Flashback inside a Flashback
(When jay was 7 years old)
I was sitting flat on the living room floor, my legs crossed against the cold tiles.
"Mamma, did you see my teddy?"
I asked, looking up at her.
She was standing just a short distance away from me, busy ironing clothes with a tense, hurried expression on her face.
"No, Jay, I didn't see anything.
Also, don't disturb me right now!"
she snapped slightly, before turning on her heel and heading quickly toward the kitchen to check on the soup she had placed on the stove.
"It's almost done!
And as soon as I finish ironing, I'll give you your soup, and you have to finish every single drop of it,"
she called out over her shoulder, pointing a warning finger straight at me.
I pouted, looking around the room again until my eyes finally spotted my missing teddy tucked right near the leg of the heavy wooden table.
I crawled over, snatched it up, and immediately went back to playing.
"Jay, are you even listening to me?" Mom asked, her voice laced with sudden frustration from the kitchen.
I nodded my head absently, even though she couldn't see me, as I continued playing with the worn-out toy.
"Jeannaaa..."
Just then, an aunt from the neighborhood called out loudly from outside the gate.
"Jeanna, come fast, otherwise the sale will end!" the aunt yelled.
"Oh, yes!" Mom exclaimed, her eyes widening.
"I nearly forgot,"
Mom muttered under her breath as she walked fast to pick up her purse from the room.
But on her way past the living room, she suddenly stopped near a corner by a flower pot—though calling it a flower pot was a stretch, because it was half-broken,
with dry soil spilled halfway onto the floor near a cracked, broken window, holding nothing but a totally dead, dry plant.
She kneeled down and began digging into the dry soil with her hands.
I tilted my head, completely unable to understand what she was doing.
She darted her eyes nervously, looking here and there to make sure no one was watching.
Then, she pulled out a small black pouch from deep within the pot.
I watched wide-eyed as she unzipped or untied it, pulled some money out, and then quickly buried the rest of the pouch back into the dirt, patting the soil over it.
Before I could even process what I had just witnessed, she stood up in a rush.
"Jay, take care, don't make a mess, I'll be back soon, don't go outside!"
she shouted while running frantically behind the
aunt.
And just like that, I was left all alone in the quiet house, trying to play with a torn teddy... yeah, it was already a bit of a mess.
I'm really missing Aries right now.
If he had been here with me, I would never have been this bored, and the quiet house wouldn't feel so scary.
Mom had strictly told me not to go outside to play until she came back, so I was stuck inside with nothing to do.
Just then, I spotted a Barbie doll sitting alone in the corner of the room.
I reached out and took her, looking closely at her clothes. They were a little bit dirty from being on the floor, but overall, they still looked new.
She was wearing a big, fluffy gown, looking just like a real princess.
I looked down at my own clothes.
I was just wearing a simple, plain t-shirt.
I sighed, wishing I could wear this kind of big, large gown too.
I had even asked Mom for one before, but she just shook her head and said we couldn't afford it right now.
Thud!
I flinched so hard I almost dropped the doll.
I heard a heavy, strange sound coming from the front.
Is it Mom? Did she come back already from the sale?
It was getting a bit dark inside the room, and I was playing right near the edge of the bed.
"Mamma..." I called out softly for her.
But she didn't reply.
No gentle voice answered back.
Because it wasn't her out there.
That's when I saw them—two tall, unfamiliar shadows
stretching across the floor.
My heart instantly dropped, and I swallowed hard, a cold knot forming in my stomach.
Who's this?
Panic started crawling up my throat.
Maybe... maybe this could be my stepdad.
A shiver ran down my spine.
But... why is he here now?
He's so scary.
If he finds me, he'll hurt me again. Just like last time.
I need to run.
I need to hide right now.
Without thinking twice, I scrambled backward on my hands and knees and quickly slid myself under the dark bed, pressing my back against the wall.
For a second, I held my breath, praying,
Please don't see me, please don't see me... I thought they hadn't seen me crawl under.
But then, the heavy footsteps became louder and closer.
Creek... thud... creek...
