Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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December was coming as the icy grey sky restlessly grumbled. A thick blackened clouds were dragged down by the heavy rain which it held in its delicate frame. The clouds which struggled to withstand the burden of the weight which the rain held, soon gave in. The rain poured down over the city with a roar. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder. On the side of the street, a young teenage boy crouched in front of the closed bakery shop. He had messy wet hair, dark and lustrous, shine like fine hardwood. His ivory white sneakers were tattery old, reluctantly dipped in the huge pond. The dark clumsy hoodie he wore seemed to be thick enough to keep him warm in this weather. The rain pattered dismally against the dorms, Finn gazed his constellation eyes upward into the downpour, then raised one of his hands outside the provisional shelter. Each droplet flowing into his arm and alighted on his skin which made part of the sleeve drenched with rain. He dismally stood up, put his hood on and his hands in the pocket, finally moved down the street. The cold icy rain pierced through the layers of clothes, clinged to his shivering body. Finn walked across the slippery path, his posture weakened by the weight of his soaked clothes. He traversed the streets without any clear conception of where he was or what he was doing. His heart palpitated in the sickness of fear, he was terrified of what was about to happen, he was afraid that he had to witness that scene again when he arrived home. The quality of darkness shifted in the sky but the rain kept pouring. Finn pacing the street with regular steps, despite the cold pelting rain as well as the splashing of vehicles driving through puddles. He was heading toward his house as it was 100 metres ahead. The harsh rain obliterated the crystal reflection of the sky and turned it into an disorientated chaos, resembling a bad omen which was supposed to come.

Not for the first time, the prayers resounded from the house of 13th Wayne Road. It was droning on and on with the gloomy tone from dawn to dusk which made neighbors afraid every time they passing. Inside, the middle aged women kneeled in front of the altar of Jesus with her hands clasped together. Her long, wavy dark hair was entangled into a big braid. She was wearing a dreadfully long ragged dress that vaguely covered remarkable bruises and scars. Her skin was anaemically pale and fragile, yet filled with wrinkles and dark spots due to aging and weariness. After hours praying, she wretchedly stood up and came towards the couch to take a rest. She had been doing this since really young age. Partly because her parents were the faithfuls, who went to cathedrals every day, but mostly she found herself serene and relieve when praying. Ella groped for a crispy green apple while taking out a kitchen knife from the table's drawer. She knew this is her son's favorite fruit that she wanted to make him surprised. The mother gently used the knife to peel off the apple skin, took out the seeds and finally cut it into small pieces. Then, she looked out of the window, it's still raining outside and the sun already went down; but her son hadn't made his way home or called her yet. While immersing in anxious thoughts, Ella didn't notice her drunk husband was imposing at the front door. He was struggling to keep his balance with his hand held on the wall, soon exhaustedly passing Ella and approached to the cabinet next to the worship area. The harsh scent of alcohol can be smelt from distance from his lumbering body. He nastily rummaged all the drawers and tossed everything out of it. All things were sloppily lying on the floor, but not the thing he looking for, Josh started losing his temper, wrathfully exclaimed.

''Where is my money?", his voice rose above the sacred silence.

"I... I used it to buy some apples for our son. He looks really sickly recently.'', Ella swallowed her fear, gently responded. She expected what she just said could calm him down for a bit, because part of her still believed Josh was a good father, that he would never do harm to his son, at least... Ella put down the knife and placed a plate of apples on the side of the table and stood up, next she came beside Josh in order to set his mind at ease. Ella loved him, with all of her heart, but her love was blind and it was no longer become his concern. No longer did he hang on her words or surrender himself to her caress. His habit of consuming alcohol to satisfy himself after a strained working day only left room for a rage he could not suppress and there was no other target but her.

Josh furiously turned his back and darted up towards Ella. He viciously grasped her dress collar in order to move her closer. The smell of alcohol roused to Ella's nose, causing her dizziness.

''How dare you steal my money, b****. You know your tasks are to follow what I say and obediently stay at home doing chores or chanting. You are just a servant, actually a dog that I reluctantly brought home. You have no right to decide anything in this house, especially money issues. If you don't obey my command, or simply go tell the copes, I'll kill you. Understand?", Josh hideously whispered into Ella's ear, his hand ruthlessly hit her face and she fell with the force of it. She struggled furiously and fell down in a fit.

The moment Ella tragically lying on the cold floor, Finn had just entered the house, his clothes still wet, soaked in water. Witnessing that heartless scene, he hastily ran to his mother, picked her up and glared at Josh, his biological father. He clenched his fist in order to suppress his anger.

"Why the hell would you do that? Why did you hit my mom?'', Finn shouted angrily while holding his mother on his arm. There were nights he lay in his bed listening to the sound of fighting. His mother would shout, his father would begin laying into her and the screaming would start. She cried, he seethed, and he pushed his face into the long toy snake his three year old body was wrapped around. He would think to himself how when his mother left, he would leave with her, flee the violence. He knew his mother was suffering for so long, he wanted to help but he didn't know what to do, because his mother genuinely loved his father.

Josh looked at Finn with scornful eyes, he laughed hideously, ''You asked me why? Because she deserves it.'' In a sudden, Josh approached to Finn and violently grasped a pinch of his hair, then threateningly spoke with his eyes wide-open.

''And you, son of that b****, if you go, your fate will be like he....''

Before Josh could finish his words, Finn spitting onto Josh's face. In a second, Josh's anger had reached the top, he punched to Finn's face and throwed him towards the sofa. The knife and the plate of apple were crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces. Immediately, Josh lunged into Finn, not to let him escape, he gave Finn a bash in eyes and incessantly hit to his face. Finn's face now was heavily stained with blood and bruises but Josh hadn't stopped beating. The teenage boy secretly hid the fruit knife he had grabbed, just now behind his back. He was trying to suppress the pain as well as the rage and waiting for the opportunity to come. Once Josh came close enough to Finn, he immediately groped for a knife and stabbed Josh into the stomach. The knife met flesh, soft and pudgy, and made a satisfying squish as the tip of the blade sank deep enough to make the victim scream. He twisted the blade in his hands while sinking it deeper and deeper. All his anger, agony and hatred were sent into that stab.

''That's for my mom...'', Finn glanced hatefully to Josh. It was so unexpected that Josh totally lost his words, yet sank to his knees, continuing to scream, convulsing and trembling like a rabid animal and thick blood flowing freely from the gaping hole in his back. His coat was stained with blood in several places. When Josh was completely motionless that he couldn't do anything, Finn pushed his half dead body out and immediately rushed to his mother who were still unconscious on the floor. Finn hugged his mom tightly, regardless of his bloody hands and scarlet liquid squirting up all over him, as if its his last time hugging her, then looked at her affectionately.

''I could do it mom...''