Monster
I began to slowly open my eyes, my blurring vision soon starting to become clear as I noticed a face hovering above me. I realized I was lying on back and staring up at a familiar face, my daughter, Michelle. "You're finally awake Dad?" she asked as she planted a soft kiss on my cheek. It almost felt real, almost. I stared at her for a while and she tilted her head at me and gave me a confused look. She asked, "What's wrong Daddy? Aren't you happy to see me?" I said, "Michelle...y-you're dead."
I looked on as her mouth exploded into a wide grin and she wraps her arms around me in a tight embrace and whispers into my ear, "Daddy, the only reason why I'm dead is because you are a worthless man. A pitiful human being, who ran away as his wife was destroying both herself and me. Your own fucking daughter you prick. Why couldn't you have stopped her? Why did you just look on and not stop it? Why did you have to fucking run away like a scared little rabbit, huh?" She let out a quick sigh.
"I'll tell you why, it's because you knew it was your fault that it was happening. When you cheated on Mom with another woman, she began to abuse her medications and started to drink heavily. She also started to beat me Dad, mercilessly. As the bruises of old fade, she would be the messenger of pain and have new to ones to take their place. I guess my cries of agony fell on deaf ears huh Dad?"
She let go of me and stared at me, into me, past me. It was like her eyes were piercing into me, sharp daggers aimed straight for my heart. All of what she said was true; I didn't even try to stop Angela once as she beat Michelle. Yes, all I did was run away from it, tried to white it out of my daily life. I wished these dreams-no, nightmares would end. Every time I would have this dream, I would feel an endless wave of shame and despair. But recently, I have begun to hate these nightmares. I wasn't the one who beat Michelle, Angela did. I didn't supply Angela with the meds and alcohol, she did it herself.
My usual self-loathing and pity soon subsided as a new emotion started to overcome me, anger. I made my eyes into tiny silts and I lunged forward and grab Michelle's throat. I fall on top of her as she falls onto her back, I tighten my grip on her frail neck and she starts to claw at my arms, in a futile attempt for me to get off of her. I squeeze even harder and I see the color fading from her face and tears streaming down, her eyes begin to bulge, as if trying to escape the confines of her skull. After a few more seconds her eyes begin to roll into the back off her head and her body goes limp, I keep my grip on her for a few more moments and slowly released my fingers from around her neck.
I stared down at the lifeless body of my daughter and feel a wave of both elation and nausea crawling up my body, I lean over and hold myself up with my hands as I start to throw a pitch black oily liquid. I can't stop as more comes out from my maw, what seems like hours pass by and the black liquid isn't letting up. I'm guessing gallons pour from my body as it began to pool between my fingers and leak onto Michelle's body. All of a sudden it stops, I cough a few times and collapse into the pool of the unknown substance, the world fading as the substance begin to seep back into my body through my mouth and nostrils.
I awake in a cold sweat, my black hair matted against my forehead. I exhale and use the back of my forearm to wipe my forehead and roll towards the edge of bed, lazily swinging my legs over the edge and sit there for a few seconds. I grunt and push myself off the bed and slowly shuffle my way to the bathroom, I walk into the bathroom and slap my hand against the wall searching for the light switch. After I find it and flick it up, the light flickers twice and turns on.
I go over to the sink and turn on the cold water. I cup my hands to gather a small pool of the water and splash it on my face, jolted me some what to a more coherent state. I inhale and exhale and look into the grimy mirror before, quickly inspecting my face, my emerald green eyes resting under a mop of oily black hair. The green in my eyes being more emphasizied against my pale skin.
I snort and walk out of the bathroom heading back to the bedroom to find a pair of pants and a shirt, it was kind of chilly being in only my boxers. After slipping on some worn out fitted jeans and a plain, faded black t-shirt, I stood there. My memory suddenly clicking back the dream I had, and how I had killed my daughter. I held my self and started to shake. I shook with restrained glee. I felt a strange smile crack onto my face, I couldn't hold it in. I swung my head back and bellowed a laugh. A laugh filled with immense happiness and extremely genuine. I didn't know why I felt like this but I liked it.
I tried to calm myself and the bellowing laugh turned into muffled giggles as I walked back and forth, gripping my hands behind my back. "I feel so good right now.." I whispered to myself. I went to look for a pair of shoes, finding some old black sneakers. I skipped putting on socks as I didn't care for now. After lacing up the sneakers, I walked out of the apartment and shut the door behind me. As I walked down the hallway, an elderly woman was walking in my direction, Ms. Mayers. As we neared I sputtered out a quick "Hello" and tried to walk past her. I felt a bondy hand grip arm and turned around to see the old bitch latched onto me. "J-Joesph....where a-are you going..?" she slowly said.
I mentally imagined myself pushing her down and mounting upon her and pursue to viciously beat in her frail, sweet old face with my fists until I she stopped moving and couldn't ask me anymore stupid fucking questions, never minding her OWN FUCKING BUSINESS. I surpressed the urge and just flash her the best smile I could manage. "Oh you know," I started. "Just going out and may buy a few things Ms. Mayers." She had already let go of me when I started to speak and didn't even seem to be listening to me.
"Ah..." is all she said, and shuffled on down the hallway in the direction I came from. I clenched my teeth and imagined flinging my body at her, hopefully breaking something inside her weak body and just leaving her there to moan in pain. I continued walking and exited the building.