Hillary_Flesh and Blood (14 page)

“
I said I asked for help,
”
she repeated loudly,
“
don
’
t you have anything to say to that? Can you hear me?
”

“
I...I...I don
’
t know what you want me to say,
”
Kathy said nervously,
“
I want to help you, Hillary. I want things to be better.
”

“
Then make him stop,
”
Hillary said bitterly.

Kathy shook her head.

“
It
’
s not true...please, please stop saying those things about your father,
”
she cried.

“
Listen to me!
”
Hillary shouted, taking a step forward toward her mother.
“
He touches me. He hurts me. He
rapes
me!
”

“
Stop it Hillary, shut up, just shut up!
”
Kathy shouted back, cupping her ears and turning to leave.

“
Why won
’
t you help me, Mom?
”
Hillary pleaded sadly as she watched her mother leave the room.

Make her suffer...she doesn
’
t want to help you...she can
’
t hear you....

Anger replaced Hillary’
s sorrow. She followed her mother into the kitchen. Caleigh screamed when she saw her, which upset Joshua even more and made him start crying hysterically again.

“
I
’
ll make you listen,
”
Hillary yelled,
“
you
’
ll hear me one day!
”

With the shears still in her hand, she ran upstairs to her room. She threw the bloody shears to the floor, kicked it under her bed then crawled into bed. She pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. Her head was vibrating. It felt like a thousand bees had flown in there somehow and were buzzing madly. Even lying down on her bed
didn’t alleviate her dizziness.

They
’
ll all pay...they
’
ll all suffer....

“
How?
”
Hillary whispered to herself.

The voice did not answer. Hillary waited for it to advise her, but it was silent. Instead, Hillary thought about what she had done. It didn
’
t feel as though she had actually done it. She remembered everything, she knew her hands held the shears and did, in fact, snip off the dog
’
s tail. Yet, it was as though she was a robot being controlled remotely by someone else. She had loved Storm on
c
e. They always used to take long walks in the
woods together. The family had
owned her for
nearly four
years, since she was a small pup
py
.

Yet, Hillary felt no remorse, no sadness for the dog. She thought about how she felt seeing the horror on the faces of her family members. A thin smile formed on her face. It was better than applause for a job well done. It was better than recognition for a good deed. It was more significant than anything Hillary had ever done in her entire life. Her fleeting moments of triumph paled in comparison. Who would remember or even care that she had won the science fair in s
ix
th grade or earned a medal for her essay on global warming
?
But this...this act of atrocity, who could forget it? Even Joshua, at
his young, tender age
, was likely traumatized enough by it to retain the memory when all other wonderful memories he had of playing, running at the park and visits to the zoo would be stripped from his mind.

Hillary
’
s smile widened. She knew that somehow she had managed to change history, to alter their lives drastically. However things were meant to transpire prior to that moment, things would now be different. Hillary had manipulated the grand scheme of the cosmos. She had deceived fate itself. It was an exhilarating feeling, especially for someone who had felt so pathetically weak and insignificant. She had been reborn and today was her birthday. She was now strong and worthy of the respect she had long been denied. She was a new person and she would never again let anyone hurt her or make her feel so worthless.

Hillary thought about her father
’
s threat to teach her a lesson when he returned. What w
as he planning to
do, she wondered. Her face contorted as she imagined him trying to rape her, trying to hurt her.

Never again....

“
Never again,
”
she repeated softly,
“
thank you, my friend.
”

She had listened to the voice of reason and it had restored her confidence. She felt invincible.

Let him come, let him try to do anything to me,
she thought.

Hillary was ignored for the remainder of the day. Her sister was too freaked out by what she had done to go near her. Likewise, her mother avoided her like the plague. She didn
’
t even prepare lunch for her or invite her to sit with the family for dinner. It was as if she was afraid of her. When Hillary had gone to the kitchen just after three in the afternoon to get something to eat, Kathy rushed from the room without making eye contact. Hillary didn
’
t mind. She had finally found a way to be left alone.

Her father spent the entire afternoon at the animal hospital. He had made up a story about a wild animal from the woods biting off Storm
’
s tail. The veterinarian didn
’
t believe it for a second. She could clearly see that the tail had been severed by a sharp blade. It left a neat, clean cut.

