Where Cruelty Lies

Chapter Five

    WARNING - This chapter depicts scene's of physical abuse that some readers may find distressing.

Walking back into the house, Elise trailing beside me, hanging on to my hand as she tried to keep herself upright but her eyes were drooping, I led her into the kitchen, peering nervously around the lounge doorway before releasing a sigh of relief.  Dad's chair was empty, which means he was either at the pack house, the local bar or the off licence, sitting my sister in a chair at the kitchen table, I fixed her a sandwich and warmed her some milk, watching her eat and drink before leading her upstairs and pushing her into the bathroom, reminding her to brush her teeth.

'I'll be checking Elise, don't make me almost pass out like last night, brush them properly' I teased as she giggled behind the closed door, 'two minutes! i'm timing you! and no running the faucet and sitting on the bath edge either' I added, smiling as I heard a small squeak and her feet hitting the floor as she jumped up quickly.

A few minutes later, the door opened and she came back outside to where I was waiting, pulling my hand so I would bend down to her level before breathing on me grinning.

'All clean, see?' she said before running into her room, I waited outside for a few minutes to give her time to change, she was still young enough that she didn't care about undressing in front of me or our father but she was a growing she wolf and I wanted her to know that she could have privacy when she felt she needed it.

Peeking in the room I saw her sat up in her bed, a grin plastered on her face as she waited for me to come and tuck her in.  Striding in, I sat on the edge of the bed while she wriggled her way into the covers, pulling them up to her chin, before looking at me expectantly.

Laughing, I pressed my hands down each side of her, pushing the blankets under her sides till she was tucked in tight.

'Snug as a bug in a rug' I said with a smile before planting a kiss on her forehead and walking back to the bedroom door.

'Brandon?' came her sweet little voice.

'Yes Angel?' I asked turning back to her.

Grinning she said, 'night night, sleep tight'

Chuckling I replied, 'don't let the bed bugs bite' before stepping onto the landing and pulling the door too behind me, making sure to not close it completely as I knew Elise liked to have that little bit of light in her room and I liked to know I could hear her if she called me.  That didn't happen often anymore, it was only the odd occasion when she had a nightmare, but it was still something I couldn't bear to stop doing, it gave me comfort to know I could hear her if she needed me.

Falling into my own bed, I quickly dragged out the homework I had due in tomorrow before getting up, brushing my teeth and flicking my light off, curling up under the covers as I fell into a fitful sleep.

I was woken by a heavy breathing on my neck, opening my eyes I was greeted by the furious and pain filled eyes of my father, they were not quite in focus which told me he was heavily intoxicated even if his breath wasn't making my head spin with the alcohol I could smell there.

Grabbing my hair, he dragged me out of the blankets, out the door and down the stairs, with me trying to keep my feet underneath me so that our descent wouldn't wake Elise.  He knew I would follow him willingly, i'd told him many times when I was younger that I wouldn't fight his wrath but he still insisted my beatings started in this way.  It was like he felt he was showing me kindness to allow me to walk to my own torture rather than drag me there.

Reaching the basement, dad released my hair, his hands scrabbling around on the work bench for the metal chains as I scrambled to my feet behind him, holding out my wrists as he turned toward me, his eyes black, the shadow of his wolf pacing behind his gaze.

Chaining me up, he snapped the padlock closed before dragging me over to the fastening in the ceiling, forcing my hands upwards to bring the chain over the edge and into the grove of the hook before stepping back and balling his fists.

Growling menacingly, he forced his fist into the side of my ribs sending me swaying to the left, waiting for my body to swing back again before hitting me again.  Over and over I swung away and toward my fathers fists, refusing to make a sound as he pummeled my ribs until he heard that satisfying c***k that told him he had broken at least one.

Moving round, he repeated the process to my left side, punch after punch as I gasped for breath.  Suddenly a fist landed on my nose, flattening it as blood pored out of my nostrils, running down my bare chest and onto the floor.  Raising his knee, he slammed it into my stomach, then a fist to my face and a head butt that left me seeing stars.

Grabbing a large spanner from the work bench, my father began to beat at my body with it, hitting every inch he could find, cracking against my thighs, and back, the end bringing up large welts in my skin from his force.

Stepping back, he looked at me with venom, spitting on the floor as he growled 'you worthless piece of dirt, f*****g murderer who dares to live under my roof, you should die for what you did.'

Suddenly he stepped back to the table, feeling around in the semi darkness until I heard the sound of a lighter, my father turning back to me with a lit blow torch in his hands, his evil grin sending a shiver of fear through my body as I watched him inch toward me.  In all the years my father her taken his temper out on me, he had always stopped short of killing me, but tonight, with the torch in his hands I started to panic that he was not going to be able to let me go.

Aiming the flame in my direction, he swung it slowly, purposefully toward my foot that was scrabbling at the floor as I tried to get away from him, willing my legs to take my weight so I could unhook my hands and run.  As his eyes gleamed in the light from the burning flame a small voice floated down from upstairs, 

'Brandon!' Elisa called, fear in her voice, 'Brandon, help me! the monster is going to get me, please! Brandon' she called out, her voice full of sleep as her cries got louder.

Shaking his head, my fathers eyes turned back to their usual brown as he stared at me with loathing, turning off the blow torch, he threw it on to the bench before heaving himself up the stairs where I could hear him making his way to Elise's room, calling out, 'it's OK baby girl, daddy is coming'.

Swinging from the hook I stayed motionless, waiting until my father footsteps returned to the lounge, his chair creaked and his loud snores filled the house.

Slowly I lifted my hands from the hook, slumping to the floor as I whimpered from the pain, crawling over to the work bench and reaching for the key to unlock myself from my bonds.  Laying on the cold cement floor of the basement I didn't even try to move, falling into a semi sleep for a few hours, giving my body time to heal.

Waking up as day break peeked over the horizon, the sun falling onto my face through the small dirty window, I staggered to my feet, grabbing the blow torch and hiding it among the rubbish that had accumulated since my mothers death.  Climbing the stairs and stepping into the shower, I washed off the blood from my body, wrapped a towel around myself and stepped back into my room, sorting out my bed and throwing on some clothes before heading into Elise's room to wake her up for school.