A CAR DOOR slammed in my driveway. Rushing down the stairs, I opened the door wide with a smile on my face. Unfortunately, it wasn’t who I was expecting. It was my ex-boyfriend, Alex.
He must have been released from prison today. And at that very moment, I regretted living in a house where my neighbors were over a half a mile away. He looked different from the last time I’d seen him. His light brown hair was shaggy and unkempt and his face wasn’t smooth like he’d always kept it. He looked rough and angry.
“You’re not supposed to be here. I have a restraining order.”
He held his arms out wide. “Does it look like I give a fuck?”
“Maybe you should,” I said, slamming the door. Heart racing, I locked the door before he barreled his body into it. I choked down my fear and rose above it. Ryley and Gabby had taught me self-defense . . . I wasn’t weak anymore. Repeating that over and over in my mind, I raced up the stairs to my room and grabbed my cell phone.
“Open the door you stupid cunt. Did you honestly think I’d leave you alone?” He beat against the door a couple more times, threatening to kill me, but then all too sudden everything was quiet. The silence was deafening.
I quickly dialed 911 and gave them the information they needed.
“Can you stay on the phone with me, Miss West?” the dispatcher asked. As soon as she asked it, a loud boom along with shattering glass made me yelp.
“I can’t. I’ll be dead if I do.” I hung up the phone and threw it onto my bed. More glass shattered down below and since I was upstairs, I had nowhere else to go.
“Where are you hiding this time?” he taunted. “You know I love the chase.”
The sound of his voice made me infuriatingly sick. To give me more time, I quietly shut my bedroom door and locked it. It wouldn’t keep him out, but it’d give me the seconds I needed. His footsteps thundered up the stairs and before he could get to my door, I already had the window open. It was a long drop, but I had no choice. I wasn’t afraid of a little pain. I’d felt enough of it over the last year.
Alex kicked the door open and when his eyes met mine, he was in for a surprise. The weak girl he once fucked over wasn’t there anymore.
“You want to chase me, fuckface? Come and get me.”
He lunged, but then I kicked my leg over the side and fell to the ground, rolling to take the pressure off my legs. I didn’t think he’d do the same thing, but he jumped out of the window, cutting off my escape. Instead of running away, I picked up a large branch that was lying on the ground and swung it at his face.
His head snapped to the side and blood spewed from his mouth. I tried to swing again, but he blocked it. “You wanna see blood, cunt? I’ll be happy to show you yours.”
Yanking the branch out of my hands, he tossed it across the yard. I already knew he was faster than me, so running wasn’t an option. I just had to survive until the police got there which was why I got into the crouching position Ryley taught me, ready for anything.
Alex chuckled darkly. “What the hell is this shit? You don’t think you’re actually going to fight me do you?”
“I’ll do what I have to do.”
He lunged and I jumped out of his way, slamming a punch to the right side of his face. He growled and backhanded me across the cheek, throwing me off balance. The blow stung and my eyes watered; he was quicker than I thought. The breath whooshed out of my lungs as he tackled me to the ground and punched me. I could feel the blood oozing out of my nose.
“Ah, now that’s what I like to see.” He swiped the blood with his thumb. “But unfortunately, it’s not where I want you to bleed.”
I gave in and let him touch me, making him think I was backing down. If I ever got the chance, I’d make sure to cut off his hands so he couldn’t hit anyone else ever again. The grass felt like razors against my skin and his grip was rough as he squeezed my breast. My face throbbed and my left eye was swollen, but my anger fed off of that pain. I hated him with every fiber of my being.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”
“So will I,” I spat. It was as if everything inside me just snapped. As hard as I could, I hit him in the balls with my knee and gave him an uppercut to the face. When he didn’t falter, I elbowed him again and again, his blood spurting all over my face. Finally, he fell to the ground and I was able to get out from under him.
The old Megan would have cried and ran away, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. Alex groaned and started to get to his feet, but I wanted to see him suffer. I kicked him in the gut and then to the face. It was as if I wasn’t in control of my body anymore. I wanted to kill him for making my life a living hell.
The sirens blared just down my street and I knew they were close. Every thought in my mind kept pushing me to kill him, to end it once and for all. The branch he took away from me was just a few feet away, so I picked it up and stood over his still form. The police were getting closer, leaving me just a few seconds to act.
Raising the branch high, I had it ready to smash his skull in. Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly and gripped the branch tight. “It’s over for you, Alex.”
“Megan, no.”
I stopped in mid swing. It was Officer Darryl Jenkins, the same cop who broke up the fight between Ryley and Alex at the club, and the one I confided in when I issued the restraining order. “You don’t understand,” I shouted with tears streaming down my cheeks. “If I don’t, I’ll never be free of him.”
He approached slowly with his hands in the air. “He’s not going to hurt you anymore, Megan. I’m going to make sure of that. Now put down the branch.” I looked down at Alex and almost finished him off, but now my yard was crawling with cops. It was too late. Tossing the branch to the ground, I stepped back and closed my eyes, knowing I was making a huge mistake.
Coming to my side, Darryl put his arm around my shoulder. “You did the right thing.”
“Did I?” I asked, watching two of the other officers handcuff Alex. They left him on the ground, still unconscious. “You better hope he doesn’t come after me again. Because next time I’m not going to let anyone stop me.” That was a promise.