Tethered

Chapter Two

1

Sarah's eyes snapped open with a start. She jumped out of bed, and locked her bedroom door. Sweat covered every inch of her body. She could feel herself trembling. Her heart was slamming hard against her ribcage. Just to be safe, she locked the bathroom door, too.

It was a dream. Another nightmare. Another night of terror. Looking at the clock, she scowled 6:45PM.

"It's can't be", Sarah muttered to herself. She glared at her wrists. The bandages were clean and untouched. Her eyes flew to the window. She could see the dark, thick clouds shielding the sky. And she could smell rain in the air. She liked that smell.

Sarah ran her hands through her black wavy hair and closed her eyes. She breathed in slowly, trying to calm down. After all, it was only a dream. If it wasn't, she could've been dead by now, right? Sarah shook her head.

"I don't..."

A knock came from the door. Sarah spun, her eyes growing in size. She took two small steps backward. Her mind started running wild with all the terrible things that could happen if she opened the door. She blinked back tears. Her mouth was dry, and she could feel a lump forming in her throat.

The knock came again. Sarah blinked, and stepped back again. A cold wave embalmed her as the hairs rose on the back of her neck.

"L-leave m-me a-alone", she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

The knock came louder this time. Sarah gasped, and stepped way back until she felt the wall.

"Sarah, opened the door!" A male voice yelled behind the door. Sarah started crying; the image of the shadowy faced man replaying in her head. A quick burst of powerful thumps landed on the door. Sarah yelped in fright, and slid down the wall.

"Go away!" She yelled. "Leave me alone!"

"Sarah!" The man's voice sounded half-scared and half-pleading. "Please, open the door!"

Sarah cowered deeper, as if trying to melt straight into the wall. Something started banging at the door—louder and louder. Sarah's horrified, wide teary eyes transfixed to the door, unable to look away. She could only imagine the worst that could happen if the door opened. That man, with no face. Large and powerful.

The door gave way with a loud clap as it slapped against the wall. Sarah couldn't scream. Her mouth dropped, and her eyes grew even wider. She stared in catatonic stupor as the large, blurrily faced man approached her. She could feel the flight responses kick in, increasing her heart rate, flooding her with adrenaline.

2

It was only when the man reached her, that Sarah's body automatically jumped into action. She quickly crawled away from the man.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed.

"Sarah, calm down!" The man yelled.

"Please..." Sarah crawled further away. Her back hit the drawer. She whimpered at something that pierced her back.

"Sarah, calm down", the man said with a sad-stricken voice. Sarah lifted her hand and grabbed something on top of the drawer. She tossed it at the man. The man dodged the framed photo, and watched the glass shatter on the floor.

Sarah immediately jumped to her feet and started throwing objects at the man. She couldn't stop the tears from running or the screams that left her mouth. She felt a new feeling. Anger.

She felt it at the bottom of her stomach, slowly creeping to her chest. It felt immersed, dark and strong. It wanted to get out. Anger turned to rage and she thought she was going to blast. She grasped the desk and turned it over, screaming all the way.

3

She went on, turning and throwing things at the man. She couldn't contain it—she couldn't control it—it was so strong—so powerful. It felt...right.

The man rushed to her and grabbed her from behind, his large arms wrapped around her tiny waist.

"Stop it, Sarah!" The man yelled.

Sarah screamed even harder, fighting to be let go, but the man was strong. He lifted her off of her feet so she couldn't step on the smashed glasses on the floor.

"Calm down, Sarah!" The man yelled again. "Please, just calm down!"

Sarah abruptly stopped struggling, she knew that voice. An expression of shock clouding her face. She looked at the man.

"Dad", she croaked, her voice hoarse and low. What's going on? She thought. Am I going insane?

The man smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling with delight. But Sarah knew better. That was no delight in his eyes. That was sadness. Complete sadness. One that seemed to be eating a man from the inside.

The man sat Sarah on the bed. He knelt down and forced her to look at him, his piercing blue eyes boring into hers.

"You don't have to kill yourself because of them, Sarah", her father said.

"And whose fault is that?" Sarah choked out. Her head was throbbing from all the screaming. She was in pain—in so much pain, both emotional and physical.

The man sighed, his eyes not leaving Sarah's. He placed a comforting hand on her wet cheek and caressed it.

"It's all going to be okay", he said. "Someone will be here to see you tomorrow."

Author's Note

Hey guys! Don't forget to vote, and tell me what you think. Let's walk through this together and see where Sarah is heading.

Thank you!!