I Will Breathe Fire
Collateral Lies
Aiden's pov;
I lay, eyes closed on my side against a hard surface with my hands covering my face and my legs bent. My breathing was steady, however, as my mind played over recent events my body shot up. I loud screech slipped passed my lips. My lower half felt like it had been torn to pieces.
I quickly silenced myself, scanning my surroundings with sleep in my eyes. The room was dark and the only light that seemed to pass through the lazy window blinds, were those on the street. I held myself up right by my arms and let my head fall onto my shoulders.
‘What am I doing here? Why am I on the floor?’. As I lifted my right arm to my head, my lower back screamed in pain. I uttered a gutturally cry. Lips pulled back from my teeth, hands pressed into the small of my back. Little by little the very worst of pain passed and I was able to gain composure.
Tears prick the sides of my eyes. This was definitely unexpected, what happened? I began to worry and a set of worst case scenarios began to play in my head. As the pain lessened I dragged myself to the wall under the windowsill.
My face contorted to the fact that my legs refused to work. As I continued to drag myself my dress felt different. It felt torn around the hem and the tears in my stockings revealed itself as it passed the light cast from the window.
The mound of unanswered questions frustrated me. I couldn’t move and that was what pissed me off the most. Unable to figure out what had happened, I began to sob uncontrollably; having the urge to tear something apart overwhelm me.
I was at competition with the music downstairs as the lyrics penetrated through the cracks in the door. I clenched my fists, holding them tight until I knew they were being suffocated of blood. I couldn’t hold onto it any longer and I screamed. I screamed loud and hard; all at one go, letting out everything I had held onto.
I thrashed about; to my limits and tugged at the bed comforter pulling it off the bed and into my lap. I bit the end of the comforter and pull at the other end, ignoring the clanking of a fallen object onto the wooden floor.
Hearing the sheet tear was like hearing a graceful symphony for the first time. Music to my ears. As the fabric pieces were thrown, I slowly began to calm down. My breathing once again returned to normal.
‘This isn’t the way to handle this,’ I told myself sternly. ‘Breathe.’
With every deep breath my body began to release its tension, remembering the clanking sound. I pulled at the remaining material of the comforter and at the end of the sheet was a rectangular shaped object with piece paper wrapped around it, secured by a rubber band.
I untied the rubber band and rolled out two remote controls from the piece of paper. The light in the room was still dim, and my eye sight was still not running at will. I couldn’t tell who or what it was for. I held the paper to the light and read the discrete lettering. It was a note addressed to no one.
It read:
‘Just a little something,
to remind you of you troubles.
xoxo.’
It confused me, but my curiosity got the better of me. I saw the TV screen and VCR sit on a stand drilled into the wall next to the door. I lifted my hand and pressed the ‘ON’ button directing it to the TV.
A static haze was cast over the screen. I changed the channel to suit the VCR and grabbed a hold of the other remote. Just as I went to click play, my back pulled in agony; grinding my teeth. But I brushed aside my pain and carried on.
The video started off quietly in an empty room, devilishly familiar to the one I'm in. The positioning of the furniture in this room seemed so similar to that of the furniture in the video. The room was lit up by a distinct bathroom light in the right corner of the room, and sure enough when I turned right, there stood a close door.
I quickly looked back up to the TV. The door opened slightly in the video and in walked in a tall man dragging in a lifeless body. It was then I realised that, that wasn't just any lifeless body. It was mine, and that tall man was no stranger. That was Jack.
I gasped in pure horror and shock.
15 minutes passed and I was at the end of the video. I sat there with tears running down to my chest. I was robbed of my everything. My pride, my security, my… my virginity. Jack, that son of a bitch took everything.
“I had a great time tonight,” Jack spoke into the camera. “I hope you did.”
He redid his clothes and pulled me off the bed roughfully, leaving me lying helpless on the floor and remaking the bed. He then picked up the camera again.
“Now this stays between the two off us.”
My blood boiled to the point of no return.
“Now you know how that’s gonna happen? If you do, rat me out. I’m going to give your mother a little visit. I'll strap you down and let you watch me... kill her.”
My body was stiff as his words were slowly laid down in front of me.
“Now here’s a little something to remind you of your troubles. I hope you enjoyed this video, because I honestly did.”
