Chasing the Light

chapter two

I awake to silence.

The rain has stopped.

I'm face down on the pavement. My head is pounding and there's a searing pain coming from my chin. I push my weight up on my elbows to feel for my chin, it's bleeding. I can barely feel the cut through all the blood now on my fingertips.

I can hear the car.

It's still on, and the driver side door must be open because that annoying ringing noise is filling the air.

I start to turn myself over but stop when I hear footsteps. I don't know who's coming but I'm not letting them know I'm awake.

I feel hands on my waist trying to lift me up. My instinct is to start hitting the hands away but I'm flat on my stomach. Instead I turn onto my side and push at my attacker.

"Woah, it's car guy." Car Guy it is. I start to scan the area behind him looking for any signs of him.

"He's over there." Car Guy says while pointing to the front of his car. He reaches down for my hand and helps me up from the ground.

"Thanks -" I stare at him waiting for him to finish my thought.

"Oh, Kit. My name is Kit. And yours is Alina, right?" I nod.

"Well Alina, you're definitely going to need a few stitches for that." He states, nodding towards what I assume is my chin. He walks towards the backseat of his car and pulls out a rolled up shirt. Handing it to me he gestures to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. I am grateful for the help.

I grimace while pushing the shirt into my wound.

"What did you do with him?" I ask while walking towards the front of the car. Kit follows my movements with his eyes, his body staying in place.

"After he pulled you from the car and you were knocked out, he came for me. He was screaming about how he was going to make me wish I'd never pulled my car over. He swung at me and I swung back. He was aiming for my face but I wasn't. I aimed for his stomach and then when he went down I hit him again to knock him out." Looking over at Kit I can see the outline of a bruise forming on his cheek.

"I had just finished tying him up a little bit before you woke up." I turned back to look at the tied up man at my feet.

"Jumper cables?" I questioned, noticing the black and red prongs on the end of the bindings.

"It's all I had on me and I needed him tied up so I could call 911."

"Thank you, Kit." He shook his head in protest to my gratitude. "Don't shake your head. Yes, thank you. No normal person would've stopped to help."

"I only stopped because you jumped in front of my car." He chuckled lightly.

"I was running out of options, I saw your lights and heard your car coming and I knew I had to do something. So I did." He watches me, waiting to see if I indulge in more details.

"Who is he?" He asks so quietly I almost don't hear. I contemplate on telling him, or just waiting silently for the ambulance and police to arrive. But I'm looking at him, this random guy that saved my life, that fought for me and I feel the need to tell him. I owe him an explanation or at the least an understanding that he had the right cause to tie a guy up.

"His name is Blake." I start by taking a deep breath.

"I only met him maybe two months ago. He was sweet and caring and he made me laugh. We met by complete accident. I was supposed to be meeting another guy I had been talking to online and he stood me up. And there was Blake. He was handsome and charming and he had noticed me. I guess looking back now that's all it took. We spent almost every day together. It was bliss. Almost too good to be true." I laughed at the transparency of it all. I can feel tears welling in my eyes but I don't fight them back.

"After a few weeks I started to notice things. Little things but things nonetheless. He would get angry if I didn't answer the phone or respond to a text right away. And that's just how it started. He began to think I was cheating on him and would yell at me until he was blue in the face, convinced that he was right. He wasn't but that didn't matter to him." I sat down on the pavement next to Kit, all my energy finally drained from my body. Kit just waited patiently, not saying a word. Just listening.

"I knew the yelling wasn't normal or healthy behavior for a relationship, but I thought that maybe we could work it out. I thought if I talked to him about how the verbal abuse affected me he'd see it and stop." I stared down at my bloodied hands clutching the stained shirt.

"Did he?" I shook my head, fresh tears running down my cheeks.

"Voicing my opinion only made him angrier. He started using his fists instead of his voice." I looked up at the sound of sirens, I can see the red and blue in the distance. Relief washed over me like a tidal wave.

This is it.

I'm free.

I let the tears fall faster now. Everything I've had bottled up for the last few months is finally being released. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look over to see a somber Kit. He gives my shoulder a squeeze.

"You're safe now, Alina."

*

Kit hasn't left my side since the authorities arrived.

I'm not sure if it's because he's trying to console me or because Blake is sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car, ten feet from where we are currently sitting.

Every few minutes I can feel Blakes eyes on me. It's like my whole body goes ice cold.

He literally gives me chills.

The paramedics bandaged up my chin and forehead. They also confirmed Kits theory about a concussion. I'm going to need a few stitches but they won't do them until we get to the hospital.

"How are you feeling?" Kit asks, leaning forward on his knees as he speaks.

"I'm not sure how to answer that." I pick at the dirt under my fingernails, not looking up at him as I answer.

I can feel his eyes watching my movements.

"He's not going to hurt you anymore." I can tell he's trying to help, but how could he possibly know that? Anything is possible when Blake is involved, he has a way with people. But I don't voice my fears, I just continue to pick at my nails and nod my head along with what he's saying.

"Ms. Pierce." One of the paramedics approaches, carrying a med kit. "The police are finished here, so we're going to take you to the hospital now." She looks between Kit and I for a second before continuing. "Mr. Jennings is welcome to follow behind us in his car." She smiles faintly and walks around to the front of the ambulance.

I share a glance with Kit for a second before speaking.

"You don't have to come to the hospital with me. We barely know each other." I can't look at him after saying that. It's a complete lie. Of course I want him to come to the hospital with me. I don't know why, I mean I barely know him but I do. I don't want to be alone, not right now. But I'm not going to say that, it has to be his decision.

"Will you be alright if I don't come to the hospital with you? It's just I have to-"

I immediately threw my hands up.

"Of course! Yes! That's fine." Please don't leave me alone.

He watches me closing before climbing out of the ambulance.

"Thank you, again. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't showed up." He smiles genuinely.

"If you hadn't jumped in front of my car." I smile at his attempt at humor. Not a real smile, but it's as real as I can manage.

"It was my pleasure, Alina." He takes a few steps back, hands in his pockets. "Take care of yourself." I watched him turn around and walk down the alley to his parked car. One of the paramedics climbed into the back of the ambulance with me and pulled the doors closed behind him.

"Can you buckle yourself in?" He asks nicely, gesturing to the seatbelt laying on the bench next to me. I don't answer, instead I just fasten the belt across my lap and point my attention to the tiny window on the door. The window that has absolutely no view of Kit or his car, and as soon as the ambulance started pulling out of the alley I could feel this rock form in the pit of my stomach.

_