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ONE

ROSALIE

B right, white lights illuminated the small room. My hands were restrained to the hospital bed beneath me as I stared into space. My chest heaved at the memories slithering through my mind. He killed them. He tried to kill me. I’d think I was dead if it weren’t for the pain slicing through my midsection. My tongue darted out, licking along my chapped lips. Everything hurt.

My gaze drifted to the cuffs around my wrists. The metal bit into the tender flesh causing even more discomfort. Why am I in handcuffs? Only criminals were cuffed and restrained. I wasn’t a criminal.

My eyes clamped shut as I tried to sort through the thoughts within my mind. Gentry. He did this. Tears pricked against my eyes.

The floorboards creaked beneath Gentry’s boots. The same heavy and thick boots he always wore. Anytime he was near, it sent my pulse thundering in my ears. He wasn’t a good person. Far from it. But I had to stay strong. If not for me, then for my little sister.

I cradled Daisy against my constricting chest. Her dark, blond hair was a mess from sleep. She’d woken me as soon as the front door slammed closed, fear evident in her blue eyes.

“H-He’s drunk again,” she stammered in her small voice. I tightened my hold on her, placing a kiss to the back of her head while she sat between my legs.

There wasn’t a lot of space in the closet we were huddled in. An assortment of shoes surrounded us along with clothes that had either been tossed in here, or that had fallen from the hangers above. It would have to do. If he was drunk, which happened frequently, there was a chance he wouldn’t come looking for us.

“It’ll be okay,” I whispered. “I’ll protect you.”

Her small body trembled against mine. “Promise?” She turned, glancing at me over her shoulder with glassy eyes.

I smiled tightly. Not sure if I could even keep this promise but nodded anyway. Gentry was another brand of evil. He hurt us both in unimaginable ways. The monster deserved to pay for his sins, but what could I do? He was twice my size.

“I’m scared, Rosie.” She breathed out, tears stinging her eyes as she sniffled.

I nodded again. “Me too, princess. Me too.”

My memories were cut short by the door handle jostling. I tensed beneath my restraints, hating the way it sounded as the door creaked open. Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down. I repeated the childhood song in my head, tears attacking my eyes. This was a song I used to sing with my sister before knowing the true meaning of it. Now, it seemed more fitting than ever.

A doctor stepped into the room dressed in all white. Her dark, brown hair was tied back into a bun. I didn’t miss the two cops who lurked behind her. My heart rate increased as they followed her inside, gently closing the door behind them.

“Hi, Rosalie.” The doctor smiled down at me. Though, it didn’t reach her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Fear tightened its clutches on my chest, making my breath come out labored. “ Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down. ”

The doctor stared at me with wide eyes before glancing at the cops who still lurked near the door. They all exchanged uneasy looks before focusing on me once more. She cleared her throat before slapping another fake smile on her face. Was she… scared of me?

“I’m Doctor Tanner,” she continued. “Are you in any pain?”

I glanced at my stomach, finally noticing the thick white bandage placed there for the first time. Blood seeped through the material, making me furrow my eyebrows. Gentry…he stabbed me. After he—after he?—

Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

I sucked in a heavy breath, trying my best to ignore the pain these memories tormented me with. It was worse than the wound on my stomach. So much worse.

“ Everything hurts,” I whispered. “You hurt. I hurt. But they don’t hurt anymore because they’re dead. Gone. Ashes to ashes. Just like the song.” I started humming the words to the song I’d been repeating since I awoke in this horrid place. Maybe I’d gone a little mad with everything that had happened. But who wouldn’t?

It felt like my entire world had been turned upside down. They were dead. She was dead. The only person who ever truly meant anything to me was gone because I failed to protect her. I broke my promise. Heat spread through my body like lava as the memories forced their way to the front of my mind. It should have been me.

Doctor Tanner cleared her throat again, shifting nervously from foot to foot—probably due to my recent outburst. I wasn’t crazy. At least…not before this .

“I can get you some more pain medicine,” she offered with that same tight smile. “Would you like that?”

“Yes, and some water, please.”

This time, her smile turned genuine. Creases formed at the corners of her dark-colored eyes. “Of course. While I do that, the police have some questions they’d like to ask you. Would you be willing to speak with them?”

My gaze darted over to the two officers. One of them was older, probably late forties to early fifties. His hair was dark but had silver streaks laced throughout the sides of his short cut. The other officer was much younger, probably closer to my age. His skin was pale, which contrasted against his pitch-black hair. I didn’t miss the way his dark, blue eyes assessed me, and his hand twitched near his holster where a gun rested along his hip. Almost like he thought I’d somehow get out of these cuffs and attack him.

