Don't Drop Your Mask

In a strange déjà vu, I found myself walking home with a bag of marshmallows and peanut butter.

I hadn’t talked to Charlie or you know who in about a week. I avoided Charlie and whatever his name or identity is avoided me. Clark Kent. He’s going to be Clark Kent for a while. Clark Kent probably isn’t happy about me attacking Charlie in front of him.

I stomped angrily through the puddles. Fumed, I walked home, not paying attention to where I was going. I stopped about two blocks away. I don’t know why, but something gave me a bad feeling. I could either go up two blocks and turn left, or go left and then go up two blocks. I lost all of the confidence I had and stumbled to cross the street to turn left.

I guess I wasn’t paying attention, because I stopped like a deer caught in headlights. Except I was a person caught in headlights.

I breathed in and never felt the breath leave my body as I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for impact.

I heard a horn honk, and screeching tires.

After not feeling the pressure of getting hit, I peeked an eye open.

“Fuckin’ watch where you’re going!” the driver yelled. “Goddamn crack heads everywhere,” he murmered to himself, sticking his head back in the window.

I mumbled a sorry that was far too late, considering he had swerved around me and sped off.

I laughed to myself and continued walking the rest of the way home. My bag got heavy and I shifted it to the other side.

See, this is why you should never brush off premonitions.

While the bag was traveling from left arm to right arm, it was knocked over. I was pushed to the ground.

Apparently, all of this time of trouble not finding me didn’t do me very well. Maybe karma caught up with me, maybe I just deserved it.

My attacker pushed me down to the ground and grabbed the front of my jacket, lifting my torso up.

“Well, you look like a pretty little thing in this lighting,” he said before slapping me hard across the face. He dragged me into the alley he had jumped out of. There was one dim light on the side of one of the buildings. He dropped me on the ground and I hit my hit. Things started fading.

“You’re going to regret this,” I said warily.

“Yeah, just shut up,” he said, trying to pull my jeans down.

My head kind of flopped to the side as he put his mouth down to mine. My nose wrinkled at the stench and I pushed him as hard as I could.

He punched me in the stomach and I crumpled. I regained my composure a little and pushed him really hard, all at once. I stood up and tried to make a run for it, but he grabbed my leg and pulled me back down. I let out a scream.

He opened my already unbuttoned jacket up and ripped my t-shirt open. I tried fighting back more, and he hit my head into the ground. Things started fading faster. My body went limp and I whispered, “save me?”

I felt my jeans being tugged down as far as he could push them. He shuffled with himself for a minute, then his breath was right back on my face.

Tears were pouring out of my eyes as my body that was slowly getting colder and colder trembled.

This marks the first time he hasn’t come to my rescue, I thought.

I felt a heavy weight being lifted off of me, but still didn’t move. I heard two men fighting, but my watery eyes stayed glued to the pavement I was laying on. Pavement that was slowly being covered by blood. My blood.

“Layla?” a voice asked. “Layla, don’t fall asleep. Please don’t fall asleep,” he said. He gently lifted me up and started walking.

“Who are you?” I managed to get out

“It’s me,” he said.

“I still don’t know who you are,” I whispered.

“It’s me, I’m your friend,” he said.

“Okay.”

“No, Layla, you can’t fall asleep, sweetheart,” he said softly to me. “Call an ambulance!” He yelled to someone. “Layla, stay awake. Want me to tell you a story?”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

“No, you tell me a story. Tell me about your day. What was in the bag?”

“I was buying marshmallows. Every time I buy marshmallows, I get in trouble. And he always saves me.”

“He always saves you?”

“Yeah. This time, I guess he was mad or something.”

“No, I’m sure he’s not mad. No one would ever want that to happen to you. Tell me about him?”

“He’s good,” I said. I heard an ambulance in the distance.

Lights started swirling around in my vision. “How is he good?”

I moved my head to the other side. He was cradling it in his lap. I was wondering where I was and when he’d let me sleep. “You’re him,” I realized.

“Sir, is this her?” I heard an unknown voice. I let myself fall asleep as their conversation continued. The started talking quieter as he left me and someone picked me up. Now I was laying level. Well, I would be if someone would stop moving me around. I heard their voices getting closer.

“—follow us?”

“No, I’ll ride with you. She’s my fiancé.”

“And what’s your name si—“

There was a loud racket as the put me in the back of the ambulance. I took that as a last straw and stopped holding on to being awake.