207. Hit

Warning: violence, language

Bridgeport, present day...
Frost residence, 09:17am

Morning came too soon for Michaela. The bright rays of sunlight filtering through her curtains felt like a mockery of last night’s horror.

“It’s over, let it go,” she told herself as she rolled onto her side.

But it wasn’t over. Sure, the police had arrested Joshua, her parents had whisked her away from Appaloosa Plains, away from her horror, but her nightmare was never ending.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Joshua’s snarling face. Each time she drifted off to sleep she felt his crude hands on her, tearing at her bed sheets; it would never be over, her shame.  Her embarrassment. The sense of self-loathing. It was deeply ingrained in her, making it hard for her to breathe.

A gentle knock on her door pulled Michaela away from her dark thoughts. She blinked back her tears. She didn’t want her parents to know just how broken up she was inside.

 “Mickey, can I come in?” Krimsyn’s voice on the side of the door sounded stuffy, like she’d spent the whole night crying.

“It’s open,” Michaela replied.

She winched when she saw she was right about Krimsyn. She looked a hot mess. Her face was paler than usual, and her eyes were red and swollen. She looked unsure, near the door, half in-half out, as if she couldn’t decide how to approach her, if at all. Michaela gave her a small smile and beckoned for her to come inside. Krimsyn shut the door with her heel.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” she began as she plopped herself beside her on the bed.

“We’ve been through this; Joshua is the one who should be sorry, not you!” Michaela’s voice sounded lifeless, bereft of any emotion as she jumped from the bed and began looking through her closet, not giving Krimsyn a chance to say more. She really didn’t want to talk. She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready to share her shame.

“What are you doing?” Krimsyn asked with a look of bewilderment in her eyes.

“Getting ready for classes,” Michaela half turned from the closet and regarded her, a small frown creasing her forehead.

Krimsyn shook her head no, and Michaela nodded insistently. “Yes, mom. I am going.”

“You need to talk to someone, I was thinking we could go in and see Dr. Harlow,” Krimsyn tried to change her mind.

“I’m not crazy mom, enough with the therapists!” Michaela balled her hands into tight fists. She immediately wanted to kick herself when she saw the sadness in Krimsyn’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized a moment later.

Krimsyn didn’t say anything; she sat down instead and pulled up her legs. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, rocking herself back and forth.

“Last night was a horrible chapter in my life,” Michaela began. She still hadn’t moved from her place near the closet.  “And I’d like to move past it, and the only way I can, is by going back to my normal routine.”

Krimsyn stared at her for a long time before she slowly nodded her head. “Will you at least think about talking to someone, if not Dr. Harlow, someone you trust at least?”

Michaela fell silent as she thought about her request. She really didn’t want to make any promises, but to ease Krimsyn’s worry she found herself giving in.

As soon as the door closed behind her mom, Michaela came undone. She fell face down on her bed and buried her head on the pillows to muffle her rage.

She couldn’t understand how a perfect evening, the start of something wonderful for her and Cameron could turn into something so dark and degrading. She didn’t know what she’d done to make Joshua hate her so much he’d want to hurt her in such a violent way…

In their living room J.D. looked just about ready to murder someone, more specifically Joshua.

As soon as he saw Krimsyn leave Michaela’s room he rushed to her side.

“How is she?” He asked, searching her face, looking for clues about his daughter’s mental state.

“She wants to go to school,” Krimsyn replied darkly.

He was about to protest when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, and frowned at the number, he didn’t recognize it.

“Are you going to answer that?” Krimsyn asked weakly, watching the light on his phone flash on and off.

With a frustrated grunt, J.D. pressed the “answer” button on his phone. It was the sheriff in Appaloosa Plains. He thought they’d want to know Joshua was out. A relative posted his bail soon after they were released last night.

“Bastard-” J.D. barked a string of expletives before he hung up. 

Krimsyn didn’t take the news well.

“We have to do something. We can’t let him get away with this. We can’t!” She hissed angrily.

