I didn’t stop to check the damage. I ran toward the main elevator which was still open with the down arrow flashing. My brain was working furiously, thinking about escape routes... windows...doors...car? I’d read on the Internet that it had to do with adrenaline discharge. Shit twice, I don’t drive!
I pressed the button for the ground floor and instinctively looked up at the security camera before the doors closed. I was sure they were both watching me. If they caught me, would they put the videos on the Internet to make it look like I’d consented to this barbarity? Or worse...maybe they’ll save the images to blackmail me so I won’t go to the police. What should I do?
Shit! Shit! Shit! I was sure they wouldn’t let me leave the building alive to tell the police about their involvement in the attack. Shut your fucking mouth! Make a decision! Make it now!
Okay, okay!
I decided get out of the elevator before it reached the ground floor, so I punched the button for the first floor. When the doors opened, I projected myself out like a cannonball. I raced through the aisles, trying to locate the other cleaning girl, but couldn’t find anybody. Maybe she’s in the employees’ lounge? I couldn’t go down there because I’d have to go past the security office.
I heard footsteps in the stairwell. I was right after all. They were expecting me on the ground floor. When they realized that I’d gotten out, they came looking for me.
Cursing the fact that I didn’t have a cell phone handy, I turned on my heels and ran to find a phone. I remembered the public phone in the corridor near the restrooms, so I rushed there. When I glanced around the corner, I was relieved to find that my memory had not failed me. I exhaled with relief, lifted the receiver, and started dialing.
The steps were coming closer, faster and faster. Too fast! I left the phone dangling on its cord and ran back the way I’d come. I entered the first open door I saw, immediately realizing that it was the sports equipment section. When I spotted two camping tents on display, I threw myself behind them a split second before Cridder’s minions reached the telephone. I fell on the cold concrete floor, striking my elbow hard. I had to muster up a lot of strength not to scream in pain.
“She must have gone into the restroom. Check the men’s room while I go to the ladies’ room.”
Great! That’s all I needed—one second of distraction. I managed to get to my feet and ran. My sneakers made noise on the smooth floor...nhec...nhec...nhec... which forced me to pick up the pace. They’d soon realize that I wasn’t in the bathroom and if they heard the noise, they’d move faster.
I ran as fast as I could, slipping...falling...scrambling...until I reached the stairs that would take me to the ground level. I knew there was another phone there. I was almost to the last flight of stairs when an iron hand grabbed my arm, throwing me off balancing. I fell backwards and rolled down the rest of the stairs, coming to rest when I hit the ground floor. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of me. I was sprawled on the floor like a rag doll. For a fleeting moment, I guess I knew that I’d broken some ribs because the pain was intense.
This is the end. I was absolutely sure. The guy would attack me, probably kill me. I could see the headlines in the local newspaper’s morning edition: “ORPHAN GIRL’S LIFE ENDS TRAGICALLY” or maybe better “FIRST JOB CAN BE DANGEROUS!”
* * *
Simon Cridder was on top of me now. He smiled in a disgusting way. He tore my shirt and uttered the classic phrase that all rapists say in trashy movies, “You’ll love it, baby!” It was his infamous comment that gave me strength—a supernatural strength for my petite size, dictated by hatred and despair. I was so angry that I raised my knee and hit him precisely in his most sensitive anatomy.
I stared at his ugly face, awaiting my satisfaction for having hurt him, but there was nothing. He didn’t move! I felt anguish, I hadn’t hit him properly, but then he fell on his side. His face looked blue. A faint moan escaped his barely parted lips.
I wasted no time turning onto my stomach and crawling away from his limp arms. As soon as I was far enough away, I managed to stand up, but it was difficult to move. My ribs no longer hurt so much, but the pain was enough to make me want to lie down on the floor and curl up in the fetal position.
When I heard the footsteps of the other two men on the stairs, I forced myself to flee. Half stumbling, I rushing to the store’s front entrance. I almost fainted when I saw that the exit doors were locked with a padlock and chain.
