Eyes shoot open releasing her from her dream. Staring without comprehension at the random shadows cast by moonlight. Her room was always foreign to her after the nightmares. Huddled under sweat soaked sheets she was shaking ever so slightly. Not from the cold but from the demons that chased her in her sleep. These dreams held their own special power over her. She knew too well they were shadows ripped from reality. A reality she couldn’t escape and wouldn’t share. A voice whispering in the back of her mind urged her to reach out. That dark hidden part of her soul knew she could not handle these manifestations alone. Silently she pushed away the fear. Slowly her muscles relaxed and breathing returned to normal.
Fully awake she breathed deeply to calm herself. Her phone still clutched in her right hand, a false totem of safety. The device had lost whatever magic it held months ago. Eyes shifting to the clock, 3am, all was not well. This had become an all too familiar routine. Waking in a cold sweat after just escaping her haunts. The scenes changed slightly but the fear, the fear was growing stronger. Her mind flashed momentarily to her mother sleeping in the next room. Wanting to be held she could just try to crawl into bed with her. The comfort of being held close would help the fear subside if only for tonight. No, she would not disturb her. She was tired of hearing the same belittling reprimands. Condemning her for being afraid, acting her age, facing her fears. She would be badgered from now until the next night. No she didn’t want to hear it anymore. With a sigh she resigned herself to the belief that no one understands. Despite her texts and friends she felt terribly alone.
Slipping from beneath the sheets she peeled off her wet clothing and redressed. Next she pulled the sheets and replaced them with a fresh set. Bare feet padding down the dark hall toward the kitchen for some relief. Head down, eyes straight ahead, hair hanging loosely hiding her face, she is extra careful not to see her reflection. Don’t look at mirrors or anything shiny and most definitely not out the windows. On a clear night who knows what creature she might catch spying back in on her. He might even be there.
Getting to the kitchen she could feel eyes on her. She could feel the strange sensation of heat on her back as if invisible hands were ready to touch her. Allowing her eyes to shift to check the shadows did no good. This morning they were all foreign. With trembling hands she reached under the sink and felt the top of the bottle. No glass this time. Awkwardly she unscrewed the cap and brought the bitter liquid to her lips. The bourbon burned her throat as it went down. The dark liquid hitting her empty stomach and sending waves out to her extremities. Welcoming the dizziness her hands calmed and she replaced the bottle.
Moving to the computer room to gather her laptop she needed to go online. Back to her room she settled on top of the fresh sheets and opened the computer. A shadow flashed by the foot of the bed. ‘The moon light,’ she thought, ‘just the moon and some branches.’ Listening hard, below the hum of the hard drive, she thought she heard some breathing………
#
Swimming out of the dreams, that’s what she wanted. Between dealing with the children and arguing with her husband, she was stuck. Sometimes she wanted to just run away and hide, leave everything behind her. The dope she had tonight was working it’s magic. The potent leaves made her more drowsy than hungry this time. Perfect. It was one of those days when she just wanted to sleep forever. She heard the girl slip from her room. With a little luck the insecure whiny child would stay out of her hair tonight. Blessed sleep was coming fast.
Suddenly the sheets were pulled tight. Half dazed she tried to sit up but could not move. Panic began to rise in her stomach. She could hear movement around the bed. A shadow cut through the cold silver moon-light. Straining to see who or what it was she turned her head to the side. Suddenly a leather gloved hand clamped down over her mouth. A face, hidden in shadow moved close to hers. Her eyes widened, her mind exploding, searching for answers. Blue eyes catching stray light stared into hers.
Nothing was said. The second hand closed tightly along the base of her throat. Sucking in whatever air she could, the smell of leather overwhelmed her senses. Mind racing as her vision began to blur and fade. “Why? Who? How?” As she rode into the darkness she could just make out the faintest smile on the shadowed face above her. As the shroud covered her she thought, “the children..”
#
Breathing. She was certain she heard it and it wasn’t hers. Holding her breath she slowly scanned the room for any change. Letting her eyes lead, her head felt like a stone on her shoulders. The only sound she could hear now was her own heart. Pounding louder with each beat. The hammering started in her throat and moved up into her ears. Now with each heartbeat her head pulsed out. Nothing left but the window. Eyes hot and unblinking she slowly began to look out. Dim light from the hall cast a slight ghostly reflection on the inside of her room. There she saw it. Half shadowed standing in her door. Her lungs froze in a silent scream. Mind racing, limbs tingling she wanted to scream. She wanted to run, to grab the knife she kept on her bed stand. No response came to her. She sat there frozen in time.
