CHAPTER 1 : The First Sin

The door groaned from its rusted hinges, as a young woman entered a house. Sweat beads down her temple as she takes a moment to catch her breath. With a shaky hand she closes the door gently, almost silently. Pausing for a moment she scans the house, eyes flickering from the doors to the windows. She closes her eyes and listens to the struggling hum of the fridge and laughter of neighborhood kids playing. She unclenches her fist, stepping over garbage on her way to the kitchen. Reaching the table, she shoves the filth from the table, setting the bag down on the plastic furniture. The bags break the march of ants.

“Where are they?”

With quiet steps and a pounding heart, she finds her way to a small room. Two stained mattresses lay on the floor and a closet with half the door hanging on. She raps the wall rhythmically, a secret knock. A code. Three children appear from hiding. A boy emerges from the closet, a girl from the broken dresser, another taller girl from the pile of laundry. They keep their eyes low, taking in the surroundings cautiously, then look and softly exclaim, “Valentina!” The skeleton crew scrambles to their feet. Their faces gaunt and eyes sunken in. Valentina reaches out patting the boy's matted hair.

“Y’all got really good at hiding!” Valentina chuckles, kneeling to hug her sisters, one in each arm. “Did they come home?” she asks in a low voice, but her hands tense on the girls shoulders subtly

“No…” the small boy says, wiping snot from his nose with a crusted sleeve.

“No… but I ate her snacks…” the taller girl murmurs. Her eyes welling with tears “I’m sorry. I was so hungry.”

Valentina’s eye and lip twitch. She holds the girl’s hands in her own, using the other hand to wipe the tears away. With a reassuring smile, she nods.

“It’s fine, if anyone asks, I ate it, okay?” She squeezes the girl's hand softly and smiles. “Okay?”

Valentina stands and dusts off her knees. Small clouds poof from her clothing, billowing in the rays of sun piercing through the tattered blinds.

“Now then, who’s hungry?” Valentina’s face curls into a jubilant smile, her tone taking an uplifting lilt.

Victor leaps up and smiles. However, that smile falls as quickly as it appears.

“Where did you get the money to buy food?” he warily asks.

“Oh, I um… recycled cans.” She quickly changes the subject. “I got spaghetti stuff!.. And garlic bread!” She gestures her hand in a playful Italian gesture.

The children look excited and chitter amongst themselves, thanking Valentina as if she is a saint. Valentina turns around to head out of the room and prepare dinner. That’s when she hears it. The distinct footsteps of the woman. Erratic, light, definitely belonging to Her. Valentina’s heart sinks. She looks over to her siblings “Go, hide” her voice strained in its low tone.

The children do as instructed, the trio hiding in the broken closet amongst the dirty laundry. The smaller girl covers her mouth. Freezing as roaches crawl across her skin.

The Woman's movements can be heard through the house. The throwing of objects and frantic rummaging through belongings. She is whining and groaning; a tantrum is imminent.

“I know it was here. I put it here,” The woman says to herself.

“They took it! They want to mess with me!” she shrieks whilst rummaging through a drawer.

Her footsteps encroach ever closer to where Valentina and her siblings are. Valentina leans against the doorway as The Woman looms, forever the stalwart guardian.

“They want to make me look stupid” she says through gritted teeth.

Rounding the corner, The Woman’s face lights up.
“Oh hey, Val. Do you like have any money?” The Woman says sweetly, eyes flickering to the ground, then to Valentina’s eyes.

“I know I had some. I put it over on the counter.” She scratches the scabs on her arm, the skin flaking and falling off her pock-riddled limb.

Valentina takes a deep breath. “Oh no, we did not take it.” Her voice is robotic.

Silence falls over the room.

“Liar!” The woman’s face contorts into one of fury. The sunken eyes on her skeletal face bulge from her head.

“You stole it didn’t you? DIDN’T YOU?!” she lunges at Valentina grabbing by her hair. She yanks her down on the ground and snatches a nearby belt.

