What You Deserve

All I could do was sit in the dark. I could still feel a faint burning of my nerves on fire, though it had mostly become numb by now. In my mind, the only sound that now echoed through was the, "b'dum-b'dum. B'dum..." a long pause, then another, "b'dum," from my heartbeat slowing to it's end.

"Badum... Badum-b'dum. Baa-dum. Ba... Ba... dum..." it continued, seeming to grow tired as time progressed.

Now, of course, came further hallucinations.

Jamia smiled, taking a few steps closer, while the other girls stayed where they were currently located. After another, "baa...dum," she made her way closer, standing only feet away from me. "Make my Frankie happy..." she paused, "make our Frankie happy," the smile seemed to change - a melancholy look mixed with happiness. Which she was trying to mask, I couldn't really tell. Or was it just that she felt both at once?

Looking behind her, I had seen Christa had already dissapeared into the blackness, and Alicia was slipping away as well. I opened my mouth to ask where they were going, but no sound emitted when I made an attempt.

By now, the burning had finally faded away. I couldn't feel anything, and the only sound was a faint buzzing, as if I had been standing by a large computer of some sort.

Frank's ex-wife, perhaps in a sense still being his wife, pressed her hand lightly on my shoulder. I couldn't even feel the gentle touch - the texture of her hand, or the pressure exterted on my shoulder. Taking another step forward, a flicker of light broke into the air, and she dissappeared before I could react from her walking into me.

I didn't feel any different - just kind of alone now. Alone in the dark, with just the buzzing to keep me company.

Until, of course, I opened my eyes.

I jerked up, looking around widly, with a strange tingling sensation seeming to poke at my body.

What? Why? How?

Whatever I could think of slipped my mind, as I noticed that I was no longer within a building, but in a dark alley.

Had I only been dreaming?

Slipping into a standing position, I felt a dry burning in my throat, as if I hadn't taken a drink of anything in days. It felt odd, taking a deep breath, as if it was a new thing to me.

Looking down, I found one of my hands tightly clenched shut, as if holding the thing dearest to me.

My mind began to race, though it was hard to think of much. Actually, all I really wanted was something to drink. It was a dizzying feeling, and tightening in my throat. I was trying. Trying to focus on something - or was it someone? Someone very, very important.

But I just couldn't. So I did the best thing that I could do at the moment, with my state of mind. Which was to look at what was being crushed in the palm of my hand.

Opening my palm, I felt a burning in my eyes, as I let out a small squeak that stung my throat further.

In it was a small, silver locket.

I looked at the locket, and pried it open with my fingernails, seeing a small paper fall out of it. I reached down, not even feeling any effort placed into the movements as I normally would, and picked up the folded note.

Unfolding it, I read it, realizing the important person that my wild mind had tried to forget, reading:

"My lovely Jade,
I can't express my sorrows towards this right now.
I didn't mean to get you into such a mess, or push you away.
You're best to be kept away from me.
It's safest that way.
Will you forgive my mistake?
Please forgive it?
It won't take very long to forget me.
I can promise you that.
Please, please forgive me.
Go into the basment of our house.
There you'll find something to quench the burning.
Forever your dearest,
Frank"

My mind seemed to calm down a little, reading this, and looked around. In which direction was their house?

All the scents floating around made my mind swirl, not assisting my need to find their home.

Frankie.

After finding the house, I would need to find my Frankie. Something told me that he would no longer be there.

Was there another danger lurking out in the dark? Was that why my Frank wasn't with me when I awoke?

Looking down, I decided to examine my reflection in a nearby puddle, taking light steps toward it, and looking into the reflection. I looked sickly pale, but otherwise just fine. Probably from the blood loss. Had Eve cleaned me up to look decent? To add to my questions, where was she now, as well?

I decided that I had finished looking in my reflection, red eyes glittering back at me, imitating each of my blinks, and wandered down the alley, in search of the house that held few, but very dear memories.