Page 282 of Nobody's Girl

He stops talking to himself and turns to look back at me. His eyes are almost black instead of the drab brown they’ve been.

The knife is still in his hand. I try to move my arm and it moves a little bit. I move it to my side in an attempt to protect myself. This only infuriates him.

His voice flat, he says, “You’re dead.”

I feel a pain in my ribs almost immediately. My face is slapped repeatedly. Then my other arm is cut down as are my legs. They are all of no use to me. I close my eyes, trying to picture myself as the big, black bird.

A stabbing pain hits me in my shoulder. I can’t concentrate any more. He’s on top of me, slapping me hard. I can’t feel a thing anymore. I see only blackness.

“Wake up, bitch. I’m not done with you. Wake up,” I hear him screaming at me as I drift away.

“Alyssa, Alyssa is that you?”

I’m lying on something hard and cold. It’s cold in this place. I’m so cold. “Alyssa! Thank Our Creator, Alyssa! I found you.” I hear Eden yell, “Doctor, you have to save her. I can’t lose her. Please tell me you can save her.”

“She’s lost a lot of blood, Eden. It looks like she has some broken ribs and most likely a punctured lung. There’s a knife wound on her side. The ambulance will be here soon. We’ll get her to the hospital and get started on her as soon as we can,” I can hear the other voice say.

“You have to help her. She can’t die. Not yet, not yet! Please, Alyssa, stay with me. Don’t give up. Keep breathing. I know it hurts, but keep breathing, baby, please,” the velvet voice cries as he rocks me back and forth, gently and slowly.

I can taste blood in my mouth. I feel something thick coming up my throat. I’m choking! Help, I’m choking! I can’t breathe! I can’t take a breath!

“Eden, she’s not going to make it.”

“No! Don’t say that! No!”

Then I hear humming.

A loud knock at our bedroom door startles both of us awake as we sit up quickly. “What? Who is it?” Eden says loudly.

“It’s your father. Open the door,” Lyle calls out to Eden.

Eden looks over at me. “Are you okay?”

I nod my head yes. He gets up and grabs my silk robe off the chair, tossing it to me. I wrap it around me to cover up my skimpy nightgown. He strides over to the door, adjusting his T-shirt and pajama bottoms, then running his hands through his messy, dark locks.

“Yes, Papa?” Eden asks as he opens the door.

Lyle comes into the room, going to the window and checking to be sure it’s locked. “What’s going on, Papa?” I ask.

Lyle turns to Eden and hands him a piece of paper. He reads it quickly. “Damn! How in the hell did he do that?” Eden asks his father.

“It gets better son,” Lyle tells him. “It was taped to your bedroom door this morning.”

Eden’s usually tan face goes pale. “How? How could he get through this gate too, into this house?”

Lyle shrugs his shoulders. “We can’t keep hiding from this man, Eden. We have to draw him out.”

“That would mean using bait and you know the only bait that will draw him out. I won’t do that,” Eden argues.

I interrupt their arguing. “Can I see the note?”

He hesitates. “It’s not a good idea, Alyssa.”

“I had the dream, Eden. He takes me away somewhere after he’s drugged me with morphine. He ties me up, rapes and beats me, then leaves me on the street somewhere. You find me, but it’s too late. I choke to death on my own blood. I think after what I’ve seen and felt, because it felt real, I can take whatever that note says,” I say as I hold my hand out.

He looks at his father. Lyle nods his head yes and then he hands the note to me.