Taken by fate

Prologue

Darkness.

Even before I opened my eyes I knew that the room I was in was small. Something about the way the air was, the atmosphere felt claustrophobic.

Everything that happened came back in flashes. Coming so fast I couldn't help but relive them.

The dim street light at the corner of my neighborhood, the same one I walked to every morning to catch my bus for school.

Wind blowing, rustling the leaves on the trees. Not cold enough to grab a jacket as I pulled the sleeves of my shirt over my hands and hiked my backpack higher up on my shoulder.

There were no clouds in the sky, the moon was barely lit, only a crescent of itself. One thing I loved to do was to stare up at the constellations but the lights from the city made that pretty much impossible. Right then I could actually make out the shining balls of gas that formed the Big Dipper. Smiling to myself.

Wanting to get a better look I had moved from under the lamppost, stepping out of the circle of light that it cast onto the sidewalk.

It was weird, at that moment I felt utterly peaceful. I couldn't explain why. Knowing that the bus would be here in only a couple of minutes, I was going to enjoy this sight for as long as I could.

That was when something covered my mouth, damp, pressing up into my nose. Strong arms wrapping around my chest pulling me back. Reaching up, clawing at the arms trying like hell to pry them off. Confused, struggling to break free.

Twisting and turning every way that I could, fighting to get loose but every move that I made only caused the grip to get tighter crushing my rib cage.

Gasping out in pain, taking in a mouthful of air leaving an opening for some of the rag to pass beyond my lips. A semi sweet medical taste moving across my tongue shaking my head violently to get the rough stippling texture out of my mouth. Yet the cloth had followed my every move almost as if it had been glued onto my face.

Thoughts raced through my mind until one jumped out from the other.

Bus.

Yes, the driver would be here. Soon. They would help.

Prying at the arms was doing nothing and I knew that I was losing, my lack of upper body strength was an understatement.

Switching tactics, raising my elbow, swinging my arm back hard expecting some type of give or response yet there was nothing. Not even so much as a grunt.

Think.

Legs, if I could just push back with enough force then maybe I could knock us both down. Pressing but my knees buckled underneath me.

What was happening?

Pushing harder only to find that I couldn't move my legs at all.

Why wasn't my body listening, why couldn't I get control.

Locking my sight onto the pole seeing just how far away I was from it now.

Too far.

One pole turning into two then three, none of them staying in place as if I was looking through a kaleidoscope. Blinking, trying to bring the post into focus. Moving further away.

NO!

Hospital. The smell all around me, inside of me. Whimpering, closing my fingers tight around the fabric that fit around the hoodie of my attacker. Tugging down, grabbing higher around his wrist. Digging my nails into his skin, dragging them down. There was no use, he was a lot stronger than I was but that didn't stop me from struggling even though my head was growing heavier by the second. Feeling as if sand was being poured into my skull compressing against the sides.

Unsure of who I was fighting more, him, or myself. Fighting my own body to move as I wanted.

Hitting and scratching until my arms went numb, his body like a brick wall, the only reason I wasn't already on the ground.

HELP!

No longer able to keep my stance stiff, falling into him, watching as my feet dragged across the dirt and grass. The earth was like a treadmill underneath me. I couldn't feel them, I couldn't feel anything except for the fear coursing through my system.

Warmth replacing the chill. Too warm, blood boiling.

Lights....Look.....

My entire body had gone limp, my eyelids getting heavier as if someone had attached a string and was pulling them down but I refused to close them. Refused to give into the darkness.

With everything I had left, using that last ounce of energy from the adrenaline rush to move my head in the direction of the road. Knowing that if I did, I would see the bus and the driver would stop all of this and I would be saved.

I would be saved.

This would stop.

Head falling back, the opposite direction from what I wanted, obstructing my view.

Bright dots in the sky.

Blurring together.

Making pictures.

I was looking for something.

Can't remember.

It was something important.

Foggy, everything was foggy.

Sleep?

No, that wasn't it, but at the same time that's all I wanted to do.

Stars. Outside.

Why was I outside?

Eyelids heavy, tired of holding them open, unsure of why I was fighting sleep anyways.

So tired.

The last thing I remembered before my eyelids shut completely was that I was floating up to those pretty lights.