Damn! A thousand times damn!
I hesitated, looking around, not knowing what else to do. Then I saw the boxed goods stacked against wall near the freight elevator. They had been unloaded at the end of the day so that they could be logged into the computer system in the morning. I ducked behind them.
From where I stood, I could see the two men helping Cridder to his feet. He was swearing and gesturing, pointing in various directions he wanted them to go while he tottered down the hallway.
I removed my sneakers. I didn’t want them to hear me running. I crawled slowly along the wall behind the boxes, at one point passing close to the two men. They were too busy combing the electronics department to notice me.
I did not stand until I was very close to the stairs. It wasn’t easy. I still couldn’t breathe very well. It felt like knives stabbing my lungs. I tried to ignore the pain while I made my way down the steps, but it was really hard to move.
I hadn’t reached the garage when I heard a crashing noise on the ground floor. Tempers were flaring up there... What would they do when they realized that I wasn’t there? I wanted to be as far away as I could when that happened.
I was relieved to finally make it to the parking garage. I tottered toward the vehicle exit ramp, looking around for any sign of another cleaning girl or someone who could help me, but there was no one. My surroundings were immersed in silence and darkness. I also gave up searching for a phone, realizing that plan was very risky. In my condition, I couldn’t defend myself from anyone. The best thing to do was find the police. I jumped through the gate, feeling the pain in my ribs robbing me of my breath again, but I finally exited the parking lot.
The cold air hurt my lungs, making me realize that the temperature outside had plummeted. I rubbed my bare arms, trying to get warm. I feared that my feet were frostbitten because I was walking barefooted on cold concrete. I looked around, but saw nothing that could provide shelter. I needed to find a safe place where I could get out of the cold. All I could see were trees bending in the wind, darkness, three parked cars, and the two men watching me. They had followed the same route I had taken. I groaned in despair. Now what?
Instinctively, I headed toward the trees. I could hear their footsteps behind me. This time I dared to look back and saw Cridder running down the vehicle ramp. Where were the two men? Dazed, I turned and kept running. I had to fight against the vertigo that threatened to be my undoing. I crossed the sidewalk, stepped over a low wall, and finally made it to the grass as Cridder hurried to catch up. I didn’t even stop to think about whether or not the distance between us was diminishing. I forced myself to keep moving, ignoring the stabbing pain in my lungs. The grass was thinning as I climbed a small hill.
Soon I was surrounded by very tall trees. I was thankful for the moon’s soft, natural light for without it I would have slammed into a tree trunk in my haste to escape. I kept running, skirting the trees, jumping over fallen branches until my lungs could take no more. I dropped to my knees, out of breath. I wanted to be quiet. I swear that’s what wanted, but regardless of my will, I was panting heavily. I was sure that Cridder would eventually find me when he heard sound of my loud breathing.
Suddenly I saw a movement in the woods. It was very fast. Something was following the same path that I was on and then suddenly it disappeared. What was that? It was huge! I froze in terror. I heard the snap of a dry twig behind me, imagining it to be my attacker. That thing that passed me was something else... Will it...? My imagination would have found an alternat
ive way for my winged monster to make its triumphal entry into my life. I didn’t even hear the beating of wings this time. The other possible explanation was that my mind was tired of using the same protagonist and “decided” to create another.
What’s the point in arguing about who was playing the supporting role in my hallucinations? I frowned. I was between the devil and the deep blue sea...caught in between a real monster and another one—legendary. What to do? I had to stand up if I didn’t want the real-attacker-monster to reach me. I stood up and kept running. If I’d stopped to think about it, I’d regret it. Chills coursed up and down my spine as I suppressed my survival instincts and advanced toward where I saw the thing. Nothing happened. No one jumped me. There was nothing there!
Cridder had also paused, but now was moving again because I could hear the sound of his footsteps—accelerating because he now knew my location.
