Prologue
She covered her head, and prayed once more that someone would deliver them from her mom’s stupidity once again.
“Can’t you do anything right? Why do I bother telling you anything when all you do is screwing up, woman?! Do you want me to leave you?! I can you know, there are women everywhere who would love having me home with them!” Dawn heard the yelling from outside her house in her room and all she could do was sit on her bed, listening. Anger seethed inside her as she realized that he would never leave, he loved hurting her mother too much to ever leave. Why won’t he leave us alone? What did we do to deserve this? Tears squeezed from her shut eyelids. We never deserved this!
Footsteps pounding up the staircase alerted Dawn of his approach and she quickly pulled out the hidden knife. It was about time she did something to stop this maniac from hurting her mother, and if her mother was not willing to do something about it then Dawn would. He slammed her door open, something that would have woken her if she had been sleeping. She did not remember what sleep felt like; not after that night he came in drunk and hurt her.
Robert stared at her, bloodlust in his eyes, the stench of alcohol filling the room. He was five foot two inches compared to her five feet even height, but at that moment Dawn did not care. She was not going to let him continue ruining her life. “Dawn, why are you still awake? Do you want me to punish you? Don’t disobey me!” His breath smelled like vodka mixed with stale cigarette smoke, a smell she had come to detest over the years her mother forced her to live with him even after he molested her. He walked over, lifting his hands to smack her, and Dawn snapped.
She jumped up, pushing him against the wall, forgetting the knife in her hand. Her anger compelled her to hit him with the hand that held the knife repeatedly, stabbing viciously. Robert, silent after that first piercing scream, stared at her with drunken dead eyes. He no longer yelled, she could no longer feel that breath on her now, and her hands were coated in dark, red blood. She stopped stabbing, still staring in his open eyes, numb filling her senses. Nothing entered her enraged world, but slowly the ringing went away so she re-entered reality. Her mother stood at the door, tears flowing silently down her cheeks.
“I had to do it,” Dawn said quietly, gripping the knife like a lifeline. “You weren’t going to do anything, mom. I did what I had to do to—“her voice, so hoarse from the screaming she did while she stabbed him, broke. She crumbled to the floor, choked tears held within, and her mother finally came over to hug her tightly. She clung to her mom, not wanting to let go for anything in the world.
“It’s over now, darling,” said Mona. “I should never have brought him here in the first place. I wish you knew how much I want the past three years to go away…”
“I forgive you, mom. Let’s call the police now so this nightmare can get behind us.” Dawn stood, walked slowly to the phone to call the authorities. Four hours later, the homicide detectives as well as the crime scene technicians all left. Since Dawn pleaded self-defense with her mother’s statement, it was possible Dawn would not be arrested. But now her record would have a stain on it; she didn’t care, as long as the monster was now dead. Months passed before trouble started again with her mother’s new boyfriend came into the picture.
