(This story is the first in the Grace's Release series, for the continuation of the story please see my next submission, "Grace's Release, Ch:2, New Beginnings.)
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Cold rain splashed again my face and into my eyes as I ran, blending in with hot tears as they soaked my face. My lungs burned and felt as if they would burst but still I refused to stop running. Every sound behind me morphed into the sound of hurried footsteps following me, and that alone forced me to surge on. I had no idea where I was or where I was going but I could only think that I had to get away, no matter what the cost. My legs eventually slowed to a jog then to a staggering walk as my feet stumbled over one another until I lost the battle and collapsed in a heap as sobs I'd withheld wracked my body. I looked around the deserted streets and saw no help to be found. My phone and purse were gone and I had no idea where I was, how would I get home? Did I want to go home? If they had my purse then....what if they were waiting for me when I got there?!
I began to hyperventilate which only made ribs ache where I'd been kicked. I was sure I'd broken a rib or two. My eyes finally landed on my saving Grace, a nearby pay phone booth. After negotiating with my body for more strength, I forced myself to my feet and stumbled into the small enclosure. Without the rain pouring down over me, I began to shiver under my heavy soaked sweatshirt and jeans. I dug in my pockets and located two quarters, and after praying a silent prayer of thanks for the two coins I slipped them into the coin slot. Knowing that this was my only chance, I tried unsuccessfully to get my hands to stop shaking and pressed the correct numbers on the keypad. When the line began to ring, I tried to force a few deep breaths through my nose but only tasted blood. So I resorted to inhaling through my mouth and holding the air in my lungs as the line picked up. Then the familiar voice came on the lines, "Hello?"
Suddenly emotion threatened to overtake me but I swallowed it down and attempted my usual carefree greeting. "Um, hi..." It didn't come out nearly as confident or care free as I'd hoped and he picked up on it immediately, damn his perceptiveness. "Hey Hun, what's wrong?" I wracked my brain for how best to answer his question and in that moment I lost the composure I'd fought so hard to maintain. Sobs wracked my body again and I could sense his angst rising. "Grace, hun, I need you to talk to me. What's wrong? Where are you, this isn't your number. Please talk to me, you're scaring me." I gripped the phone for dear life and decided to keep it simple for now even though those words alone were a struggle to force out between sobs. "I'm at a payphone. I had to run away, they...oh my God, they...oh God!!" I was losing all sense of reason very quickly.
"Okay hun, take a breath for me. I'll come get you, where are you?" I took a shaky breath like he asked and took a hurried look around, confirming that I still didn't recognize anything around me. "I don't know I don't recognize anything around me." I could feel panic rising in my chest.
"It's going to be okay, we'll figure this out. Can you set the phone down and look at the closest street sign for me? If you see an intersection nearby, tell the name of both streets okay?"
"Okay," I agreed, "Just don't hang up okay??"
"I'm not going anywhere Grace; just go get those names for me okay?"
"Okay, I'm setting the phone down now." Carefully I placed the phone on the metal tray almost afraid that it would hang itself up, and when I was confident that it wouldn't I ran out into the rain again. There was no intersection to be found but I did see a stop sign not far away. I glanced back at the phone booth and hurried toward the sign until I could see the sign indicating the name of the street which sat on top of it. Repeating the name to myself I scrambled back to the booth, fighting with the door and grabbing the phone once again.
"Hello? Hello, Damian, are you still there? Hello?"
"Yea hun, I'm still with you, it's okay I'm here. Now what was the name of the streets?"
"Um, there's not a light that I can see but I see a stop sign, the street name said Anderson Avenue?"
"Okay now we're getting somewhere, what businesses do you see around you?"
I turned in a circle in the booth looking around, "Okay, I see a Barnes & Noble's book store and a Jack in the Box, and a Starbucks."
"Got it, I know where you are. Stay there, don't move, I'll be there in about ten minutes."
"Hey wait! Please don't hang up!" Fresh tears spilled down over my cheeks and more panic ensued. I couldn't bear the thought of being all alone in the darkness of the vacant street again; even for a short while.
I could hear by the winded tone of his voice that he was in a hurry, "Okay hun, I'll stay on with you as long as the pay phone will let us. Do you have any more money to put into it?" I frantically searched my pockets to no avail, having each one come up empty. When I answered the fear began to rise in my voice as the pay phone operator announced only one minute remaining. "Oh God Damian, one minute left..."
