The Other Half.

Dimitri lives with his mother and father Dotty and Hank, but Dimitri's friend Seth hates the way they treat Dimitri. Seth does the unimaginable to Dotty and Hank, will Dimitri be able to forgive it?

It was a cold rainy night, and Dimitri was all alone in his “room”. His body shivering, struggling to keep his body warm, but he had no body heat left. His fingertips were a light Carolina blue, his lips were chapped and scabbed over from biting them. His hair was cut but unclean, he reeked of stagnant urine, and dry blood. It smelled as though death was along his collar waiting for him. His “room” was underneath the house, it was made of dirt and cobwebs hung along the ceiling. His bed was a stained twin mattress that was nearly too small for him, he had no blankets, no pillows, he had nothing. There was a small window just above his bed, his parents had put bars on it, in order for Dimitri not to escape. He was in a prison that he could not escape. His “room” was his happy place believe it or not, but while he was upstairs he was miserable. He wanted to die, when he stepped foot upstairs.

The front door creaked open and violently slammed shut, “Dotty, damnit!” Dimitri heard his father yell for his mother, his father’s voice sent a chill up his spine. There was no movement after he yelled, “Dotty?” he yelled once more. “I’m in here Hank, dear.” a sweet voice answered. Hank stormed to Dotty and the door shut behind him, shaking the light bulb hanging from Dimitri’s ceiling. “Did you spend my entire paycheck again? You spent it on that stupid s**t again, didn’t you?” She didn’t answer him, her face was turning a very bright red. “DIDN'T YOU?” he yelled, throwing something against the wall causing it to shatter. “Yes, I did. I needed to, I can’t live without. You know that I can’t.” She replied talking frantically. “Are you kidding me, how are we supposed to keep our house and get food Dotty? How stupid can you be?” Hank asked trying to calm down. “You don’t give a damn about our house Hank, you have no room to talk.” Dotty said letting her voice trail off, but a slap followed. “Dotty...get out of my face or I promise you will regret it.” Hank said sounding very sinister. Dotty’s light footsteps left the room and Dimitri’s door opened, “Dimitri get up here...NOW.” Dimitri didn’t want to get up, he knew what was going to happen once he went upstairs.

He dragged his cold almost lifeless body from his mattress, slamming his feet onto the cold dirt floor. He moaned as he came closer to his doom, his moans sounded like he was already in agony. He was at the top of the stairs, all he had left to do was open the door and plead to his mother that he does not deserve this. But he knew in his mind that he could not reason with his mother, she would never listen to his pleas. He slowly crept the door open, his heart was pounding but he knew what he was walking into. As soon as his feet were upstairs and the door closed behind him he felt the wind of his mother’s hand swing back and come forward. Her hand met his face, she hit Dimitri harder than a mother should, but she did not care. Dimitri never understood why she did this to him. “You never come fast enough when I call you!” His mother’s voice grew louder. She grabbed his shoulders and threw him into the wall, with a loud slam he crumbled to the floor. He laid there, enduring his mother’s kicks to the stomach and head. He could not stop her and he knew that. She finally stopped and yelled “Get those damn dishes cleaned so I can cook your father and I dinner.” As she yelled her voice cracked and made Dimitri jump in fear.

He wanted to hurry to the kitchen so his mother would not hit him again, as he started scampering to  the kitchen his mother gave him one more, good smack right in the back of the head. It caused him to fall to his knees, he looked up but his vision was blurry. He did not panic in fear of having a concussion, he knew it would pass, this had happened to him before. He picked himself up and wobbled to the kitchen, holding the walls for support.  Reaching the sink, he twisted the rusty faucet handle, but no water came out. The pipes made a loud grouchy gurgle, Dimitri barked in fear hearing his father yell, slamming his heavy feet on the rickety stairs. Dimitri could hear every squeak the stairs made, getting weaker with every one. His father reached the kitchen and made long unwanted eye contact with him. His father peered into his soul and could tell that Dimitri was frightened of him, he loved that feeling. He loved being superior over Dimitri, his father crept slowly to him with long strides not breaking eye contact. Dimitri could feel his heart racing, his stomach dropped, his knees felt weak, and he began to break out into a cold sweat. His father finally reached him and was only a few inches from Dimitri’s face.

“Dimitri what did you do?” Hank asked calmly.

“I...I didn’t do anything father, I swear it. I...I was only doing as mother said. But, there is no water coming from the faucet.” Dimitri stuttered to get the words out of his mouth.

“How many time dO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!!! DO NOT TURN THE COLD FAUCET HANDLE!” Hank’s voice rose very quickly.

“But, father if I turn the...the hot faucet handle...it.” Dimitri was cut off by his father.

