Surviving-Prologue
Jared couldn’t remember when his father had started to beat him. That had always been imprinted into his memories. His mother was frail and under that monster’s thumb completely. She just stood there while Jared was being beaten and watched. His father would slam him against the wall and use the belt on him. Sometimes he chose a wrench instead “To spice things up”. Jared wasn’t sure which was worse.
He was too afraid to complain, to stand up for himself. When the teacher asked how he broke his arm he responded with the oldest lie ever “I fell down the stairs”
His mother’s death wasn’t meant to happen. He was supposed to have protected her. That’s why he put up with those beatings in the first place, because than the bastard would leave her alone. Jared was hidden in his bed when it happened. He was calling her a little slut. Accusing her of cheating on him. Jared wanted to come to her defense but he was too terrified to move.
He winced as he heard him slap her, as if he was getting hit himself. He stiffened when she said that he was leaving.
“Don’t you stop me!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Don’t you dare!”
“Mom, you can’t leave me here alone with him!” He whispered, his whole body was shaking..
He heard struggling and her yelling
“Get off of me you sonofabitch!”
Quickly he snapped out of his fear and hurried to the other room. As he did so he heard a gunshot go off. He skidded to a stop before pushing the master’s bedroom door open. His father stood in the middle of the room, the gun in his hand. His mother was sprawled at his feet, a pool of blood around her. Jared flew to her.
“Mom? Can you hear me? Mom!” He desperately called out.
‘I didn’t mean too,” his father gasped. “I didn’t mean to, she made me to it.” Jared ignored his pathetic excuses and dialed 911.
The rest would be remembered as a blur. Jared watched in grim satisfaction as they arrested his father for his mother’s murder. He watched as he they took his mother’s body away to the morgue.
“I’m sorry mom,” he whispered as the policeman guided him into the car. He swallowed, remembering how his father would only hit him harder if he cried out in pain. Tears were a sign of weakness, he had to be strong now. She would have wanted him to be strong.
His uncle took him in for the next few days. He already had 7 children of his own and a widow. He couldn’t take Jared in and both knew it. But that didn’t stop Jared from seeing the guilt in his eyes.
“It’s okay, I understand,” Jared tried to tell him but the guilt still remained.
His cousins left him alone, unsure of what to say to him.
In his dreams he replayed the incident over and over again. He imagined the look his mother must have had the moment she knew she was going to die. The feeling that entered him when he heard the gunshot. More than once he woke up covered in sweat. It got to the point that he hated falling asleep. His past always haunted him. He could never escape it. They swallowed him whole.
He groaned inwardly when the caseworker said she found a foster family for him. He wished he could stay with his family, but he knew that there was no way his uncle could afford to keep another kid. Silently he packed and went into the car. As they drove off he closed his eyes, hoping that this new life would be better than his last.
How wrong he was…
He was too afraid to complain, to stand up for himself. When the teacher asked how he broke his arm he responded with the oldest lie ever “I fell down the stairs”
His mother’s death wasn’t meant to happen. He was supposed to have protected her. That’s why he put up with those beatings in the first place, because than the bastard would leave her alone. Jared was hidden in his bed when it happened. He was calling her a little slut. Accusing her of cheating on him. Jared wanted to come to her defense but he was too terrified to move.
He winced as he heard him slap her, as if he was getting hit himself. He stiffened when she said that he was leaving.
“Don’t you stop me!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Don’t you dare!”
“Mom, you can’t leave me here alone with him!” He whispered, his whole body was shaking..
He heard struggling and her yelling
“Get off of me you sonofabitch!”
Quickly he snapped out of his fear and hurried to the other room. As he did so he heard a gunshot go off. He skidded to a stop before pushing the master’s bedroom door open. His father stood in the middle of the room, the gun in his hand. His mother was sprawled at his feet, a pool of blood around her. Jared flew to her.
“Mom? Can you hear me? Mom!” He desperately called out.
‘I didn’t mean too,” his father gasped. “I didn’t mean to, she made me to it.” Jared ignored his pathetic excuses and dialed 911.
The rest would be remembered as a blur. Jared watched in grim satisfaction as they arrested his father for his mother’s murder. He watched as he they took his mother’s body away to the morgue.
“I’m sorry mom,” he whispered as the policeman guided him into the car. He swallowed, remembering how his father would only hit him harder if he cried out in pain. Tears were a sign of weakness, he had to be strong now. She would have wanted him to be strong.
His uncle took him in for the next few days. He already had 7 children of his own and a widow. He couldn’t take Jared in and both knew it. But that didn’t stop Jared from seeing the guilt in his eyes.
“It’s okay, I understand,” Jared tried to tell him but the guilt still remained.
His cousins left him alone, unsure of what to say to him.
In his dreams he replayed the incident over and over again. He imagined the look his mother must have had the moment she knew she was going to die. The feeling that entered him when he heard the gunshot. More than once he woke up covered in sweat. It got to the point that he hated falling asleep. His past always haunted him. He could never escape it. They swallowed him whole.
He groaned inwardly when the caseworker said she found a foster family for him. He wished he could stay with his family, but he knew that there was no way his uncle could afford to keep another kid. Silently he packed and went into the car. As they drove off he closed his eyes, hoping that this new life would be better than his last.
How wrong he was…