Laughter from my father

Laughter from my father
Carrie
After my father’s surprising appearance, nothing much happened.
I fell asleep while attempting to understand why my father was alive when I was told that he died.
And now that I’m awake, I’m no longer in that all-white room.
My eyes had opened to darkness— the scary kind that told me that danger was lurking in the unseen corners.
I had no choice but to rely on other senses.
While ignoring the cramp in my legs, I sat up and patted the space around me. The bed I was on felt rough to touch, almost like sand particles had been ingrained into its foam. I then moved my searching hands to check if I was close to the ground.
I planned to crawl and search for a light switch even if it takes all day.
So, I patted every area possible. Until I felt something liquid with a disgusting feel, and I wondered if the room was filled with it. After all, ever since I woke up, I’ve been trying hard to ignore the unpleasant smell in this room.
“Ugh…” I groaned and hid my face when a light hit the room and blinded me.
“You are awake,” my father’s voice reached my ears again.
I shakily exhaled and lifted my head. I blinked until I got used to the illumination, then darted my eyes to my father.
“I thought you’d never wake up. Is it because of the baby? You kept sleeping like the proverbial fool.” He chuckled.
Gary was standing behind him, holding a duffel bag in his hand and wearing a cold expression barely hidden behind his sunglasses.
“Dad…” I smacked my tongue. “What’s going on? Wh-where am I?”
He smiled and looked around the room as if he were a stranger to it.
I used that chance to look at the ground.
I immediately jumped back, and my eyes, no matter how they bulged, couldn’t get used to the sight of blood that covered every part of the room. Some of the blood stains were fresh; they were the reason the room reeked.
“You have no business knowing where you are,” my father said. I looked at him; he was wearing that sinister aura I noticed before. “But, I can tell you for a fact that you made a mistake by disobeying me.”
“Huh?” My voice was annoyingly weak.
‘This is not the time to be useless, Carrie!’ I yelled within me.
My father took a step closer. “What was hard to understand about getting married to Frank and sitting pretty in his house? Why did you follow that gangster to Venice?”
He took another step.
Fearfully, I rushed backwards. “D-Dad?”
“You should have been a good daughter, Carrie. That was your last chance.”
He paused his strides, but I moved back one more time and found myself on the dirty mattress.
“I have no choice, Carrie. I have to reset you. You must become my obedient Carrie again.”
He's scaring me.
His words, the evil in his eyes, the determination in his posture… They’re scaring me.
But I don’t think I’ll be able to escape this.
I looked around again. The only door in the room didn’t have a knob.
Oh… I think I’m going to throw up.
“Carrie…” He dropped a knee to the edge of the mattress, and I swallowed the burning bitterness in my throat. “Daddy’s here to take you home. But before I do that,” he combed through my hair, the creepy contact was enough to make me shiver, “I must teach you a needed lesson.”
“A-A-A l-lesson?” I stuttered and blinked to ease the weight in my eyes, but that didn’t work.
“Yes, my daughter.” His hand rested against the back of my head. With little pats, he caressed that spot. “You disobeyed my order and followed that strange man without my permission.”
“A…” I bit back the quiver that almost overpowered my lips and whispered, “Alessandro?”
I’ve been trying not to think about him. I just don’t want to. If I do, this situation will become more heartbreaking.
“Yes, Carrie.” He gripped my hair, pulling at the roots too tightly.
Pain shot into me, and I groaned.
“After many days of deliberation, I realised that I shouldn’t have let you keep that thing growing inside you. Isn’t it the reason you ran after that man? You-”
“Dad…” Wearily, I lifted my eyes to him. “What are you thinking?”
“Are you questioning me?”
Some courage flashed in my eyes. “If you are about to do what I think, you had better— Ah! Fuck!”
He twisted my fisted hair, and my pain allowed him to have control over me.
With shuddering exhales and a head filled with merciless pounding, I watched as Gary handed my father a filled syringe. The sharp needle danced before me, and my father snapped my head to the side.
“No.” I couldn’t break free of his grip. I glared at him and demanded, “What is that? What are you-”
“It’s no use explaining anything to you. The dog’s owner doesn’t tell his dog what it wishes to do with it.”
“Dad…” My voice trembled with silent tears. Is this man really my father? “Dad, please. Please don’t do this.”
This is definitely not the man who raised me. There’s no way it is.
There’s no way.
“Dad!”
“Don’t overthink this, Carrie.”
“Mmph,” I swallowed my defeat as the syringe pricked my upper arm.
“If you overthink, you’ll make things worse for us.”
“Dad…”
I had now become drowsy. My feebleness felt like death.
“Please…” I begged.
“Don’t fight it, Carrie. This is for the best.” The natural evil in my father’s voice almost convinced me that this person was someone imitating my father.
But Gary’s presence, even though quiet, is enough to confirm that this man, who has chosen to do this wicked thing to me, is indeed my father.
“P-Please…” Inaudibly, I pleaded again. I could feel myself become more lifeless. “My baby… needs… to live… Ple...”
My sight turned extremely blurry. All I could feel were my tears, which quietly rolled down the corner of my closing lids.
And the last thing I heard before I slipped into total darkness was laughter.
Laughter from my father’s lips.