Visual eyes

Inside out

Sun bound,

I reach for the sky.

Explosive lightning strikes,

suspending my body mid-flight.

Vaulted by the shockwave,

I’m tossed...down!

With a heavy strike,

the dream ends.

I awaken…!?

“You stupid bitch!”

Father spits psychotic slurs,

holding a gun to my head…

Out of control,

his firearm shakes,

chattering in my face…

“This is your fault!”

Father blames…

I shutter,

and stutter,

“d-d-dad!?”

Bloodshot,

his eyes bulge,

ready to pop…

Inflamed with fury,

he lowers the firearm,

and melts with despair.

Now he turns around,

and walks away.

With a twist,

the doorknob turns-

“You’ll pay for this.”

Promising vengeance,

father made a swift exit,

and closed the door.

Alone, in the dark,

I was left.

Nobody

Tangled in confusion,

I stumble from bed,

on father’s psycho path…

He stops at the end of the hall,

facing the family photo…

My voice cracks,

“dad?”

He snaps,

“I hate you!”

[smash n’ crash!]

He strikes the photo,

shattering the glass layer,

and tearing the image apart…

Blood drips from his knuckles,

and taps on the jagged droppings.

Facing the wall,

enraged,

he pulses…

Behind his back,

I suffer through the wrath.

Flashbacks of father’s tongue-

*flicker-flick*

He ignites a cigarette...

Taking a hard drag,

still, facing the wall,

he huffs and puffs.

Bull faced,

he turns my way,

displaying disappointment.

Within a smoky snarl,

he looks down-

“Damn you…”

Praying for my demise,

he tips and flips the handgun…

Re-facing the family-

[shatter-clatter!]

He strikes again,

dropping the photo…

Encased in glass spike-sickles,

and crushed under the fractured frame,

the family portrait crumpled to shreds…

Father suckles on his bloody knuckles,

spilling the bottled beer in his hand.

Casually crushing the wreckage,

he stomps away.

Scarred

In the kitchen,

I see father there…

He’s in the refrigerator,

grumbling and rumbling-

“where’s all the beer!?

Swinging his firearm,

father slams the door shut…

Gazing insanely and blazing fury,

his eyes burn through my head…

I answer over a barking dog,

“I don’t even drink-”

“SHUT UP!”

Father erupts…

He’s about to-

[SHATTER-SPLATTER!]

His bottle smacks the wall,

just missing my head…

Focused on the damage,

his eyes circle my presence…

Did he not see-

(Lightning flashes)

[crackle-KAPOW!!!]

Thunder quakes…

Inside,

the walls shake…

Father’s distracted,

focused on the table…

Something glimmers…

He holds it to the light,

squinty-eyed…

In pain,

he thrashes-

“Stupid bitch!”

He trashes-

[clink-tink]

-a ring?

It still rolls…

Around me,

it spirals,

and stops at my feet…

My mother’s wedding-

“You’ll pay for this…”

Father promised,

looking insane,

eyes on me.

He sucks…

He smokes…

He blows…

He chokes…

Head down,

he sulks…

Then a flash of light,

he looks, wide-eyed.

To the living room,

he runs, off…

Insecure

Facing the window,

father stood with his firearm,

scanning the outside world…

Behind his back, I stood,

cautiously observing…

In the pane of glass,

does he see?

My reflection-

*flicker-flick*

Facing a flame,

he lights up…

“Peek-a-boo…”

He sucks-

“I see you”

Within a smoky sigh,

father whispers to the window…

Stepping away from his line of sight,

I slip inside the shadows…

Restless,

father’s gun sh-

“you can run-”

[click-clack]

“-but you can’t hide…”

Speaking in riddles,

and fully cocked,

father’s mad.

I swallow-

[thump]

Car door…

Mom’s home…

Father turns in-

“ready or not…”

He inhales.

“Here I come…”

He exhales.

Evil eyed,

he’sss-

Gone

In reverse,

I step back…

Father charged in my direction,

now a fully matured madman.

I’m running for my life…

Riding the wall-

FALL!