Reluctantly, I nodded. Speaking to them was inevitable. I’d seen enough crime shows to put that together. Might as well get it out of the way.

Doctor Tanner nodded at the two cops before she quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her with a gentle click. Despite the sound being quiet, it felt like a gunshot going off within the tiny room.

The two cops approached my bedside, one on either side of me. The older one ran his gaze along my stomach wound before he met my eye once more. “I’m Officer Fernando,” he greeted in a loud, authoritative tone that had me flinching. He motioned toward his younger partner next. “And this is Officer Declan.” When I didn’t say anything, he released a loaded sigh. “What do you remember?”

The way he asked was gentle, but I knew what he meant. He wanted to know what exactly happened to my family and who had done it. My fingers twitched and my breathing labored as I worked to sift through my memories so that I could provide a step-by-step insight for them so that they’d leave me the hell alone.

The footsteps grew louder with each step Gentry took. They were uncoordinated, like he was stumbling. That meant Daisy had been right. He really was drunk. It was late enough, meaning Mom was most likely in bed already in her own drunken stupor. Even if she’d been awake, she wouldn’t protect us; she never did.

Daisy’s hand latched onto my arm and her fingernails pressed against my bare skin harshly. Pain seared through me as she started to shake even more profusely with every passing second. This was no way to live. My sister was innocent. If I didn’t do something, there was no telling what would happen if he decided to come for us tonight. My main priority was keeping her safe. It wasn’t just about me.

Resting my chin on her shoulder, I pulled her hair back so that I could reach her ear. “I need you to stay in here,” I insisted. “If he comes, our hiding spot will be blown, and I won’t be able to protect you.” My voice came out soft yet determined.

She turned, looking up at me with wide, frantic eyes. “Don’t leave me.” Her lower lip wobbled. “He’ll hurt you and then he’ll hurt me.”

I sighed, pulling her tighter against my body. Her hands fisted the sides of my shirt, warmth seeping into the fabric from her tears. I cradled her head, tears of my own dripping from my eyes.

This was the last time he’d hurt my baby sister. I didn’t care what I had to do in order to protect her. If that meant taking her to college with me, so be it. If that meant dropping out of school and getting a nine to five, then I’d do it.

The truth of the matter was that Gentry was one big son of a bitch and I stood no chance against him. If he wanted something, then he’d do whatever he had to in order to get his way. I had to put a stop to his reign of terror once and for all.

“I can stop him.” I breathed, adrenaline coursing through my veins at the mere prospect of facing him when I knew damn well what he was capable of.

A choked cry fled her lips, and she nuzzled into me further. “Please, Rosalie. Just stay here.”

“I’m going to lure him into the backyard. When the door slams closed, I want you to run out the front and go to Miss Ruby’s house. She’ll keep you safe.”

The policemen both stared at me with bland expressions as I recounted the events leading up to the attack. My fingers twitched, and despair crept in, settling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to relive this. It was the worst day of my life.

“What happened next?” Officer Fernando asked.

My breathing labored and hot tears sprung to my eyes. But before I could reply, Doctor Tanner entered the room with my medicine and water. Closing the door behind her, she made her way over to my bedside.

“Are you able to sit up at all?” she questioned.

I shook my head, not even willing to try. The pain in my stomach was so intense, I knew it would be a pointless endeavor.

She smiled sympathetically and placed the medicine and water on the table at my bedside. Bending at the waist, she pulled the lever to my bed, and it slowly started to fold me into a sitting position. Pain splintered through my abdomen, making me cry out from the sudden sharpness of it.

“Here,” she continued, retrieving the small cup with a small white pill inside. “This should help with the pain.” She lifted the cup to my mouth, and I parted my lips quickly. Tilting the cup back, the tablet hit my tongue. Next, she grabbed the water and poured that into my mouth too, helping me wash it down.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

She nodded, grabbing the two cups and striding to the other side of the room where she then deposited them into the trash.

Tears stung the back of my eyes, the memories resounding through my head and reminding me that I’d lost the one person I cared about more than anything else in this world. My boyfriend was a close second, but not even he meant more to me than my sister. She was innocent and had her entire life ahead of her.

