Page 108 of Black Flag

I felt a curl of nauseaas I spoke. “Your career has been destroyed because of your own stupidity,Darrin.” I spun around to face him. I wanted to kill him for what he did toJameson in Pocono and his stupidity in Summerville.

I wanted so badly torun but I was frozen in place once I was staring back at him. Darrin grasped myarm firmly. And suddenly I realized what Darrin meant by revenge. He was goingto desecrate my body first. It became obvious to me the second I felt his freehand groping my breasts. Involuntarily, I made a whimpering sound, even morescared than I had been. I didn’t feel anything except the utter repulsivenessof having him touch me.

“Stay away from me!” Iscreamed but my voice was cut off by his hand over my mouth.

My talking earned me ahard pinch to my nipple, making me cry out. “No talking, Sway,” Darrin breathedin my ear, his breath stinking of vodka. “I only want your body. I want him toknow I took the only thing that mattered to him.”

His hand wandered up myshirt. I knew then that I’d rather die than feel what I was feeling. Darrin’squesting fingers prodded around my shirt, groping my funbags. It only hurt me.My tears couldn’t be helped. They streaked down my face and soaked into thefront my shirt, my fear evident.

“Don’t hold out now,fucking scream!” he roared in my ear, forcing himself hard against me. “Beg himto save you!”

My hearts thunderingrhythm kept me from speaking. I only stared at the wall above his shoulder.

“Beg him to protect youlike he said he would!” and when I didn’t respond, his frustration got to him,his tone vibrating my entire body.“Fucking scream!”

I wasn’t going to allowhim to takeanythingfrom me. Not when my mind drifted to what could betaken from me now.

With as much strengthas I could muster, my fist rose and I punched him square in the nose. Not thatI did any damage besides piss him off, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

“You fucking bitch!” heroared back at me wiping blood from his nose.

Apparently I did dodamage, and I was pretty sure my hand was broken now at the sharp painsshooting through it.

Darrin’s hand came upand slapped me hard across the face; my hands immediately went to my throbbingcheek as I tried to steady my footing on the stairs but before I could, Darringave me one hard push.

The only thoughtrunning through my head in that moment was my baby. Instead of instinct, andprotecting my head as I fell down stair after stairs, my arms cradled my baby,protecting him. The mother within me was looking out for her unborn child.

The painwas all encompassing flowing through my head in radiating waves. I knewsomething was wrong and silently prayed my child would make it.

I tried to scream forJameson, Emma, or anyone but no words where coming out that I could hear. Itried to kick and fight but I felt my body giving up the fight with a blow tomy head.

With my last effort, myhands raised instinctively to protect my stomach, my eyes closed and I driftedaway.

Who decides if you liveor die?

Who tells you to fightor who tells you to run?

Who makes the decisionthat changes the course you’re on to the one you’re heading to?

You do. You have thepower to make the choice.

I had one choice.

I could fight or Icould give in.

It was simple really.Your life is always made up of choices.

Living and dying.

It’s an importantchoice but the shitty thing was,it’s not always inour hands.

Sometimes others holdthe answer.

Black Flagged –Emma

“Where’s Sway?” Mom askedlooking toward the television in the corner of the suite that showed nothingbut rain showers and impending thunderstorms.

When Sway hadn’treturned after twenty minutes my gut instinct told me that something was wrong.

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