Ten To Midnight on January Seventh

The screaming, yelling and shouting was non stop. It got louder and louder as the time passed by, sending vibrations throughout the boy. His eyes were wide as he stared at the doorknob. Terror was all he knew in that moment, the beating of a terrified heart: the frantic breathing that continuously caught on itself.

The boy tasted a tiny bit of salt run down his cheeks, and while to some that could've brought comfort, it instead made him cry more. More and more, so much so that his breathing somehow grew even more frantic. He started choking on his own air.

He was completely useless. His mother was out there, being beaten with some heavy metal, and there he was: crying and choking on nothing but space. If he went outside to try to help, his father's rage would be on him instead, and both of them would die. 'But my mother-' He thought to himself trying to take big deep breaths like the big boy he was.

The boy eyed the doorknob, slowly reaching towards it. It felt like an eternity of him trying to calm down enough to actually open the door, but in reality it was mere seconds. It was like a switch on the boy was flipped. He opened the door, with a dead face, a ringing in his ears. His breath warping inside of his throat.

He jumped forward with a scream, his skin feeling like ice, prickles digging deep into his skin. Micha took deep breaths, seeing the foot of his bed. The soft, fuzzy weighted blanket over him, reminding him that he was safe: and that he was far far away from that.. That- thing. He wasn't there anymore.

'I haven't been there for twelve years now.' He thought to himself, his breathing settling down as he slowly leaned back. He ignored his eyes starting to water.

Usually he wouldn't be like this. He forbade himself from acting like this. But the anniversary snuck up on him, he remembered: biting his lip to try to ignore the pain he felt in his heart.

Micha, who was now a man, tried to lay down. To restart a dream, one good and light, instead of visiting that forsaken place. Though the more he lay there, he soon realized that his mind would not let him fall asleep. The fear of even the possibility of another dream like that terrified him.

It gripped at his bones and wouldn't let him go. No matter what he tried, his childhood, that beast wouldn't leave him be. The wounds from his childhood, physical and otherwise, were still visible to him, the memories hounded on him day and night, the smells, the sights- everything haunted him still. No matter where he went.

With the frustration of these things inside of him, Micha got up from his bed, wandering over to his night stand. He grabbed his phone, unlocking it and navigating over to his contact list. He clicked on her name, putting the phone by his ear, he slid onto the floor taking deep breaths. He synchronized his breathing to the sound of the ringing.

A tad of fear flickered through him as the bathroom door creaked open: a tad of light shining through, but all of that disappeared when he saw her face. "Hey lovely." He said softly. "I apologize, did I wake you?" The blonde in front of him smiled a little, sadly, shaking her head no.

"No no love.. Not at all." She whispers, her voice like the heavens. She wandered over to where he was sitting. He reeled his attention back to his phone real quick, seeing if it was still ringing: it was. "Are you calling Harley?" She asks looking up at her husband. Micha slowly nods. "I'm glad you feel comfortable telling someone all of this dear." She says, resting her head on his shoulder, gently rubbing his back. A tang of guilt spread through him.

"I.. wish I could tell you.." He says into her hair, moving his fingers through it. A small huff of sorts came from Sally.

"Michael, my love.. You and Harley went through so much together. You already trust her with all of that past." She says, sitting up to give him direct eye contact. "When you and I married, you already said you'll never know if you could tell me some things.. And love." She says, grasping both sides of his face, making Micha relax. "I've accepted that," Sally stands up a little: kissing his forehead. "Because I love you." She whispers, moving into the other room just as the phone revealed the sound of Harley's voice.

Another tang of guilt spread throughout the man as he watched his wife saunter off. "Ay Micha, what's up dude? It's like- midnight ya know." Her cheery voice called. He let out a long shaky sigh.

"Harle-"

"Ah shite. It happened again?" She asked, interrupting him. He gulped, running a hand through his hair.

"Ye..Yeah. It did." He says, using the wall behind him and his strength to help himself up.

"What can I do for ya Micha? You wanna meet at my place so you can vent or some shit?" He eyed the bathroom door hearing water running. The door was closed. He imagined his wife, Sally, turning on the water, and preparing to take a shower. "Micha? Dude, you still there?"

Her voice snapped him back to reality: "I- yes. My apologies Harley.. I-" He heard a deep sigh come from his friend, and he headed towards the door leaving the bedroom he shared.

"Micha my guy, chill out." She says softly. "Anyway, what do you need, eh?" Micha closed the door behind him as he eyed the clock on the wall. 'It isn't near midnight yet, two hours til.' He thought to himself.

"Harley.. Do you want to.. Do what we did last time?" He asked, wandering through his house, ensuring to keep his voice low. A low chuckle came from the woman.

"What do you mean by that dude?" He could see the smirk on her face. He grumbled.

"You know exactly what I mean." She laughed yet again.

"I do, yeah. Of course man. Where do you wanna go hunt, hm?" She asks. Micha could see that smirk of Harley's grow and grow as she continued speaking.

"I was thinking the same place as last time." He said with a long sigh, heading to leave his house.

"Do you want me to bring the same stuuuffff..?" She asks, drawing out the last word. Micha felt a chill run down his spine.

"Yes.. Please." He whispers, opening the door that would let him go to Harley and her tools, her vehicle. She laughed.

"Oh Gods Micha! Jeez you're such a monster." He felt his insides twist.

"Harley!" He hissed, closing the door behind him. She laughed again.

"Oh, riiiigggghhhttt, you're not like your daddy." She says. "You just like to kill men like him, huh?" She whispers through the phone.