Page 22 of Embracing My Nightmare
“Michelle?”
“Sweetheart, I found her hiding under a pew. We need to call the police.”
The nice man walked up and squatted in front of me. He had kind eyes, but I flinched away when he tried to move my hair off my sticky face. Withdrawing his hand, he stood and pulled a phone from his pocket.
Soon, the police came and they took me to a hospital. They asked my name and the only thing I could do was cry for a woman named Lynn. They asked if she was my mom and I didn’t know what to tell them. They put my picture on the news, questioning who I was, and I spent over a week in the hospital while they searched for my family.
No one ever came.
I woke up to the feeling of my phone buzzing on my lap. Looking down, I saw it was Blaire and answered with as much cheer as I could fake.
“Hello.”
“Hey sweetie! I wanted to make sure you were still coming over for lunch tomorrow?” she asked with worry in her voice.
“I’ll be there at noon to help you,” I responded, hoping to keep the questions away tonight.
The dream had filleted me open, bringing the feeling of inadequacy and rejection to the forefront. Questions swirled and without Devlin, I felt lost.
“That sounds great. Text when you’re starting over.”
“I will. Love you.”
“We love you too.”
Hanging up the phone, I stared at the blank screen. I wanted to google Devlin, but he never told me his last name. When he was near, I’d forget to ask. When he was gone, he’s all I can think about. Who is he? Where did he come from? What are his hobbies? These are things you should learn about a person before you get involved with them. With Devlin, I threw every bit of good sense out the window and went with what my soul was saying.
He is yours and you are his. Two halves split from the same creation to complete each other.Securing the sliding glass door with the lock, I pushed the dining room table in front of the door and pulled the curtain closed. Crawling into bed, I pulled Devlin’s pillow against my chest and inhaled his intoxicating scent as I drifted off into sleep.
***
Devlin
IGOT SETTLED INTOthe fleabag motel and waited for night to fall. That rat bastard wouldn’t show his face until the rest of the vermin came crawling out and I wanted to end this tonight. Every minute away from Elise was torture. I fought the urge to call her and decided toirritate James instead.
Me: What’s she been up to?
A few minutes later, I saw he was responding. Tossing the phone on the bed, I waited for whatever report he had and changed into my black tactical pants and grey camo jacket. I was always prepared when was hunting someone and black showed less blood. I paired it with dark grey shoes and a medium grey skull cap.
If someone was dressed in complete black, they create a void in the shadows, but by using various shades of greys and blacks, you would blend into the background easier. I could erase that I was here, but no one would be looking for me in connection to the death of a junkie pimp.
The phone chimed and I sat down on the bed as I read what he had typed. Fighting the urge to throw the phone against the closest wall, I squeezed my hands to release the tension. His words had caught me off guard and I debated going straight back to Pierce Bluff tonight.
James: She woke up and went for a walk at the lake. I lost sight of her when the trail became less crowded and when I caught up to her, some homeless man was talking to her. She looked like she’d seen a ghost and took off running in the opposite direction. She passed out before I could catch her, and I called an ambulance for her. She refused treatment and went back to her apartment. I’m in yours, watching the monitors and she has turned her apartment into Fort Knox. I don’t know who he was, but I went after her instead of tracking him down.
Punching my hand through the yellowed wallpaper and into the thin sheetrock, I closed my eyes, thinking of my lamb helpless on the ground. Snatching my phone off the bed, I paced the room as I typed out a reply.
Me: I’m going out now to find him. This ends tonight and whoever scared her is a dead man.
James: I snapped a picture with my phone before she ran away. I don’t recognize him but whatever he said terrified her.
Me: Do not let her out of your sight until I return. If you need to call in help, Freddie and Skid are both on call. She is covered one hundred percent of the time. No exceptions.
James: Consider it done.
I slid the phone into my pocket and started strapping my weapons to my body. My 9mm was in a leg holster and I my favorite knife was sheathed at my waist. The zip ties and duct tape were in the leg pocket along with the bag of heroin. Tossing my packed bag into the trunk of my burner vehicle, I set out for skid row.
The smell of the streets filled my nostrils, the garbage and urine odor stronger the deeper into the slum I got. It was a scent I was familiar with and it always got me in the mood, the mind space to kill. These streets had been my playground, and eventually I ran the streets with an iron fist. It only took one night for me to solidify my position.