Tuck and roll,

down the long hall-

Launching into my room,

eyes scan the closed-door…

Nothing but silence followed…

I peer through the keyhole…

Mom was just getting in,

diverting the chase.

She faces the firearm,

words on the tip of her lip,

but she can’t speak…

Shaken up, in shock,

she sputters,

“p-p-plea-”

[POP!!!]

Mom’s shot!!!

Her blood sprays…

On the floor,

she stays...

In slow motion,

I fall back…

“MOM!”

Enraged,

and mentally maimed,

I ride the shock wave…

“Did you think you could hide!”

Father’s voice penetrates the walls,

and echoes between the gunshot,

still ringing through my head.

Back in the keyhole,

I see my father’s still, there,

hovering over mother’s body…

With his head planted on the wall,

smeared in mother’s blood,

father broke down-

“You made me do this!”

He blames me,

and I would pay,

as promised…

On the psycho’s path,

he slowly crept forward,

approaching my bedroom.

Head shot

His shadow enters,

below the door,

it slips inside.

I fall back…

It chases…

I’m cornered…

It swallows…

Consumed,

in the shadows skin,

the fear factor ratchets-

[clatter-click-clack]

He’s here…

[creeek-thud]

The door swings open!

With slow and heavy steps,

father crept forward…

[thump-bump]

I shout,

“DAD!”

[thump-bump]

“Please!”

[thump-bump]

“Why are you doing this!”

[thump-bump]

“Whatever I did, I’m sorry!”

[thump]

[bump]

At arm’s length,

he stops with a heavy sigh…

Father posed in a haze of shade,

cocking his neck…

In the darkness,

he stands still,

smoking…

Gun in hand,

his trigger finger shakes…

Like a rattlesnake,

poised to strike…

[lightning flashes]

Silenced,

I can’t speak.

[distant thunder rumbles]

Father raised his firearm…

He turns to-“goodbye son.”

Slow motions he made…

My eyes solidified-

[click-clack]

To the gun…

Father quivers and cries...

The gun is on his head!

He’s about to-

[POP!!!]

The bullet pounded father’s skull,

and blood showered-

[THWUMP-BUMP!]

Down,

on the floor,

he twitches…

His firearm flips,

and finally, it flops…

My jaw dropped,

shock locked...

To his body,

I rush…

He’s lifeless…

Deep inside his eyes,

beyond the bloody shot,

I see my father’s twisted spirit…

He spirals through the inner depths,

and plunges into a sea of flames.

As he reaches for my hand,

he sinks to the bottom,

and vanishes…

“DAD!”

I cry out,

but it’s too late…

He was already gone,

and I was left,

alone.

Transparent

I tried to cover my father’s body,

but my hands couldn’t grasp the sheet…

That’s when I made the mind-blowing discovery…

Somebody was sleeping in my bed,

but not just any-body,

it was my body!

There’s a hole,

in my head,

bullet sized.

I was still,

dreaming?

In denial,

and deep shock,

I back away…

Into the mirror,

I turn to see,

nothing…

That’s when it hit me,

father wasn’t trying to kill me,

he already did, and I was a ghost.

Ever since the dream ended,

I was just dead weight.

In my father’s eyes,

I was invisible.

As I followed,

he never knew,

I was right there,

within his shadow,

the whole time.

I.N.S.I.G.H.T.

24 hours later…

[heavy rumble]

They’re inside…

I’m week…

Feeling numb…

They’re close…

I feel someone…?

“We have a heart-”

(beep…beep)

It’s dark...

In the light,

I awaken…

On a hospital bed,

my body rested…

I survived the-

“welcome back…”

A doctor greeted…

I spoke of my nightmare…

How I followed my father…

How he grew into a madman…

How he destroyed the family…

How he killed my mother…

How he killed himself…

How he killed me…

How I saw everything,

through the eyes of my spirit…

As I confirmed the insanity of my ghost story,

the doctor placed his hand on my shoulder and interrupted,

“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you this son,

but that’s a true story…”