Page 18 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

The landlord swungthe door open to the studio apartment on the first floor of the building. I stepped inside through the puff of smoke that left her mouth. The cigarette dangling from her lips was making me nauseous, but it wasn’t like I could be picky about what she did. I was getting this apartment for a steal. They let me pay cash and had a month to month lease.

I waved the smoke away, holding back a cough as I pushed on. The apartment wasn’t much. The kitchen was to the right and there was enough space on the left side for a small table pushed up against the wall. Straight ahead was a single window that had bars over it. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about that. I preferred to have a first floor apartment so I could escape if needed. I’d been moving around every two months for the past six months, trying not to stay in one place too long. This apartment was the worst of any of them. Between the water stains on the ceiling, the peeling paint, and the cockroach I saw on the counter, I wasn’t at all impressed. But I could get some poison for the bugs, and hopefully that would be enough.

I turned toward the lady, ready to say I would take it, but she already had her hand stretched out. I pulled out four hundred dollars and placed it in her hand, but she raised an eyebrow, shaking her head.

“Uh-uh, sweetie. You also have to pay the deposit.”

“No,” I said firmly. Based on the vacant apartments, she didn’t have very many tenants, probably because this place was a dump. “There are multiple code violations, including the fact that you’re smoking inside. If you want to get rid of the cockroaches and fix the ceiling, I’ll gladly pay more. But until then, I’m not paying a dime over the monthly rate.”

“I can kick you out on the street,” she said snidely.

I snatched the money out of her hand and stormed past her.One. Two.

“Wait,” the woman snapped. “You can stay, but if you’re even a day late on next month’s rent, you’re out.”

“Fine,” I said, waiting for her to walk out. I grinned as she closed the door behind her. It wasn’t that I particularly wanted to stay in this place, but I wasn’t about to be swindled either. I set my purse on the counter, brushing off crumbs that were left behind. The place was disgusting and would need to be cleaned before I could really live here.

I rubbed at my shoulder, wincing at the ache that never really went away. The pain was a constant reminder of Art and all he sacrificed for me. When I closed my eyes, that day replayed in my mind over and over again. I’d never seen anyone killed before, and the fact that I knew Art made it more difficult to get past. I kept thinking about those last few days, wondering if I had just left earlier, if he would be okay. I never knew how they found us, but I assumed it had something to do with the men that attacked us in the alley.

I shook off the remnants of bad memories and got to work cleaning. There was garbage still in the apartment that had to be taken out. Once I finished that, I went down to the corner store and grabbed some cleaning supplies and poison. It took me a lot longer to clean than it should have, considering how small the apartment was. By the time I was finished, it looked brand new. Well, as brand new as a rundown apartment could.

I had a few things in my car that I took from one place to the next. It was a junker car that I bought a few months ago from a used car salesman. He wasn’t too concerned about paperwork, and neither was I. That was the only reason I bought it. It cost me half my savings, but made it easier to find jobs and move when it was time.

I grabbed the blowup mattress out of my car, along with my blankets. I had to make several trips since my left arm really couldn’t hold any weight. I was pretty sure when Art’s friend put my shoulder back in place, it wasn’t done correctly, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. I was grateful that I wasn’t in constant pain.

After everything was put away, I ate my dinner and went to bed, but sleep never came easily for me. Demons from my past always haunted me, no matter hard I tried to escape them. I tossed and turned as the nightmares infiltrated my head.

I hid under my blankets, sure that if I was quiet, he wouldn’t come in here tonight. Every night was the same, I pulled the blankets up just over my nose so only my eyes were peeking out. It would be easier to hide completely, but I needed to see. Not knowing if he was coming was the hardest part.

Footsteps sounded outside my bedroom door. My heart started racing as they stopped right in front of my door. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut, but was too terrified not to see it happening. My eyes narrowed in on the door handle as it slowly turned. I choked on my scream, knowing it would do me no good.

My eyes shot to my window. I’d always been too scared to run. When he was around me, his smell and size overwhelmed me until I was paralyzed. But as sickness swirled in my stomach, I decided I didn’t want to stay here for one more minute. Flinging off the covers as he walked in, I stood there, heart pounding, as he grinned at me.

“Going somewhere, angel?”

My throat was so dry I couldn’t speak. I stared at him, my legs shaking so hard I nearly collapsed. I opened my mouth to speak, but only a squeak came out. Slowly, he strode toward me. I glanced around the room, hoping to find something to protect myself with. I’d never attempted something like this before. I’d always been too weak, but today, I was finding courage from somewhere deep within.

It could end up costing me my life.

But not fighting back wouldn’t do me any good either. I had spent the past two years terrified of the night, and all that did was give him all the power. Shifting over to my desk, he watched me curiously. My hands grasped around behind me for a weapon, but it only amused him.

I watched the slow smirk spread across his face. “Oh, angel, I was hoping one day you would come out to play.”

The bile in my throat threatened to spew over. This was all a game to him, but this was my life, as shitty as it was, and I couldn’t deal with this anymore. Clutching a pen in my hand, I popped off the cap and prepared to defend myself.

But I had no training, and when he came at me, my attempt to stab him in the face was easily thwarted. He laughed at me as he held my arm in his thick hands. The evil in his eyes was brighter than ever as he shoved me hard against the wall. I hit the side of the desk, falling hard to the ground. Wincing, I was too slow for him as he came at me again. He hauled me up by my arms, his fingernails biting into the skin.

The evil look in his eyes made me wish I had never tried to fight back. He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “You’ll regret that,” he murmured. Then he smiled at me and jerked my body toward him. Then I was flying backward, my body hitting the cheap window and crashing through. I screamed as my body flew through the air as if in slow motion. The air whooshed out of me as I hit the ground, my whole body aching. I couldn’t hear anything as I laid there, my body broken and bleeding. And as I stared up at my bedroom window, I saw his terrifying face staring down at me. In that moment, I knew I would never escape him.

I jolted upright in bed, my heart pounding out of control. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and closed my eyes as I breathed deeply. After all these years, I still couldn’t escape. I got up from my air mattress and walked to the window. I stared outside at the dark sky and wondered when he would find me again.

* * *

“You’ll be workingthe night shift,” my new boss said, guiding me through the building. “There are quite a few employees that stay late working, and they don’t like to be disturbed. Your shift will begin at nine o’clock, and it ends at five in the morning. If you finish early, you can leave early, but if I find that you’re not doing everything required, I’ll find someone to replace you.”

I wasn’t worried about the hours. Working at night meant that I could sleep during the day, which was always easier. I still had nightmares, but not as frequently. And it was easier to calm down when I woke up in daylight.

“I don’t mind the hours,” I answered as we made our way through the first floor.

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