Fall Out Girl

“Run. Runaway like you always do,” the voice taunted me. I couldn’t see who it belonged to. But it was familiar, albeit muffled and strangled, but still very much familiar. This whole situation seemed all too familiar.

I gasped and pulled against whatever was confining me. The fabric scratched over my face and eyes. Harsh cords bit into my wrists and ankles. Other cords were wrapped around my torso, forcing me to sit up straight. The gag in my mouth tasted of old blood and iron. My jeans rubbed my seat uncomfortably. The foul stench of stale urine hung in the air.

“Tsk. Tsk. And to think that I thought you were smarter than this? You’re pathetic. Nothing but scum under my shoe. Not worthy of praise anymore. I can’t believe that I held you in such high regard for so long.”

I could feel hot tears streaming out of my eyes. It wasn’t a new sensation.

“Aweh! Am I making the baby cry?!” he cooed. I stiffened at the pet name, but let it go. I wasn’t in a position to compromise. I heard their steps distance themselves from me before coming back a few minutes later. The cords over my ankles tightened and I was dragged for several feet before my captor through me against what I could only assume was a wall. I heard a defined crack quickly followed by a sharp pain in my wrist. I stifled the scream as best as I could.

“Aweh, don’t hold it in, Baby. You know I love it when you scream.”

I curled up into a small ball…well, as close to a ball as I could get.

“I said, scream.” he kicked my hard in the stomach.

I cried out in pain. How much more will I be able to take?

“That’s a good bitch. Have you thought about my offer?”

“My answer is the same.”

I got another kick to my stomach. “What about now?”

I spit out what I can only assume was blood. “No,” I gasped.

I then felt a cold tip run down my side, the blade getting deeper as it traveled my body. “Then you don’t love me anymore.”

“I-I can’t love a monster.”

“Oh, yes, you can. You have and you will. You have no choice, and that spineless pansy of yours will never find you. He’s given up on you- found another slut.”

“You’re lying.”

“Just like I lied to you about the baby? You have no chance, Amelia. We belong together. We both know this.” I stiffened when his arms wrapped around me.

“Show me your face.” I mumbled, barely getting it out. The blindfold ripped away and my worst fears were confirmed. He truly was a madman now.

My head always knew the words that my heart couldn’t speak.

I woke up in a cold sweat. That was the third time this week that I had had that particular dream. The last time I had something like it was the day after Halloween seven years ago. A shiver went down my spine and I instantly became cold.

“Emmy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Brian, go back to sleep.”

His arms encircled me and brought me back down on the bed with him. “I can’t sleep without you.” He muttered into my hair. He fell asleep soon after. I didn’t. That dream scared the shit out of me. I untangled my body from his and walked into the kitchen. I slowly drank a glass of water and called Patrick.

“Whatd’ya want?” He grumbled.

“I need you. I had a nightmare again.”

“Shit. Are you okay?” He said, instantly alert.

“I don’t know. It scared the shit out of me, though.”

“Was it the one with him[/]?”

“No. the other one.”

“The one where you’re tortured and blind?”

“Yea.”

“So that was that weird feeling I had.”

“Most likely.”

“Emmy, I love you, okay?”

“I know. I love you, too, Patty-kins.”

“When are you working again?”

“In a few hours. I got a double shift. I hate being the youngest attending.”

“Ouch, that sucks, but you are the one who completed all your schooling in five years.”

“I know. Well, I’m going to try to go back to bed. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ok, night, Emmy.”

“Night, Pat.”

I hung up the phone and looked out my apartment window. I haven’t been home since it happened. I haven’t seen my mother in five years- my brother in two. After the thing with Pete, I stayed at Dartmouth and enrolled in a summer program. I then overloaded on all of my classes so that I could get done quickly. After Dartmouth, I went to Emory University for Med School. For some reason, I decided to stay in Georgia- don’t ask me why. Maybe it was the fact that winters were hardly winter…but the summers were ridiculous! It was here, in one of the many downtown Starbucks, that I met my boyfriend of three years- Brian.

He was an intern (at the time) at a medical malpractice law firm two blocks away. I know, why do I always go for the lawyers? Anyway, he saw me with my nose crammed into one of my many medical books and asked me to help him with a case (which coincidentally involved a surgery gone wrong). If only everything in life were that easy.

I looked at the clock to read 4 AM. Groaning, I got off my ass and put the glass in the sink. I might as well get ready. When I was done and ready to go, Brian was still passed out in the bed. Smiling, I jotted him a quick note and kissed his cheek.

When I arrived at the hospital, my supervisor, Dr.thomas, gave me a confused look. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“My shift starts in two minutes?” I questioned. He was confusing the hell out of me.

“No, you’re scheduled for a noon flight to Chicago to fill-in.”

“Why?”

“Do we really need to go through this again, Emmy?!” the vein in his temple was starting to throb. “Everyone else is booked and I hate to toot your horn, but you’re one of the best damn surgeons in this country. So, scurry on home and pack your belongings.” He turned me around and gave me a hard push out the door.

“Well, this should be interesting.” I mused to myself as I made my way back to my apartment building.