Shattered Perfection

Twenty Two

Siobhan head was thumping and her mouth was very dry. She groaned softly. As awareness returned she realised she was lay on a hard surface that smelt of damp earth. She opened her eyes blinking slowly. She was lay on the floor of a dimly lit room, it was empty of furniture. The light was coming through a grimy window set high in the wall. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, the whitewashed walls were grey with age and time. She moved her head slowly, the thumping intensified. She felt sick and dizzy. There was a wooden door in the far corner which was closed. Siobhan tried to sit up making the nausea increase. She swallowed against it. Thankfully for the moment, she was alone. She slowly got to her feet, her legs feeling like jelly, staggering to the nearest wall using it to prop her up. Fear and dread welled up in her chest and she let out a sob. She pressed her hands to her mouth to muffle the sound. She didn't want to attract any attention. The back of her head had a lump where she had hit the man in the face. She ran her finger tips over her throbbing cheekbone, hissing against the flare of pain. She looked at her fingers and was unsurprised they came away bloody.

She could hear muffled noises beyond the door. There were voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Footsteps came closer to the door before heading away again. Siobhan's heart rate increased significantly and she felt faint. She couldn't reach the window and it was too small to get out anyway. She took a deep breath. She knew that if Roger found her then she wouldn't survive. She was dead if she stayed and dead if she left. She wished she could have had more time with Vivian. The image of the raven-haired nurse appeared in her mind, her heart clenched with longing and tears sprang to her eyes. She pushed the feeling down. A cold strength washed over her. If this was the end, she wasn't going to give Roger the satisfaction of seeing her break. Thinking of Vivian, she wanted to make her proud. To see the slight nod and wink, her smile when they spoke together. She wished she could feel her strong arms around her and her lips pressed to her own. Siobhan didn't want to hurt Vivian and she knew her death would cause her great pain. They hadn't discussed their feelings in depth assuming they had more time. Grief and longing washed over Siobhan but she was determined to stand up to Roger once and for all.

Footsteps came closer to the door again, this time there was a creak of metal as the key turned in the lock. Slowly, the handle turned and the door swung open. Siobhan turned towards the noise, standing tall and chin held high despite the fear that crawled into her belly. 

Janice was framed in the doorway.