Chapter 57

 Tommy grabbed my wrist and pulled me up the stairs as I struggled in his grasp. His grip tightened and I yelped out in pain. Tommy pulled me into my room and pushed me onto the bed. I bolted up so that I was sitting. I was relieved to see Tommy was over by the closet. He was not forcing himself on me. Not yet, at least.

Tommy pulled out a duffel bag and threw it on the ground. He opened up the drawers and tossed in my clothes.

“Tommy, I’m not going anywhere,” I said.

He glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. I felt my stomach slide up into my throat.

“Jules, don’t argue,” he said.

“I’m not going to be yours,” I said.

I slid off the bed. My knees shook underneath me. Tommy threw the strap of the bag over his shoulder and turned around to look at me. His jaw was clenched and his fists were balled.

“I’m putting our stuff in the car,” he said. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. I’m going to find the money and gun that Dad hid in the barn.”

“I’m not-“

Tommy grabbed the back of my head and smashed his lips against mine. I tried to push him away, but it caused him to kiss me even harder. I turned my head so that his lips brushed against my cheek. He twisted his fingers through my hair and pulled my head back.

“When we leave you better have a better attitude,” he warned me. “If you don’t, there will be serious consequences. Understand?”

I nodded and Tommy let go. He stormed down the steps. I did not move until I heard the kitchen door slam shut. I ran down the stairs, grabbed Hunter, and cradled him to my chest. I hurried back up the stairs and into Tommy’s room.

Carrie was lying on her stomach. Her red back glistened in the morning light. Trickles of blood had dried on her bare ribs. Her eyes were puffy from crying.

“Julie,” she said. Her voice was hoarse.

“Can you watch Hunter?” I asked, setting him down next to her. Carrie smiled and raised her hand so that she could rub his stomach.

I grabbed Tommy’s dresser and dragged it across the ground. Carrie looked up at me when she heard the screech across the wooden floor.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

She raised herself off the bed, and her face winced in pain. I pulled the dresser in front of the door.

“I need to keep Tommy out of the room,” I said.

“Why?” she asked. “Is he angry?”

“A bit. We need to keep him out of here until Jimmy gets home. He will keep us safe.”

“Julie, we need to leave.”

The kitchen door slammed downstairs and my heart jumped in my chest. The dresser wasn’t going to keep Tommy out. I wish I still had that lock on the bathroom door.

“We need to push the bed toward the door,” I said. “Can you stand?”

Carrie nodded and struggled to get onto her feet. I grabbed the mess of blankets and threw them onto the floor. I picked up Hunter and set him down. I helped Carrie as she sunk down into the nest of blankets.

“Julie?” Tommy called out.

“Be quiet,” I whispered to Carrie.

I pushed the bed toward the door. I cursed as the bed screeched across the floor.

“Julie, where are you?” Tommy asked, and then a door slammed shut.

His steps became louder as he walked toward the room. I looked around the room for something else to barricade the door with, but there was nothing.

The door opened only a crack. I could not see Tommy, but I knew that he must be glaring through the thin opening.

“Open this door!” he shouted.

I looked over to see Carrie shaking. Her hand was over her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. The tears were running down her face.

“Julie, open this door now,” Tommy growled.

The door banged into the dresser. Each time the door hit the dresser, it moved back a little bit.

“I’m going to cut you if you don’t open this door!” he shouted.

Tommy threw himself into the door again. A small box fell off of the counter and spilled on the floor. My stomach twisted when I remembered the teeth Tommy collected from all of his victims.

I ran to Hunter and Carrie. Carrie buried her face in the sheets, but I could hear her sobs. I picked up Hunter and ran to the closet. I wrapped him up in a sheet and placed him in the closet. I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“Mommy loves you so much,” I said. My voice wavered as I tried to hold back the tears.

“Julie, open this fucking door!”

It threw me off to hear Tommy swear. Carrie cried even harder. I closed the closet door.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said.

Tommy bashed into the door again. The door opened enough for Tommy to squeeze through the door frame. He jumped onto the dresser and hopped down onto the bed. Sweat was dripping down his face and he was gritting his teeth.

“Julie, what kind of start is this?” he asked. “We’re starting our lives together and now I am going to have to teach you a lesson.”

He reached into his pocket and fished out his knife. He flipped open the blade and smirked.

“Give me your arm,” he said.

“No,” I said, holding my arm to my chest.

“Your arm or your stomach,” he said. “Make your choice.”

“Tommy, please,” I said.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist. I yanked it out of his grasp and slapped him across the face. Tommy took a step back stunned. I ran over to the door. I climbed over the bed and dresser and slipped into the hallway. I stumbled down the steps and into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife off the counter and held it out in front of me. Tommy ran down the stairs with the knife in his hands.

“You have gotten yourself into a lot of trouble,” Tommy said.

“Stay away from me,” I said. My hands were trembling and the end of the blade shook.

