On the way to my house, a phone call rings throughout my car, stopping the music. It’s Emilia.
I don’t hesitate to answer it through the car.
‘Emilia, you’re supposed to be enjoying your vacation!’
‘I know, I know. Well, hello to you too. I’m offended by your hostility.” She exclaims.
I can’t help but smile.
‘I have a few minutes before we have to go to dinner and I wanted to check on you. How’s baby doing? Does your man know finally?’ She asks.
‘It’s going. And yes. Yes, he knows.’
‘Well? Is he excited?’
I frown. We hadn’t talked much about it. Danny finally opened up about my brother’s death and I couldn’t bring myself to pry further into his emotions. I always take what I can get from that man.
‘Yeah, he’s very excited. Shocked, of course since it’s so soon but nonetheless happy.’ Not a total lie.
‘Oh, that’s good! I’m so happy everything worked out. I was so stressed out when I let it slip, please forgive my stupidity.’
I chuckle.
‘You’re forgiven.’
‘Anyways, I gotta go. Harry’s rushing me off the phone, we’ve gotta go but I should be back from Europe soon and I’ll call you.’
‘Sounds good, talk to you later.’
‘Talk to you later, love you baby girl.’
Click.
I drive my car into the driveway in front of the garage. I get out of my Bronco, locking my car. My mother’s garden looks well-kept even with the cold dry weather approaching. The skies are dark grey almost black. Another thunderstorm was approaching, I hadn’t checked the weather app on my phone, I would have packed an umbrella before leaving.
Lightning illuminates the sky followed by heavy thunder piercing through. The air smells different, like nature and soil. I open the door to my mothers’ house, and I’m met with darkness.
I frown when I don’t see my mother in the kitchen or living room watching tv. She’s usually in those two places when she’s home. I take off my jacket throwing it on the couch in the living room as I turn on the living room light.
Something isn’t right. An eerie feeling shutters through me and I’m confused.
‘Ma!’ I call out. ‘I’m home! Where are you?’
Silence.
My heart begins to pound and I quickly whip my phone out of my jeans. I plug in my passcode, swiping fast to my security cameras app.
My eyes widen when I realize my mother and I forgot to charge them. The battery on them is dead and has been since last night. My heart drops and fear begins to swallow me whole. My mind travels to the worst and I’m frozen with my phone in my hands, staring at the screen.
Something catches my eye when I see black peppered hair peaking out behind the couch, on the floor. I feel like I can’t breathe. My chest tightens when I realize it’s my mother’s hair.
I run fast towards her, she’s on the floor sprawled out unconscious in the middle of the dining room. She has clotted blood on the top of her forehead. It looks like she took a fall or worst. Someone attacked her.
‘Ma! Oh my God, mom!’ I fall to my knees carrying her head into my palms. She doesn’t respond to me and it only heightens my frantic actions.
I check for a pulse on the side of her neck. Seconds pass by like years and my throat begins to pulse from the horror. My mother is my world, she can’t be dead, she can’t.
And then I feel it. It’s faint but it’s there.
‘Ma, wake up!’ I shout. I lay her head back down on the floor gently as possible before I shake her shoulders. She’s not responding and I quickly grab my phone out and start to dial 911.
Suddenly, I’m being pulled back by my hair, I drop my phone before I can press the green dial button. I immediately go to defend myself. A loud shriek escapes me. I scream from the pain and I’m clawing at the hands that hold my short hair. My legs fight to gain balance and my attempts to turn around fail, my shoes make loud squeaking noises as I’m being dragged away.
I’m thrown to the side with so much force my waist hits the ground and my maternal instincts kick in and my palms stop my stomach from colliding with the floor. I protect my baby bump and I whip my head around to face my attacker.
My eyes bulge in confusion and I’m in shock.
It’s Nora. The same blonde woman that Danny was with when I saw him at El Devine.
‘You fucking bitch just had to take what’s mine.’ Nora has a shiny thick knife in her hand, twirling it like it’s a game.
Suddenly another shadow appears behind her, sweat beginning to coat my skin as I realize there are two attackers and I’m outnumbered. I balance myself up with my palms still on the ground afraid to move.
Shane.
They both hover over me and Shane walks towards me, kneeling down and getting in my face.
‘You spread your legs wide open for Danny Rider. You’ve whored yourself out to a man who won’t ever commit to you but for your high school sweetheart who loves you so deeply?’ I look up at him, tears start to sting my eyes. He slaps me hard and it burns. I feel weak and hopeless. My gaze starts to search for my phone and I find it next to my mother’s arm.
Shane grabs my jaw forcing me to look up at him.
