Page 13

And then it hits me. I escaped. I got out. That guy left the door open, which allowed me to leave. And I did. I made it to… a boat. All the flashes of memory start coming back to me in pieces.
How did I end up here? I start coughing, causing me to rub my chest. It hurts. What the hell happened after I found the boat? The beeping on the machine next to me starts to go crazy.
“Oh, ma’am, I am going to need you to calm down. I know just waking up can be a bit scary, but you are in a hospital, and you are safe.” A redheaded nurse comes walking over to the machine that is going haywire, pressing a few buttons, and the machine quiets down. “How are you feeling?” she asks me as she starts to look at a computer next to the bed.
I don’t say anything. I still have no clue what is going on. My mind is slow to catch up.
She adds, “You know, you’re lucky that baseball player found you. He got you out of that house fire in pretty good time. Thankfully, there’s not much damage from the fire. Just a bit of smoke inhalation.”
Her words drown out as I realize what she said. I was in a fire. Someone saved me from a fire. That’s impossible. I was in a boat. The asshole chased me. I hid from him. How was I in thehouse? Did I actually leave the house? Maybe I didn’t make it out?
He got to me before I could escape. Gave me more of the sleepy stuff. Maybe he found me and dragged me back.
I ran. My feet were on the pavement. I ran.
I feel my chest tighten, and my breaths start coming out short and fast. My hand flies to my heart, and I can feel it beating so fast in my chest.
“Hey! Miss! I need you to calm down! You are having a panic attack. I need you to take deep breaths and calm yourself. Listen to the sound of my voice, focus on that.”
My mind keeps swirling with memories, but I can’t tell what is real and what isn’t. Is this real life? Am I imagining this? I look down at my hand, seeing that it’s shaking. Her voice drowns out again, and I feel dizzy.
Is he here? Is my captor here? Did he come in with me? Was any of it real? Is he real? My head snaps up, and I realize I need to get out of here. It’s my chance to break away.
Shaking my head, I throw the blankets off me. Screaming can be heard beside me, but I ignore the sounds outside of my own head. I need to leave this place, and fast. There are lines going into me, and I start to reach for them, but immediately my hands are held back.
Eyes. I see eyes. So many eyes and hands touching me. The world around me darkens; all I can hear is my heartbeat.
All these eyes…
It’s cold, damp, and dark. I hear quiet sobbing somewhere near me, but I can’t be sure where it’s coming from. My body shivers, and my heart feels like it’s about to jump out of my chest.
I take a deep breath, and it’s hard. My head hurts, and my eyes can’t focus on the world around me.
Help, please.
I don’t know how long I lie on what feels like cold concrete, but suddenly, hot hands are grabbing me and lifting me up. My vision is still not focusing, and there is only a slight bit of light in certain places I can’t make out.
I’m in the air, and I feel like I’m being thrown around like a sack of potatoes.
Everything in me wants to struggle, wants to fight off whoever is manhandling me, but I can’t. I want to scream, but I can’t get my head to open my mouth and make the sound come out.
The only thing I seem to be able to control are my thoughts. I’m locked in my head.
Someone help, please.
I’m suddenly flipped and laid out on my back. The room around me is dark, but there is a bit more light from what I think are candles. I am not sure if I see flickering or if that is the blur in my vision messing with me.
Voices hum around me. They are low, and I can’t make out the words.
Suddenly, I feel hands on me. Whatever they had me covered with is stripped off me. Murmurs still hum around me. I blink a few times, and my vision starts to clear. Not much, but I can start to make out shapes better.
And that’s when I see them. The eyes.
So many fucking eyes.
The fear in me starts to multiply. All the eyes stare back at me, the figures shrouded in blackness. Inside my head, I am screaming for them to stop, for them to leave me alone. A hand reaches out toward me, and I can feel my body tremble.
But then darkness comes. And I let myself fall into it.