That Day

 " You have to grow up."

Those words that spill from Father's cruelly shaped mouth startle me from the shadows I was chasing in the glow of the night.

"I'm going to teach you how to be a man."

Why do those words twirl around my head and melt as though they were going to spill into something else? What do those words mean, Father?

"Are you listening to me, Thomas?"

I am, I really am, I'm following the words that float out of from your lips as they dance around the car in various shades of red.
I feel Father's hand hit my already damaged head, trying to snap me out of something that needn't be there. I glance over at his stern, cold eyes, hands gripping the steering wheel as though he would fall out of this already speeding vehicle.

"Quit looking at me like that."

I can hear the car scream as it's forced to a painful stop; echoing in my ears like a drum. Father opens his door quickly and someone else opens mine; a man I've decided I wouldn't much care for after his previous attempted adventure with my sister.

"Come with me, and keep your head up."

I follow Father as a good son is supposed to do, walking through the towering doors that swallow me into their beautiful interior, where the many men wear their black suits of licorice.

"Where are we going, Father?"

Father barely turns to look at me as his friend; the man whom I dislike; opens the door to the dark basement. I wonder what he's going to show me. I've seen lots of things down here before, things I cannot say or else I will be punished.

The stairs proved to be fun,each lighting up underneath my feet in a rainbow of colors. I almost don't want them to end.

"Thomas, PAY ATTENTION."

Father's words echo loudly in the semi-darkness, the words glowing a horrible crimson. We've reached the bottom, and I already miss the colorful stairs. We walk until we've reached another door, which he opens himself.

There's growling coming out of the blackness of the room. Even the shadows must be too afraid to go inside. I watch Father walk in, his eyes telling me to follow.

It's very cold in here. I wonder if it's this cold in my sister's room? Looking up, I find that Father has disappeared. There's nothing but the growling and barking.

Dogs?

"This is where you prove yourself."

I hear Father's voice behind me and turn to look, but only feel a hard shove in the center of my chest.
I never knew in the dark could be a hole.
My head hits the side of a cement-feeling wall before I land on the bottom; crushing something that snaps easily and juts into my back.

The growling stops for a moment.
Yellow eyes shine in the dark like lightning bugs.

"If you make it out, then you live."

Does that mean I can die, Father? Am I going to die!? The growling starts up again, both feral and mysteriously melodious to my ears.

'Run they're going to kill you what's going on you're going to die leave this place leave no LEAVE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE DIE GOING TO DIE'

Words scream in my head warning me, scaring me. Oh Emma, where are you? I'm scared. I can hear them getting closer Emma, what do I do, they're yelling at me again! THEY ARE YELLING EMMA!

The words are drowned by the pain I feel in my arm; am I being eaten?

'I'm going to teach you to be a man'
'Teach you'
'Teach you to be'
'BE A MAN'

I was lucky I lived through that awful nightmare. There were dogs there Emma. When the men in licorice threw me out of their car, I crawled to the front door; eyes tired and body broken.  

You heard me, Emma. You opened the door and I suddenly didn't feel the pain anymore, I wasn't tired. Your eyes were wide and you took my arm, helping me into the kitchen.
You cleaned my wounds as best as you could and I told you.
I told you everything.
You held me close to you and cursed Father for what he did.
That was the first time I knew you truly loved me.
That was the first time I knew I truly loved you too.