The figure glided from view. Her mind released her body. Spinning and sweeping in a frantic circle reaching for the knife she knew was there. The frantic adrenaline fueled movements made her sweep everything from the small bed stand crashing on the floor. Ear rings, brush, some make up and a now empty water glass all mingled in and orchestra of sound. Much too loud, mom would wake for sure she thought as her hand closed around the handle of the sleeping blade. Confidence and strength seemed to return. Her feet landed hard crunching all beneath them feeling warm, wet and hot. Three steps she was in the doorway looking into the dim. A vice like grip seized her knife hand from behind. Eyes opened wide, mouth open to take in a breath ready to scream. The overwhelming smell of almonds flooded her lungs as cloth was pressed firmly over her mouth and nose.
The world went black.
#
She was on a swing. Warm sunlight bathed her face, arms and legs as she flew into the air. Long blonde hair first trailing behind her, then draping her face. She could hear her little brother talking and playing in the sand box behind her. She looked to the left and saw her mother hanging damp clothes on a rope line between the house and an old spruce tree. The dog barked and ran past her. A splinter of ice pierced her heart. A more recent memory pushed through. Her dog was found in the back by that tree just days ago. He was dead. Now nothing seemed right, the voices the images all became blurred.
Forcing herself back to consciousness she could feel the coarse fabric on her face. Her hands and feet were both tied in front of her, her knees pressed to her chest. A violent bump, she hit the roof and then the hard floor. The smell of rubber and exhaust filled her lungs. A trunk. She was in a car trunk. Trying to open her mouth was useless, she felt the tape there. Suddenly she felt small and alone. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to return to the dream, to that place of peace. No peace was coming. Panic suffused her and unwanted tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes. Her silent sobs dampened the material around her head pasting it to her face.
Movement stopped. The engine died. She could hear a door close and the sound of footsteps on gravel. They were moving away, had he forgotten she was here? Then she heard a sniffing just outside. The trunk opened letting in a rush of cold fresh air bringing goose bumps to her arms and legs. She breathed deeply through her nose and felt a presence near her. A dog barked inches from her face, hot acrid breath pushed through the burlap bag. Now tears began to fall freely. She wanted to be invisible. The dog moved away and she was lifted roughly and dropped in wheel barrel. She wanted to move. The restraints were more constricted than she knew. A new realization came to her, she was trapped in a cocoon of rope. She could smell damp dirt and animals. Her legs felt numb. Suddenly a needle pierced her skin in her upper thigh. She was running through the woods in the deep night chasing friends with a flashlight. They were all laughing, running among the fireflies.
#
“Sit up. I know you are awake, I can hear you sobbing. You need to eat and drink something. Need to get your strength up.” He roughly pulled her into a sitting position. The head cover was lifted just above her nose. She felt the rush of cold air on her cheeks, outlining the still damp tracks left by her tears. The tape was ripped from her lips with no pretense, glue taking some skin and fine hairs.
“ Why? Who, who are you? Where’s my mom? My Family? What did you do to them?” She managed to squeak despite dry lips and a hot throat.
“ Who am I? Doesn’t matter any more. All that matters is that you are here and soon they will come looking. They will come to collect their prize.” The voice was but a whisper; raspy, deep and dry. “You need to be ready. Drink.” She felt the tip of a straw graze her lips and guided it in with her tongue.
She never heard him move. She felt the restraint keeping her attached to the bed set loose. She could feel the heat of his body pushing from his skin in waves. Being this close she was afraid of what would happen next. What were his plans? Why her? Then he was gone. Cold air replaced the warm spot on her back where he stood and oddly she missed the warmth.
With her free hand she tried to remove her head cover. Some strange knot or tie was holding it tight to her head covering her eyes. “Leave it gurl. Some things can’t be unseen, best you never see them.” She could smell the peanut butter before the plate hit her lap. Reaching she found the edges of a sandwich and brought it to her mouth, consuming it greedily. She wasn’t hungry until she smelled the food. Fumbling again she found a second sandwich on the plate. As soon as she lifted the scant meal the plate lifted and was taken away. A water bottle replaced it in the crevice between her thighs. The door closed and she felt alone again.
Sitting alone in the quiet room her thoughts began to betray her. Visions of her parents, her brother, her pets all left in pools of their own blood began to circle her conscious. Why would she be kept alive? A slave, no a sex slave? Would she be sold to some foreign country for prostitution? Maybe just used here instead? He called her a prize right? Would she get clothes? Would she ever be allowed to see the sun again? Again the tears started, refueled by the water she drank. Now a feeling of aloneness surrounded her like a blanket on the beach. The beach, yes she thought. The universe is a beach and I am less than a grain of sand. She curled up laying down on the rickety bed and cried herself back to sleep.
#
The door crashing in, wood splinters rained down waking her from a fitful sleep. Her body jerked involuntary bringing her knees up to her chin. She tried to roll off the bed to her right, fear coking her while the chains held her on the bed. Her hands had been clasped together again sometime during her sleep. A chain ran from her wrist to the head of the bed giving her some movement but not enough to fall off. Testing her legs and feet she kicked out freely and felt air. The head bag still covered her eyes but not her mouth. She smelled him long before she heard any movement. There was noise coming from outside the room. Animals locked in combat, memories of her own dog fighting a fox rushed forward. The thoughts and sounds combined to send a chill up her spine.
