*SMACK*
He staggered back, clutching his hand, his gaze shifting between me and his palm with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Everything happened so fast. I wouldn't have even believed what had happened if not for the slight sting emanating from my palm.
He didn't move for a while. Neither did I.
Then—his face darkened, the something ugly from earlier curdling into pure wrath.
"Mei!" he spat. "Why… why are you being so difficult?!"
He lunged toward me.
My body surged, and I moved to the side—but he grabbed me by the hair and wrenched me back.
"WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THIS?!" he shouted, his pungent breath stinging my nostrils. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BEHAVE LIKE YOU DID BEFORE?!"
The instant I heard those words, everything went still.
Before…
My body slowly went limp as the memories I had long since suppressed flashed before me, as if I were living through them for the second time.
Seeing everything again, feeling everything again—
My stomach churned, acid rising up my throat, falling just short. I covered my mouth, swallowing it down before it could escape me.
No…
Before I even realized it, my knees gave out, and I dropped onto the floor. I half-heartedly tried pushing myself up, but it was no use. My arms wouldn't hold me, and my legs refused to move. All I could do was watch as the memories flashed by.
There was no fear.
There was no anger.
There was just nothing.
Seeing my unmoving frame, something crossed Uncle's face.
He grabbed me by my hair and threw me onto the mattress, the cushions catching my weight.
"Good."
…Whatever.
He slowly began leaning in.
It's fine.
I just need to endure it.
It's not like…
My body sank further into the mattress as I watched him approach.
It's not like I care anyway.
Is what I thought back then, and it was no different now. Or at least, it should've been—until other memories surged, filling me with something different—something warm, new.
My finger twitched.
Some with my friends.
Some with Uncle Su.
But most of all—
Then it was my hand.
The ones with Hoshino.
No… I don't want this!
I planted my hands into the mattress as support and shot my legs forward, kicking him away from me.
He clicked his tongue, guarding his face. "MEI! JUST LISTEN TO ME!"
My lips parted, and with them, a voice that didn't sound like mine tore through me. "No! Don't do this! Let me go!"
His hands frantically reached for my mouth, but I slapped them away and clawed at his face, kicking him in the chest in the process.
He let out a pained groan. "Just be quiet, Mei!"
I swung my hand, but he caught it just before it could reach him.
I tensed for a split second before kicking my legs forward, but he pinned them with his weight.
No…! NO!
I used every ounce of strength to move my arms or legs—but pinned like this, they couldn't do anything.
As a last-ditch effort, I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to scream—
The wind was driven out of me before it could come, and with it, an agonizing pain from my abdomen.
Ah—
My vision blurred, my consciousness fading in and out.
A cough slipped through my lips, the last bit of air leaving my lungs.
As if even that worried him, his hand clamped over my mouth, hard enough to rattle my skull.
Uncle was panting, but his breaths were slowly steadying. I tried to force my body to move, even half-conscious, but he was too heavy for me.
Uncle looked down at me, pinned and helpless. Seeing that—a smile broke across his face.
His free hand inched closer to me.
By this point, he let his guard down, and the haze in my head lifted just enough for me to free my right hand.
It shot for his eyes—but he caught it by the wrist and slammed it into the mattress.
There was nothing more I could do. All the options I had left were gone.
Then—as if to keep me from fighting back—his grip tightened around my wrist, using all his strength to ensure I couldn't fight or escape.
And it worked. I couldn't do any of those things. Except—
The pain flared instantly.
My arms and legs twitched, my body instinctively trying to rip his hand away and alleviate the pain from my wrists, but he ignored it as he moved in closer.
But the pain didn't stop. It rose higher and higher with every microsecond until I couldn't take it anymore.
Then—everything went white.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A blood-curdling scream tore through the room. Even muffled by Uncle's hand, even through the white and ringing in my ears, I heard it clearly.
I didn't know where it came from, all I knew—all I could feel—was the pain throbbing along my arms...
And the sensation of my throat scraping raw.
Uncle froze, his shuddering breaths loud in the dead-silent room.
"D-did you just... scream?"
I couldn't answer.
My body was shaking from the pain in my wrist as I curled into a ball, empty tears streaking down my face, nothing leaving my mouth but broken, ragged sounds.
Suddenly—stomps sounded down the hall, growing louder and more aggressive as they approached the room.
The door slammed open—and Mom entered my room. Her eyes were beady red, and her cheeks were stained with tear marks, but for the first time in a long time, those things didn't hold her back as she charged into my room.
Mom's eyes swept through the darkness until they locked on us.
"Mei!" she cried, her voice full of panic. "What's wrong–"
The tears on her face froze over the moment she saw me pinned down on the bed by Uncle.
Her mouth opened and closed, nothing but an incoherent jumble spilling out.
Then her jaw snapped shut.
Before Uncle and I could even react, she dashed over and dug her nails into his face, dragging him away from me.
His arms flailed in an attempt to fight her off. Mom didn't bother dodging. She took the brunt of all his swats head-on as she slammed her head into his.
He collapsed to the floor, barely conscious, but Mom didn't stop. She jumped on top of him and beat him repeatedly, the skin peeling off her knuckles as she continued punching him.
"Run, Mei!" she shouted. "Get out of here! I'll keep him here! There's nothing for you to be scared of! Just go!"
Hearing her shout, for a split second, I forgot about the pain in my wrists—but I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but watch, struggling to even sit up properly in bed.
"B-but–"
"Just go! Please, Mei! I'm not asking you—I'm telling you! Go—NOW!"
Even though I should have been out of strength, even though I still hadn't caught my breath, the desperation in her voice jolted my mind, carrying me off the bed and out of my room.
The sounds of their fight grew distant as I ran down the stairs.
Without even bothering to put on my shoes or close the door behind me, I ran out of the house.
The rain lashed against my skin, soaking my entire body in the cold dark as the soles of my feet tore against the gravel.
Even so, I didn't stop running. My legs continued to carry me through the dark curtain of rain without a second thought.