Always Running (MATURE CONTENT)

CHAPTER 1

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DREAMS. We all have them, and we all want them to come true. Some people would do anything they had to do to make their dreams come true, however not Rose, she didn't have dreams and she would not allow herself to have them. Dreams were dangerous for her. Dreams were painful for her. Dreams were a reminder that they would always remain as simple dreams. Her dreams would never come true, and dreaming was not allowed, it was a luxury she did not have. Not if she wanted to stay alive. Dreams were a distraction that she was not able to have in her life. No distractions were allowed in her life. The only dreaming she was allowed was when she slept and even then, her dreams always became nightmares. Horrible, heart stopping nightmares.

SLEEPING. When people slept, Rose was awake making sure that her windows were locked, that the front door was bolted, chained and the security bar was in place. Rose constantly peeked out the window to make sure that nothing was out of place. Sleep was not her friend. It had not been her friend for over ten years, not since HE had shown up in her life and taken control of every single aspect of it. She slept when she was able to and loaded her system up with caffeinated drinks and exercised as much as she could to keep her body healthy and to keep her mind vigilant. Sleep was a commodity she did not have the pleasure of having or abusing like many she knew did on a daily basis. She napped when she had the opportunity; when she was home she rarely slept and when she did she did not rest. Any noise made her jump. A change in the temperature had her nerves on hyper alert.

FRIENDS. Most people had them and trusted them and cherished them, Rose stayed away from them. Friends were a liability for her not a comfort. They were baggage that would eventually weigh her down and she would not allow such a thing to happen. Friends were one of the things that she missed most of all, having them there looking out for her and wanting the best for her. Even your closest friends sometimes turned out to be your number one enemy. Rose had to find that out the hard way, so no friends for her, acquaintances yes, never friends. No one that might eventually get close enough to her, ever.

LOVE. Now that was something that Rose was a complete non-believer in. Love had gotten her in the predicament she was in. Love had betrayed her in the vilest of ways. Love had broken her into millions of pieces that had been scattering all over the country for the last seven years. No, love was something she did not want, something she stayed away from like the bubonic plague. She would never make the same mistake again. Her heart was locked away in a vault without a keyhole. Love was her undoing, and it would be her demise.

Rose walked to the front door and made sure that it was locked again. The dead bolt was in place, the chain was slid to its place and all the locks were turned and the security bar was also in place. She walked to her bedroom and checked her window making sure it was locked, she then went to the small bathroom and made sure the small window was also locked. It was so small that if anything got through there, she deserved it, she still checked it every single day and more than once, better safe than sorry she always thought.

Her kitchen windows were also locked, and everything looked normal when she peeked out the window moving the heavy curtain aside just enough for her to get a good view. Every apartment she ever lived in had heavy curtains blocking any view of her place from the street. They were never opened, and she had grown used to it.

Out in the hallway Rose heard the neighbor from across the hall opening his door and slamming it. Another fight, she thought as she sat on the couch facing the entertainment center. Every time the man had a fight with his girl of the month he came home and slammed the door. He was so predictable. Something she learned to avoid. She never took the same route to work twice. She always changed her mode of transportation, and she did not own a car, she did not have a bank account and she did not have any credit cards, department or otherwise, it left too much paper trail and that was something she was very careful of never allowing to happen.