Page 166

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

A crack echoes as he forces his weight forward, the rope above him creaking under the strain.

He hits the ground hard—too hard—and I hear the sickening impact; knowing it’s tearing his wounds open but he does it again.

And again. Again.

As his father kisses me, again and again.

“Sergei.” I whisper. “Stop hurting yourself.” My voice sounds foreign to my own ears, caught somewhere between the haunting melody in my head and the jarring reality before me.

“No, malyshka. You’re hurting me.” He voice is rough with pain.

Vasily tears the camisole apart. “Fuck these tits, I get it why its driving my son mad.” He adds, my entire body trembles as unwanted hands cup my chest, my brain unable to comprehend the reality.

I try to focus on Sergei’s thrashing in front of me as he attempts to free himself from the rope, but it’s slowly fading into the background.

Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, And down will come baby, cradle and all.

“Ahhh…I might just keep you, golden bird.” Vasily’s ugly moans grate on my nerves, my chest heaving and I keep on wondering why am I not fainting, why am I still seeing this.

Why? Fucking why?

“No. Leave her alone. I will burn you alive, Vasily!!” Another sickening crack of Sergei’s injured, bleeding legs meets the floor.

My hands land on the man’s chest to push him when I feel a hard object beneath my palm.

I freeze.

My breathing falters as the haze begins to lift. The room sharpens around me, and I’m left panting, my thoughts spiralling through endless possibilities.

I wrap my hands around his neck as he licks my exposed nipples, towering over me.

I’m swift yet scared with my movements, the moment I feel the cold metal against my fingers, a broken breath escapes me, half sob, half hiccup, as my fingers close around the keys in his pocket.

For a split second, everything stills.

Holding his head in place where he’s sucking my nipples, I take the keys out of his pocket and jam it in Vasily’s neck just as Sergei tugs one last time, the ropes giving way and he falls on the ground.

He doesn’t waste a second and runs towards me as Vasily’s blood splutters from his neck, covering my face and I watch in horror.

His eyes widening, his hands clawing at his own neck to stop the bleeding but I press harder, rotating it.

Not taking it out.

Fully aware, I won’t have enough strength to pierce it through his skin again.

He thrashes and moans for a different reason this time as life leaves his body slowly.

I just killed someone—

No.

I killed Sergei’s abuser.

Vasily’s slow unravelling causes a maniac smile to spread across my face as I feel the weight being lifted both metaphorically and literally as Sergei shoves his father off with a force that feels almost inhuman.