Challenge Submission A Soldier's Happiness? (Dark theme, read with caution)

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Challenge Submission A Soldier's Happiness? (Dark theme, read with caution)

SilentTears

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29
[SPOILER="Soldier"
]


In a quiet neighborhood tucked away in a quiet little town, there stood a house that most pedestrians avoided going near. Children would run past it as quick as they could, as if it was a dare. The house used to belong to a sweet young couple, recently married, starting on their journey through life together. It was a home filled with joy and laughter, moments that would bring any one a smile at the pure love that was seen, until one day it wasn't.

Three years ago the house became a source of shame for all the town's folk. A dirty little secret that the town chose to ignore. What happened in that home was no one's business, right? The outcome of the events going on in that house, were none of their concern. Too scared to involve themselves with someone so wild and out of control. Too afraid to step up and save the poor souls trapped in an endless darkness. Some even thought it was well deserved. She was out of line, she deserved it. A woman should know her place, even as young as she.

Every now and then the young woman would be seen slowly walking the street towards the grocery store. A small boy would walk by her side, clinging tightly to the fragile hand of the woman, all the while holding a small baby close to her chest. The young woman would walk with her head down, her hair covering her face. Long sleeves covered her arms, even on the hottest of days. She was cast aside, as if she had the plague. Not a soul offered to help her carry the groceries she would buy, they simply watched her struggle with two kids and an arm full of bags. They were just glad that the house had been silent for a while now, but the young woman knew that a storm was brewing and this time she would be ready for it.

It did not take long for the storm to unleash it's fury upon the young woman. A man could be heard shouting at the top of his lungs, foul curses leaving his petty lips striking down like a wired whip. Lashing out at the unfortunate soul who dared to try something new. It was a Wednesday noon, lunch should have been the normal BLT sandwich, with fries on the side. Instead the man was given a plate of fish n' chips. His wife slaved over the hot stove, after cleaning and deboning the fresh fish. She wanted to treat him, give him something new. What was meant to be something to lift his spirits, ended up as a mushed mess, littered with broken porcelain on the tile floor. The table was flipped and landed with a loud thud, the vase crashing to the ground, shattering in pieces. Much like the girl's heart and mind.

The baby could be heard wailing in his room, calling for his mother's attention. The toddler waking up from his nap, and silently watching from the hall as his mother was dragged across the glass covered ground. The woman, with tears streaming down her face looked at her two year old and something in her snapped. She was tired of being a coward. She did not want her children growing up thinking that this was the normal. She wanted her son to see that she was strong enough to take care of them. The young woman smiled at her son and motioned for him to go back to his room. The boy obeyed, saved from witnessing the violence no one thought the woman was capable of.

His wife dug her nails into the man's forearm, forcing him to let go of the handful of hair he had been pulling on. She picked herself up off the floor, her legs were covered in blood from the glass digging into her fair skin. She shoved her husband back as hard as she could, trying to create some distance. She took advantage and grabbed the knife she used to fillet the fish. It was now her only defense. She had begged to be saved in the beginning but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Now it was up to her, to save herself and her boys, and she would do it. No matter what she had to do to gain their salvation.

The last time the town's folk saw the young woman and children, she was fleeing the house in an old pick up truck. The back of it was loaded down with luggage. It was clear she wasn't coming back. The house stood silent and it was years later before anyone bothered to step foot inside. When they did, it was only to discover the rotten corpse of the man she left behind. The house was demolished a week later, and no one ever talked about the couple that once lived there. It was a secret the town guarded well.
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************
[SPOILER="Happy"
]

Two years later the young wife was now free from her husband's grasp, or so one would have thought. She and her kids were happy, mostly. They had a small apartment to themselves. The now twenty-two year old had a decent job, she managed with what she had, and life was better away from that little town. She even had a new man in her life. Someone who was the complete opposite of her ex-husband. He was hard working, honest and loved her children dearly. He treated them well and they all learned how to smile again. Her kids were not only living but flourishing in their new environment. While the sun was shining so were they, happy as a family should be.

Under the cover of night was a different story. After the children were in bed, all snug and warm. After all the lights were turned off and all were sound asleep. After their little section of the world fell into peaceful silence, there was only one who did not join the communal slumber. The woman would lie wide awake at night, unable to slip into unconsciousness. Her brain replaying the torment she endured while with her ex-husband. She carried the scars along with the guilt of what she had done. In her heart, she was now a victim of circumstance, lost in the sea of rage and guilt. She was guilty of murder, she killed a man, she had no right to play God. Who was she to decide if he should live or die?

The other part of her was not only angry at the man and thought he deserved every second of it, but also she was angry with herself. Angry at the guilt she felt. Angry for how pitiful she felt inside. She was a bright smiling rose on the outside, but inside she was decaying slowly. She was sick at heart and in the head. She would have fits of anger and lash out at the man who had done nothing but love her. She would break down in tears at the drop of a hat and cower away in fear. She would try to push her new love away, for fear of destroying it. She felt like she was the reason her marriage failed. If only she had been more obedient. If only she would have refrained from going outside the grounds he set. He would not have been so cruel. There would have been no need.

The young woman would take it upon herself to exact rightful punishment. She was cruel to her own body, abusing herself was the only way to rectify what she had done. The new scars that added to the old were topics for long, sometimes heated discussions. It wasn't long before they were arguing almost once a week, and each time they only grew louder with each other. The young woman would break down in tears, hyperventilating and shaking. At times so violently that he thought she would break. She would gasp for breath and weakly tried to fend him off, as if he was attacking her. When in reality he only wanted to hold her.

It took time but slowly the woman was beginning to heal. With the new man's help she began to slowly accept herself for who she was. She would go longer and longer without having an anxiety attack. The post traumatic stress only flared up when she was too overwhelmed. Sensory overload was something she struggled with on the daily with two wild boys constantly causing a scene. She did well though, sticking to methods that were far healthier for herself and every one else in the long run. Things were going so well in fact that the couple took the relationship farther and moved in together.

The first few weeks were a bit rough for the young woman. It took a lot of will power to break old habits she found herself falling into. The meals she served that first week, were the same as the food her ex- husband would demand on those specific days. She would hand her new partner his food with tears in her eyes and he would gently console her and throw the food out when she was not looking. He would set her down and cook her a meal. That whole second week, every day he would make her something new. Doing so brought laughter in place of the tears. When she felt weak and broken, he would remind her of the strength she had, and remind her that she didn't have to carry her burdens alone.

Four years later and she still struggled to fight her demons on some days, but most were spent enjoying the new life she was living. She was now married and raising two little boys and a little girl with her new husband. They worked through any problem or issue together as a family. He was her rock and she was his anchor. Together they erased as much of the past as they could. Some scars remained but the others had long since faded. Laid to rest, buried and forgotten, like a corpse turning to dust in the ground.
 
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