Victim

Chapter 6 - Grief and Pain

1 day ago:

No

No

No

This couldn't be happening.

For a moment, time stood still. Then a hole ripped open in her chest, and it all came surging in, like air rushing to fill a vacuum—shock, guilt, horror, grief, disgust, panic, dread. It slammed against her ribcage, her lungs, her heart, and she could almost feel the bruises blooming, purple tattoos bleeding through her like spilled wine.

What?

A gasp escaped Marley's lips; she had expected something like this. But she wasn't prepared for it. Deep, buried feelings of previous grief she had experienced for her mother ate her, and she was entirely cocooned by it.

It was all her fault.

If only she'd gotten here sooner...

A low moan rumbled in her throat, and she fell to her knees. Shock and grief threatened to overwhelm her, consume her, eat her whole. Fresh new tears escaped her eyes and they fell to the ground, making puddles that seemed to drown her.

"No!" She roared, she got up to her feet and ran to the body.

"NO!" Howling, she pushed and shoved the limp and stiff body. It swayed under her hands and fell to one side; cold blood flooded her clothes. It felt cold to the touch, like icy claws trailing her skin.

Getting a closer look at the lifeless body, she saw there were several stab wounds. One near her chest, countless on her back, and the last one on her elegant leg. Cold blood trickled from the wounds slowly. Several bruises laid on Jessica's face, like spots on a ladybug, and she couldn't begin to imagine how many would be under her clothes.

Trembling, she looked closer and saw Jessica's nails had been torn, shredded. The flesh was open, showing the delicate bone underneath. Jessica's face was frozen in a stale expression of terror, and her eyes were clouded, bloodshot.

Marley felt like vomiting.

She flinched away and looked at Xander.

This isn't Jessica. My bright, cheerful, enthusiastic friend.

"Why isn't she getting up? I'm here now!" She cried, sobbing.

"I'm here Jessica!  Wake up!" She screamed at the stiff body with rage, desperately willing for her best friend to wake up.

It pained her to see her friend like this. Xander tumbled to her, and he fell to the ground beside her. Marley glanced at him and saw her own horror reflecting in his face, he slowly raised his hand and touched Jessica's.

"She...she must have been scratching the door. T...trying to escape..." He stopped. Marley had never seen Xander cry before, but now she wished she didn't have to. His face scrunched up and tears streamed down his face as well. He laid his face gently on her body, hiding his face from the outside world. As if shutting himself to the world would stop his grief.

Seeing Xander like this only hurt her more, and she hysterically shed fire from her eyes into her hands. 

Feeling something rise in her stomach she ran to the corner of the room and let the vomit out. Xander looked up and ran to her, massaging her back in smooth circles. Feeling numb, she let the final drips of her grief out of her mouth and wiped it clean. It tasted bitter and disgusting, but she didn't care. Looking back at Jessica, a huge wave of anguish tormented her. She couldn't bear on seeing her friend like this.

She ran out of the room, out of the agony, out of the heartache.

"Why is this happening to me again...what did I do to deserve this?" She whispered to herself and sat down beside the stairs. She couldn't breathe. She was choking in her own misery.