She looks out the window, not realizing how late it has gotten. As she notices the darkness rolling in. Her body begins to tremble, her heart begins pounding and her thoughts begin to terrify her. She knows he'll be home soon. It is as if the darker it gets the closer her cage door is to being locked.
Every night it is the same thing, he races into the drive and staggers into the house. Knocking over whatever may be in his path, including her. As the darkness continues to surround her, she moves away from the window. Going to make sure the children are in bed, reminding them that no matter what they are to stay in bed.
She then walks through the house, making sure things are “in order.” Trying to keep him from bitching. But the bruises on her neck and her black eye have already told her that's impossible. The house is full of silence, for now. She decides that before her cage door is locked, to go outside and TRY to enjoy the last 30 minutes of the nights freedom.
However, tonight seems different. There is something different about the darkness, it's so eerie and the wind is not just a gentle breeze. It is more like a howling. She has a feeling that something is just not right. Suddenly the wind begins to howl even louder, it's as though it is calling out to her. She begins hearing her name more and more as it gets darker than she has ever seen. She yells out into the darkness, “what do you want from me?”
Before there is a chance of any response, she hears his car. He races into the drive. Before she has time to get up and go inside, he is on the porch. Grabbing her by her hair, dragging her inside. Now she knows the cage has been locked. He begins yelling at her, pushing her out of his way. He then begins kicking her with his steel toed boots. Not stopping, no matter how much she begs.
The more she begs the harder he kicks. Mostly aiming for her head. He begins laughing, telling her maybe she will learn to listen. She tries to get up, but the pain is unbearable. As he goes to the shower, she crawls over to the couch. She looks up at the clock it is 11:30 p.m. She thinks God please let him eat and go to bed soon.
She begins to hear the wind again from inside the house. Again calling out her name. Then she hears footsteps coming down the hall. He doesn't even glance at her, as he walks into the kitchen. She hears a loud bang, he has already started throwing things. He begins yelling at her, telling her she was such a lazy bitch. All she had to do was heat up this slop. As she tries to get up off the couch she realizes she can't the pain is too much. Suddenly there is silence. He walk out of the kitchen holding up a baseball bat.
He tells her “it is time to teach you a lesson, you dumb b*tch.” As he swings the bat there is a loud noise, it's a gunshot. Her 8 year old son had left his room. He found his fathers revolver. As the gun went off she looks at the clock, 12:02 a.m.
The little boy tells his mother that the darkness will NEVER be her cage again.
