Chapter Text
The hallway was covered in glass. The picture of them smiling at the orchard, Zoe on Connor’s back now ripped and torn from the force of Connor’s outburst. Zoe was frozen to her spot, she watched Connor flex his now bloodied fist, watched as his chest rose and fell frantically. There was yelling all around them as her father ran toward them from the other side of the hall.
Zoe’s legs started working when Connor turned towards her, she ran to the door of her room and slammed it closed. She took the chair from her desk, her body working on instinct, and stuck it under the door handle so it couldn’t be opened.
The door shook as Connor tried to open it. He pounded on it over and over again, yelling her name so loud. She could hear her father yelling to, could hear him trying to pull Connor away from the door, but he wouldn’t leave. She could hear her mom screaming as well, her voice sounding scared and distant.
Zoe looked around the room, trying to find something to protect her and her eyes settled on the closet door. She opened it and crawled inside. Crouching in the darkness, she tried to calm her breathing. The voices were still so loud and she could still hear Connor screaming her name with such rage and intensity. She covered her ears and tried to block out everything around her. Hot tears ran down her face and she took a shuddering breath that ended up making her feel like she was choking. She pressed her whole body against the wall and let out a sob.
She didn’t know how long she had been there. The noises had gotten quieter now, she could hear stomping getting farther away and more yelling on the other side of the house. No one had come to check on her. With a shaking hand she pushed open the closet door. As she got up from the floor, she assessed the damage to her bedroom. The top hinge had come off the bedroom door, but it was still standing if only slightly leaning on the chair. Slowly she tucked the chair back in under her desk and timidly opened the door to her room. The hallway was empty, the broken glass still strewn across the green carpet. She looked at the front of the door. It had suffered some damage, the paint had come off in some places and there was streaks of red where Connor’s cut hand had come into contact with the wood. She walked down the hallway and looked at the smashed frame still sitting sadly on the wall. Her fingers ghosted over the place where their faces had once been, where they had once held such childlike glee. She dropped her hand feeling the emotional weight of the past few hours finally fully hitting her as the adrenaline left her system. She went back to her bedroom and propped the chair against it again as she went to bed.