They were walking right toward my room. They were coming straight near me.
"Mamma..." I whispered in a tiny, broken voice, as a warm, hot tear slipped down my dusty cheek.
And then, right above me, I heard a chilling, mocking chuckle.
"Ah! Look at that.
That little brat is hiding under the bed. What does she even think?
That she can hide herself like this from me?"
And right after that, they both burst out laughing together—a loud, cruel, terrifying sound, just like real monsters in a nightmare.
"By the way, Gabriel, I've found a deal for this brat,"
a rough voice echoed across the room.
"A deal?" my stepfather, Gabriel, asked.
"Yes! It's from Germany! They're ready to pay a really good amount for her," he said.
I was trembling so hard under the bed that I could barely breathe.
I slowly peeked out from under the dust ruffle to see the other man's face.
It was one of my stepfather's friends—someone I had seen coming to our house many times before.
I hated him.
Whenever he came over, bad things happened, and my mom always ended up hurt.
"But they've offered one more deal," that friend of his said.
"What now?" Gabriel grunted.
"They can pay more, or even double, for them both,"
he said, and I saw a creepy, disgusting smirk spread across his face—
a look I hated with every fiber of my being.
"But it's not that easy," Gabriel said with a heavy hint of irritation in his voice.
"That woman is so difficult.
I can somehow manage to get rid of this brat, but it's hard with her mother... damn bitch."
"Also..." Gabriel added, a creepy smile spreading across his face.
"Also...?"
"I haven't even tasted her yet,"
he said, and those vile words literally sent a freezing shiver straight down my spine.
What does he mean by this? Is he gonna hurt Mom again?
"Oh, man!" the other man laughed.
"Then I think you should do it now. That bitch seems to have gone somewhere anyway."
And then they both burst out laughing together—a loud, cruel, creepy laugh that echoed in the small room, making my ears hurt.
I need to run.
Momma... I whispered, as hot tears streamed down my face.
Yes, I can run. I need to run.
I slowly tried to slide myself out from the other end of the bed.
Oh no! It's a solid wall on this side!
Panicking, I had to change direction, slowly and quietly sliding back toward the other side—right behind his back.
Please, Mom... please come back fast. God, please.
"Okay, I can do this."
One...
Two...
Three...
I whispered the numbers to myself and suddenly darted forward.
But I had barely taken two steps when I froze in sheer terror.
Someone caught me roughly from behind.
And...
SLAP!
I fell hard onto the ground, and before I could even catch my breath, he slapped me hard across the face again.
"You little bitch, were you trying to run away from me?" he sneered, as they both burst out laughing.
"Aahh!"
The pain was blinding, and I instantly felt my cheek go completely numb.
Tears streamed down like a flood, and I was crying helplessly in pain. "Please..."
"You brat! You are so useless, just like your mother... that damn bitch!"
Desperate to escape, I tried to crawl across the floor toward the door.
"Ahh!" He yanked me back mercilessly by the back of my shirt.
I felt a sharp, cracking pain shoot through my jaw.
Then, I felt something warm and wet near my lips.
I instinctively wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and when I pulled it away to look in the dim light...
Blood...
So much blood...
I was sobbing so hard now.
My head hurt, my jaw felt like it was shattered, but that monster didn't care at all.
"Wanna join?" Gabriel asked the other man with a sick, twisted smirk.
"I'd love to, but... I've got some other deals to finish. Good luck to you, man."
The man said, returning the smirk.
He gave me one last nasty, cruel look before walking out through the front door, leaving me behind.
My eyes were completely blurred with thick, hot tears.
I was whispering Momma... Momma... constantly over and
over again into the empty room, praying with all my heart for her to come back soon.
I was a complete mess—
my cheeks wet with tears, my whole body red and burning with a high fever and sheer, paralyzing fear.
I was trembling so violently that I couldn't have run even if I had wanted to.
"Ahh!"
I felt his fingers wrap around my wrist in a brutally hard grip, and before I could even process what was happening, he shoved me hard into a corner, causing both of my hands to scrape raw against the rough floor.
Now they were bleeding, too.
