AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If they send me back… Fuck, I can’t breathe.
I strain for air and try to calm the rising panic.
I can’t go back. I can’t go back.
I pull at the cuffs again, harder and harder as my breaths become rapid and inefficient. The room starts to spin.
I can’t go back. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.
My head drops to my arms on the table when it becomes too heavy for my neck to support. Every muscle in my body hurts. My limbs tingle. My eyes sting from exhaustion, and I clench them shut as I start a silent count like I did every time the fear took over while I was upstate.
One. Two. Three.
And when that wasn’t enough, I’d mentally trace the letters of the word itself.
F. O. U. R.
F. I. V. E
The highest I ever got was 782.
S. E. V. E. N. H. U. N. D. R. E. D. E. I. G. H. T. Y. T. W. O.
It was the day I stopped counting.
I look up at the sound of the door. I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been here. I’m hungry and dehydrated and I have to piss like you wouldn’t believe. My wrist feels like it’s on fire, and honestly, I’mhopingthey’re returning for a formal arrest if only to get me away from this damn table.
But the officer who enters doesn’t have the look of someone who’s here to book me. Maybe torture me based on the bottle of water and granola bar in his hands. I don’t say anything as I watch him approach. What’s the point? I’m not here for a legitimate reason, so there’s nothing I can say or do to help myself. Maybe I’m lucky it wasn’t worse. There was nothing stopping them from beating the shit out of me. Then again, the night is young.
I’m surprised when the man places the water and snack in front of me and offers a sympathetic look. He looks young, even younger than Amber’s boyfriend who couldn’t be much older than I am if he was dating a high school senior five years ago.
I don’t move at first, confused and wary about this latest game. At any second, I’m expecting the other one to return and smack the gifts away while laughing in my face. Or maybe this is a good-cop, bad-cop scenario just to mess with me. It wouldn’t be a ploy for a confession. They’re not even trying to pretend I’m here for a reason other than personal revenge.
“I’m sorry,” the officer says quietly. “This isn’t right. I just…”
He glances at the door with an anxious expression before focusing back on me.
“What are you going to do with me?” I ask, meeting his gaze. “How long will this last?”
He looks away. “I don’t know. No one knows you’re here.”
“Fuck,” I mumble, scrubbing at my face again. “What time is it?”
“Four thirty.”
I wince and pull in a deep breath. It’s been over four hours since they picked me up on my walk home from the bus stop.
“Can you at least let me use the bathroom? I swear, I won’t make trouble.”
The guy casts another quick glance at the door before releasing a heavy sigh. “Yeah. Sure. Just… if you screw around and make a scene, I can’t help you.”
“I won’t. Please, man.”
He approaches and pulls out a key to remove the cuff. The second it clicks open, I feel like I can breathe again. His gaze locks on my wrist, and I follow it to the ugly red testimony to my panicked struggles over the last few hours. I gingerly rub the bruised flesh with my other hand, while the officer’s gaze darts away uncomfortably.
He checks the hall before leading me from the room. I don’t try to run. It won’t get me anywhere, and I know from experience if I betray this guy’s trust, there’s no way he’ll help me again. My best chance is to convince him to let someone know I’m here.
After I finish in the bathroom, I stall for a few extra seconds at the sink, giving my body a chance to stretch and my wrist a chance to be free. Cold water soothes the burn as I let it run over the marks, and I splash a few handfuls on my face as well. It feels good to move around. Who knows when I’ll get another chance if Pierce’s ally has his way. But as I watch the water drip down my cheeks, flashbacks begin their ugly crawl through my brain.
