of our last conversation, though he did not need to, given I had rehearsed it multiple times in my head last night. Derek would be his usual nonchalant self, though once in a while, he would look at me as if to check if I am doing good.

During the last period, Derek pulls me aside and tells me to meet up in the corner after school. I spend the rest of the period mulling over what to do with Jason and Analise, who, sadly, will most likely be there too.

As I walk to the corner, I see Jason and Derek, pulling Analise to the shade by her long, sloppy, brown hair. There are tears streaked down her face as Analise helplessly kicks the ground, trying to break free of Derek’s sturdy grip. I suddenly feel an eccentric feeling coursing through me and into my heart. I find myself running at Jason and Derek angrily.

Before knowing exactly what I’m doing, before I even rethink of what I’m about to do, I let my unknown anger take over and punch Derek hard on the cheek causing him to let go of Analise as he falls to the ground.

“What the....?! What was that for?!” Derek yelled on the ground, using his thumb to wipe the blood from his jaw.

As my anger ebbs away, I finally realize the reality of what I did.

I look at Jason whose face looks disappointed.

“No, Jason. Really… I… I didn’t mean it… I didn’t know what happened.” My feet automatically back up from Jason.

“So,” Jason said taking causal steps toward me. “I see you have decided to leave us now, am I right?

My eyes widen, terrified as I wait for the worst to come.