“I do not give a damn if you get burns on your hands. You need to toughen them up anyway.” His father said calming down.

“Father, I...I can’t do that. I do not want to get burned.” Dimitri said tucking his head into his shoulders, staring at the blood stained tiles on the floor. His father’s face look appalled that Dimitri had just spoken up to him like that. His father backed away and said very softly “Dotty, please come in here and give this thing a lesson.”

Dotty came into the kitchen very calmly, peered at Dimitri and asked “Why, what did he do, dear?”

“He thought he was bigger than me and spoke up to me.” He said walking out of the kitchen. Dotty moved closer to Dimitri, she grabbed his head and threw it into the counter. His skull made a loud thud,he fell to the floor, he didn’t move. His body looked lifeless, “Quiet faking you worthless excuse of a son.” His mother yelled at him. He didn’t let those words get to him, he had heard them before. He knew that mistake already, the first time that he cried about those words, his father laughed at him and then his mother beat him harder. Dimitri got up, pushing himself to get to his feet. He stood there, staring at his mother and quivered in fear. Swinging her hand back into a fist, Dimitri covered his eyes and yelled “Mother no!” She stopped and wrapped her hands around his face and gently said “Mommy would never want to hurt her child. But you are not a child you are a baby.” She swung her hand back, formed a fist and got Dimitri in his left cheek. He slammed on the ground, he couldn’t move. She repeatedly kicked him in the stomach, Dimitri was screaming in pain and begging for his mother to stop. But she didn’t listen, she kicked him until he coughed up blood. Dotty picked his limp body up and threw him to the basement door and yelled “Get to bed, I’ll do your job. No dinner for you, you’re not allowed back up here until tomorrow morning.”  

Dimitri crawled to his bed, aching in pain. Dimitri’s friend came to the window not being able to come in because of the bars, he comes every night to talk to Dimitri. “Hi, Dimitri you’re down here pretty early tonight.” Seth said.

“Yeah, mom and dad got angry at me again. Mom threw me into the counter real hard, and kept yelling at me.” Dimitri said beginning to cry.

Seth rolled his eyes, “I hate the way they treat you. You have to do something about them, and fast.”

“Seth….ahh. There is nothing that I can do, they will just beat me and scream at me. That’s what they always do, whenever I try to speak up to them.”

“You can hurt them really bad. Believe me.” Seth said with a crooked smile on his face.

“Yeah? How can I hurt them? I am pathetic and weak, just like dad says.” Dimitri said wiping his tears.

Seth snickered and said “In the middle of the night, sneak upstairs and kill them in their sleep.”

Dimitri’s face looked shocked in horror, “I can’t do that. I love them, even though they don’t love me.”

“Dimitri, trust me. If you do this, than your life will be so much better. You won’t have to wake up in fear anymore. You won’t have to be hit ever again.”

“I….I can’t.”

“You can, and you will. If you won’t do it then I will. You know I can make you do whatever I want.” Seth said with an angry tone.

“Seth, you know that I don’t like it when you control me.” Dimitri said shyly.

“You have two choices, you do it or I will.” Seth said disappearing.

Dimitri couldn’t sleep at all that night. His mind was full of Seth’s threat, “You do it or I will.” Dimitri couldn’t kill his parents, he loved them too much and he knew that they didn’t love him. He knew that Seth could control him, he had done it before multiple times. The first time Seth did it, it was the middle of the night he made Dimitri sneak upstairs to get something to eat because Dimitri hadn’t eaten in over 4 days and Seth was tired of it. But, before Dimitri opened the fridge his mother caught him and he got beat. Dimitri tried explaining to his mom that it was Seth and not him, but his mom just beat him harder for lying to her. After that, Dimitri knew that he couldn’t let Seth take control of him anymore. Seth took control of him a few more times after that, and got caught every time. With every time getting caught, Dimitri got beat harder and got terrible punishments.

He knew he couldn’t let Seth take control again, he could deal with the daily beatings and punishments. But he couldn’t deal with the extra punishments Seth caused, he had to push Seth out of his life. He didn’t know how, how could he just ignore his only friend. Seth was the only person that he could talk to, the only person that actually cared about him. Seth was the only person who tried to help him, the only person that knew what he was going through. He couldn’t get rid of Seth, he had to keep Seth happy. Dimitri wanted to keep his only friend.

The next morning Seth woke Dimitri up, “Hey wake up!”

It startled Dimitri, “Go away, this is the first time I am allowed to sleep in. I want to enjoy it.”

“Wake up now, you have to see something.” Seth said with a smirk on his face.

Dimitri rolled over and saw a loaf of bread in his bed, “Where did this come from!?”

