Page 14 of Sleeper

VERA

ABOUT A MONTH AGO

“Where the hell am I?” I weakly asked as my head bobbled on my neck. My body ached and I had the worst headache I believe I ever had in my life. My groggy eyes fought to stay open as they sluggishly scanned what was around me.

“Kenz?” I strained, trying to focus my eyes on the person across the room from me. “Is that you?” My vision cleared a little after I blinked a few times, and I was able to make out the person’s face. It was her, but she wasn’t moving. “Kenzi, no. Please no. Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead!” I rushed over to her and shook her body. “Mackenzie!” I frantically screamed her name as her body slumped over. Tears streamed down my face and vomit soared out of my mouth. I turned my head away from her as quickly as possible, but I wasn’t sure if any got on her. I didn’t want to look. My heart broke right there as I wiped my mouth on the back of my arm. I knew this was a bad idea and I went along with it anyway. I needed to call someone, but first I had to figure out where we were. The last thing I remembered was getting in the van with Kenzi and agreeing to go to Nashville with her and Willie.

Flashes of Willie holding me down while Kenzi shoved a needle in my arm and injecting me filled my mind. I blinked my eyes and Kenzi turned her head. “What’s wrong, Vera?” I blinked again and saw her lifeless body beside me. I didn’t know what was real and what was a hallucination. What the fuck did they give me? Right now, I wasn’t even sure that they’d really given me anything in the first place. The only thing I was certain of was something was very wrong.

I flipped my arms out and sure enough, there was the proof that part was real. The insides of my elbows looked horrible where I’d been stabbed numerous times. “Kenz, how could you?”

“How could I what?” she asked, her hand landing on mine causing me to jump.

“Are you real?”

“Of course, I am silly. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I. You. Did I just puke?” I stuttered, frantically searching for any sign of reality. My eyes darted to my arms. The track marks were red and swollen and, in this second, very real. I couldn’t trust myself. My fingers clamped down on my skin and I yelped in pain when one of my nails connected with one of the sores, sending a small trail of blood down my arm.

“Huh? No. You’re just on a bad high is all.”

“That’s not how you do it. You have to use a needle not your finger if you want to get high, Vera Wang,” Willie pointed out in a sly voice.

“My name isnotVera Wang. It’s Vera. Just Vera and I’m going to fucking kill you if you come anywhere near me with a needle again. I’ll fucking ram it in your eye and won’t stop until it reaches the back of your skull!” I yelled with such force my chest hurt.

“Definitely a bad high,” Willie agreed, crossing the room as a wicked smile consumed his face. “Hold her still and I’ll fix her right up. Don’t worry, baby, you’ll feel better soon,” he cooed.

I tried to get to my feet, but as soon as my hands pressed against the floor, Willie’s arms wrapped around my stomach and he lifted me into the air. “You’re not fucking this up for us. Do you hear me, bitch? I have too much riding on this. Now take your medicine like a good little girl.”

“You sick fuck!” I screamed, connecting my elbow with his gut, causing him to drop me. My face smacked off the hardwood floor and excruciating pain shot through my cheek and brow bone with a vengeance.

10

VERA

THREE DAYS AGO

My eyes lost focus. I batted my eyelids, fighting their desire to close. “How could you?”

“How could I what, baby?” A strange woman’s voice cooed as she lifted my arm.

“No!” I screamed, jerking my wrist, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s a waste of time, honey, they’re restrained for your safety.”

“My safety? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been clawing at your arms. We couldn’t let you hurt yourself.” She gestured to the insides of my elbows. My eyebrows rose and panic pounded through my veins. My wrists were restrained, and I was in a hospital bed or at least that’s where I thought I was.

“Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital. We almost lost you, but we weaned you off the drugs and patched that nasty cut on your head.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Um. Around a month I think.”

“A month!” I screeched and alarms sounded above my head.

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