‘Don’t even fucking try it.’ He spits.
‘Why? Why are you sick fucks doing this to me?’
Shane and Nora look at each other, evil expressions across their faces as they grin.
‘Heartache bonds people together, you see. After the bar fight, we met and started talking, and looks like we both have something in common. We share the same particular interests. We both want you dead.‘ Nora explains.
‘You used your religion to get out of having sex with me but for him? You tossed it out like it’s nothing and now you have his bastard seed inside you?’ I cringe as Shane shakes my head by my jaw. ‘You’re going to hell, sinful Ari Cakes.” He laughs wickedly.
‘You’re a predictable little whore.’ Nora walks closer to me as her hands tighten around the handle of the knife. My eyes widen and I start to crawl away from her but Shane prevents me from escaping.
‘You think trapping Danny by getting pregnant will make him love you?’ She slaps me hard. My cheek is hot and I grimace. She kneels before me waving the knife back and forth in front of my face. ‘He’s not capable of love.’
I raise my hand to punch her but Shane stops me and holds me down by both of my arms, retracting them behind my back. I begin to thrash.
‘Please stop this! This is insane.’ I beg. They both ignore me.
‘He’s not capable of loving anyone. He’s not capable of commitment. He told me that the first night he fucked me. And holy shit, he fucked me hard, and good. He choked me as he pounded me. I can still feel his handprints all around my neck and I love the way he did that to me. He’s a fucking God.’ She claps her hands and squeals as she remembers her nights with Danny. She says these things with the intention to make me jealous but I’m far from that emotion, I’m just trying to survive.
“It was painfully delicious the way he fucked me so hard. It made me beg for him. And sure enough, I did beg him for more but he denied me. He denied me because he met you!”
She slaps me again.
‘Please stop it! I’m pregnant, you wouldn’t kill a pregnant woman!’ I beg.
‘You think this baby will make you special?’ She threatens. ‘You don’t even know how to please him the way he likes. You’re fucking useless when it comes to his world! When I’m finally rid of you, he’ll come back to me, I know it.’
She’s smiling so crazy, flashing her snarling teeth and then I feel it. The knife pierces through the side of my stomach and I let out a blood-curdling scream as the pain rips through me and I’m pushing her away. Shane lets my arms go and when he does, I manage to throw her down to the floor, pushing her with all the strength I have. I reach for my wound, but Shane stops me from trying to stop my bleeding.
Then I feel another sharp pain and I lose my breath. Shane drives a knife inside of me, this time from my back. He pulls it out and I scream as loud as my lungs allow me to.
He pushes me back down, my back hitting the floor and the back of my head collides with the ground, pain shoots through me and I feel like I black out for a couple of seconds from the collision.
This isn’t happening. I’m going to die, pregnant.
Shane spreads my legs open with his knees. He’s on top of me unbuckling his belt. I’m too dazed to move from how hard my head hit the floor, I’m weak but something else is draining from me causing me to grow even weaker.
My blood.
The realization of the real possibility that Nora and Shane may have drove through a major artery settles in and I’m spiraling down a black hole. Everything feels so heavy and it’s hard to move a muscle. I’m gasping for air, attempting to scream but nothing comes out. My chest is heavy and it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest.
‘I’ve always wanted to fuck a pregnant chick.’ Shawn hisses into my ear. I manage to glance at his face and it looks like a demon has possessed his body. His brown eyes aren’t the same and he’s grinding his teeth.
‘This wasn’t a part of the plan, we have to get out of here.’ Nora tries to pull Shane off but he pushes her off to the side.
‘This won’t take long.’
My head falls back and my hands fall to the side of my waist. I’m defenseless. I manage to still hold onto my lower belly where it swells with my baby underneath my palm.
My baby. I’ll gladly die but please God, let my baby live.
I can’t think. I can’t move. All I see is my vision starting to blur and my hearing starts to fade. My eyes close and I feel like I’m falling into a horrible sleep.
Suddenly, Shane’s off of me and I manage to pry my eyes open. But it takes too much energy to do so. The darkness tries to anchor me down but I see familiar faces hovering over me before I close my eyes again.
Danny and Kane.
I try to call out for Danny but I’m completely drained and my conscience reality is pulled away sending me into a black hole. My eyes are being forced shut and I swear I can hear Paul’s voice in my ear. His voice makes me smile. Everything goes black and the last thing I see is Paul. He’s in his Navy uniform and he’s playing the guitar to a song we both love so much. He looks up from his guitar, his brown eyes meeting mine and he looks like he’s glowing. He smiles and says,
‘Don’t fall asleep. Don’t fall asleep.’