Where’s the road? Where’s the road? It’s obvious that I’m lost!
“You couldn’t have chosen better place, baby.” I heard his voice...breathless...right behind me.
I slowly turned to face him. What I saw sapped all the strength I had left. It was the look...the look from a man who shouldn’t exist. No one could be that bad, but he was. Evil radiated from his eyes.
I could no longer feel my legs. I fell at his feet, panting, too tired to continue. It was the end.
“You put me through a rough time, my pretty. What happens now is your fault.”
Cridder circled around me like a predator, evaluating the best approach, enjoying the last moments of his prey, anticipating her suffering. Yes, he was savoring my terror.
“But you know what? It was fun!” He opened his pants and I groaned. He laughed. “After I finish with you...when they find you, they’ll think that you were devoured by the cat that walks around here. He grabbed my hair, yanking hard to force me to lift my head. I think that he intended to kiss me, but I wasn’t sure because my vision was blurred.
Finally, I saw the winged creature moving among the treetops. She always appeared when I was about to faint, so I knew that my end would not be painful...that I would not see or feel anything.
Cridder gave me a brutal shove. When my head slammed against the cold ground, I thought I would black out right there, yet at the gates of darkness, I heard something different than the flapping of monstrous wings. I opened my eyes and I thought I’d seen the same dark shadow passing through the trees.
I think Cridder hadn’t noticed anything because he was absorbed in ripping my clothes off. I felt the assault of cold air on my breasts as my brassiere gave way—the last barrier. I closed my tired eyes.
Suddenly, the weight of Cridder’s body was torn from me. I heard the cracking of breaking bones, snarling as flesh was torn from them and Cridder’s agonizing cries. Then the same horrifying sound that I’d heard before prevailed over all others, completely filling the atmosphere of this place—a roar that could burst eardrums which almost paralyzed me and left me breathless. Was I wrong or had the sound come from nearby? This time it was very close. I didn’t want to see what was happening to Cridder, so I kept my eyes squeezed shut.
All of a sudden the screams stopped and a merciful silence enveloped me. To my surprise, cold hands bolstered my body. I made a feeble attempt to defend myself, but those hands easily stopped me. I quieted down, certain that he wouldn’t hurt me. The hands moved down my arms and gently touched my chest and back. Were they examining me?
A strong arm reached around my waist, lifting me. The movement made me feel pain in my ribs. I had decided not to make any sound, but I couldn’t help myself and emitted a groan. While one arm holding me, the other adjusted the position of my legs and back and the pain disappeared. Gentle fingers touched my lips, tracing along the jaw line, running past my ears, until they reached my hair. They gently cleared away the wires plastered against my wet face. Their touch felt almost... reverent.
Then I blacked out again. I only had a small glimmer of consciousness when I felt I was being placed in an ultra-comfortable seat of a car, but all I wanted was to deny what was happening. It could only be my imagination playing a new joke on me because it was bored with the old jokes. At any moment I would wake up and discover that it was all a nightmare, that I was sleeping in Carmen’s house, so I snuggled into the seat that I thought was my bed.
I heard a car door slam.
“What are you doing here, Stephen?” That voice...where have I heard that voice before? I know her.
“I followed you, of course. After you left, upset like that...”
What an odd nightmare!
“Since you came, please make sure that no evidence gets overlooked. Did you find everything?”
“Yes...I’ll have many clues to cover. It’ll be a long night...”
The deep voice laughed softly.
“I didn’t ask to you come.”
“You know I had to come. It was my duty...you broke the rules.”
“Actually, I have broken some, but I don’t need anyone to remind me.” The voice assumed an imperious tone...strange, something so strong that paralyzed me and made me breathe hard. He must have realized because I heard his footsteps approaching very fast.
Apparently, it wasn’t only for me that his tone of voice caused unease. The other fictional character—Stephen—took a while to talk.
