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hoperoiselover · 1 year ago

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WOOO NEW CHAPTER, I'M SO EEPY, BUT I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY! :] <3 READ CHAPTER ELEVEN ON AO3 HERE!

TW: child abuse, swearing, religious themes, Scopophobia, Alcohol, smoking, mental breakdown, Scotophobia, manipulation

stay safe <3 also i want to make a shout out to the comment on AO3 that said, "Eliana, leave ur man, and come be lesbians with me", you have no idea how much I love this comment

CHAPTER ELEVEN, TO LOVE

“Why am I missing over TWO HUNDRED FUCKING DOLLARS IN MY ACCOUNT?!” Mervin screamed at Eliana making her jump and scoff.

“Your account? You mean ours. And shut you-”

“NO NO NO. NOT OURS. JUST MINE. I changed the pin, so only I can access withdrawals,” Mervin glanced at Eliana and opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of booze.

“WHAT?! MERVIN, YOU KNOW I NEED ACCESS, SO I CAN BUY FOOD FOR US,” Eliana snapped, she snarled at her husband.

“It’s your fault Eli. Now you have to ask me when you need money, or when I let you have money,” Mervin opened the bottle, and swished it side to side. The alcohol spun in the bottle.

“Th-this... THIS IS FUCKING INSANE! I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO ASK YOU OR WAIT FOR YOUR PERMISSION TO BUY THINGS THAT WILL BENEFIT US!” Eliana slammed the broom on the floor, and swung her arm to the side.

“SHUT UP! Look, you’re fucking hiding something from me Eli… and trust me… trust me. When I find out what it is. Ohh… you’re going to fucking pay,” Mervin whispered into her ear and grinned.

Eliana froze and grinded her teeth together, “I fucking h-hate you…”

“And I hate you more sugar plum,” Mervin hummed, walked away, and took a sip from his bottle. His dress shoes making a tapping noise as he stepped on the wood floors.

Eliana cursed under her breath and leaned against the kitchen counter. She took a shallow, shaky breath and cried to herself as she covered her face with her hand.

“D-damn you Mervin Marshall…. D-damn you…” She was pissed. This man. A person she had loved so dearly… turned into a fucking bastered.

Eliana screamed and hit her fists down against the marble countertops. They stung in pain, and Eliana growled through her teeth. She hated that man with her entire being. She would kill him if she could, yet Eliana could not. Not when she had a son to protect and now another little one to worry about… Jonah… Adam… may god protect those two. Eliana promised to try her best. Her heart pounding in her chest as her ears rung with rage. God bless this mess.

Jonah had been covering Adam’s mouth with his hand. The screaming from the kitchen made him shake. Adam stared at the door with confusion and frustration. “Shhh go to the closet…. Hide in there…” Jonah whispered to Adam. This was the quietest Adam had ever heard Jonah’s voice.

Adam wanted to stay with Jonah. He fidgeted with his hoodie as Jonah lowered his hand from Adam’s mouth.

“B-” Adam cut himself off. The sound of dress shoes on wood soon became more apparent. Jonah’s face looked terrified. He grabbed Adam’s wrist, shoved him into the closet, and closed it before Adam could react.

Jonah’s door opened, a man in his late thirties holding a bottle of booze stood tall in front of the small child, “Jonah, what are you doing?”

Adam watched from the closet’s crack. He kept quiet and watched, a slight tremor in his hand.

“O-oh, I was just playing with my toys, Pops…” Jonah looked at his father, his posture straight and his playful demeanor seemed to melt off of him.

“Mmh, playing? Okay son… Say, can you do your old man a favor?” Mervin sat on Jonah’s bed, kicking a toy car to the side.

“O-oh! S-sure… What is it, Pops?..” Jonah looked at the toy car as it rolled to a stop. Jonah’s voice was laced with anxiety.

“Jonah, eyes on me when I’m talking. Come sit with me,” Mervin snapped his fingers at Jonah, and patted the bed where he wanted Jonah to sit.

“S-sorry Pops…” Jonah looked back at his father and sat next to him on his bed, “S-so what is th-the favor?..”

Mervin smiled and placed the bottle of alcohol on Jonah’s nightstand, “Well, your Mother spent money on something today, yet I have no idea what it could be… do you know what she spent it on?” Mervin grabbed a cigarette pack from his suit pocket and took a cigar out. He shoved the pack back into his pocket.

Jonah made a nervous humming sound as if he was thinking. “Ummm, nope! I don’t know what Momma spent money on… sorry Pops..”

“Hmp.. I figured,” Mervin grabbed a lighter from his pocket and lit the cigar. He closed the lighter, shoved it in his pocket, and placed the cigar in his mouth, inhaling the fumes and blowing them out a few seconds later.

“Jonah, you know how I feel about liars…” Mervin grabbed Jonah’s jaw with his free hand, his breath reeked of booze and tobacco, “So don’t be a fucking snake.”

Jonah gasped and whined, “B-but Pops…. I-I don’t know… h-honest! I-I don’t like liars either…” Jonah didn’t try to pull away from his father’s grasp, he only shook and let fate take its unfair course.

