Three masked men

Enough is Enough

Every night I’ve been crying myself to sleep. Anxiety has been filling my mind and all I could do is shake and cry. The night that I was beaten and raped plays through my mind like a never ending movie. But thankfully I’ve been staying with Yasenia for the past few weeks. Whenever the thoughts came into my mind I’d hold onto her and she would hold me close to her for reassurance, it was as if she could read my mind and know what to do to make me feel better. She would hold me close to her chest, kiss my head, and tell me it would be okay. I knew at heart that ONE day it will be okay and these three masked men would finally leave me alone but I didn’t know how that could even happen. It scared me to know that if they wanted too, they could just kill me. My thoughts became worse, almost like my mind wanted my body to feel these horrid feelings and see what I’ve gone through. I’d go so far into my thoughts and get so depressed I would stare at pills and debate if I should pop them. It felt like my mind was becoming my worst enemy, even if it was part of my own body.

            At night I would lay there in bed thinking, my mind would doze off to so many things but then the thoughts would start to come faster. Everything became so much more vivid to where I could feel, smell, taste, and see what was in my mind. It would race around in a circle, as if the thoughts were trying to with the Nascar Championship. I was starting to not be able to take it anymore, the dreams, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. They were slowly eating me alive; the pain was unbearable it would shoot through my body as if I was shot in the middle of my stomach. My life felt like a true nightmare, it was as if my worst nightmares became my reality, but I couldn’t wake up from this. This was real life, my life.

            *Beep! Beep! Beep!* My eyes flutter open while the smell of fire ran through my nose as if you were right next to a frying pan full of burning bacon. I took one deep breath trying to breathe and I started gagging from the smoke as it filled my lungs. My eyes opened wide and I saw the black grey smoke rising to the ceiling. I try to move my arms and legs but there all tied to the top and bottom of the bed. I glance over to see Yasenia in the same position as me but her breathing was soft. Her chest moved slowly up and down as if there was a weight on her chest holding her down. Tears started building in my eyes as I looked at her. I tried wiggling my arms and legs trying to get undone. I start moving them faster and harder even though it was getting even harder to breathe. The rope finally started getting loose to where I could slip each of my hands out. I sprinted up in bed to my feet and quickly untied them, too.

            As soon as I got out I looked over at Yasenia and quickly untied her arms and legs, too. I picked her up by the middle of her legs and arms then sprinted out of our bedroom door. I sprinted down the hall knowing that it could be life or death for either of us right now. My body felt like there were 20lbs weights on my chest. I couldn’t stop gagging and trying to catch my breath. Finally reaching the front door I put her on my shoulders trying to hold her even though my strength was weakening by the seconds. My heart was racing and it felt like it was beating out of my chest. Getting outside everything felt so cold, the cool, summer night air hit my face and bare arms. Glancing up and down the street I saw the bright flashing red, white, and blue lights getting closer to where I stand. The sirens rang through my ears loudly but then started fading out. My knees and body felt so weak, my knees started shaking side to side which made me fall to them. I couldn’t stand no longer or even breathe. My lungs felt like they were being squeezed by a large hand. I soon fell to my left side, my breathing started slowing down and getting harder. I opened my eyes one last time and I saw black spots all around my eyes, the spots started surrounding my eyes to where everything looked pitch black. I gasped hard for my breath starting to feel like my body is slowly giving up on living. I take one last breath in and feel someone’s hands on my neck; I let out my breath as the dark tunnel consumed the rest of my eyesight.

            *Beep…Beep…Beep...* The faint paced beeping ran through my ears softly. My eyes flutter slowly as I start to wake up. I glance around the white cool room confused. The beeping softly beeps to my heart beat. Looking around starting to come too, I realize I’m in the hospital again. I’m breathing still kind of hard. The room is bright from the lights in the ceilings; the walls are painted with baby blue paint. Still scanning the room I see a large window, I then see another bed, I scan slowly up the bed scared to see who’s in it. I meet the face and it’s Yasenia. I see her face and it feels like my heart skips a beat and goes into my throat. My mouth gets dry and my face turns red. My body starts to hurt more and my breathing gets even harder.  I see her laying there with the same things I have in me. The ivy’s are in her arms and taped the same way mine is. Tears build in my eyes fast. Her body lays there faced up and her eyes fully shut, her chest moves slowly up and down. The heart monitor beeps slowly to her heart beat. I scan up and down her body slowly while everything starts to get blurry. Her body lies there with no movement what so ever. The tears that were building in my eyes now start to stream down my face. I glance back up to her face and stare at her eyes hoping she will wake up and be okay. I watch them closely wanting just a small signal that she is still alive. Tears stream down my face faster and drip onto my hands. “I didn’t want her to get hurt,” I thought to myself, “why couldn’t they have just killed me instead of hurting her? She doesn’t deserve this; she was just trying to help me.” My head drops down and I start to sob in my hands and my heart pounding. My hands turned into fists and my sadness started turning into complete rage. “I didn’t want them touching her, they won’t get away with this, and I won’t let them. They can hurt me, but when you touch the love of my life you’re going to regret it.” My face turned beat red and the tears slowed down. My heart monitor started beeping fast from my heart rate going up. I looked back at her with sorrow and guilt. I felt like I was hurting her, and slowing killing her. I start to focus hard on her eyes, they start to slowly flutter. I started blinking fast hoping that what I’m seeing isn’t an illusion. Then her eyes open, she looks around confused. I then lay my head on the hospital bed in relief that she’s alive.

            She looked over at me confused of what happened I look deep into her eyes I see the pain and confusion. The anger started to come back; I couldn’t stand knowing that those three men hurt her, and me. I couldn’t let them get away with it, I just couldn’t. I was going to do something one way or another because no one hurts her. She looked in my eyes and said nothing because she probably could see the anger and hate in my eyes. I looked at her and back down at my arms, I had to get out of the hospital and find them I knew I had to. They were out there planning to hurt us again and I couldn’t let that. I put one hand on my left arm and pulled that ivy out of my arm, then the right, and then I removed the heart monitor patches from my chest. This was the last time they were going to hurt us, I’m not going to live in fear no more and she’s not going to start going through what I go through. This is hell and she doesn’t deserve to go through this. I’m going to find them, and I knew at heart I was going to one way or another. I looked at her one last time with anger in my eyes, I cleared my throat and in a low deep voice I said “Enough is enough, they’re never going to hurt us again, and that’s a promise.”