Broken (A Zach Bryan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 5

As soon as those words left the strangers lips the gentleman who was assaulting me stopped what he was doing and ran.

I immediately dropped to the ground in tears, a panic attacking creeping up on me.

The dark figure approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I let out a scream and cowered away.

"Pl-please, don't hurt me" I sobbed "I'm begging you, please"

He approached me again.

"You can do whatever you want, just please don't hurt me"

"I'm not going to hurt you" he whispered.

He attempted to place a hand under my chin but I instinctively flinched away.

"Please look at me"

I cautiously raised my head to look at him, it was the blonde from the diner, Zach his name was. It was then that I realized I had no shirt on and my pants were unbuttoned. It was then that, I couldn't stop the full blown panic attack. I started gasping for air as I attempted to cover my bruised and tattered body with my hands. I curled up in a ball on the ground choking for air.

"Hey..." he said as he sat down on the concrete next to me.

I screamed once more as he wrapped his arms around me, but I instantly melted into his warm embrace riding out my panic attack as he stroked my hair softly. When I finally calm down I realized he was tracing the scars on my arms and I immediately recoiled and once again tried to hide my bare body from him.

He stood up, offered me his hand and helped me to his feet. Without a word he pulled the t-shirt off his back and handing to me. I slipped it over my tattered frame and gave him a half smile.

"Can I walk you the rest of the way home?" he asked.

I nodded sheepishly and headed towards home. When we got to the door of my apartment he handed me his phone.

"Please add your number, if anything like that happens again please call me"

I quickly added my name and number to his phone.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asks gently.

I nodded and the slipped into my apartment.

ZACH'S POV

I sat at the bar drinking with some of my buddies, but I couldn't stop thinking about the girl I met at the diner today hoping she would send me a text or give me a call.

"Come on Zach get up there and sing" they encouraged.

I waved them off "not tonight guys, I'm not feeling it"

They ordered another round of beers but I decided to get some fresh air.

I lit up a cigarette outside the bar and started strolling down the street needing to clear my mind. As I walked a heard a woman begging for someone to stop.

As I walked into the alley I saw the gentleman from the diner trying to assault the waitress, my blood began to boil as anger overtook me.

"What the hell is going on here?" I boomed.

The guy from the diner immediately let go and ran and she dropped to the ground.

I approached her cautiously remembering what my dad said to me earlier at the diner. I attempted to place a hand on her shoulder but she immediately screamed and pulled away from me. My heart broke for her. I tried once more but once again she begged me not to hurt her. I assured her that I wasn't going to hurt her and asked her to look at me.

As she looked up at me she began to panic and try and cover her naked torso, not before I noticed the cuts, bruises, and what appeared to be burn marks. What had happened to her? I sat down next to her on the pavement and held her tightly, it took her a moment but she eventually melted into me. I sat there tracing the scars on her arm and taking in everything that I was seeing until she eventually calmed down and pulled away from me again.

I stood up, outstretched my hand to her and helped her up off the ground. She cautiously took my hand and stood up, once again trying to hide herself from me. Without a word I took off my shirt and handed it to her.

"Can I walk you the rest of the way home?" I asked.

She nodded me and I followed her to her apartment. Once we arrived I handed her my phone asking her to put her number in it. My dad had mentioned she was new here and I wanted to make sure that she had someone. When she handed my phone back I asked her if she was going to be okay, she nodded and and slipped away into her apartment.

I shook my head, baffled at what had just happened.I lit up another cigarette and walked home wondering what had happened to this poor woman and hoping that she would be in contact.

~whisperingspring