“How else do you explain that food there! Thieving bitch!” The woman towers over Valentina, a studded belt clenched tightly in her fist. Valentina's gaunt face remains still, her eyes hollow as the belt hits her skin again and again. She does not make a sound, not even a whimper. All she can think is better me than them.

“Tch… you little slut.” The Woman sucks air through blackened stumps, her sunken cheeks pulling into a cruel smile.

“Wait until your father gets here… he’ll set you straight.” She giggles, throwing the belt at Valentina on the floor and storms off.

The house once more falls silent. From the closet, the little boy pokes his head out. “Valentina?” the boy whispers as tears run down his emaciated face. He looks cautiously, ensuring The Woman is no longer around. Once he is positive she is gone, he rushes over to Valentina. The two girls follow.

Valentina sits up and wipes the blood from her nose. She looks at her siblings with a warm and reassuring smile.

“Oh, Victor, I am okay! Don’t you worry about me.” Valentina extends a skeletal hand to his hair, ruffling it.

The two girls approach, the taller of the two speaks.

“Rosalina and I are sorry… it’s our fault she hit you,” she says, her eyes downcast.

Rosalina looks down as well. “Don’t blame Carmilla, it's my fault!” Rosalina whimpers through fresh tears.

Valentina kneels before them and takes the girl’s hands.

“Carmilla, Rosalina, you did nothing wrong, okay? I promise you.” Valentina gives their little hands a gentle squeeze, her eyes burning with fierce protectiveness. She pulls them into a warm embrace, holding all three in her arms. Her frame trembles softly.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” her hand idly petting them “I am here”

Valentina listens carefully. The woman’s footsteps lead out the door, leaving as quickly as she came. The door slamming in confirmation.

Hours pass from the incident, the children calming to their usual demeanors. Valentina gathers the ingredients she “purchased" and takes them out. She clears off counter space, pushing the mess onto the already filthy floor, while she looks for the cleanest of the dirty cookware to use. Valentina boils water in a pot to clean it as best she can before cooking the noodles and sauce. After a few moments, a simple spaghetti meal is made. Victor, Carmilla, and Rosalina sit at the table and begin to eat. The two girls devoured their food without words. Victor however notices Valentina did not set a bowl for herself.

“Where is your food?” he whispers. Bringing a forkful of noodles to his mouth. Caring naught for the sauce staining his cheeks and chin.

Valentina tilts her head and smiles softly. “My stomach hurts.” She pats her stomach gently. “I will eat when I feel better.” She lies, she is equally starved. The buttery aroma of the garlic bread in particular was nearly tempting enough to make her double over, yet she remains upright as to not shatter the illusion of momentary safety.

The siblings eat in silence, afraid to make a sound and alert others of their presence. Carmilla puts more noodles on Victor’s plate, sharing what little she has with her brother. The sharp clink of silverware causes her to flinch, her eyes darting toward the door.

The older woman bursts through the door accompanied by a man: tall, lanky, pockmarked.

“Where are ya, you little bitch?” The Woman spits through her gums. “Your father is home!” She grinds her jaw together as she cackles. “He will punish you!”

“Shut up, bitch.” The man slaps the woman; the sound echoes to the kitchen. The older woman whimpers like a dog. Looking shocked. Her brow furrowing in annoyance.

The man enters the kitchen wide-eyed, crazed, and under psychosis. He picks his face, panting, sweat pouring from his skin. His gaze shifts from side to side, looking at the siblings. His jaw grinding his teeth.

“Oh, my babies!” He rushes over to Carmilla and begins rubbing her shoulders. His shaky hand comes to caress her face.

“Oh good you’re eating, good…good.” His skittish demeanor vibrates through the kitchen, unable to stay still. He stands abruptly and peers out the dirty window, staring outside before turning his focus back onto Carmilla.

He approaches her once more this time hugging her from behind. “I missed you,” he whispers in her ear. “You are my favorite…you know that right?” The man grabs Carmilla’s wrist. “It’s bath time. Keep me safe?”