Officer Declan approached, placing a hand on my blanket-clad thigh in support. Sympathy flashed within his gray eyes, and it made my chest tighten. “Whenever you’re ready.” He forced a small smile—an attempt to ease my mind, but it didn’t work. “If you’d like us to come back tomorrow?—”

“No,” I said abruptly. My eyes fluttered closed and a deep breath expelled from my lungs before they opened again. “I did what I said I was going to. Daisy stayed in the room, and I snuck into the kitchen to grab one of our butcher knives. Gentry was pacing the house, but he was drunk; it was easy to get by him without him seeing me. I- I…” My mind short-circuited, bringing forth a panic that started in my abdomen and spread upwards, settling in the back of my throat.

Officer Declan’s hand tightened on my thigh in reassurance once again. “You don’t have to force yourself. You went through something traumatic. We won’t hold it against you.”

“I want to get this over with.”

Declan glanced over at his partner who gave him a slight nod. “Very well, then.”

My thoughts were all muddled. I couldn’t think clearly and didn’t remember everything in the the order that they happened in. Telling them that would seal my fate. I’d be locked behind bars immediately. As much of a piece of shit my mom was, she still needed me. Especially after what transpired.

My hands tightened into fists within the cuffs, and I worked to steady my breathing and slow my thoughts to the best of my abilities. Finally, when I concluded that this was the calmest I’d probably get given the situation, I started again.

“I went out the back door and slammed it behind me in an attempt to capture his attention. It felt like it had taken hours, but he finally stumbled onto the back porch.”

“What the hell are you doing out here?” he slurred, pulling the door closed behind him.

Our backyard was big—too big for my liking. A large fence surrounded it, making it that much more secluded from our neighbors. My heart thudded dangerously within my chest as I stood in the middle of the yard, a light breeze sweeping across my flushed skin. It did little to settle my nerves. Clutching the weapon to my side, my fingers tightened around the hilt.

Gentry sneered at my lack of response and stumbled down the steps. A part of me hoped he’d trip and bite the cement.

“What, you go off to college, come back and think you’re too good for this family now?”

If I wasn’t so terrified, I might have laughed at the way he’d said ‘family’. My mom was a drunk who barely came out of her room and her husband was an abusive asshole who drowned himself in liquor, too. All he did was cheat on her, but she wouldn’t leave because she’d rather endure that than get her shit together and be a responsible adult.

With every step he took toward me, I took one back. That is…until the sound of a twig snapping caught my attention. Gentry froze, clearly having heard it as well.

Horror consumed me when I caught sight of Daisy, hugging the side of the house and peering into the backyard. She must have gone out the front door and circled around.

With a newfound determination, Gentry started moving toward her instead, having a much greater head start than me. His drunken stupors never got this bad. It made me wonder if he’d done something to her while I was away. Guilt slithered through me, coiling around my stomach until bile burned the back of my throat.

“Stop!” I screamed at him, even though I knew it would fall on deaf ears. He was blinded by hate, and what he wanted to do most in this moment was inflict pain. “Leave her alone!”

Daisy was frozen, unable to move as she watched in horror. He was coming for her, and she was terrified. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I made a beeline for him. Unfortunately, there was no way I’d reach him before he got to her. We were too far apart, and he seemed to have a rush of adrenaline, too.

The moon shone overhead, highlighting the grass around us, giving us just enough light to see. It didn’t take long for him to reach her, and when he did, he latched onto her arm aggressively, jerking her toward him. Daisy released a surprised yelp, her body far too weak to withstand his strength. Panic seized me, but I didn’t slow down. He was unknowingly getting closer to me as he walked backwards with her in tow, her body flailing every which way in an attempt to get away from him.

I bulldozed into him with as much strength as I could muster. He fell to the ground with a thud, but kept his hold on my sister, forcing her down with him. They rolled a couple times, her scream permeating the air which sent ice daggers careening through me.

“You fucking bitch,” he growled, leaving Daisy on the ground as he forced himself to his feet. He whirled on me, a fist flying in my direction. It was the slowest punch I’d ever witnessed and I dodged it easily, stepping to the side. The failed hit caused him to lose his balance, and he buckled forward, but quickly regained his footing.

He lunged for me again, but this time I was prepared. My arm came up and I sliced the knife through the air, cutting a path along the outside of his exposed arm. The pain didn’t even seem to register, not even when the blood started trickling down his arm. In fact, his eyes blazed with fury, and he kept coming at me.

Fear snaked through me as he tackled me, throwing me on the ground beneath him. The wind left my stomach when my back connected with the hard soil and the knife slipped from my fingers. My body slackened with defeat. He was using his weight against me, I was disarmed, and he was past the point of rationalization.

