ℂ𝕠𝕓𝕒𝕝𝕥 & ℂ𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕤𝕠𝕟 ❪✘❫ 𝑁𝑂𝑇 𝐶𝑂𝑀𝑃𝐿𝐸𝑇𝐸𝐷

05 || 𝐍𝐘𝐏𝐃, 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐔𝐏

WARNING: This chapter contains physical abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

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Sighing deeply, feeling like her back and shoulders have stiffened, Afina-Jade stretched her arms outward, finally getting a relieving ripple of cracks up her spine. "Oh, man," She says, checking the time on her smartphone. "It's late."

𝟷𝟷:𝟺𝟻𝙿𝙼

Rocky got up from the couch and cracked her knuckles, yawning wide as well. "We gotta work tomorrow. You have the afternoon to evening shift."

Afina grabs the remote from the couch and shuts off the end credits of the Avengers: Infinity War. "Too bad Loki died... He was a great character." She says, still bummed out about one of her favorite heroes dying. "I think I'm gonna head to bed, now, Rocky."

Raquel breathed in and let it out. "Of course, I'll see you tomorrow, Jade." Rocky replied, taking her purse from the couch and placing it on her shoulder, and making her way to the apartment's main door.

"Sounds like a plan," Afina said, walking her only friend to the door where they said their farewells for the evening.

As soon as Afina-Jade locked the door, she set her back against the cold material and stared at her apartment's interior. All the way on the other side of the room was the window to the scaffolding, the darkness of the night blinding the view. She feared what may come through that window... correction, who will come through that window if he finds her. Afina is amazed that he hasn't tracked her down this far and it is an incredible blessing.

Every night, Afina had knives throughout the apartment. One at her bedside, the drawer in the bathroom, and even a butcher knife hidden in the couch cushions because her fear won every single time. Damien has scarred her traumatically and she can't escape him, not even from her mind.

Afina walks forward to the window to check that it is closed and locked and that the curtains are drawn. Relief had filled her, and she decided it was time to retire to her room and get some rest before the next morning.

She bundles up in her pajamas and turns off the radiating lamps before climbing into her comforter, laying her head on the pillow, and feeling a rough object underneath. She reached under her plush headrest and feels another knife there. Paranoia. Afina left the knife alone and turns over to begin her slumber for the next few hours.

As Afina drifted into her dreams, she thought she'd get a break and see something comforting. Instead. She found herself standing inside that house. His house. Seeing the torn couch, the empty glass beer bottles, and hearing his venomous voice made her skin crawl and quiver.

She squirmed in her dreams, muttering and mumbling with great stress and anxiety. Her pillow soaks with sweat, and her hands grip the blankets and sheets of her bed. The more she went deeper into the past, Afina could see the memories becoming clearer and far more intense.

She was running from him, closing doors behind her, but he was coming through each one.

"I give you everything and you take it for granted!" Damien chucked a glass cup at Afina, purposely meaning to strike her face.

The victim ducked, hearing the glass shatter against the wall. With each second going by, she used those seconds to try and stop Damien with her fearful tone. "That's not true, Damien!" Afina climbs over the bed, running out of their bedroom and into the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going, bitch?!" Damien bolts after her, chasing Afina throughout the house. "Come here!" He caught up with her instantly, his fingers tangling into her long dirty blonde hair. Damien yanks her to the living room floor, turning her onto her back.