Monique

The Shack

When Monique was twelve, she wanted to have a grand adventure like the children in books did. She wanted to run away to another land and fight dragons. She wanted to be a hero and a princess. John agreed to her plan. He too would be a hero and he'd also be her prince. They'd rule the kingdom together, just like the Pevensie children and go exploring.

Monique had packed a small bag and some chips and lollies before heading out to the street. She and John made their way around town until five o'clock that evening. By then, she had finished the chips and lollies, and both she and John were tired. So, they made their way back home.

Her parents hadn't realised she left the house.

Monique doesn't look at the yellow police tapes at Rosalie's shop. She keeps driving.

She heads out of town with Lana Del Ray songs filling the car.

Life is perfect.

Five hours later, she stops at a secluded fuel station and fills up on petrol. Before heading inside to pay, she grabs a scarf and wraps her hair, nose and mouth. No one would recognise her. After a three-worded conversation, she pays with cash and leaves.

Paying with a credit card is risky. She can easily be tracked down.

Three hours later, Monique finds herself in the middle of nowhere. She smiles. No one will find her now.

John taught her how to disappear.

She takes a right turn at the intersection between some trees. She's been here before. She knows where she's going. She and her childhood friend, Eliza, used to come here on camping trips when they were younger.

The road gets bumpier and Monique feels light headed at the thought of crashing into a tree and dying alone by herself in the middle of nowhere, before having her carcass eaten by wild animals. She thinks of dumping the car and walking to her destination, but thinks against it. She'd probably forget where she left the car. A few minutes later, she sees the small tin roof and smiles. She's almost there. She keeps on driving, watching with glee as the shack comes into view. It stands tucked neatly away behind some trees with a small garage at the side to shelter the car from various elements. Monique parks the car and sighs. She made it.

She wishes John is beside her so she can turn to him and tell him she's not a pansy. But he's not there.

Monique exits the car and takes her bag with her. She looks under the old worn out welcome mat for the key and finds it there. With the fragile key in hand, she unlocks the door and steps inside the dark sanctuary. She feels the wall for the light switch and flicks it on when she finds it. The room is lit up in a golden glow. It's clean and tidy, just the way she likes it.

Monique dumps her bag on the sofa and opens the fridge that stands beside the golden walls. A loaf of bread, a jar of jam and tub of butter are on the first shelf, while a bottle of milk and juice lay flat on the bottom shelf. Monique runs a hand through her hair and nibbles on a cracked lip. She stops when the metallic taste of blood sips on her tongue and into her system. There's no need to cause further damage. She returns to her bag and takes out the food items she brought with her, before putting them in the fridge. Then she grabs a book, Little Women, and begins reading. Twelve pages later, the book falls from her lap as she goes limp.

She dreams she's in a red dress, running through the forest. Wild dogs chase her. Wolves follow her trail. The creatures of the night thirst for her blood. She dreams of falling into a ditch and breaking her neck. She also dreams of drowning in a lake and being dragged deeper and deeper into a sea of blue by mangled hands.

Her eyes open and she instantly sits up. Deep patches of sweat stains the blue couch. Beads of perspiration seat on her head like birds on a tree. A small trickle of sweat slides along her cheek, like a snake slithering across the dying grass.

Monique sighs and runs a hand through her dishevelled mane. She has more investigations to make and doesn't have enough time on her hand. She looks at her watch. It's two pm. It's not long before her parents will realise she has run away.

They find her when they want to. Suspicions are already running high –just like how a crack user fills when they smoke crack over and over again. It's just like the out of body experience of being up in the sky with fairies.

It's like Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.

Monique stands up and rummages through the old fridge. She cracks a smile when her hand comes in contact with the juice bottle. She takes the bottle with dainty fingers and carelessly pours the drink into an old chipped cup. Once finished, she places the bottle in the fridge and puts the cup on the table beside the blue couch.

Monique opens her duffel bag and takes out her laptop, broadband connection USB and charger. As she zips up the bag, something coarse and sharp slices her index finger. Monique yelps and snatches her hand away from the bag. She watches as the drops of blood swirls around her finger and rolls down her porcelain skin.

She quickly places the bleeding finger in her mouth and cautiously reopens the bag. Her heart lurches at the sight before her. Placed on top of her clothes is a small brown card. Monique picks it up and turns it over.

Scrawled in black ink is the word, Benzodiazepine.