My gaze sought out Daisy. I hadn’t gotten the chance to see if she was okay. To my relief, she was up and standing again. Her small arms hugged her body as she watched the scene unfolding before her helplessly. Despite the pain throbbing in my spine, I forced a smile to reassure her the best I could.

Gentry’s hands curled around my throat, and he squeezed, sucking the air right out of my lungs almost immediately. Panic seared through my chest and my fingers scratched at his wrists to no avail. His eyes were hard and empty, like a demon had taken up residency within him. If he killed me, who knew what he’d do to Daisy afterwards. She didn’t deserve to see this.

“Run,” I mouthed, tears stinging the back of my eyes.

She looked between me and Gentry, but stubbornly remained rooted to the spot. If she could just go get help, we’d survive. But how could I expect a little girl to do something like that? If the roles were reversed, I probably wouldn’t have done much better as a child. It wasn’t her fault.

Dark spots danced around the edges of my vision, my eyes beginning to burn from exertion. My hands fell to my sides, the grass brushing against my fingers. But…something else was there, too. A hard object. I latched onto it, recognizing the feel of it against my palm instantly. Hope blossomed in my chest, and I slashed the knife across his chest. My movements were uncoordinated due to the lack of oxygen to my brain, but it was enough to make him loosen his hold on me.

I sucked in a mouthful of air, my head spinning. He snatched my arm and slammed it into the ground forcefully, causing pain to ricochet through it. A whimper fell from my lips. He took the knife in his grasp and slashed it into my lower abdomen, causing me to scream out in agony.

“Rosalie!” Daisy’s frantic voice called out, fear lacing each syllable.

As much pain as I was feeling right now, I couldn’t let that control me. Her life depended on it. Even as she rushed forward, panic twisting her delicate features, I shook my head at her, silently begging her to stay as far away as possible.

I tried my best to focus my thoughts, trying to ignore the sharpness spiraling through my stomach. My fist shot out, connecting with the edge of his jaw, sending a current of pain through my wrist as well. I’d never learned how to punch, considering I didn’t make it a habit, but it still affected him just the same. His head snapped sideways. He started flinging the knife around and an ear-shattering scream pierced my ears as Daisy fell to the ground holding her neck. Blood seeped through her fingers as she hit the ground, her eyes glazing over when she turned lifeless.

Agony slithered inside of me, twisting my insides and tears streamed down my face.

“Look what you did!” I cried out, pounding my fists against his chest where he straddled me.

Even he froze, looking over at the little girl he pointlessly murdered. Her death seemed to sober him for a moment, shock contorting his expression. I snatched the knife from him and drove it into his chest over and over again. Tears blurred my vision with every stab, blood spraying me in the face, but I didn’t care. When he toppled over sideways, I stopped. My chest heaved relentlessly.

Pushing the bastard off of me, I crawled over to my sister, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. Her body was completely still, her eyes distant and unseeing. My hands drifted through her hair, and I sobbed. She couldn’t be dead. She just couldn’t. This was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare.

The porch light flickered on, and I snapped my head in that direction. My mom stood on the porch; her eyes wide with panic.

My chest was tight as I finished telling them what had transpired. Everyone in the room was silent, listening to me intently. I didn’t even realize I’d been crying until the heat of my tears dripped down my chin. Daisy might have been dead, but so was Gentry. That thought made me feel just a little bit better. But only a little.

“I know that was hard,” Declan offered with a tight smile. “Thank you.”

I swallowed thickly and nodded. Dr. Tanner was leaning against the cabinet at the furthest side of the room, her expression grim. I’d almost forgotten she was even in here. The way they were all looking at me had my throat tightening. Almost as if they didn’t buy my story in the slightest, but that’s what had happened.

“I want to go home,” I murmured, my lids growing heavy with exhaustion.

Declan hesitated, glancing over at his partner for some kind of assistance. Officer Fernando took a step forward, his expression sterner than his partner’s.

“Let’s just focus on getting you healed for now, and then we’ll do our best to get you out of here,” he explained carefully.

It didn’t get past me how carefully he’d worded that, but my energy was waning and all I could do was nod. The pain pill was doing its job, and slowly, my eyes fluttered closed.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d slept for. The next couple of days were a blur. Nurses came and went, checking my vitals and pumping me with more medicine than was necessary. It wasn’t until dinner rolled around later that week, that I finally saw my mom.

Bags circled her blue eyes, hesitation slowing her footsteps as she fought between the urge to go to me and the urge to stay as far away as humanly possible while still being in the general vicinity of my presence. Her greasy blonde hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head, and she was dressed in one of Gentry’s black T-shirts that seemed to swallow her whole.