Carmilla’s eyes widen and the color drains from her face. Tears well in her eyes. She trembles like a leaf, her knees turning into jelly. Her breath comes faster and faster, her heartbeat is nearly audible. The small wings of a trapped hummingbird. She closes her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. Slowly beginning to stand.

Valentina blurts out, “I thought it was my turn!!”

She draws the attention away from Carmilla, frantically almost desperately. “I mean you said I do wash the best too…right?”

The man slams his fist on the table.

“Greedy bitch… it’s always you, you, you.” He snarls, his other hand gripping Carmilla’s side. “I’m bored of you, you’re easy. Now stop being selfish and share my love!”

He pulls Carmilla flush against him. Twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. He whispers to her. His acidic breath against her ear.

“You want to bond with dear old Dad, right girls?” He nods to himself answering for them. His hand frees itself from her wrist. He traces Carmilla's jaw line and she recoils at his touch, her body quivering.

Victor and Rosalina flinch, looking at one another with the side of their eyes. The color drains from their faces. Rosalina reaches out and holds Carmilla’s hand, tears stream down her face, remaining silent for she knows a sound will set him off. Guilt consumes her, for she would rather remain silent than to draw his ire next.

Victor remains as still and silent as a statue, blending into the surroundings, a mere decoration. For what could he do?

Carmilla looks over to her Rosalina, then to Valentina. She sees Valentina ready to sacrifice herself yet again. In a feat of bravery, she removes The Man’s hands from her waist and whispers, “No thank you…” Her voice shakes with emotion.

The man's eyes water and he begins to sob hysterically.

“Nobody fucking loves me! Nobody in this fucking house loves me.” He stands up violently and begins to pace frantically, hugging himself while clawing at his skin. “Stupid little bitches. Should be fucking thankful to receive my love.” His sobbing and gibbering become more erratic “other girls, they don’t have fathers who love them.”

Valentina slowly creeps closer to her siblings, herding them behind her. Victor, Rosalina, and just as Carmilla is about to make her way the man lunges forward, gripping Carmilla’s wrist once more..

“NO!” He pulls her close to him, hands seizing her waist. “She’s staying with me tonight! I’m bored of you!”

Fear and panic contort Carmilla’s face once again. She begins to sob. Her small body is unable to break free from his oppressive grip. She wails, kicking and screaming. Her voice hoarse with terror.

“VALENTINA, PLEASE! HELP ME PLEASE! VALENTINA!” Carmilla thrashes and fights with all the strength she can muster, desperate to reach her older sister’s hand. The humming bird now claws and bites for freedom. Her mind is unable to withstand more abuse.

Time begins to slow, Carmilla’s screams begin to fade in the background.

Why didn’t he want me this time? Her mine racks itself in internal turmoil.

I was always able to take the attention off the girls. What changed? A heat swells from her chest. Something has to change.

Like a guitar string tuned too tightly something snaps inside Valentina.
Carmilla’s screams fill her ears once more, the smell of the man invades her nostrils. She looks around clinically for something to rid the world of this filth once and for all. Her eyes darting about.

A gift from the Gods was bestowed upon her. Amidst the clutter of the squalid floor, their savior: A wooden handle topped with rusted iron whispers a promise of salvation.

In a show of speed born from a need to protect. Valentina grabs the hammer and crashes it into the man’s skull. His grip loosens instantly. Carmilla escapes to the embrace of Victor and Rosalina.

The man writhes on the ground. His groans echo in the kitchen as blood leaks seeping into the yellowed white tiles.

“Why did you do that? Why are you being so mean?” he moans in a sweet song of agony. “I just wanted to bond with my girls” his words drip with faux innocence. Even now forever the victim.

Valentina looks at the bloody hammer vibrating in her hand, then to the man, then to her siblings.

“Victor, Carmilla, Rosalina,” her words are soft and calm. “Please go outside, okay? I’ll be right there.” She motions to the door with a soft smile. “Trust me, okay?”

