Run (a Taylor Swift Story)

9- Silence

The door creaked open once more, and Carrie’s head snapped up, her pulse racing in an instant. She had been lost in the despair of her own helplessness, but now, the familiar sound of heavy boots echoed in the corridor outside. Carrie barely dared to breathe as the footsteps grew louder, a wave of dread surging through her. She tensed, her body aching with anticipation.

The door swung open with a harsh slam, and the guard entered, his expression cold and uncaring as he shoved Taylor roughly into the room.

Taylor stumbled forward, her small body shaking, her clothes disheveled, her face pale and streaked with tears. Carrie’s heart clenched in her chest at the sight of her, the girl who had once been so full of light and now looked utterly broken. Taylor didn’t even glance at Carrie as she was shoved against the cold stone wall of the cell, her body crumpling in on itself as she slid to the floor.

The guard stood there for a moment, watching, an unreadable expression on his face. Without a word, he turned and left, the door slamming shut behind him.

Carrie’s breath hitched. She strained against the chains, her body screaming in agony, but she had to get to Taylor. She had to do something. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the soft, broken sobs that escaped from Taylor.

“Taylor,” Carrie whispered, her voice trembling. She tried to push herself upright, but her body was too weak. "Please, look at me. I—I’m so sorry. I couldn’t—"

But Taylor didn’t respond. Her back was to Carrie, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her shoulders trembling with each quiet sob. Carrie felt a crushing weight in her chest as she watched, helpless.

“Taylor, please,” Carrie whispered again, her voice shaking. "I won’t let them hurt you again. Please, talk to me."

But Taylor just shook her head, pressing her face against her knees, as if trying to shut the world out. Carrie’s heart twisted as she saw the deep bruises on Taylor’s arms, the dark circles under her eyes. Whatever they had done to her, it was worse than Carrie had imagined. Taylor wasn’t the same.

Carrie’s hands clenched into fists, her chains rattling as she reached out, but stopped herself before she could touch Taylor. The girl’s body was trembling violently, and Carrie didn’t want to push her further into silence, but she couldn’t just sit here, watching Taylor suffer alone.

"Please, Taylor... you’re not alone. I’m right here," Carrie said softly, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her heart broke with every moment of silence between them, the pain of not being able to reach her, not being able to fix what had been broken.

But Taylor didn’t respond. She just cried, silent, broken sobs that made Carrie’s heart ache with the weight of it all.

Carrie’s chest tightened painfully as she sank back against the wall. Her mind screamed at her to do something, but the truth was crushing: there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t fix this. She couldn’t stop the hurt. All she had was her presence, and it felt so inadequate.

She wasn’t strong enough.

A long time passed in the darkness, each second dragging on like an eternity. Carrie couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t stand the distance between them, the silence, the way Taylor’s broken spirit seemed so far from her reach.

“Taylor,” Carrie said again, her voice softer this time, full of raw vulnerability. "Whatever they did… you don’t have to tell me. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. But I need you to know that I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise."

For a long while, Taylor didn’t move. The only sounds were the soft hiccups of her sobs. Carrie closed her eyes, her heart aching, trying to calm the storm inside of her. She was so tired. Tired of being helpless, tired of watching Taylor fall apart, tired of being stuck in this place, chained and powerless.

But no matter how exhausted she felt, she wouldn’t stop trying. Not for herself, not for them, but for Taylor.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Taylor’s voice broke the silence. It was barely a whisper, hoarse and broken.

“I can’t...” she said, her voice trembling. "I can’t talk about it. I don’t... I don’t want you to see me like this."

Carrie’s throat tightened. The tears that had been building up finally fell, hot and heavy against her cold skin. She could hear the pain in Taylor’s words, the shame, the terror. And it was too much.

“Taylor,” she whispered, her voice full of compassion and desperation. “You don’t have to explain. You don’t have to say anything. I don’t need to know. I just... I just want you to know you’re not alone. Whatever they did to you, I’ll be here. I’ll always be here. You’re safe with me.”

But Taylor didn’t respond. Instead, she curled even tighter into herself, the space between them growing more unbearable with every passing second.

Carrie swallowed hard, the reality of their situation crashing down around her. There were no answers. No solution. Only darkness and the sound of Taylor’s broken sobs.

And the crushing weight of knowing that, despite everything she felt for Taylor, she couldn’t protect her. Not anymore.