Alex, my boyfriend of two years, poked his head into the room behind her. My breath hitched, relief spilling out of me in waves. Unlike my mother, he rushed over to my bedside and intertwined his fingers with mine. His touch comforted me, putting my mind at ease.

“Hey,” he soothed. “How are you holding up?”

While I was still sore from being cut, the wound hadn’t been very deep, so I was doing better than expected. Sitting up now didn’t bother me as much. My only complaint was that it itched like crazy. I had a feeling he wasn’t just talking about the physical pain I endured, though.

Swallowing, I forced a small smile. “Could be better, but I’m glad that you came.” My hand tightened around his.

“Of course, Rosie.” He leaned down, his lips feathering against my temple in a sweet, comforting kiss.

Finally, my mom made her way to the other side of my bed, probably figuring that since I was wounded and cuffed, I wouldn’t be a threat to her. That thought bothered me more than I cared to admit.

“We came to see you off,” she said smoothly, her voice raspy from either crying or not sleeping well—maybe both.

My eyebrows dipped in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I was under the impression that once I’d healed enough and received the rest I needed, they’d permit me to go back home. Did they actually think that I was still to blame for everything that had happened? It was self-defense.

Mother’s smile tightened, the creases around her mouth becoming more prominent with the action. She reached forward, running her fingers through my long, blonde hair that was so similar to her own.

“You aren’t coming home, honey. At least, not right now.”

Fear blossomed in my chest, expanding through the rest of my body. My eyes snapped to Alex, who just stared down at me sympathetically. I recounted the events of the story I told the police in my head, trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong. Had I somehow incriminated myself? My mind drew a blank.

My lips parted, trying to form the words to ask where I’d be going instead, but the sound of the door opening again captured my attention.

Dr. Tanner walked in holding a stack of papers. She handed them to my mom and instructed her to sign on the dotted lines. The only thing keeping me from full-on panicking was Alex’s hand wrapped around mine. He whispered soothing words that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend in my current state.

All I could see was Daisy’s body toppling to the hard ground and her lifeless eyes staring back at me. All I could hear was her ear-shattering scream punctuating the air. My breathing picked up, guilt slicing through my chest.

Two more officers walked into the room, not the same ones that had been here before. Both of them were young like Declan had been, but they didn’t offer the same kindness. Just looking at them put me on edge.

The cop with black hair spoke first. “We’ll give you time to say your goodbyes and to get dressed.” He made his way over to me and retrieved a key, placing it in my cuffs where he proceeded to undo them.

As soon as one of my arms was freed, I brought it to my chest, relief spilling through my wrist. He worked on the other one, the metal of the cuff slapping back against the bed, making a dinging sound that reverberated through the room.

“We’ll be right outside that door.” The other officer stated, jutting his thumb in that direction.

Mom nodded. “Thank you.”

After they left, she grabbed a bag off one of the chairs. I didn’t remember seeing her with it when she came in, so she must have brought it while I was asleep sometime. I’d been in and out of consciousness since arriving here.

Alex grabbed my right arm, hesitation flashing across his face. “Do you need help up?” he asked.

“Please.”

I was far too weak to attempt it on my own. Alex wasn’t very lean or muscular, so if something did happen and I lost my balance, it was unlikely he’d be able to catch me anyways, but it still offered some support. His fingertips pressed into my bicep as he helped pull me into a sitting position. My abdomen throbbed lightly, but for once, it was much more bearable. The stitches tugged at the skin surrounding my wound, and while it was uncomfortable, that didn’t hurt much either. Either I was healing nicely, or the pain meds were doing a hell of a job.

Positioning my legs over the edge of my bed, I allowed him to pull me to my feet. My knees wobbled slightly from their lack of use and my arm snapped out in search of the nearest object I could hold onto, which just so happened to be the bed.

Taking slow, steady breaths, I worked to calm my racing heart to the best of my abilities. When I considered myself calm enough, I crossed the room at a snail’s pace with Alex clinging to my arm, doing his best to guide me.

My mom met us halfway, setting the bag down on the floor by our feet. Hesitation filtered through me and a blush crept up my neck. Alex had never seen me undressed before. He was a Christian and believed in waiting for marriage—that the wait would be worth it. I agreed with him, being in no hurry to lose my virginity anyway. I’d grown a love for church and for the community. Everyone seemed too nice, aside from the judgmental ones I’d catch whispering about other women within the building from time to time, but for the most part, everyone was genuinely kind.