Tommy flipped the blade back in and shoved it in his pocket. His smirk told me that I hadn’t won.

“No problem,” he said. “If I really want to hurt you I have to go after someone else. Where is Hunter?”

“Stay away from my baby,” I said.

“No, I think I’ll snap his neck. That would be salt in the wound for Jim. Not only did I take his girl away, but I also killed his baby.”

Tommy turned on his heels and headed for the stairs. I ran toward him and jumped onto his back. I wrapped my arm with the knife in it around his neck and I clawed at his face with my free hand.

“Get off me!” he shouted.

He grabbed my wrist. I tried to tighten my grip on him, but he was trying to shake me off. He backed up and slammed me against the wall. I yelped and clawed at his face even harder. I could feel Tommy’s blood collect under my nails.

Tommy grunted before grabbing my arm and flipping me over his shoulder. The pain ran up my spine as my back collided with the floor. The knife had fallen out of my hand and was lying on the floor next to me. I reached out to grab it, but Tommy stepped on it with his foot.

“You’re not being a good girl, Jules,” he said. “I didn’t think you were like this.”

Tommy picked up the knife and twirled it in his hand. I tried to get back onto my feet, but Tommy swung his foot out and kicked me in the stomach. I screamed and grabbed my abdomen as I crumpled onto the floor. Tommy laughed and leaned down so that he was sitting on his heels.

“I don’t need you, Jules,” he said. “I’ve taken all of the money from the barn, and that should last me quite some time. I couldn’t find the gun though. However, I don’t need you either. I can get my own girl. There are plenty of girls who will do whatever I ask them to do.”

Tommy tightened his grip on the knife before swinging his arm down. The knife buried itself deep into my leg. I screamed as the fiery pain erupted in my thigh. The tears ran out of my eyes.

“But here’s the thing, Jules,” he said as he slowly turned the blade in my thigh.

My back arched as pain overtook my body. I could hear myself pleading for him to stop, but it did not sound like my voice. It sounded so distant and so far away. The edges of my vision were going black.

“If I leave that means Jimmy wins,” he said. He ripped the blade out of my flesh and I screamed. “If I leave that means Jimmy gets two girls. Even though Carrie is nothing but trouble.”

I could barely see through my blurry vision. My leg l felt like it was on fire. Tommy raised the knife and pointed the blade down at my chest.

“You were perfect, Jules,” he said. “Why did you have to ruin it? Not only do you have to die, but I have to kill Hunter now too.”

“Fuck you,” I said.

I gathered up the saliva in my mouth and spit at Tommy. He lifted the knife off my chest when he wiped the spit off of his cheek. I swung my hand and tried to slap the knife out of his hand. Tommy growled before bringing the knife down.

I screamed out in pain. The blade was sticking through the other side of my hand. My fingers went numb as pain shot throughout my hand. Tommy grabbed my hand and ripped the blade out of my palm. I cradled my hand to my chest and tried to roll onto my side but Tommy kept me on my back.

“You’re dead,” Tommy said.

He raised the knife over his head. I squeezed my eyes shut as I prepared for the blade to pierce my chest.

A loud shot rang out and Tommy fell off me. He screamed and grabbed his leg. Blood was soon pouring through his jeans.

Jimmy ran into the kitchen. He got down on his knees next to me. He set a gun down on the floor next to him.

“Julie, are you alright?” he asked.

“Jim, you shot me!” Tommy screamed.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” Jimmy said. “That’s why I came back.”

I propped myself up on my elbow and winced. The pain in my hand and leg was paralyzing.

“Do you think you can stand?” Jimmy asked me.

“I can try,” I said.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto my feet. I gritted my teeth and screamed out in pain as I put weight on my leg. Jimmy shook his head and lowered me onto the floor. Tommy was struggling to get up onto his own feet.

“You need to stay here,” Jimmy said. “Where’s Hunter?”

“He’s upstairs with Carrie,” I said.

“We’re going Tommy,” Jimmy said.

“Going?” I asked.

“Yeah, I need to make everything right.”

Jimmy kissed my forehead before tightening his arms around me. My vision was starting to go blurry. I looked down at myself to see that I was lying in a pool of my own blood.

“I love you, Juliet,” he said. “Always remember that.”

Jimmy let go of me. I shivered as I felt cold outside of his arms.

Jimmy grabbed the back of Tommy’s shirt and hauled him onto his feet. Tommy cried out in pain. Jimmy threw Tommy’s arm over his shoulder and pulled him toward the door.

“Slow down,” Tommy seethed.

“We can’t,” Jimmy said. “Julie is bleeding out.”

Jimmy took one look back at me before going out of the house. I tried to get back up onto my feet, but I crumpled back onto the floor. I needed to get to Hunter, but I could barely move.

My head spun as I was losing blood fast. I struggled to keep my eyes open. I laid shivering on the cold kitchen tiles.

I fell into unconsciousness when I heard sirens in the background.