THE K1LLER'S KNIFE
The K1ller's Knife - Episode 15
I made a decision!
And that is to follow father back home and take whatever pun¡shment he decides to serve me with.
It's difficult but since I'm to blame for everything, I'll accept it in good fate.
With that inward decision, I helped mother up and together we left the church with Angie
Since our house is a stone throw from the church, we normally use our feet to transport ourselves back to the house after every church service
It was really late by the time we left the church and began on our way home
Because of how late it was, it was only a few passersby that were quietly walking to and fro on the road.
To be sincere, I felt like I was Isaac being led to the slaughter table.
The thoughts of what father will do to me filled my mind such that I was deliberately slowing my steps
It was father's authoritative voice that restructured my brain
" If you allow me to walk faster than you again... I'm swearing to you that I will k¡ll and bμry you here before we even reach the house...so you better lift your legs and walk fast!" Father shouted at me and I nodded vigorously as I heeded
Father doesn't joke with his words. I know that k¡lling and bμrying me in his dictionary, means that he will serve me a tip of my pun¡shment here on this road before we even get home
To avoid such public disgrace especially at this time of the night, I decided to adhere to his warning
I was practically running to meet up with him, Angie, and mother who seems to be unusually quiet.
Well I'm not really surprised about mother's quietness,
I guess she is feeling worried about me and who wouldn't be...?
Father is a b£ast in a human body. If he still wants to punish me even with Erica yet to recover from the hospital, then he is truly fearsome.
We arrived the house and after mother unlocked the door, we went inside. Father subtly walked into his room without saying a word to either of us
My heart was beating so fast that I could almost hear it. I'm wondering what he has up his sleeves as punishment
Mother simply went to the kitchen and made noddles for Angie and I.
Angie ate hers but for me, I wasn't hungry as my mind was preoccupied with my current situation
I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to do and what I shouldn't do. I didn't know what to even think!
I didn't know how to escape this. I didn't know who to run to for refuge. I didn't know anything!
My tap of ideas ran dry and my mind went completely blank.
I was helpless and I had to come to terms with one glaring fact. And that is, there's nothing I can do but to wait.
I further brace myself to accept whatever pun¿shment father decides was the best to treat a rebellious child
Thirty minutes passed and soon it was an hour since father went inside but he still isn't out.
By now Angie had gone to sleep in our bedroom and mother stayed back with me in the sitting room but she dozed off after about twenty minutes of waiting
I was the only one awake and gazing at the ceiling. Fear had engulfed me so much that sleep became so far away.
I was wondering why father isn't yet out to punish me or has he changed his mind...? I pondered and prayed that it turned out to be so. .
" Is he changing for the better by letting this slide without pun¡shment...?" I pondered yet again
The pondering was my coping mechanism in order to stay calm.
The thoughts on my mind was getting heavier to bear as I kept pondering and then discarding them as the flooded in
I wanted to keep my mind busy, so I started counting the lines on the ceiling repeatedly until I eventually dozed off without knowing.
The next morning, I was awakened by an instant lash on my back.
I shouted in pain as I opened my eyes to know where it came from, only to see father staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
He lifted the long fat cane he held in his right hand and he lashed me again, this time it was on my stomach
It was so painful that my escape mood activated and I jumped up from the sofa running to the door in full speed
Reaching the door I tried to pull it open but I discovered that it was locked and the key wasn't in the keyhole
Ah! I'm finished
I turned to father and met him smirking and then I understood that he had this all planned out. No wonder he left me to sleep last night without disturbance
Father just can never change! It was too foolish of me to think that he would
I looked at where mother laid last night and I met her tied up with a rope.
She was looking at me with pity while sobbing quietly.
Probably she's feeling sorry that she won't be able to do anything to help me
The seems to be no way out anymore. I'll have to bear the consequences of stealing what didn't belong to me
I exhaled deeply as I walked closer to father and went down on my knees with tears cascading down my cheeks
" I'm sorry father...I know what I did was very wrong. I wanted to pay my school fees but I ended up doing it the wrong way. I promise it will not happen again...please forgive me fath.."
I couldn't even complete my sentence, when father's cane fiercely landed on my neck. I shouted with all my might and cried even louder
" You dare steal my money...I'll deal with you today... and by the time I'm done with you..you'll not recognize yourself!" Father said and he was at the same time flogging me all over my body
The long sleeve clothes I wore did nothing much to reduce the pains that I felt as each strokes of the cane came in contact with my skin
" I'm sorry father...stop it please.. mother please help me I'm dying...ahh!" I exclaimed while trying to keep my face away from being lashed by the cane
Mother looked on helplessly and tried to plead on my behalf but it fell on deaf ears as father pretended like he didn't hear what she was saying
" Please... please.. please..ah! Father please have mercy... please.." I said still pleading as the strokes of cane kept landing on different parts of my body
I was shouting in excruciating pain but father just didn't care. He still went on afflicting w0unds on me
At some point I had to lay flat on my stomach with my back turned to him. Yet father kept on flogging me until the cane broke into pieces.
That was when he finally left me wriggling on the floor in pain with visible stroke marks on my back, thighs, and stomach.
As I laid on the floor, I was crying so hard already tired of this kind of life
" I'm sorry Jacob... please unloose this rope on me so I can apply a balm on you...it will dull the ache and help to clear the marks early enough..." Mother said softly and I stared at her silently
I crawled to where she was sitting and slowly loosened the rope father binded her with.
She hugged me almost immediately as she cried on my shoulder
" I'm sorry my son...pull yourself together...I know it hurts but I believe everything will be okay. Your father is not bad..he was just angry at you for what you did but then I know your father will change someday" mother said which got me very angry
I feel deeply hurt and despite mother's soothing words I wasn't comforted especially with the fact that she was still making a series of excuses for father
I just feel like all of this is her fault in the first place. After all she's the one who married father and gave birth to us
It's her fault for still deciding to stay in this kind of marriage with a beásty husband like father
Maybe it's about time that I give her a piece of my mind and so I snapped before I could get to stop myself
" Do you sometimes listen to yourself...? Mother look at my body...does this wounds look like a joke to you...? Father is not a good person...he treats us badly and beats us as though we are animals. To add to his bad side...he is even cheating on you with a member of our church and they are plotting to send you out of this house so he can marry her to replace you" I dropped the bombshell
Before I realized what I had said, Mother's face had changed into surprise and then to a frown
" Did you just say your father is cheating on me with another woman from our church...? Who is it and why did you not tell me since...?" Mother asked curiously and I kept shut not knowing if I should tell her the truth or not
Would she even be ready and willing to accept the truth as it is...?
" Jacob you had better start talking...who is the woman your father is cheating on me with...? I say talk!" Mother thundered looking intently at me.
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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