The REAL Enemy

She hears him open the door
As she lies still on the bed
As his footsteps approach the stairs
Thoughts are flashing through her head.

He opens the bedroom door
A scowl upon his face
She starts to shake and tremble
Her heart an irregular pace.

She tries for a smile
But it freezes in place
The anger in his eyes
Oh what a waste.

Before she can utter a word
He grabs her by the throat
She starts to gag
She's about to choke.

He raises his other hand
And draws it back
He punches her hard
Why'd he have to do that?

Her cheek is swelling fast
Her breaths are coming in short gasps
Her vision is dimming
She's praying for death to take her fast.

She's wondering why she didn't leave him
Why she stayed by his side
Her head is spinning
It feels like a ride.

If this were another woman
She would be in horror
But this has happened before
And will happen again tomorrow.

That's what happened
When you stayed in an abusive relationship
It didn't matter how many times he promised to change
He would always be a d i c k.

He threw her to the floor
Her head hit the ground
When he leaped upon her
She barely made a sound.

He threw punch after punch
Down her face ran crimson blood
How could she feel so bad
When he clearly felt so good?

Her breathing was just a whimper
She was now terrified
He'd never gone this far before
Would tonight be when she died?

His hands were around her throat again
Slowly cutting off her circulation
She was so very scared
How was this the relationships foundation?

As her vision dimmed again
Panic coursed through her veins
She had to fight back
She had her life to gain.

She gritted her teeth
As she butted him hard in the head
She knew only one thing
She couldn't wind up dead.

He grunted in pain
And his head snapped back
'Ha' she thought
'You b a s t a r d take that!'

She scrambled out from under him
And ran towards the door
Before she got very far
He tripped her and she fell back to the floor.

'Stupid b i t c h' he hissed
And he grabbed her hair by his hand
Her face was now empty
Not terrified but bland.

She looked like she had given up
And he felt a moment of triumph
But then she hit him hard in the groin
With a really hard thump.

He grit his teeth and ignored the pain
He just couldn't lose this game.

He forced himself on top of her
Forcing her body still
She was being crushed by his weight
He was about to kill.

Her eyes flicked around the room
Searching for a weapon of some kind
She had to act fast
He'd finally lost his mind.

Her eyes landed on the heavy statue
The one made of glass
Could she reach it?
Her mind was racing fast.

She managed to get one arm free
Around the statue her hand went
'I'm going to kill you'
These words she knew he meant.

She took a deep breath
And swung hard at his head
His eyes opened wide
And he fell back against the bed.

Blood trickled down his face
Gasps escaped from his lips
His pupils were dilating
As the blood continued to drip.

She stared at his trembling body
As he took a shuddering breath
Convulsions racked his body for a moment
And then he was silent-taken by death.

her whole body became still
She was finally calm
She smiled a cold smile
When she realized
he could no longer do her harm.

She wondered what people would think
What the police would say
If they'd take her to prison
And send her away.

She shook her head resolutely
She had acted in self defense
People would have to see that
They couldn't be so dense.

She knew she should feel ashamed
For what she had done
But this wasn't a fight she had started
Just one she had won.

She reminded herself 'He beat me and had me living in fear
So really who's the REAL enemy here?'

**I Was Inspired To Write This After Reading Darien's 'The Hero In This Murder,' And 'Battered Womans Syndrome.'