“There you are.” A high pitched rasp of a whisper cut though the chaotic sounds. “AAAAAAHHHHHHH, yessss. You really are the prize aren’t you little pup. I can see why he wanted to keep you for a bit for hisself.” A large long fingered hand grasped her breast though the thin fabric of her shirt squeezing hard. Pain shot through her chest, instead of screaming she spit in the general direction of the voice. “Be fun teaching you some manners. Yesssss I thinky me gonna have some fun before we finish with you. Maybe even keep you alive for most of it too.” The hand dropped away and she felt a tongue, hot and wet, trail up the side of her neck stopping just below her right ear. She couldn’t help but tremble. The remnants of her scant meal presented themselves in a jet just missing her own lap. “BITCH!” it screamed slapping her hard across the face while jumping back.
“Unchain her. We don’t have time for this now. He will be here any moment, stop fucking around and get her in the van.” A different voice This one more human and somehow familiar. She heard the chain snap and drop. Instantly she was heaved over a muscled shoulder. The stench that came off this body was unbelievable. The high pitched voice whispered only inches from her ear, “Puke on me again and I’ll a horse cock in that throat to keep it all down. Try me an see little pup.” A cold feeling of dread filled her. Her body went limp, eyes once thought too dry to cry ever again began to flow.
She felt the cool breeze tickle her bare thighs and some warmth that could only be the sun blanket her back. “NOOO!” A third voice shouted, followed with a moist squelching sound. The thing holding her dropped her and growled leaving her alone in the dirt. Instinctively she huddled, knees to chest, hands covering the back of her head. A hot warm fluid splashed across her body. She was afraid to breathe. As quickly as the mayhem around her had started it ended, silence. She felt light and began to wonder, ‘Am I finally dead?’
#
She awoke slowly, savoring the warm blanket holding her. She stretched, arms and feet were free. The unfamiliar squeak punched her back into reality. She sat up with a start eyes wide open. She could see.
The head cover was gone as were the chains on her hands and feet. The sun was just breaking over a set of trees in the distance. She could see the night’s dew disappearing with the slow advance of the golden beams of light. The room she was in was dark, nothing more than a shed. There was a chair nearby with a plastic food container on it. On the floor next to the chair was a bag, no not just a bag, her bag. Her bag from her room. Slowly she stepped from the warm safety of the covers and picked up her bag. Opening it she saw her clothes, her clothes from her room. Everything was there, soap, toothbrush, a variety of clothing. The side pocket held a thick envelope and a smaller white one.
She placed the bag down on the bed next to her and opened the white envelope, staring down seeing the words afraid to read them. Then she focused.
“A lot has happened in the last few days. I will try my best to answer some questions I am sure you have. First off don’t go home. The police will be there and there is nothing you can do or say to them that can help any one understand.
I will try to be short. Your bloodline is what doomed your family. Many years ago the Honene tribe declared a blood feud against the Golanuh peoples. Some broken deal between the leaders, it was never made clear to us. Whatever had happened the Honene tribe was left for dead, the bloodline should have ended. Calling on their spirit animals they rose up and sent warrior hunters out seeking revenge. During that time some survived and have continued to hunt. For many years they have hunted those carrying the blood of Golanuh. The Honene have some traits that are not like everyone. They can smell the blood of Golanuth. Mostly in the night that is when they change. There are not many left on either side of this feud.
Both your parents held some Golanuth blood in their veins. I had tracked them and found your family before the hunters. They were many and attacked before I could get your family safe so it is you that I saved. I watched you for a while planning to keep you all safe. I knew they would come. Sadly there were more than I expected and came quickly and prepared.
You must go. Change your name and start over. This pack is done. Head toward your friends summer home. There is no tribe there that will hunt you. There is money in the bag to start. I will watch but can not guarantee your safety as there are others I must see to. I hold the blood of Honene and can not accept their ways any longer. I have no home now so I travel to serve and disrupt. Stay alert and always be aware. Trust your instincts. Perhaps someday we will meet under better circumstances.”
She slowly and carefully folded the letter placing in gently back in the pocket where she found it. Pulling out clothes and getting dressed. They were her clothes, her things from her home. Slinging the bag on her back she stepped out of the shed into the early morning sun.
Golden sun bathed her face drawing warmth. A gentle breeze teased her hair. Looking to her left she saw her home in the distance. Maybe a hundred yards away and she could just make out the strips of yellow police tape waving in the faint breeze. Her home was bidding her farewell she thought. How could all this happen so close and still she went undetected? Who was the stranger that watched and kept her safe? What would life be now? A single tear escaped as she looked, seeing her mother, father, brother and dog in the yard, waving toward her. Choking back the lump in her throat she turned and began her trek west. To life.
tigersrumblings 