Victor notices the urgency and importance of this request. His eyes momentarily flick down to the bloodied man then back to Valentina. He turns his younger sisters around quickly and practically drags the girls outside.

Valentina watches as the children leave the house. Victor steals one last lingering glance before shutting the door.

Valentina looks down observing the man. Her hands shake while her vision swims. She knows this is a turning point. The moment to right a wrong. Hesitation wells in her gut. Despite all this creature has done to her, all the pain and suffering it forced upon her. Yet she still hesitates.

“I just wanted company… I didn’t do anything wrong!” The Man belts.

“They loved our bonding time!” He slithers to a nearby cabinet propping himself against the chipped wood.

“Didn’t you love our bonding time?” He gives a toothy grin. His teeth black and red.

“Isn’t that why you wanted it so much?” he pants, placing a shaking hand to his head.

Her eye twitches and her breathing slows to nearly a halt. The surroundings brighten. “Filth” she whispers.

With those final poisonous words he uttered, the hesitation fades into oblivion. Valentina's eyes narrowed, his face turning upward in disgust. With a shuddering sigh she steeled herself. She brings the hammer down once more against his head. It makes the sound of the cracking of an egg.

Valentina unleashes fury and vengeance upon this devil wearing human skin. Each squelching bludgeon of his skull is cathartic. With a satisfaction eerily similar to joy, she continues collapsing his skull inward. His touch was forever burned into her skin, but now she is searing it away. She is reclaiming bits and pieces of herself that he once claimed for his own.

The voice that whispered venomous words in her ear now only sputters and gurgles. The sight of him had been carved into her memory, every dream and nightmare filled with his face. Now, she is smashing that memory into the yellowed tile.

Valentina looks at her trembling bloodsoaked hands. Her adrenaline keeps her euphorically numb. With shut eyes, she takes a deep shuddering breath and looks up. His blood drips down her face and warms her cold skin. Her mind eerily calm, her emotions suppressed. The man is no longer recognizable, his head and face smashed like a fallen pumpkin. Brain and blood intermingle, his eye no longer in his skull but still staring at Valentina.

She stands and steps over the Man, dismissing the pile of flesh before her as if it were no more than the usual filth littered on the yellowed tile. Her bloodied footprints follow her to the sink. The room falls silent, the struggling hum of the refrigerator joins her once more.

Valentina begins washing the hammer and her hands of the evidence. Reaching for the bleach, she scrubs the metal clean. She knows that even gone, this monster can still haunt her from the grave if she is careless. With the hammer heavy in her pocket, she heads outside, leaving the rot behind.

Her mind is calm, the calmest it has ever felt. The persistent anxiety is finally subdued.

The Woman finally snaps out of her psychosis. Coming to her senses as the drugs leave her system, she screams like a banshee at the sight of her husband's bludgeoned body.

“What have you done!”

She skitters on the floor to the bloody mess, scooping him into her arms. Wailing in grief and pain, she cries,

“Murderer!” Her voice shakes the core of Valentina’s bones. Valentina flinches at the names directed at her, her vision swimming as her stomach churns in knots. The reality of her actions crashes against her. Her legs are rooted to the ground, even as her mind urges her to escape.

She looks at The Woman and in a trembling breath speaks slowly. She points the hammer at her “You live because I allow it” She teeters slightly.

She swallows down the incoming vomit and finally begins to move. Step by step, she makes her way to the door. Her legs are heavy, her body weak. Steps become walking, and walking turns to a run.

Finally, Valentina sprints out the door, running, panting, her body lighter than before. She is determined to escape. Never looking back. She can’t look back, her eyes are open, but she cannot see. She speaks, but cannot hear her own words. When did the feelings disappear? Is she stationary or is she running? She can no longer tell.

Fear. Panic. That is all that remains. How long has it been like this? How long has it been since she left that door, seconds or years? Her mind is unable to grasp the situation. Her mind calms, coming to terms with her fate. Perhaps this is the consequence for taking a life. The darkness encroaching from outside and within. Oblivion consuming her very being.

Thus begins the descent.