“Is she?” He sounded incredulous.
“Yes,” confirmed the voice, marked by an indefinable emotion.
“But how did you find her?”
“I followed the signs. She’d warned me to be attentive and during all these years, I’ve done nothing else.”
* * *
After that, the dream was very confused. I heard the purr of a powerful engine before the car motored rapidly down the road. The interior was pleasantly warm. I sighed and snuggled against the seat.
Again, I felt gentle fingers touching my hair, stroking my cheek, outlining the arch of my eyebrows, lazily moving down to the tip of my nose.
For the first time in my life, I felt safe.
Even in the darkness.
5
MELISSA WHO?
I opened my eyes, stunned to see the morning light—a dazzling, painful light. I realized I could not feel my arms. They were trapped under my body and so numb that I could not have responded to any commands. Pull it! Push it! Turn it!
The events of last night came back to my mind with the force of a locomotive. Since my arrival in Hadrian’s Wall, crises were occurring regardless of threats. It was enough to make me a little nervous and then boom! Last night’s crisis was more intense than any other.
I tried to use my arms as levers to pull myself up, but without much success. My muscles were painful, aching from having spent the whole night in the same position. When I was finally able to move, circulation was restored, bringing with it an unpleasant prickling in my limbs.
Vap... At first, I thought I’d imagined something. The sound was brief and very faint. I heard it again. Vap. This time it was more distinct... the noise behind me caused me turn to see who was approaching. However, I turned so fast that I fell face down in the blanket and my ribs protested. Ugh!
I froze when two strong hands took hold of my shoulders and helped me to sit up. The movement made my hair fall over my face. For a moment I imagined how hilarious I must have looked, like a bad case of bed head. A soft male laugh awakened me from my reverie, echoing my thoughts. I knew that sound very well. I had a sense of déjà vu. My worst fear was confirmed as soon as I swiped my matted hair away from my eyes and mouth: Adrian Cahill was standing beside me, watching my most vulnerable moment of the day.
The numbness in my arms was quickly replaced with surge of adrenaline - like I had been driven by invisible springs. So, I straightened my aching back and surreptitiously folded the edge of the blanket to hide the drool stains. I didn’t want anyone, especially Adrian—the man who looks like a god from the pages of fashion magazines—to seeing any evidence tha
t proves that I’m just a common person. I rubbed my hand across my face as if to wipe away my sleepiness, unaware that he was watching me until I saw him purse his lips to keep from laughing. My face got hot—from rage or shame, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I needed to escape. I tried to make him let go of me, I tried to get up, I tried to straighten my hair...all at the same time. Apparently, I was unable to accomplish a feat that required such coordination because I became quite dizzy. I think I would have fallen back onto the bed had he not supported my body with his arms.
That’s when things got complicated. The same mysterious electrical current emanating from his body crossed into mine again, leaving me weak and very aware of his proximity. It was a strangely pleasant weakness, one that relaxed my muscles and calmed my heart rate, eliminating the pain and tingling as the numbness disappeared. I felt completely overwhelmed by the magnetism of his touch...as if everything surrounding us had come to a complete stop.
I blinked a few times, trying to escape his domineering look, actually trying to regain my senses. Obviously, he realized what was happening to me. He seemed to be following my efforts with interest—like a scientist who observes a guinea pig reacting to an injection which he knows to be lethal.
It seemed like Adrian was also struggling a bit to regain his composure. His sparkling eyes narrowed and he walked away, giving me the opportunity to collect myself. God help me! Here I was, all messed up with a swollen face and probably morning breath...and there he was, holding me like that. How embarrassing, especially because his intense eyes, half hidden by those tinted lenses, didn’t look away from mine for a second. I foolishly pointed to the bathroom door, desperate to escape and try to rescue my dignity. Adrian said nothing, but supported me as I tottered in that direction.
“Do you want my help?” he asked.
I was horrified, just thinking about it. “No need, I can manage.”
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