Page 64 of Like An Animal

He slams the lid closed as I turn over onto my back.

“Jeremy!” I scream his name as I kick on the lid over and over, but it doesn’t budge. “Don’t do this to me, Jeremy! Please, please, please. Let me out. JEREMY!” I scream as the walls close in around me.

Okay. So maybe there is one thing left that I’m scared of and he hit the nail on the literal coffin.

“Don’t worry. I’m not a complete monster. You’re getting oxygen in there. I made sure of it. The only way you escape this, us, is through death, my little ghost. Get used to it and stop pushing my buttons.”

The air feels thin as I struggle to bring in air or at least that’s how it feels.

“Please, Jer! Let me out. I swear, I’ll behave. Please!” I sob, but then my world crashes down around me when I hear the door open and close before the distinct sound of a lock clicking resonates.

My heart skips a beat.

Jeremy not only locked me in this box, but also left the room while I was begging him to let me out.

“No, no, no! Jeremyyy! Let me out!” I pound my fists on the lid as I kick the side again and again. “Jeremy, don’t do this to me! Help! SOMEONE HELP ME!”

CHAPTER 28

THE SHADOW

The good thing about wearing dark clothes is that I don’t have to worry about blood splatter showing. The last thing I want to do is scar the kid for life. Sure, she only saw me for a moment when I carried her mother through the plane, but that could be enough to cause panic.

As soon as I lock the room up behind me, I dart into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Luckily, I put a change of clothes in here when we first landed just in case I needed to wash off the blood and didn’t want to leave any evidence behind.

It happens more often than one would think.

I strip down and grab a wash cloth before running it under the tap. I put some soap on the cloth before looking in the mirror. There’s only a few splotches of blood on my chest, but the places truly tainted are my arms.

No big deal. It’s an easy clean up.

The blood isn’t even thick enough to block out the ink underneath it.

I never cared for tattoos. I thought their purpose was to make someone look tougher than they were, but that was until I needed to find an outlet for all the suppressed rage and desire constantly pumping through my veins. I didn’t have my littleghost anymore as a way to let it all out. I needed an alternative and every tattoo took the edge off.

The buzz of the machine against my flesh was soothing along with the sting it brought.

I didn’t care what the design was. It just made it easier to cope.

Once I have cleaned off all the blood, I wash all the paint off my face. Maybe it was a tad dramatic, but it had the intended reaction. Bronwyn was absolutely terrified, just the way I like her.

I take a moment to put on my clean clothes. At least now my appearance shouldn’t terrify the child. She doesn’t need to be scared of me. Her mother is another story.

I don’t plan to have much of an interaction with the child. It’s really late and she was asleep when Xavi pulled her out of her bed.

However, when I open the bathroom door, the tiny child wrapped in pink and purple footed pajamas looks up at me. I stare at her and she stares right back, barely blinking, but she doesn’t look scared, more curious than anything else.

Then suddenly she speaks. “Where are we going?” She tilts her head to the side ever so slightly, hugging a yellow stuffed bunny rabbit as if it’s the only thing that matters to her in the world.

“New Jersey,” I mutter as I walk around her before heading to the small fridge stocked with alcohol in the corner. I need a stiff drink, especially if I’ll be expected to deal with the dog from hell. If it tries to sit next to me, I might lose my shit.

The child pops up next to me suddenly. “What’s in New Jersey?”

I give her a sideways glance, but Xavi is laughing across the room. It’s a widely known fact that kids and animals generally don’t like me because I’m a scary, dangerous man.

First the mutt and now the brat.

Am I letting off a different vibe today or something?