Dimitri knew that Seth had taken control of his again, “You were hungry so I got you food.” Seth replied crossing his arms.

“I...I can’t believe you. You know what happens when mother finds out that I stole from them. And I can’t blame it on you because they never believe me.” Dimitri cried.

He heard loud footsteps upstairs, a door slammed, and a sharp voice yelled “DIMITRI, YOU THINK YOU ARE CLEVER! GET UP HERE. NOW!” Dimitri dreaded every stair, he knew what was going to happen but he went anyway. He slowly opened the door and before he knew it he was jerked by his arm and dragged into the bathroom. He stared at the steaming hot water, not knowing what was going to happen. He had never had this punishment before, but he knew it was going to be bad. His mother said very softly, “Now this is a new punishment and I think it will be my favorite. I am going to dunk you into this very very hot water until you apologize for stealing our bread. And if you say one word about this stupid Seth kid then you will be in there longer.” She made him stripe down to only his underwear, he pleaded to her not to do this but she didn’t listen. “Get in.” She said.

“Mother please, I did steal it I did. I’m sorry mother, it won’t happen again. I swear it mother.” Dimitri cried to her.

“I don’t care, I want to hear you cry. Now get in.”

Dotty pushed him into the water, he cried in pain, she laughed at his pain and pushed his head under. Bubbles flew up, his arms and feet were splashing he couldn’t breath. His skin was burning and he was losing oxygen. She pulled him up and let him take a deep breath, then slammed his head into the hot water again. She did this many times after that, after she was finished she threw him down the stairs back to his “room”. “You stay down there until morning!”

Dimitri curled up into a ball on his hard bed, his skin was red and you could see the steam coming off his body. Seth peered at him through the barred window, “I told you that you needed to kill them last night.”

“Well if you wouldn’t have stolen that bread, I wouldn’t have been smothered in boiling water, and almost dead.” Dimitri screamed.

“Let me tell you something, if you don’t kill them tonight than I will keep controlling you and making you go through horrible punishments.” Seth said sounding very devious.

“Seth please, I love my parents.”

“DIMITRI THEY DON'T LOVE YOU!”

“I know that but I love them and my heart won’t let me do it. Please don’t make me.” Dimitri begged.

“Fine, you live your sad pathetic life. I’m leaving and never coming back.” Seth yelled, and ran away.

Dimitri began to cry, he had lost his only friend. The only person that cared for him, how would he keep going in life. He was now alone.

Night fell and it was stormy, the cold wind came through the window. Though his skin was still hot, he was shivering. He finally fell asleep, at his tears.

The wind outside would send shivers to his asleep body, Seth came back to apologize to him but saw he was asleep. He knew this would be a perfect opportunity to take control. Seth listened for his mother and father to move around upstairs, but he heard nothing. They were asleep. But before Seth took over, he had to think about how he would do it. Would he use a knife? Maybe a blunt object? He wasn't sure, but he wanted it done so he didn't waste his chance.

Seth began walking up the stairs, he pushed the door open trying to be as quiet as he could. He didn't want to wake them and lose. He crept to the kitchen and chose a filet knife. He wasn't sure which bedroom was the parents. He looked in the first door, empty. Second door, empty. He knew that the third door was theirs. He pushed it open and there they were, fast asleep. Under thick blankets, unlike Dimitri. Seth walked to the dad and slit his throat, he watched the blood cover his chest and the bed. It made his smile, he loved the feeling. Next was the mother, he climbed on top of her and brought the knife above his head and plunged it into his stomach. Her eyes quickly opened and she yelled “Dimitri! What are you doing?” Seth left and Dimitri was now in control again.

Dimitri starred the what the horror he just did. Dotty tried covered her wound so the blood wouldn't come out. But the wound was too deep and wide for her hands to cover it. She shook Hank and yelled for him to wake up and punish Dimitri. But he didn't wake, she turned him over and saw that Dimitri had slit his throat. She screamed, “What have you done!?”

“I...it...it wasn't me mother. I swear!” Dimitri stuttered, and began crying.

“You're a liar...you….you are a mistake.” Dotty tried saying.

“Mother please. I would never hurt you.”

Dotty began coughing up blood, Dimitri knew that she was gone and he couldn't save her. He hugged her tight and said “I love you mother.” With the last of her strength she pushed him off of her and onto the floor. In between her coughs she managed to get a few words out. “I never wanted you.”

Dimitri’s eyes swelled with tears, he stared at what he had done. He screamed and cried. He was free from the abuse but he didn't want to be free. He wanted his mother and father.

Reviews

[Mona Sokoya]

I like your story it is very chilling keep up the good work.