My vision was completely blurred with tears.
I tried to shout out, but only weak, broken whispers managed to escape my battered body.
"Please... please, leave me... don't hurt me..."
But he didn't listen.
He squatted down right in front of me, grabbing my jaw like an animal clutching its prey, and pushed it back hard until the back of my head was practically pinned against the rough wall.
"It hurts..." I winced in sharp pain.
But he only smirked.
"Stay right here, you little brat,"
he spat, shoving my face away so hard that it slammed against the wall, leaving my temples
throbbing, swollen, and bruised.
And then he disappeared inside a dark room in the corner—the one room my mom had always strictly forbidden me from ever entering.
I tried to move.
"Ahh!"
—but the pain was blinding.
Every single muscle in my body felt like it was tearing apart.
Still, I tried.
His friend had closed the main front door, but thankfully, it didn't look like it was bolted shut.
I tried to crawl.
I did, even when I knew my hands were bleeding.
I did, even when my legs felt like they were broken.
I did, even when my head was swollen and throbbing.
I did, even when I knew deep down that I might... never be able to escape him.
I dragged myself forward and finally reached the door. I was literally just one single step away from freedom.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
I screamed out in pure terror as he mercilessly yanked me backward by my leg, scraping my stomach raw against the floor as he dragged me across the room and shoved me back down.
He kicked his glass liquor bottles out of the way and turned back toward me with a sickening expression.
"You little bitch!" he yelled as he lunged forward, caging me completely beneath his weight.
His hand traveled straight down to my shorts, clutching my thigh with bruising force.
"Aa!" I screamed in pure agony.
"Where do you think you were going?
I hadn't even tasted you yet,"
he said, his voice echoing with a sickening, evil laugh that made my blood run cold.
He raised his heavy, large hand high into the air, ready to strike me down.
I instinctively squeezed my eyes tightly shut, bracing myself for the sharp, stinging impact of the blow... but it never came.
Slowly, hesitantly, I fluttered my eyes open.
To my absolute shock and relief, Mom was right there.
A surge of desperate hope mixed with terror pierced through me, and I started crying even harder, screaming out at the top of my lungs,
"MUMMAA!"
With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she shoved him away with all her remaining strength and slammed one of the heavy glass liquor bottles lying on the ground straight across his face.
"Gabriel, how dare you do that?!"
she shouted at him, throwing the shattered bottle aside. Without a second thought, she rushed toward me, her hands outstretched, crying out,
"Jay-Jay..."
She dropped to her knees, leaning down to scoop me up into her arms, but before her fingertips could even brush against mine—
He lunged forward with blinding speed, yanking her back violently by her hair.
He slapped her across the face with brutal, merciless force.
Her head slammed hard against the wall with a sickening thud, and a thick stream of dark blood immediately began to trickle down her temple.
I was trembling so violently from head to toe, completely paralyzed.
I didn't know what to do, how to move, or how to save Mom and myself from this nightmare.
"You bitch! I think you're too eager to die, too?!"
he yelled down at Mom, his face twisted in psychotic fury.
Mom tried desperately to push herself up off the floor, but before she could even find her footing, I saw his cold, ruthless eyes dart away from her and lock onto the dressing table in the corner.
The iron.
A deep cut near his lip was bleeding profusely from where Mom had struck him with the bottle.
He wiped his bloody face aggressively with the back of his hand, let out a harsh breath, strode over to the dressing table, and picked it up.
The heavy iron was glowing almost a terrifying, dull red. Mom had completely forgotten to switch it off or unplug it before rushing out the door earlier.
He turned around, walked right past her crumpled form, and marched straight toward me.
He reached down, grabbed me roughly by the arm, and yanked me upward, forcing me to stand on my weak, trembling legs.
Every single muscle in my small body literally screamed in agony.
His iron grip on my arm was so suffocatingly tight, so mercilessly hard, that it hurt worse than anything I had ever felt before.
"Aaa!" I shrieked out, completely unable to control myself as hot tears poured down my face.
It hurt so intensely, so deeply, that my voice cracked and I couldn't even manage a proper scream anymore.
