Broken Home:
Shortie by Lone Wolf

"She sits alone, an empty stare,
A mother's face she wears,
Where did she go wrong, the
Fight is gone."
-"Mother, Father" by Journey

The young wolf sat quietly in the corner of her room. The door was locked and barricaded, her desk, her dresser, even her bed pushed up against it. She stared blankly at the slate gray wall in front of her, her face expressionless. It was almost over for her. She couldn't cry anymore. Her body refused to produce the tears.

She took a deep, jagged breath. Though the tears would not stream down her face, the sadness was still there. She hugged her knees to her chest and shut her eyes. "I want the pain to stop," she whispered to herself. "I want it to end." She tried to shut reality out - her father's drunken rage, her mother's death, her overall hopelessness...

The phone rang, snapping her out of it. She jumped a bit, startled, before slowly reaching over and picking it up. She brought it to her ear. "H...hello?"
"Kira," a male voice responded. "Kira, are you okay?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"I heard your father yelling from down the block. Is everything okay?"
She took another sharp, staggered breath. "He's drunk again. Alex, I don't think I can take any more of this." There was a smash against the door. She watched as the wood started to splinter. "Oh my god!"
"Kira! I'll be right over."
"Alex."
"I love you."
She stopped. "I love you too." The phone went dead as there was another smash. She covered her head as splinters of wood flew all over the place. She cowered, worried for her safety. She could hear the growls of her father.
"Don't you DARE lock yourself in there. Get your ass out here and clean this god damn house. Cook my dinner, bitch, or you won't live to see tomorrow. I own you, you little slut. Now come out here and take your beating. Don't make me..."

The shouting died.
Then she heard it. "What the fuck do you want?"
"I want you to get away from the door," she heard Alex's voice say. "Now."
Her father snorted. "Who the fuck are you to come into my house and tell me what to do. Get the fuck out."
"Oh I will. And your daughter is coming with me, for her safety."
"Bullshit. She's staying right here. Now, get the fuck out."
"I'm not leaving without her. I will not-" Something smashed into one of the walls.
"ALEX!" She cried out, getting up.
"Hold the fuck still, asshole," her father growled. There was another smash. She ran over and started to pull the furnature away. She heard a third thud as soon as she got the bed away, a fourth once she pulled her dresser back, and a fifth when she shove the desk away. She opened the door to see Alex, her best friend, dancing back at a drunken swing from her father. "ALEX!"
Her father looked at her, a drunken glaze over his eyes. "So you've come out, bitch." He started towards her. "Your bravery isn't going to save your boyfriend." He raised his fist to strike her.
There was a blur of movement. She saw the gray wolf slam his fist with all his might against the side of her father's head. He flew down the hall, landing harshly on the tiled floor.
"C'mon!" Alex said, grabbing her wrist with his other hand. "Let's go."
"But-"
"We're in danger here. Let's go!" She saw her father getting up, shaking his head to get rid of the daze that he had suffered from the solid blow to the head. She hesitated no further, following the gray wolf down the hall and out into the streets.

They were down the block when they heard the howl of her father. They turned back to see him running towards them at top speed. "Fuck," Alex groaned. He continued running, heading for the cross section.
"He's gonna catch us," Kira cried hopelessly. "We're going to die."
"No we're not. We're almost to the crosswalk. We can get across the street and hopefully lose him as traffic passes."
She looked at him. "What?" He pointed. Across the street, the red "don't walk" sign flashed it's warning. "We're not going to make it!"
"Yes we are." He hoisted her onto her back and dashed. They reached the middle of the street as the red lights stopped flashing and went solid. They hit the other side of the street as traffic started. And he kept running until they heard a horn and a sickening smack. They turned to see a city bus hitting it's breaks and a body go flying - her father.
"PAPA!" She hopped off Alex's back and started forward. Cars screeched to a halt as the body landed in the middle of the cross section.
Alex grabbed her hand. "It's over. He couldn't have survived that."
"Somebody call an ambulance!" somebody shouted.
"Kira, it's over. You don't have to fight him anymore."
She collapsed into his arms. "I didn't want him to die. I just wanted him to stop beating me and stop drinking." They stood there as the ambulance sirens roared passed. They heard the paramedics shouting things. They heard the one thing that sent a cold chill down their spines.
"I feel a pulse!"

Alex looked into her eyes. "He's still alive. Happy?"
She shook her head.
"Why not?"
"He's going to blame it on me," she whimpered. "He's gonna beat me."
"No he's not."
"But-"
"He's not because I won't let him. He'll have to get through me to get to you." He gave her a gentle kiss. "You can move in with me. I'll protect you." She shut here eyes and rested her head on his chest. The tears finally started flowing. He rubbed her back and looked towards the sky.

"God help this broken home."

End

This material is © Lone Wolf and <([ Lone Wolf Studios ])>