Guilt ate at me, knowing that everyone, including my own parents, thought that I had something to do with Sarah’s disappearance. Being accused of something so heinous alters you. You start to believe that maybe they’re all right. Especially when it’s being said by the people who are supposed to know you the most.
But I’ve come to realize that sometimes, people view you as what they want to see you as. Not as you actually are. If only I can go back and share that nugget of wisdom with my younger self, it would have saved me from a decade of misery.
Now, my body is lined with the self-inflicted scars that remind me of the utter misery and battle I faced inside my own mind. Placed there by the man doing god knows what to Ace in the basement.
The house has been trashed by these men as they overturn furniture and empty out cabinets.
“What are you looking for?” I ask, but my question goes unanswered as they continue their search. I watch as one of the men takes Ace’s guitar and smashes it to pieces. Flinching as the parts go flying, my anxiousness accelerates while my mind tries to figure a way out of this.
“Clear!” One of the men yells. An itch inside of my memories flares, and I realize they’re wearing the same outfits as the men that came into my room all those years ago.
They’re Kingston men. Snatchers.
“Get the girl some fucking clothes, for fuck’s sake.” The leader, I assume, says making a few of the men scramble around looking for something to put me in.
“My clothes are upstairs you dipshits.” I’m stuck standing almost completely nude with Ace’s come stuck between my legs, wondering what exactly it is they want and plan to do with us.
The sheriff from Kingston waltzes in and I freeze, feeling his gaze sweep across my body. He whistles a catcall and disgust wells up in my stomach. “What have we here?”
He comes over to me, grabbing my chin in his hands and turning my head so that I have to look at him. “I’d know this face anywhere. We’ve been searching for you for a long time, Hazel.” His breath smells of stale Cheetos and old spearmint gum. I always suspected that Kingston Law Enforcement was deeply entangled with the goings on at Kingston Prep but having the sheriff himself arrive at our cottage is confirmation.
These men bleed corruption with their power, wielding it like a weapon at the expense of others.
“Such a shame to let a pretty thing like you go to waste.” He says, unapologetically perusing my body with his eyes, like I’m just a piece of meat put here for his own personal enjoyment. Looking down, I can see the small bulge of his cock outlining his much too-tight pants. Gross.
“If you remember me so well, you’ll also remember that I told you I didn’t kill Sarah. And guess what, sheriff? I was right. Your killer is Kyle Dansbury.”
He sucks in a wet sounding breath.
“That’s an unfortunate accusation, young lady. And one I’ve heard before. No, I think the facts speak for themselves. And you my dear, have been on the run from us for far too long. We can’t have you out here slinging mud on the good mayor’s name. He’s up for re-election and that just won’t do.”
“Why would someone who’s tip-toeing the line of his own grave, give a shit about some small-town mayor re-election?” I spit out, finding an ember of fire within my soul. The spark that I’ve suppressed for so long.
His face turns beet red as his puckered mouth sputters in outrage. “Get her the hell out of here.” He orders, adjusting his pants. But as he goes to head downstairs, Croissant launches himself at the sheriff’s ankles, digging his claws into his meaty flesh.
“What the fuck?” He cries, trying to shake off the critter. I smirk with pride. The sheriff jiggles his leg trying to get Croissant off, and then a tiny yelp comes from the raccoon’s mouth as he’s tossed into the wall.
“Asshole!” I scream, trying to get to Croissant.
I’m restrained, but I can see he’s okay. The raccoon gets up and scuttles out the small doggy door to my relief.
Suddenly, I’m being manhandled once again, thrown in the back of a black van with tinted windows so dark they only allow you to see out. A blanket is tossed on top of me unceremoniously. I quickly wrap myself in it and try to warm myself up. There’s nothing back here to use in order to defend myself, so I’ll wait until I can catch one of them off guard. I’ve already caught more than one of the men staring at my tits and exposed ass.
No stranger to using my wiles, I’ll seduce the shit out of whoever I need to if it means I can get the fuck out of here alive.
As I wait here, the sight of Ace being dragged from the cabin and into a second unmarked van finds me banging my fists against the darkened glass.
The back door flies open and Kyle climbs in. “Shut the fuck up, will you?” He spits, slamming my head into the van wall behind me. I see stars, and a wave of dizziness topples my senses. “Now, sit tight. It’s a long drive to where we’re going.”
I don’t know how many hours it’s been, but the drive has been nothing but silent and tense. Unfamiliar roads give way to countryside, and then suddenly I recognize with a jolt where we are.
The town emerges like a ghost rising from a grave. Buildings jut up from behind the tree line, a haunting reminder of my past meeting my present. It seems like nothing has changed, and yet there is something different that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s me. I’m no longer the same girl who fled this place all those years ago. Frightened and so sure I would never come back.
The stress from the drive clings to my every fiber but crossing the town line has it amping up to a whole new level. I remind myself of the mantra Dr. Thurston taught me to do in times of extreme stress. To breathe and remind myself that I’m capable.
And sitting here as the van drags me back to a place of my nightmares, I know that I am. Even though my heart is clamoring hard against my ribs and a fine sweat dots my forehead.
The inside of my head still feels fuzzy from being slammed against the van wall. A dull ache drills into my temples as I watchthe town pass by through the tinted windows. It’s tolerable. But just barely.