"Noooo! Gabriel, no! Just do whatever you want with me, please leave her, please leave my baby, please leave my daughter!"
Mom screamed, her voice breaking into agonizing, ragged sobs as she dragged her bleeding body across the floor, desperately trying to reach out and pull me back.
"Don't you come near me, okay?!" Gabriel yelled back at her, throwing his head back and laughing harshly, a sound devoid of any human soul.
"Don't you even dare, bitch! Otherwise, I'll kill her right here and now!"
Gabriel's voice echoed through the room with a terrifying, malicious threat.
"Noooo! Please, I'm begging you, don't! Please!"
Mom was crying so hard she could barely breathe, her hands clasped together as she practically crawled at his feet, debasing herself completely just to spare me.
But he just threw his head back and laughed—a cruel, mocking sound that made my skin crawl.
"You were planning to give me a divorce and run away, right?
Well, now you're going to see the exact consequences of crossing me,"
he sneered down at her.
With a vicious flick of his wrist, he shoved me hard off my balance, sending me crashing down onto the cold, hard floor.
Mom tried frantically to scramble toward me, her voice breaking as she cried out,
"Jayyy!"
Before she could even take another step, he was too fast.
He lunged forward, grabbed a handful of her hair, yanked her back mercilessly, and threw her violently aside.
My vision was blurring, fading at the very edges into a heavy, dark haze.
I was barely conscious, hanging onto reality by a single, fragile thread.
And before I could even fully comprehend what was happening next, I saw Mom lunging toward me with a desperate, heartbroken scream—right as a searing, blinding agony ripped across my back.
The heavy, red-hot iron pressed down, burning deep into my skin in my back.
The pain was so absolute, so overwhelming, that my lungs locked up.
I didn't even have the power left to scream anymore.
Just silent, heavy, unstoppable tears ran down my pale cheeks, soaking the dusty floor beneath me.
Instantly, Mom was there, catching me as I slumped forward.
She pulled me tightly, desperately to her chest, shielding me with her own body as she sobbed out a broken, shattered cry.
Gabriel laughed—a sickening, triumphant sound as he looked down at the two of us.
"SEE? I told you what happens!"
he mocked, his voice dripping with cruelty.
But then, something shifted. Through the blur of my tears, I saw Mom's eyes change.
The helpless fear in them vanished entirely, replaced by a fierce, dark, blazing fire of absolute maternal rage.
"GABRIELLLLLL!"
She screamed his name with every ounce of fury and despair left in her soul. And before either of us—before even Gabriel—could process a single thing, Mom's hand darted out across the floor.
Her fingers locked around the jagged, broken neck of the liquor bottle she had smashed earlier.
With one swift, furious, unstoppable motion, she drove the sharp glass straight into his neck.
Gabriel choked, his eyes widening in sudden, utter shock.
The harsh laugh died instantly in his throat.
He dropped the iron, clawing desperately at his neck as he stumbled backward and crashed hard onto the floor, a dark, thick pool of blood rapidly spreading across the tiles all around him.
I was just sitting there, completely frozen in shock, my wide, terrified eyes locked on the dark blood pooling around his neck.
But Mom didn't look at him. She immediately scooped me up into her lap, her hands trembling violently.
Ignoring the heavy stream of blood still flowing from the wound on her own head, she began gently, frantically wiping the tears and blood from my face with her sleeve.
She was crying nonstop, rocking back and forth, repeating the same words over and over again like a broken prayer.
"I'm sorry, my baby... I'm so, so sorry. I'm the one who brought you into all of this mess..."
Realizing we couldn't stay here for another second, she dragged herself up, pulling me along with her.
She led me step by shaky step toward the main door, which was still standing wide open where his friend had left it.
She cupped my bruised, tear-streaked face in her hands, her voice cracking with desperate urgency.
"Jay... baby, just listen to Mom right now.
You need to run.
Don't look back, don't stop for anything... just run from here. I'll be with you very soon."
_______________________
Hey buddies how are u?
I hope u guys like the chapter
See you soon
Love u 😘❤️