J.D. reached for her and held her. “He won’t.” He’d made the mistake of letting Joshua go once, never again. If he couldn’t finish him off, he’d find someone who’d do the job.

With the promise made, they both felt some of the weight dissolve from their shoulders…

________

Cameron's apartment, 12:59pm

Cameron blew out a frustrated breath as he listened to his mom try to change his mind,  he really wasn’t getting any joy from their talk.

Zahara sympathized with him. But she couldn’t help him. Since she was William Thornton’s ally, and he’d been making a lot of blunders lately, the Council was watching both of them very closely, and one more mishap they were out.

“Cam, walk away from this. Let the law deal with him.” She cried for the millionth time, and he was getting sick of hearing it.

“I’m not asking you to do anything. I just need the names of your contacts, I’ll speak to them myself, pay them too. But I want that son of a bitch dead! He hurt Mickey, mom. I don’t know how else to get through to you!” He growled into the phone, his words coming out too quickly, his breath in staggering waves.

“Cam, I’m really sorry. But…”

“Quit saying that!” He yelled into the phone. Zahara breathed in sharply on her end, she didn’t appreciate his tone, and Cameron found himself withdrawing from the fight. In a much softer voice, he added. “I’ve never asked you for anything, never asked for favors. But I need this. I can’t let this go. Please try to understand.”

“Okay, I’ll text you the details,” Zahara relented.

If he could have, he would have kissed her then, “Thank you mom. And don’t worry. None of this will come back to you.”

________

Joshua's apartment, 15:45pm

Ellie was trying her damnedest to process the mess they were all in.

She watched Joshua prowl the room like a caged animal for a while, wishing he’d sit down so they could talk rationally. But she knew he wouldn’t make things easy on her. It was just like him, always choosing the difficult path, always complicating her life.

“I have to see her. I have to explain I didn't mean to hurt her,” Joshua suddenly stopped and stared at her, waiting for her approval.  Or confirmation.

Ellie gave neither; instead she slowly shook her head no. She didn’t want him anywhere near Michaela and the Frosts “Let her go Josh. They’ll kill you!”

“Maybe I’ll kill them first, Sis. How about that?” He turned those cold, cruel eyes on her again, and she flinched from his gaze.

“You won’t. You can’t,” she mumbled under her breath, convinced he hadn’t heard her.

His death glare though told her he’d heard her alright, and he didn’t like her pessimism.

“Beau said I can have her. I did everything he asked and he said when all this is over, I can have her.”  He carried on with his rant as if she hadn’t just tried to reason with him.

“Stop Josh,” Ellie refused to hear any more of his nonsense, she had no clue who Beau was, but she didn’t like the sound of him. “Mom and dad will be back just now and we’ll all go home.” Their parents had insisted on tagging along when she went to get Joshua out. Ellie thought it would have been better to just head straight to Sunset Valley from Appaloosa Plains, but her God fearing parents had to make things right with Michaela, so they’d gone to see the Frosts. But Krimsyn and JD had refused to see them, and they were on their way back now. Ellie wished they’d hurry up already; being alone with Joshua was making her antsy.

“Maybe you’re right, maybe some time apart will be good for us, but I’m not giving up on her. I won't!” Joshua was still ranting about Michaela, and Ellie was exhausted from entertaining him.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief when the front door opened, grateful that their parents were back.

But it wasn’t their parents.

“Joshua Clarke?” The man in a dark coat asked.

“Look Pal, I don’t know where you come from, but here you knock first, you don’t just budge in,” Joshua ignored his question; he was pissed at the intrusion.

 “Josh, what’s going on?” Ellie asked, cowering behind Joshua, she didn’t like the look of the man.

“I don’t-” Joshua didn’t get to finish what he was about to say, the intruder reached inside his coat, pulled out a gun and fired a bullet straight into Joshua’s forehead.

Before Ellie could even process what had happened, the man raised his gun again. “I’m sorry,” He said, before firing another shot, hitting her on the chest…

_______

Note: the update is a little early since my in laws arrive later this evening, and I won't have time to post it then.

Have a great weekend. Do what you love, love what you do. Namaste!