Creative Writing · Fiction · Short Stories · Social Issues

Blood On Her Hands…

jacquelineobyikocha

She sat rocking herself in the corner.

She knew that soon they would come to take her away, but she could hardly find the nerves to run and hide. She was too tired and just wanted to sleep for ages.

For years and years, she had withstood it.

At first she told herself that she had to stay for the children.

Then she grew afraid to go anywhere.

Then she became a nervous wreck, got sick and disgusted with her life.

Then she lost her job and had no money.

Then she lost all her friends.

Then she became totally dependent on him.

Then the berating, the beatings, the cycle of maltreatment got more vicious.

He made the mistake of pointing the gun at her head but failing to shoot.

That was his weapon of choice. To scare her out of her wits with the gun amused him a lot.

Now, he could do it no more. She shot him with the gun that had taunted her for ages right in the back of his head.

It was point blank Bulls Eye. The beginners luck.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

 

Published by jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.

44 thoughts on “Blood On Her Hands…”

  3. Many years ago I was visiting a mother who came from Haiti I think and married to a Danish man. He turned out to be cruel and one day I head that she had shot him and that she was in prison. As a health visitor you see many things and some of it you will never forget

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    1. Maria I can quite imagine. Domestic violence is such a difficult issue to deal with. So many years ago, I had a neighbour back in Lagos whose husband used to pummel into a mass of bruises and I just couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t leave. The last I heard from someone, she had stabbed him, luckily he did not die but somehow he got her remanded in a psychiatric hospital. I have no idea what has become of her.

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      1. The woman I knew didn’t manage to kill him, but he would never be “healthy” again. Somehow I understood her and only felt pity for her. I think the authorities knew too that he had been mean. I left a mean husband with all my four children and with no regret, but it takes a long time to recover and for the children too

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  7. This is very realistic. The sad part is if she’d reported him, he likely would have suffered little punishment and she would have ended up more vulnerable than before. He got what he deserved in the end but her suffering doesn’t end. Great story in a short post.:0)

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  8. Hi Jackie,

    Wow! I felt the emotions that your words carried.

    When an abused woman finally snaps, the force of her retaliation can move mountains. It’s sad how there are all sorts of abuse, the impact of emotional abuse is sometimes even more wrecking than physical abuse.

    It is inhumane to batter the self-esteem of another human-being.

    Well-written as usual. 🙂

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  11. Can’t blame her. She was driven too it. Sad, because I don’t know the police would agree. Even though it’s clear she was finally doing what she needed to protect herself. Ethically challenging situation. Great job.

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  12. As fictitious as this may be, it echoes a start reality for many unfortunate women in abusive relationships. I will never understand men who do these things to women. Thank you for sharing your profound work, Jacqueline.

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  14. Scary stuff and well-written. I’m glad it was fictional, though. I real life, she’d be better to contact a charity that helps abused spouses. That might give her a way of escaping from her scumbucket partner that that doesn’t involve jail time.

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      1. Luckily, we’ve never had to deal with that particular problem among any of my relatives, although we’ve had our fair share of other issues from time to time.

        I know what you mean about it being hard to understand. It seems that way to me too, but I daresay it may be one of those problems like hoarding, compulsive eating, gambling addiction or whatever in which there are psychological reasons that make it very difficult in practice for those involved to walk away.

        I think it might be very difficult for some people to cope with on their own, which is why I’d urge them to seek out counselling before it’s too late. Nobody deserves to be stuck with a bullying and abusive partner. 😦

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  16. You can only bottle it up for so long before it erupts. She has blood on her hands indeed. If only she had found something to give her the courage to make a change for the better in time. But alas, this kind of torment happens too often in the world. Thanks for posting Jacqueline!

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  17. What’s troubling about this piece of fiction is that it a reality to some. Wish she would have had to guts to leave before it got to this point….but you can only corner someone for so long.

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