The man’s
eyes open with a start. Fear and anxiety washed over the man, wrapped in a cold
sweat, soaking the surface of the couch. The image burned into his mind. He
felt dread etched into his body, terror coursed through his heart. He slowly
took a look around the room, observing his surroundings, but failing to take in
anything as his heart raced. The moments passed were an eternity to the man,
until a sound reverberated throughout the room, originating from the ottoman
beside him. As the sound continued, he stared at the ringing object, holding
his arms, closing himself into a ball as he sat on the couch in a skittish
manner. A mouse crawls out from the corner and crawls under the ottoman. An
indescribable sound escapes from his shivering, chapped lips, as light
footsteps approach the living room with hushed swiftness. Fear, followed by a
drop of relief, soon turned to indescribable despair as he glanced upon the
face of his lover. Every gaze upon her appearance made him recall that scene,
stressing what felt like his very soul, causing his body to eject the contents
of yesterday’s meal in her direction.
“Disgusting,” she said, with disturbing calm, as she walked
away at a quickened pace.
“Hey… Wait….” He stood up shakily, taking small steps
forward, nearly tripping over himself, as he tried to pursue the woman who
hurried away. The man with shortened breath and an unsteady gait, soon
collapsed in a pool of his own sweat, eyelids slowly closing as a loud
three-series knock rings through the door, and hurried footsteps approach it.
He awakes to a ringing object in the distance behind him as
he lies on the floor, covered in his own sweat still wearing yesterday’s
clothes. The object stops ringing, and as he gets up, it starts again, followed
by a knocking at the door. As the man glances at the object, he realizes that
it is his phone, and is reminded of the night before. As he recalls that night,
he is reminded of the torturous image that floods his mind. His fear takes a
different form than last night, as his worries shift from himself to his lover,
and he rapidly calls her. Putting the phone to his ear, he pleads to whatever
higher power saw him for her to answer.
*RING*
*RING*
*RING*
The call boots to voicemail, he attempts to call her again,
but to no avail did she answer. The sound of knocking becomes a banging at the
door, snapping him back to reality, and readying himself for his unknown guest.
Stricken with fear and worry, he approaches the door deep in thought, unaware
of the hushed whispers of several men outside. As he unlocked the door, he
realized his mistake, and the door swings open, forcing him back. A large man
in dark clothing pushes in, aiming for a punch, to which the now surrounded man
attempts to duck, falling onto his behind. A swift, lithe man swoops in to
blindfold him, as he begins to black out, hearing the assailant’s confirmation
of victory.
“Objective 2 has been completed, moving to detain…” The man
hears before he finally faints.
He rises to his same surroundings this morning, with the
same knocking at the door and the ringing phone, but he quickly assimilates,
and searches the house for her.
“Alice! Alice!” The man shouts as he examines the entire
house twice over, with fear and anxiety growing with every step, until the
knocking at the door stopped, followed shortly by a large slam into the door.
As the man inspected the front room, he found his door broken on the floor, his
former assailants funneling in, and his adrenaline soaring. “I need to get out
of here!” With this one thought in his mind, he charged through the room with
incredible speed, and made it outside, to which he rushed to the nearest
neighbor’s house, sensing his hungry pursuers. As he sprinted down the street,
he rushed to the front door, and without skipping a beat ran through the front
door protecting his head, with impressive hidden strength. Shaking his head
from the impact, the smell of smoke and fire fills his nostrils, and he looks
up to see the image he never wished to see again, cursing his vision. Alice and
their kid, surrounded by the burning debris, pass out from the lack of oxygen.
The man left with no choice, dives into the raging fire in a desperate effort
to rescue them. Burn marks and cuts from the falling debris covers his limbs as
his vision cuts out mere inches from his family.
The man
gasps for air,
as his parched throat heaves and desires the smallest ounce of water. After a
moment of respite, he realizes he is still blindfolded, and his arms are tied
behind him. He hears voices coming from in front of him, and calls out in fear,
“Hey! What’s going on here?”
“Be quiet back there, or else,” A deep, but anxious voice
answers back. The man keeps his mouth closed as he searches for any method of
escape, but alas none come to him. His fear continues to grow until a familiar
voice whispers to him.
“Tom, is that you?”
Every thought of fear, and nervousness that flooded him
evaporated in an instant, as he recognized the voice to be Alice, “Oh my God,
Alice! I’m so gl-”
His speech was cut short by the sudden blaring of several
police sirens surrounding their vehicles, quickly followed by the revving of
the engine of their occupied vehicle. The men up front frantically shouted
their commands to the driver, as many large turns were made in an attempt to
dodge their pursuers. The constant turning made the man feel retched, to which
he assumed the same of his lover. With the movement, the vehicle was unable to
keep up, and they eventually tipped over. Moments passed, until the police
shouted over the loudspeaker, “Come out quietly with your hands up.” From the
man’s perspective, it sounded as if they were giving up, and let out in laugh
in shock, “Looks like we’ll be fine, right Alic-”
A sudden explosion erupts from in front of the man,
launching him out of the vehicle, covering him in cuts and burn marks. In his
surprise, he called out to his lover in vain, as his voice wouldn’t come to
him. He blacks out for minutes to find he is being dragged away when he comes
to. He asks his rescuer where she is, but his voice still does not reach him.
He faints, and the scene of fire is cemented into his mind as he recalls his
nightmares.
The man awakes surrounded by fire, seeing Alice and the
child walking through the door of light. Trapped by fire, the man resigns to
his fate praying they find peace, as the debris falls upon him.
A beam of
sunlight
fills the room, forcing the man to
squint, as he rises to find himself in a hospital bed. A nurse as she examines
the man, calls in the doctor and leaves the room for the next patient. Alone he
sits in the loudest silence, until quiet greets the doctor and a busy looking
police officer. They speak to him, but none of the words appear to register
until the “I regret to inform you sir,” the officer takes his hat off, “your
wife has unfortunately passed away.”
The man’s eyes widen, and the memories of the kidnapping
rush back to him. The officer continues “We would like to ask you a few
questions about that incident, to ensure nothing like that happens again. Do
you know why?”
The man without a moment’s hesitation lies to the man’s
face, as he glances to his arms. Without a doubt, he recognizes the cuts from
his vision of the burning house fire, and he asks the doctor and officer to
leave, as tears stream down his face. The man knows why he was targeted. It was
because his nightmares hold some truth.
