Page 36 of Ravaged By the Dark

Renee’s head was on a swivel as she ran toward the bus stop—quickly checking the darkened driveways and bushes as she sprinted past them. She knew he couldn’t suddenly materialize out of nowhere, but he had enough men working for him that he didn’t need to search for her. Car lights flashed on the road, letting her know a vehicle was coming up behind her, and her heart sputtered until she spotted the bus. She said a little prayer of thanks as the bus passed her and pulled over just as she arrived.

Breathing heavily, she jumped up the bus steps and tossed her bag on a seat near the front because she needed to stay in view of the bus camera. Pulling the hood up on her sweater, she scrunched down and made herself as small as possible. Her heart was still beating fast, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her fear of Tyson felt like an anaconda around her throat.

After a moment, she punched her leg and savored the little bit of pain as she swore in her head, angry that she let that piece of shit intimidate her.

She needed to get the hell out of this city. She’d mentioned to Francine about leaving the state and had ideas of how to accomplish a move floating around her mind.

She had nothing holding her here. All she had to do was clear out her accounts and buy a pair of bus tickets to the middle of nowhere. She and J.J. could start a whole new life. They could lay low…or fuck, just some good news would be nice. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then unzipped her bag and pulled out the envelope from the Martha Graham dance school.

She stared at the front of it like it was the Holy Grail.

“Please, please, let this be good news. Please, for the love of god, let something go my way.” Taking a deep breath, she ripped open the brown envelope.

Renee giggled as she ran around the backyard, her short legs not fast enough to get away from her daddy, who was making silly scary faces. She squealed as he lifted her off the ground and tossed her in the air, her dress floating around her like she was flying. He caught her, his strong arm wrapping her up, and she laughed.

She gripped her daddy’s face in her hands and kissed his nose. “You da best daddy!”

“I love you too, pumpkin,” he said as he carried her into the house.

“We need to talk,” her mommy yelled as they walked inside. She was waving papers around, and Renee cuddled into her father’s chest, burying her face in his neck.

“Rosalind, you’re scaring her.” Her daddy rubbed circles over her back.

“How do you expect me to be calm, Kyle? Our water is shut off, and we’re being kicked out of the house! This is an eviction notice.” Mommy waved the paperwork around again.

She shook in her daddy’s arms. She hated it when mommy got mad like this—she was so scary. Daddy walked her over the stairs and placed her on her feet. “Hey Pumpkin, mommy and I need to talk. Why don’t you go upstairs and play, and later we can get ice cream.”

“Really,” she asked, excited because ice cream was something they never got to have.

“Yes, really. I promise as soon as mommy and I finish our adult conversation, we will head out.” Her daddy smiled wide. It was the most beautiful smile. It lit up the room and made her feel happy.

“Okay.” She ran up the stairs, but she knew that they were going to do more than talk. They were going to yell at one another. It was something that happened every day, and she hated it.

“Oh sure, promise her ice cream when we don’t even have water!” her mommy yelled. The sound of her voice made her bottom lip shake.

“Rosalind, get a grip. I have it under control, and stop yelling in front of the kids.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do. If you made more money, we wouldn’t be in this position!”

“Me? Take a look in the mirror, Rosalind! You don’t work, you buy clothes that you don’t need, you drink more and more every fucking day, and now you’re taking drugs. Don’t think I don’t know about your latest habit. Next, you’ll be fucking your way around town for your next hit.”

There was a loud cracking sound, and she knew mommy hit daddy.

“You bitch!” There was a thud noise and a small yell before her mother squealed.

Renee pulled her knees up and rocked back and forth as the sounds of swearing and cupboards slamming floated up from the kitchen.

“How dare you say that! I’m a good mother.”

“Says no one other than you.”

“What are you going to do, Kyle? You going to hit me?”

“I should. Maybe it would knock some sense into that fucking head of yours. My parents warned me not to get involved with you, and I wish I’d listened.” Renee had never heard her daddy so mad. He was always smiling, and even when she did something wrong, he never yelled at her.

“Your parents are racist fuckers!”

Renee clamped her arms over her ears as the screaming reached new levels. A knock sounded at the door, and no one noticed. She slowly walked down the stairs as the knock came again. She peeked out the curtain, and a man in a uniform was at her door. She twisted the handle, and the two men stepped into the house.