Adam watched in anger. He wanted to protect Jonah from that man, but he stayed put… Adam’s feet felt like they were stuck in concrete.

“Sure kiddo. Sure… You’ll believe whatever I say, and just nod your little, naive head. You don’t know anything really, do you?” Mervin hummed and shook Jonah by his jaw a bit. He looked down at Jonah with soft eyes. There was something off about them. They way his eyes never shone unless he was drunk, or how he only smiled when he got his way.

“You know that I love you right Jonah?” Mervin let go of Jonah’s jaw and patted his head, entangling his fingers through Jonah’s dark brown hair.

“Pops… of c-course I do…I-… I love you too…” Jonah rarely heard Pops say ‘I love you’ to him, “P-pops are you and Momma okay?...”

Mervin chuckled slightly, “Don’t you worry your stupid little head. I have everything under control…” Mervin looked away from Jonah and took another inhale from his cigar as he patted Jonah’s head more aggressively.

“O-okay Pops…” Jonah held in a cough and winced at the pressure being applied to his head.

The two sat there as Mervin continued to smoke his cigar, the smoke filled Jonah’s nose and lungs. He coughed into his sleeve and Mervin looked at him.

Adam felt like coughing too, but he did not want to be caught by Jonah’s Dad. He muffled his cough with his sweater and whined.

Mervin sighed and looked at the closet for a bit.

“Jonah you know you can’t hide anything from me right?” Mervin put his hand on Jonah’s shoulder, and held his cigar in between his fingers.

Jonah whimpered softly and flinched, “Y-yes Pops… I know..”

“Then who is in your fucking closet.” Mervin smiled, his voice low and rough.

Jonah looked at Mervin with horror. He tried to look confused, but he would be lying and lying was bad. Yet he could not let Adam be found, “W-what?... What d-do you mean Pops?...”

Jonah fidgeted with his fingers, and he could feel anxiety grabbing at his chest, squeezing his frame, and trying to make him break.

Adam’s eyes widened and he stepped back. Would the man open the door? What was going to happen? Could he trust the man? He stepped into the corner of the closet and closed his eyes shut.

“Who. Is. In. Your. Closet.” Mervin stood up and gripped tighter on Jonah’s shoulder.

Jonah winced and shook softly, “N-no one…”

“BULLSHIT! I SAW SOMETHING FUCKING MOVE! I HEARD THE COUGHING!” Mervin pushed Jonah aside harshly and walked over to his closet, swinging it open.

“Ow! P-pops!..” Jonah cried and looked at his father with tears in his eyes.

There was ‘no one’ in the closet. Mervin growled and slammed the closet closed. He looked back at Jonah with rage.

“You and your goddamn mother, always hiding shit from me,” He walked back to Jonah and loomed over him.

Jonah was confused and scared. Where was Adam? Did he leave? Jonah looked up at Mervin with wide fearful eyes, tears making their way in them. He whimpered as his posture shrank, and his optimistic self was gone.

“MERVIN LEAVE YOUR SON ALONE. GO GET DRUNK SOMEWHERE ELSE YOU HYPOCRITE!” Eliana had heard Mervin’s yelling, and she had rushed over to Jonah’s room, swinging the door open and bringing the hostile attention towards her and not her son.

“Oh my FUCKING GOD. ELIANA MIND YOUR GOD DAMN BUISSNESS AND FUCK OFF FOR ONCE!” Mervin rolled his eyes and turned towards his wife.

Jonah shook and whimpered the tears in his eyes started to roll down his cheeks.

“YOU CAN YELL AT ME ALL YOU WANT BUT DON’T… DON’T YELL AT OUR SON!” Eliana walked in the room and pointed at her husband.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE, POINT AT ME. YOU’RE NO BETTER THAN ME,” Mervin’s yelling made Jonah cover his ears and cry. He wanted to hide and be comforted by his mom and Adam...

“SHUT UP MERVIN. YOU’RE AN AWFUL MAN. YOU’RE A SMOKER, ALCOHOLIC, ABUSER, AND AN ASSHOLE… YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF! SO SHUT UP, GET OUT OF JONAH’S ROOM, AND GO SUCK A DICK FOR ALL I CARE!” Eliana wanted to slap Mervin. Her teeth made an awful grinding noise as locked her jaw in rage. She couldn’t believe the audacity this man had.

“...Why do I bother letting you stay here with this mistake?” Mervin spat his words at Eliana and growled. His cigarette separating the two.

“And why did I marry you?” Eliana spat back with the same anger in her voice.

“Because I gave you something you’d never have alone,” Mervin grinned and grabbed the bottle of alcohol. Jonah’s cries accompanied their yells and toxic words like a tragic opera.

“And what could that possibly be?” Eliana snarled.

“A son.”

Eliana looked at Mervin with rage, “Shut up. He’s the only good thing you’ve done in your life. Don’t ruin him.”

“He’s our son. So I'm allowed to do what I want, just like how you spoil him rotten,” Mervin rolled his eyes and inhaled another puff from his cigar.

“...” Eliana looked to the side.

