Let Me Stitch Your Broken Heart
Pain
Carly was panicking. Her true love was obviously in serious trouble and she had no idea what to do. 911 was out of the question because of Colton's unique species. If she told anyone about him, then he would instantly become a science project. Who was left?
Then, it hit her. "Colton! Where's your phone?" He was slouched sideways in his seat with his back against the driver's door. His mouth opened and his lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. "Colton!" His eyes opened into small slits and he pointed one weak finger towards his pocket. Carly crawled over him and reached one hand inside his pocket. Damn boys and their monstrously huge pockets After pulling out some coins, a stick of 5 Gum, and his house key, she transferred her hand to the other pocket. In the midst of doing so, she noticed his body becoming even more limp and his eyes drooping shut again. She gasped, fearing for his life. Panicky, she straddled him and put a hand on either side of his face. "Colton! Look at me! Wake up! Open your eyes! His eyelids drifted open slowly. Despite the terror their new crimson color shot through her, Carly stared into them intently. "Stay with me," she whispered.
Suddenly, she felt a vibration at her left thigh. Confused, she moved to sit on Colton's right leg. His phone! She dug into his left pocket and pulled out a phone. She looked at the Caller ID screen. It read: 1 New Message from MOM CELL. She flipped it open and selected Read. Carly, why haven't you been answering your phone? I forgot to tell you that it's Labor Day so there's no school. I thought we'd go out shopping, so I came home early, but you weren't here. Where are you? "What?" Carly looked at the phone. "Colton, you never gave me back my phone. Whatever, that doesn't matter." She put her cell in her pocket and continued searching in his. "Aha!" She began scrolling through his contacts list. Ashley, Astronomy Museum, Becca, Bill's Pizza Place, Cameron, Carly She smiled at her own name. Diane, Don, Erin, Harold, Joe's Carry-Out Only Pizza Joint, Lauren--River dated a Lauren once, Library, Lorence "Colton, is your mom in here as Mom or Trina?" "Trina," he croaked.
Carly was going to resume her search but was stopped when Colton cried out, "Carly! Damn it! Get down!" His voice had the tone of someone who was yelling, but his volume didn't make it far above a whisper. Nonetheless, the outburst startled Carly and sent her tumbling to the floor in front of the driver's seat. Colton turned slowly and weakly to assume the position of a driver. He consistently looked worriedly into the review mirror. Carly leaned against his leg and stretched her neck in order to obtain a better view of what was behind them. In the passenger door mirror she glimpsed the back end of an extremely expensive-looking midnight blue car. It was sleek and futuristic. There was no visible movement in it or around it yet that she could see.
Colton attempted more speech then, "Carls, listen to me. I want you to crawl to the passenger side of the backseat. Stay low!" His voice radiated a fake calmness. "Quietly get out the door and run as fast as you can. Go all the way home. Don't stop and don't look back. I'll contact you later. Do not try to call me. Do not try to find me. Don't even think about me. Not until I contact you. Got it?"
"But, Colton--"
"No! Just go. Hurry!"
It was obvious that his strength was brutally forced into use. He wouldn't last much longer without help. Carly knew it. She also knew that he knew about whoever was in that car than she did. She sighed and crawled as he had instructed. She was not familiar with is car and tumbled clumsily into the backseat. "Oof!"
"Hussshhh..." his voice drifted off in a tone that resembled a lullaby.
Carly pulled the door handle. Nothing happened. "Colton, it's locked." She heard all four doors generate small clicking noises. This time she slipped out the door successfully. As she crouched down beside the car she whispered a farewell to him before shutting the door softly, "Goodbye, Colton. I'll miss you. I love you." She savored the taste of his name on her tongue. She didn't see him wince at her statement.
Then, she ran as she never had before. Her feet lost all feeling. She wouldn't have even been able to say whether or not her feet hit the ground. As she reached the back of the vacant lot, she turned, despite Colton's warning. Three figures in dark clothing were dragging her love from the car and beating him with bats similar to those used by police and prison guards. A fourth figure was forcing a funnel shaped utensil between his lips. A red liquid was being poured inside. Carly gasped, frozen where she was. As if he had heard her, Colton turned his head and spit the funnel from his mouth. "Go! Carly, run!" His voice noticeably hinted at his improved health. "Get outta here! Don't look ba-- AAAA!" One of the figures had slammed a bat bluntly across his mouth as he was speaking. Tears filled her eyes, but she obeyed.
Carly rounded the corner onto the sidewalk that led to her street. The whole way, she tripped over her own feet. Blood ran over her shins beneath her now-torn jeans. Her tears blinded her, but she continued on. Her body was numb. The pain from her scrapes didn't register in her mind. She only cried tears for Colton. After what seemed to be pointless running, Carly gave up and sat on the sidewalk's edge, stretching her legs out into the road. She didn't care if she got run over at the moment. Besides, this road was barely used. The asphalt was at least five years old, but it still looked brand new. Carly buried her face in her hands and sobbed noisily. After around fifteen minutes, she heard a car slow down and come to a stop near her. She didn't look up, even when the friction-filled sound of a window being rolled down reached her ears.
"Carly. sweetie, get in the car." Dad? Carly stood slowly, walked over to her father's SUV, and climbed into her usual seat. "Honey, what happened? Are you hurt?" Not in the way that you're thinking. She shook her head. "What's the matter, then?"
"I can't tell you."
"Carly, dear, if something happened that should involve the authorities, then I need to know."
"No, Dad. The cops can't do anything about this."
"People say that all the time. You'd be surprised what they can do. If this is a matter of the law--"
"Dad! This isn't a matter of the law. It's..it's just...I.." she struggled to think of a plausible lie. "It's just female stuff."