"It will be okay hun, I'm on my way. I'll be there...." Without warning his voice was gone and I was alone. The darkness began to creep in around me and every small movement around me was menacing. The phone began to reverberate with the busy line tone and without even hanging it up I turned and walked back into the rain sitting against the outside of the booth. As I sat waiting, a steady stream of tears streaked my cheeks as I attempted to steel myself against the elements.
As I sat with the rain pouring down over me my mind began to rehash the nightmare I'd just endured. Immediately I was assaulted by a tidal wave of memories. The dread, the helplessness, and the pain; through all of it I couldn't escape. I could hear my own voice, sobbing and begging for mercy to no avail. Through my tears I could hear their laughter and my body was again overwhelmed with sensations that filled my throat with bile again. As I was assaulted with a fresh wave of pain I began to cry out.
"Grace! Shit, Grace, what the hell happened?"
His words only echoed in my ears as the concern in them only mounted further. Although I could see his face before mine, my eyes refused to fully recognize him. I had fallen numb and no amount of screaming from the inside of my mind would force a response from my lips. I felt his arms slip beneath my knees and behind my shoulders before lifting me from the sidewalk. Pain flashed throughout my body yet only a single whimper escaped causing him to hug my body tighter again him.
He quickly deposited me into the passenger seat of his car and once he had me safely strapped in he closed me inside and jogged around to the driver side, sliding into his own seat. During the drive, the only thing I could seem to do was stare out the window at the view whizzing past me. In the blur of the images, my mind was continually assaulted by images from the previous hours. Hot tears streamed my cheeks as I relived one moment after another. I was startled back to the present as his hand slipped over mind and his thumb continued to lightly graze edge of my palm.
As we approached the familiar red wooden door of the third house on Third Avenue, my fear outweighed even the familiarity of the house. I had been to this home on a number of occasions, each one on such a brighter occasion that I struggled with the wisdom in my decision to call him tonight. What exactly did I expect to say? What could I say to explain to him what all had just occurred? He silently pulled the car into the driveway then climbed out rushed to my side of the car to help me out. He didn't even question me, but silently slipped his arms under my knees and shoulders, once more pulling me to him.
Once inside, he carried me straight into the bedroom which I had always claimed and set me gently down onto the bed. Assessing me quickly he turned to walk away and panic threatened to overtake me. I grabbed his wrists firmly and finally my subconscious words could be heard, "No!" My words startled him and he turned back to me, placing his hand over mine at his wrist.
"I was just going to step out for a second to call the paramedics to get you some help."
This was something I hadn't even considered, and the words of my attackers came back to haunt me.
"No! Please no, they'll find me and they'll kill me please no..." Tears overwhelmed me again and he very quickly seceded.
"Okay Grace, sweetie, okay. Just breathe for me. I need to get some first aid supplies together. If you won't let me take you for help I need to find out just how badly you're hurt and clean you up a bit. Do you trust me?"
Even while I sat shaking like a leaf; I still nodded without a thought. I trusted him with my life. While I sat waiting, hot tears fell in a steady stream down cheeks, blending with the chilled rain water that still beaded on my skin. I closed my eyes trying to force my mind to focus only the sounds I heard coming from the bathroom but when they opened again the scene around me had changed. I found myself entangled in the sheets of my bed, the fabric clinging to my clammy skin. I lifted my head to find that my tears had soaked my pillow. I sat up, having to convince my mind to realize that by body was no longer in danger but still the fear lingered. I sat up, breathing deeply through my nose and decided it was probably best that I get out of bed for a bit.
It had been nearly three months since Damian had come to pick me up that night and still the nightmares continued every night without fail. I disentangled my body from the sheet which was no easy feat considering the cold sweat I'd awakened in. After climbing down from the high bed frame, I padded quietly into the kitchen as I had every single night only to find him already seated at the table eating a bowl of cereal. I couldn't help but smile a bit when I recognized that he already had set a place for me with my own bowl of cereal waiting. He looked up and smiled warmly, "Bad dreams again?"
I nodded carefully and sat down across from him in comfortable silence. He had quickly learned that conversation didn't come quickly during these late nights. He continued to eat, watching me unobtrusively until I sat back, my bowl empty. Only then did he speak.
"Was it the same dream again?"
I nodded again, "Yes, it's always the same."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
