“Pathetic!” Father bellowed, looming over Joe. “Get it right, boy.”
Of all Father’s extreme drills, Joe despised “the spelling game” the most. “P-U—”
“Wrong!” Father struck Joe’s cheek. “You’re pathetic.”
The next evening, after years of fear and abuse, twelve-year-old Joe declared freedom.
“Wake up!” he yelled, standing before Father’s recliner.
Drunk, Father struggled against tightly wound ropes, duct tape covering his mouth.
“Retribution. That’s your word.” Joe glared at Father. “Best get it right.”
Father turned red, making unintelligible noises.
“Don’t understand? Here, let me show you.”
Joe lifted Father’s ax, smiling. His cheek no longer hurt.
About the Creator
Heather Hagy
Stephen King fan (but not like Annie "I'm your #1 fan" Wilkes cuz I'm sane and she's not)
Horror/supernatural are my favorite writing genres
Wife to 1 and mom to 4 humans, 4 dogs, 6 cats, and a dragon
"Jaws" is the greatest movie ever
Keep reading
More stories from Heather Hagy and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Bonded: The Story of Dag and Aila
Dag woke from hibernation with an ache in his back and a rumble in his belly. He opened his large yellow eyes and looked around the cold, dark cave. He was alone, no surprise. Knut and Tor likely hibernated together; they did everything together, much like twins. Rune might be in there, too, Dag mused. Rune followed Knut and Tor everywhere like an obedient pup. But Rune was fat, even for a juvenile dragon, and Dag pictured Knut and Tor kicking his chubby rump out of their cave.
By Heather Hagy3 years ago in Fiction
The General's Dream
General Aldarius winds up accidentally saving the elkai prince who joined the army and ends up in the war with the volkin. The boy, age seventeen, is almost killed before General Aldarius comes to his rescue. Sensing that the boy didn't belong, he questions how the would be prince managed to get in the army in the first place. The prince explains that he joined the army because he wanted to prove to himself and his father that he was something more than just someone who sat in the background of life. He wanted to be more active. General Aldarius doesn't catch on that the boy is the King's son yet until the King himself issues a distress alert across the nation that his son has gone missing. Putting two and two together, this "random" boy who joined the elkai army happens to be the same boy that the King is looking for. He goes to question the boy once more about who he was and why he was in the army in the first place. The boy confesses that he is indeed the King's son and even though he lied about his identity, his reasons for joining the army remained true.
By Kelly Johnson2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (3)
I am with Donna on this one, Joe deserves a medal! So much drama and horror in such a short piece. Well done, Heather!
Horrific!!! Left a bloody ♥
😱! Can’t help but root for Joe here! Nice job!!!