Boss Next Door

“Mom, please wake up,” I beg her. “Please, give me a sign that everything is okay with you. I’m scared, Mom. I’m terrified. I got here as soon as I could, and I need to know that it was fast enough. Mom, I need you.” I feel myself breaking down. “Oh God, Mom I’m scared. I can’t live without you. I can’t have him kill you…”

But she doesn’t stir, she doesn’t move, she gives me nothing. I’m sure that she’s still in there somewhere, wanting to give me a sign that everything is okay, but somehow she can’t. And that’s what kills me, the fact that she can’t. I weep, the tears flow hard and fast from my eyes, I collapse on top of her, begging her to stay with me. I really can’t lose my mother like this, I don’t want David to win, I wouldn’t be able to stand any of it.

Bang! I leap up as I hear the front door slamming open. It’s loud, it’s someone who isn’t afraid to make noise, which I can only assume is Will. He has gotten tired of waiting outside for me, not knowing what’s going on, and now he wants to know what’s happened. I might not want him in here with me, I may not need him to see the sad reality of my life, but I guess we will be beyond that now. He’s here, it’s all too late.

“Will,” I cry out, hoping that he can hear me. “Will, I’m upstairs. Me and Mom are up the stairs.”

I collapse forwards into tears once more, the emotion getting the better of me one more time. I can hardly hold myself upright because this has made me such a mess. Where the fuck is the ambulance? Why haven’t the paramedics turned up yet to save the day? Or maybe they have, perhaps that’s who it is.

“I will be right back, Mom,” I whisper in a hurried tone of voice. “I’m getting help.”

Just in case this is the ambulance and the paramedics can’t hear me, I race to the top of the stairs. I lean over, staring to the bottom of the stairs but there isn’t anyone there. What the hell is going on?

“Hello?” I yell out. “Will? Ambulance people? Who the hell is it? Mom is up here. She needs urgent help.”

But I get nothing back. The house has gone back to silence once more. Could it have been just the door swinging open? I don’t know if I shut it fully behind me when I raced inside. To be fair, I was in a bit of a state. So, I might be in a mess for no reason. I rush over to the nearest window to me where I can see the street in front of the house, wanting to see if there is an ambulance out there, to give me a clue. But I’m disappointed to see nothing. Nothing has changed… oh apart from the driver’s door on Will’s side of the car is wide open. He definitely isn’t in there any longer. It must have been him coming inside, but where the hell does that leave him now?

“Will, where are you?” I lean down and scream even louder. “Will, I’m up here.”

Bang… I jump again. Bang, bang. It definitely isn’t the front door this time around. Bang, bang, bang.

My heart stops dead. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be listening to but it freaks me the hell out. It isn’t a normal sound and since this is already a messed up situation I don’t need that. I glance back at where my mother is laying, hoping that she will be okay for just a couple of moments while I find out what’s happening. I need to, I have to know if this is going to get any worse than it already is… if that’s even possible.

“Will?” I can barely hear over the pounding in my ears. I do know there is definitely still banging though, “Will?”

Holy shit. I don’t find Will until I reach the kitchen and it’s immediately obvious that he isn’t alone. David is still here after all, and he has that mean drunk look in his eyes. He is also covered in blood which I can only presume belongs to my poor injured mother… not that he cares enough about what he’s done to check in on her.

“You little slut,” David growls at me, spittle flying out of his mouth with every angry word. “How dare you bring some asshole into my house. Who is this man anyway? Someone you have been fucking, you little whore? And what is he doing here? Huh? You want the blessing of me and your mother for this shambles? You swan off and come back to let us know that you have turned into a prostitute? That will kill your mother.”