Alex must have sensed my hesitation, because he swept his free hand along my back in a comforting notion. “It’s okay,” he assured me.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded. My mom took up the spot in front of me. Her gaze moved to Alex. “Would you mind untying her gown?”

To my surprise, he didn’t even hesitate. His hand moved to my exposed back, nervous energy fluttering through me from the simple touch alone. Even that felt intimate to me. I leaned my weight against him as his fingers worked on untying the gown. Finally, it fell from my body, leaving me in only my bra and underwear.

Mom handed me a shirt that I tugged on over my head, the pain pulsing through my stomach intensifying slightly. Next, was a pair of athletic shorts and then my tennis shoes. Her gaze swept over me assessing; pity shining through her blue, bloodshot eyes.

“This is for the best,” she said softly, moving her hand to cradle my face. A sheen of unshed tears coated her eyes, making my chest clench. I blamed her for what Gentry did. She knew he was out of control and that he was violent, especially when he drank. She subjected us to his abuse on numerous occasions. She had to have known that it would only get worse with time.

If there was anything that psychology class taught me, it was that most abusers would never take accountability for their actions. Most of them didn’t even see themselves as abusers, often thinking that their victim was the one in the wrong within their warped sense of reality. They seldomly changed for the better.

Mom dropped her hand to her side and shot me one last fake smile. She didn’t need to pretend with me though. In her eyes, I was to blame. She turned to the door and opened it a crack, letting the police know that I was decent and ready for them to drag me off to jail, or worse…prison. I didn’t want to think about any of that right now.

Alex moved to stand in front of me, his bright blonde hair slicked back, giving him that preppy-boy appearance that had grown on me over time. His light blue eyes sparkled with sympathy.

“I love you, Rosie. We’ll see you soon. Promise.”

Emotions welled up inside me and I nodded, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around him. He hugged me back instantly, his chin resting on the top of my head. “Love you, too,” I murmured.

“I’ll drop some more clothes off for you later today,” Mom chimed in, breaking the moment.

This confused me further. Why would I need more clothes if I was being hauled off to jail or prison? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but before I could utter it, one of the policemen started winding my arms behind my back, and cuffed them together.

The cop by the door looked at my mother. “I’m sure they’ll give you a call once she’s all checked in and fill you in on visitations and whatnot,” he assured her with a softer expression than the one he graced me with.

My mom nodded, wiping her nose with the palm of her hand before sniffling and returning her attention to me.

I said my goodbyes to Alex one last time before I was being ushered out of the room. A feeling of unease settled inside my stomach as we navigated down the hallway, fear of what was to come spiking through me.

The cops spoke amongst one another, but I tuned them out, too lost in my own thoughts to even care about what they were saying. It felt like my life was crashing down all around me. Hell, it felt like my life was over .

When we got outside, they helped me into the back seat of the cruiser before taking their spots up front, and then we were off.

Trees blurred by, taunting me with their freedom and it made me feel even that much worse. What would the ladies at church say once they knew I’d been arrested for murder ? Would they make Alex an outcast as they’d done to so many others before us? I didn’t want to think about that, either.

As screwed up as my situation was, it did feel nice to be in a car again after being chained to the bed for so long. The sun was bright, shining over us and bleeding its light into the car. The luminosity of it had me wincing slightly, but I enjoyed that, too.

“Did you see that doctor?” The cop with the black hair asked, referring to Dr. Tanner, I was sure.

The other cop, the one behind the wheel, released a laugh. “The one with the big rack? Yeah, I saw her.”

I rolled my eyes, settling into my seat in an attempt to get comfortable. Alex never talked about women like that. Maybe I’d gotten lucky in the boyfriend department after all.

As we reached the edge of town, my eyes grew heavy. It had taken a lot of energy just to get out of bed, and then to get dressed on top of that. Hopefully the ride didn’t take much longer, then again, I kind of hoped it did.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I was being jostled awake. My memories were all clustered as I tried to piece together what was happening. It didn’t take long for it all to come rushing back. My throat constricted as I peeled my eyes open, a large white building standing up ahead.

The cop with black hair was at my door, his hand on my shoulder. “Wakey, wakey.” He grinned maliciously, clearly getting a kick out of torturing me.

I glanced back at the building, my eyes scanning the large sign positioned at the front. Fear spiked through my veins, causing my heart to palpitate.

Welcome to Brookhaven Psychiatric Institution.

An Asylum?