“Ah, ah, ah, look at me when I’m talking to you,” Mervin smiled and used the side of his hand to make Eliana look at him.

Eliana scoffed and slapped his hand away, “Just… get out.”

Mervin chuckled softly, “Sure Eli, and make that brat shut up.”

“Shut up yourself,” Eliana mumbled and walked over to Jonah, picking him up and bouncing him gently.

Mervin left the room and slammed the door shut, his dress shoes’ tapping got more faint the further he got.

Eliana sighed and looked at her son sadly, “Shhh,... it’s okay…. He’s gone… don’t worry… Momma’s here… I got you baby…”

Jonah hiccuped and sobbed as he hugged his Momma, his cheeks had tear tracks and his eyes were puffy and red.

“Adam?.. Where are you honey?..” Eliana looked around the room for him.

There was no response except Jonah’s cries. The poor boy shook in his mother’s arms and sniffed. The closet’s doors slid open and Adam peeked from the door crack. Eliana frowned sadly at the poor boy. Adam was shivering, and he too was crying.

“Oh Adam… come here chico…” Eliana sat on the bed and held her son close, providing a free arm for Adam.

The boy went over to her, got on the bed, and hugged her and Jonah. He shivered and whimpered.

Eliana’s heart broke, “It’s okay… you’re safe with me… my sweet boys… you’re safe…” She rocked the boys gently and hummed to them. They were too young to be going through this, and Eliana felt like she was a part of the problem.

“A-adds?...,” Jonah whimpered and sniffed, looking at the blonde. He felt Adam’s hand touch his back along with his mother’s.

“M-mhm…” Adam nodded as he hugged the two.

Jonah sobbed softly and tightened his hug.

Eliana continued to hum softly and started to run her fingers through their hair. She smiled softly at the two boys and kissed their foreheads.

“Sleep chicos…You deserve to rest,”

Jonah sniffed and cuddled closer to his Momma. He was so grateful for his mother. She was like a guardian angel to him. Then again, aren’t parents supposed to be guardians? Adam looked at Jonah, then to Eliana, receiving a warm smile from her, and he felt safe for once. The Angel’s eyes seemed to disappear and all there was left watching over him was Eliana.

Adam closed his eyes, leaning his head against Jonah’s shoulder. He slowly drifted off to sleep. Adam’s body ached, and his eyes burned. The love he felt from Eliana’s comfort felt almost nostalgic: like a lost memory. Her fingers ran gently against his scalp making him yawn. He knew love like this before, but who gave him that love? Adam knew only one life, so why did he think there was another one before the T.V, before The Angel got him, before Jonah and Eliana? Maybe he was going crazy, but that was okay, because whatever happened before happened. Now he could start something new and be with new people who cared about him. Adam smiled softly as he let sleep take over his mind.

Tomorrow was another day.

The small bedroom was quiet, the only noise that broke the silence was the crickets coming from outside. Mark layed wide awake in bed, Cesar sleeping next to him. He hated the night and the dark, but his nightlight and Cesar’s company made the night more bearable.

Mark held his dog plushie close to his chest. His mind felt like tv static, anxiety making it hard to breathe. He quietly prayed to himself, he didn’t want to wake up Cesar. The dark was filled with all sorts of creatures that fed off of people like Mark; those who still believed. Sarah believed in the boogeyman and fairies while Make knew of the true monsters and demons that littered the house when everyone else was asleep.

He could not stay still anymore. Mark crawled out of his bed, his feet sent a shiver up his body when they touched the cold carpet. He went over to his window and stood on the little lion stool.

Outside the house was lifeless. The orange light coming from the lamp posts made the streets look like a horror movie. Mark whimpered quietly. He knew going outside at night would only lead to being exposed to those monsters he hated yet feared so much. The graveyard taunted him. When Cesar and him had left, he swore he could feel something pulling at his lungs. The feeling of eyes watching him only faded when he stepped inside his house. He shivered and got down from the stool.

Mark looked at his bedroom door. It was slightly opened. He liked it like that, yet at the same time he wanted to close it. Reason being he felt like he could notice the monster before it entered his room but if he closed the door he might be stuck with the monster. He sighed and whined softly, his green eyes filled with worry.

Mark walked over to his door and peeked out of his room and into the dark hallway that led to the void filled stairs. He shook softly, pulling on his hoodie strings for comfort.

Mark looked back at the sleeping Cesar who was now cuddling with Mark’s plushie. He felt some tension fall off his shoulders just for it to come back when he heard the floorboard creak. Mark gasped and jumped, turning his attention to the dark hallway and he stared. Mark’s breathing was uneven, his mind screaming at him to go back to bed with Cesar. Yet the boy couldn’t. His feet were stuck in the carpet, as if its fibers wrapped around his legs like a vine.

He could hear it.

Can you hear it?

“Mark.”

“Come join us.”

“We can be a happy family again.”

“Join us.”

“We have missed you.”

“Our baby boy.”

“Wake Sarah and Cesar, I’m sure they would love to join us too.”

“Join us.”

“JOIN US.”

“JUST COME DOWN THE STAIRS ALREADY.”