That shut him up. "Oh. I see." Carly sniffled. "Well, if something did happen like that, you would tell me, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would. I promise." Carly crossed her fingers.
Then, it hit her. "Colton! Where's your phone?" He was slouched sideways in his seat with his back against the driver's door. His mouth opened and his lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. "Colton!" His eyes opened into small slits and he pointed one weak finger towards his pocket. Carly crawled over him and reached one hand inside his pocket. Damn boys and their monstrously huge pockets After pulling out some coins, a stick of 5 Gum, and his house key, she transferred her hand to the other pocket. In the midst of doing so, she noticed his body becoming even more limp and his eyes drooping shut again. She gasped, fearing for his life. Panicky, she straddled him and put a hand on either side of his face. "Colton! Look at me! Wake up! Open your eyes! His eyelids drifted open slowly. Despite the terror their new crimson color shot through her, Carly stared into them intently. "Stay with me," she whispered.
Suddenly, she felt a vibration at her left thigh. Confused, she moved to sit on Colton's right leg. His phone! She dug into his left pocket and pulled out a phone. She looked at the Caller ID screen. It read: 1 New Message from MOM CELL. She flipped it open and selected Read. Carly, why haven't you been answering your phone? I forgot to tell you that it's Labor Day so there's no school. I thought we'd go out shopping, so I came home early, but you weren't here. Where are you? "What?" Carly looked at the phone. "Colton, you never gave me back my phone. Whatever, that doesn't matter." She put her cell in her pocket and continued searching in his. "Aha!" She began scrolling through his contacts list. Ashley, Astronomy Museum, Becca, Bill's Pizza Place, Cameron, Carly She smiled at her own name. Diane, Don, Erin, Harold, Joe's Carry-Out Only Pizza Joint, Lauren--River dated a Lauren once, Library, Lorence "Colton, is your mom in here as Mom or Trina?" "Trina," he croaked.
Carly was going to resume her search but was stopped when Colton cried out, "Carly! Damn it! Get down!" His voice had the tone of someone who was yelling, but his volume didn't make it far above a whisper. Nonetheless, the outburst startled Carly and sent her tumbling to the floor in front of the driver's seat. Colton turned slowly and weakly to assume the position of a driver. He consistently looked worriedly into the review mirror. Carly leaned against his leg and stretched her neck in order to obtain a better view of what was behind them. In the passenger door mirror she glimpsed the back end of an extremely expensive-looking midnight blue car. It was sleek and futuristic. There was no visible movement in it or around it yet that she could see.
Colton attempted more speech then, "Carls, listen to me. I want you to crawl to the passenger side of the backseat. Stay low!" His voice radiated a fake calmness. "Quietly get out the door and run as fast as you can. Go all the way home. Don't stop and don't look back. I'll contact you later. Do not try to call me. Do not try to find me. Don't even think about me. Not until I contact you. Got it?"
"But, Colton--"
"No! Just go. Hurry!"
It was obvious that his strength was brutally forced into use. He wouldn't last much longer without help. Carly knew it. She also knew that he knew about whoever was in that car than she did. She sighed and crawled as he had instructed. She was not familiar with is car and tumbled clumsily into the backseat. "Oof!"
"Hussshhh..." his voice drifted off in a tone that resembled a lullaby.
Carly pulled the door handle. Nothing happened. "Colton, it's locked." She heard all four doors generate small clicking noises. This time she slipped out the door successfully. As she crouched down beside the car she whispered a farewell to him before shutting the door softly, "Goodbye, Colton. I'll miss you. I love you." She savored the taste of his name on her tongue. She didn't see him wince at her statement.
Then, she ran as she never had before. Her feet lost all feeling. She wouldn't have even been able to say whether or not her feet hit the ground. As she reached the back of the vacant lot, she turned, despite Colton's warning. Three figures in dark clothing were dragging her love from the car and beating him with bats similar to those used by police and prison guards. A fourth figure was forcing a funnel shaped utensil between his lips. A red liquid was being poured inside. Carly gasped, frozen where she was. As if he had heard her, Colton turned his head and spit the funnel from his mouth. "Go! Carly, run!" His voice noticeably hinted at his improved health. "Get outta here! Don't look ba-- AAAA!" One of the figures had slammed a bat bluntly across his mouth as he was speaking. Tears filled her eyes, but she obeyed.
Carly rounded the corner onto the sidewalk that led to her street. The whole way, she tripped over her own feet. Blood ran over her shins beneath her now-torn jeans. Her tears blinded her, but she continued on. Her body was numb. The pain from her scrapes didn't register in her mind. She only cried tears for Colton. After what seemed to be pointless running, Carly gave up and sat on the sidewalk's edge, stretching her legs out into the road. She didn't care if she got run over at the moment. Besides, this road was barely used. The asphalt was at least five years old, but it still looked brand new. Carly buried her face in her hands and sobbed noisily. After around fifteen minutes, she heard a car slow down and come to a stop near her. She didn't look up, even when the friction-filled sound of a window being rolled down reached her ears.
"Carly. sweetie, get in the car." Dad? Carly stood slowly, walked over to her father's SUV, and climbed into her usual seat. "Honey, what happened? Are you hurt?" Not in the way that you're thinking. She shook her head. "What's the matter, then?"
"I can't tell you."
"Carly, dear, if something happened that should involve the authorities, then I need to know."
"No, Dad. The cops can't do anything about this."
"People say that all the time. You'd be surprised what they can do. If this is a matter of the law--"
"Dad! This isn't a matter of the law. It's..it's just...I.." she struggled to think of a plausible lie. "It's just female stuff."
That shut him up. "Oh. I see." Carly sniffled. "Well, if something did happen like that, you would tell me, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would. I promise." Carly crossed her fingers.