Storm had lost a great deal of blood. The veterinarian rushed her into one of the rooms and immediately started a blood transfusion. She treated her wound and placed her on antibiotics. After Storm
’
s condition was stabilized, the veterinarian called Michael into her office. He was visibly upset, nearly hysterical, and the only way she could calm him down was to promise that Storm would make a full recovery. She was reluctant to do so, though, since there was always a risk of infection.

“
So, did you see this wild animal?
”
she questioned suspiciously.

“
Uh, no...but what else could have happened?
”

“
It looks like she
’
s been abused...like someone cut her tail off on purpose.
”

“
Why on earth would anyone do that?
”

“
What happened, Mr. Greyson? Who did this to her?
”

“
What are you saying?
”
he replied defensively.

“
I
’
m saying this dog has been abused,
”
she answered abrasively, her voice raised.

“
That
’
s not true,
”
Michael argued,
“
I love my dog.
”

He did seem very upset, the veterinarian noted, but there was no doubt in her mind that the dog had been intentionally hurt. The only question was, by whom?

“
If you love her, you wouldn
’
t let this happen.
”

“
Are you serious? You think I let this happen? I would never let anyone hurt my dog!
”

“
Where was she when this happened?
”

After a slight pause, Michael said
“
in the woods.
”

“
Uh-huh...and where were you?
”

“
At church. I came home from church to find her like that. Ask anyone at the ten o
’
clock mass at St. Joseph
’
s...I was there with my family.
”

“
Mr. Greyson, I don
’
t think you did this to Storm, clearly you love your dog. But if you know who
did this, you need to speak up…
you need to turn that person in to the authorities. Only a cruel, sick person would do such a thing.
”

Mr. Greyson was speechless. He didn
’
t know ho
w to respond. The veterinarian
could tell that he was hiding something.

“
Who is it?
”
she said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Michael shook his head furiously.

“
I just want to take my dog and go home,
”
he said anxiously.

The veterinarian shook her head slowly.

“
Storm is not out
of the woods yet, Mr. Greyson. S
he needs to stay here for observation.
”

“
For how long?
”

“
Until I can be certain that they
’
ll be no risk to her from her injury...probably just a few days.
”

“
I don
’
t really want to leave her....
”

“
You know, based on her injuries, I could report you to the humane society,
”
the veterinarian said, holding up her hand
when Michael started protesting.
“B
ut I can see that you truly do care about your dog and I know you want what
’
s best for her. That includes leaving her here to ensure her health.
”

“
But
—”

“
I
’
ll make a deal with you,
”
she interrupted,
“
you don
’
t question my professional judgment and I won
’
t question your ability to care for Storm.
”

Reluctantly, Michael nodded. What else could he do? He truly did love Storm and want her to get the care that she needed. For a while he thought for sure that she would die. He had sobbed like a child all the way to the animal hospital. A few days without her w
ould be
a whole lot better than a lifetime without her. Besides, he didn
’
t need an investigation to uncover what really happened to her.

“
I really appreciate your help, doctor.
”

Michael reached out his hand and the veterinarian shook it as she nodded.

“
She
’
ll be okay, Mr. Greyson, you did the right thing bringing her to me when you did.
”

By
the end of
his
one hour
ride home, Michael was blinded by rage. He would make Hillary suffer for what she did. She had to be put back in her place. He was in charge...he was the boss. She needed to be reminded that he owned her, that she was under his control.

He slammed the door when he arrived home after six o
’
clock that evening. He was exhausted both physically and mentally and went straight to his room to lie down for a while, ignoring Kathy
’
s questions about Storm
’
s condition and whether he wanted dinner.
Hateful
thoughts raced through
his
mind as if running a marathon. He needed to give his brain a break. Still wearing his shirt stained with Storm
’
s blood, he went to bed and fell asleep within minutes.

Just after midnight, Michael walked silently to Hillary
’
s room. She appeared to be asleep, but was actually just pretending. She had been expecting him all night. She peeked over at him as he was undressing. Her heart raced and she grew anxious. She had planned for this moment, but could she go through with it?

Yesssss,
the voice reassured her,
make him suffer....

Michael was completely naked when he approached Hillary
’
s bed. He stopped by her bedside to stare down at her. She was so beautiful...why did she have to be so difficult? He knew he
’
d have to hurt her. She had to be punished. Oddly enough, he had no
sexual inclination toward her. H
e just wanted to cause her as much pain as she had caused him.