I lay, eyes closed on my side against a hard surface with my hands covering my face and my legs bent. My breathing was steady, however, as my mind played over recent events my body shot up. I loud screech slipped passed my lips. My lower half felt like it had been torn to pieces.
I quickly silenced myself, scanning my surroundings with sleep in my eyes. The room was dark and the only light that seemed to pass through the lazy window blinds, were those on the street. I held myself up right by my arms and let my head fall onto my shoulders.
‘What am I doing here? Why am I on the floor?’. As I lifted my right arm to my head, my lower back screamed in pain. I uttered a gutturally cry. Lips pulled back from my teeth, hands pressed into the small of my back. Little by little the very worst of pain passed and I was able to gain composure.
Tears prick the sides of my eyes. This was definitely unexpected, what happened? I began to worry and a set of worst case scenarios began to play in my head. As the pain lessened I dragged myself to the wall under the windowsill.
My face contorted to the fact that my legs refused to work. As I continued to drag myself my dress felt different. It felt torn around the hem and the tears in my stockings revealed itself as it passed the light cast from the window.
The mound of unanswered questions frustrated me. I couldn’t move and that was what pissed me off the most. Unable to figure out what had happened, I began to sob uncontrollably; having the urge to tear something apart overwhelm me.
I was at competition with the music downstairs as the lyrics penetrated through the cracks in the door. I clenched my fists, holding them tight until I knew they were being suffocated of blood. I couldn’t hold onto it any longer and I screamed. I screamed loud and hard; all at one go, letting out everything I had held onto.
I thrashed about; to my limits and tugged at the bed comforter pulling it off the bed and into my lap. I bit the end of the comforter and pull at the other end, ignoring the clanking of a fallen object onto the wooden floor.
Hearing the sheet tear was like hearing a graceful symphony for the first time. Music to my ears. As the fabric pieces were thrown, I slowly began to calm down. My breathing once again returned to normal.
‘This isn’t the way to handle this,’ I told myself sternly. ‘Breathe.’
With every deep breath my body began to release its tension, remembering the clanking sound. I pulled at the remaining material of the comforter and at the end of the sheet was a rectangular shaped object with piece paper wrapped around it, secured by a rubber band.
I untied the rubber band and rolled out two remote controls from the piece of paper. The light in the room was still dim, and my eye sight was still not running at will. I couldn’t tell who or what it was for. I held the paper to the light and read the discrete lettering. It was a note addressed to no one.
It read:
‘Just a little something,
to remind you of you troubles.
xoxo.’
It confused me, but my curiosity got the better of me. I saw the TV screen and VCR sit on a stand drilled into the wall next to the door. I lifted my hand and pressed the ‘ON’ button directing it to the TV.
A static haze was cast over the screen. I changed the channel to suit the VCR and grabbed a hold of the other remote. Just as I went to click play, my back pulled in agony; grinding my teeth. But I brushed aside my pain and carried on.
The video started off quietly in an empty room, devilishly familiar to the one I'm in. The positioning of the furniture in this room seemed so similar to that of the furniture in the video. The room was lit up by a distinct bathroom light in the right corner of the room, and sure enough when I turned right, there stood a close door.
I quickly looked back up to the TV. The door opened slightly in the video and in walked in a tall man dragging in a lifeless body. It was then I realised that, that wasn't just any lifeless body. It was mine, and that tall man was no stranger. That was Jack.
I gasped in pure horror and shock.
15 minutes passed and I was at the end of the video. I sat there with tears running down to my chest. I was robbed of my everything. My pride, my security, my… my virginity. Jack, that son of a bitch took everything.
“I had a great time tonight,” Jack spoke into the camera. “I hope you did.”
He redid his clothes and pulled me off the bed roughfully, leaving me lying helpless on the floor and remaking the bed. He then picked up the camera again.
“Now this stays between the two off us.”
My blood boiled to the point of no return.
“Now you know how that’s gonna happen? If you do, rat me out. I’m going to give your mother a little visit. I'll strap you down and let you watch me... kill her.”
My body was stiff as his words were slowly laid down in front of me.
“Now here’s a little something to remind you of your troubles. I hope you enjoyed this video, because I honestly did.”