I sat there, eyes clamped shut, huddled in the corner of my room… waiting.

Waiting for the monster

to come charging in, waiting for him to drag me to my feet and toss me from wall to wall like I was
some kind of rag doll. I suppose I could have run from the monster, but there was something inside
of me, screaming at me to stay put. “Don’t give up. Don’t back down!” it whispered to me, echoing in
my head. Not once did I back down, even when I knew I should have.

My mind drifted to a safer place, some place that felt warm, like a mother’s embrace, but I knew
that could never be. My mother was dead, she died in child birth, and ever since, the monster has
blamed me. It’s what pushed him over the edge; I caused his insanity, unknowingly causing my own
demise. I retreated further into my safe place, both mentally and physically, becoming one with the
solid white wall behind me. Unfortunately though, the monster saw past my camouflage when he
erupted into my room, slamming the door so hard behind him it rattled the old house on its frames.

I clenched my eyes tighter still, and they would have remained closed the entire time, had it not
been for the small pen shaped object the monster threw at me. It rebounded off my cheek and
landed on the floor beside me. I picked it up and peered at it through misty eyes, clouded over with
unshed tears – not once have I let the monster see me cry. But at that moment, realisation dawned
on me, as it had dawned on the monster when he had found my hidden secret. Who would have
thought two little lines could cause so much harm?

Shaking with fear, I prepared myself the best I could for the inevitable onslaught of physical blows
the monster would relay on my petite form.

“Please don’t… please, I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of it, I swear.” I whispered, through chattering teeth,
despite the warm air inside my room. The chills came from inside of me, a place that could never be
warmed.

“You bloody tart!” the monster spat back at me, his cruel, merciless gazing like daggers piercing
through me. And with that, he grabbed my throat so fast I didn’t even have the chance to yell. He
lifted me high, then tossed me against the wall, my head slamming backwards into the plaster.
Things became foggy then, sounds became muffled, but the pain... it never dimmed.

I kept both my eyes and my mouth shut, for fear of saying something that would anger the monster
further, or seeing something that would haunt me for the rest of my life – however long that may
be. My arms stayed limp at my side, my legs dangled like twigs, and my head lolled after the impact
it made against the dirty white walls. I felt something sticky running down my face, and assumed it
was blood. It did not startle me as much as it should have, after all, what’s a cut compared to a
lifetime of broken bones and bruises, and the aching pain in my heart.

The monster slapped me then, with a blunt force so hard I flew backwards, my whole body slamming
against the wall. My head struck harder than ever, and everything slowly went black. I was vaguely
aware of the ripping pain in my abdomen, and the sticky wetness between my legs. I opened my
eyes slightly, and saw the pregnancy test lying on the floor. The two lines indicated positive, but the
cramping in my lower stomach and the blood between my legs told a different story. ‘I got rid of it
Daddy’ was the last thought in my head, before my eyelids slowly closed, and I was swallowed by the
darkness.