“Nothing Within Can Save Me”

February 10, 2009 Jessica Finne
Tags: Abuse, Murder, Southern Gothic Elements

Flannery O’Connor/Southern Gothic Elements Assignment

Sitting. Waiting.
Hiding behind her four walls.
Entrapped in her hiding.
Hardly breathing. Barely Moving.
Listening. Listening for movement.
Was that Him? Her breath stopped.
She didn’t move.
The icy cold floor touching against her soft, innocent skin.
Her mattress above her head;
The bedposts surrounding her…
The darkness suffocating her.
Her mom escaped this evil torture.
The sound of the gun still ringing days after.
“Wished it was me,” she thought.
Stop. What was that? Was it him? Was he home?
Slam. The front door shut. Her heart stopped.
Curling even farther into the corner.
Don’t come up here. He hasn’t found me yet.
Safe. She was safe. Bedroom door locked, in the darkest corner
Of the room. He couldn’t find her.
Footsteps. Followed by silence. Neither of them moved.
“I’m not here, I’m not here….Was that the door knob? No. It’s not turning.”
Thoughts going crazy. Frozen from fear.
It wasn’t her imagination. The door.
Couldn’t open. Locked.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He was there. It wasn’t her imagination.
Trying to crawl away inside her. Turn invisible. He was there.
But she wasn’t. She couldn’t be.
Bang! Bang! Bang! That wasn’t a hand.
A hammer? She didn’t know. It broke the door.
Silence. Followed by no movement.
Her heart stopped. Her breath-gone. Frozen from fear.
He was angry. Breathing heavy. Lead feet as he stormed to the closet.
Bang! Door swung open and hit the wall.
Nothing. No one.
He was enraged. Hammer hit the wall. She saw it crash against the ground in front of her.
He paced. Stopped. She curled up further into herself.
He was right in front of her. His shadow casting where she was.
The only light coming from the hallway.
“Don’t bend down. I’m not under here.”
She heard something. A familiar sound.
What was that? Click.
Then a sigh with an evil laugh to follow.
Oh, no-she knew what was coming.
“Don’t bend down. I’m not under here.”
His left foot moved back as though he were going to kneel.
“Bend down. I’m under here. Put an end to this. I don’t want to feel your touch…it already haunts me in my nightmares.”
His knee. She saw it.
“Wait. Don’t. Don’t bend down. I’m not under here. I have my whole life to live still.”
Two knees. She saw them. Her breath was held, her heart was stopped.
His face. She couldn’t see it but she didn’t need to, It was him.
“Don’t!” she screamed. He grabbed her feet and dragged her out.
She clawed at the bedpost.
His strength was too much.
He yanked her out. She turned over and looked up.
The shadowy figure of her nightmares was above her.
A shiny gun in hand.
The one that took her mom.
The one that took her.

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One Comment Add your own

• 1. Liane  |  March 3, 2009 at 6:10 pm

  whoaa jess…this is good =]
  freakish (like flannery), but wicked good!

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