Twenty-Nine Dolls [H.S. AU]

1. Callie - 2012

No one to listen,

To hear when you shout.

2012

There was no need for it. There was never any need. People thrived on the thrill of being wicked and I understood that sometimes my position was their ecstasy. I never fought. I never indulged in the idea of conflict, but I wished I could understand what their mindset was behind, what you and I would consider, horrible people. But I'll never come to that understanding. In the world I live in, I've been told I deserve the fires of hell for my mistakes.

Crying. There's no more scream left. The oxygen is limited in whatever damned place I'm in. Looking from side to side, the corners are accusing me, coming forwards to haunt me. It was an ideal place to die. Everyone is dead in a coffin. But what I did to deserve being here was unknown to me, I was never a bad person. 

Hitting the roof of the box, I cried and cried for help. I tried again. I tried again. I tried again. I took a deep breath and tried again. I prayed for someone to be near. 

Tears soaked my cheeks. "Please, somebody help!" but it was only the silence that responded. Well done, Callie, a grand award for the pathetic attempt. Bringing my hands to my face, I felt the damp tear stains becoming less prominent to my touch; it was the end. Shivers raced through my body as my eyes began to droop. The air around me was feeling heavier and heavier by the second. 

That's when I heard the scratching. The scratching became louder and louder until it turned into punches against the walls I was enclosed in. Adrenaline ran through my veins but I couldn't get ahead of myself...

Maybe this was the gateway to death.

The light emerged from the darkness. It blinded me suddenly. A pair of strong arms embraced me. All I could do was close my eyes, thanking the Lord above for hearing my desperate calls. Someone knew I didn't deserve it in the end. My hero placed my back down on the surface of the ground, the damp moisture of the soil seeping through my tights as I sighed. Deep breaths in and out causing me to lay back, enjoying freedom once again. My fingers tingled with excitement as the world around me felt like a heavenly place. I pinched myself over and over again, laughing maniacally. It wasn't a dream. I was there, breathing, living a nightmare that was over because of a stranger. 

Such a kind, forgiving stranger.

After what felt like hours of breathing, laughing and whispering prayers of gratitude, I sat up and looked at the sillohette a man. The moonlight made the majority of his features a secret to me as I tried to make out his face. Green forest eyes shone, making the world around him seem like empty space. Stubble on his chin and jaw caused his face to make me intimidated my his furious nature, however, it also brought a welcoming comfort. Bringing his bottom lip in between his lips in agitation, he walked away from me. Step by step. I didn't get to thank him. I didn't get to tell him how much his help meant to me. Stumbling, I managed to get to my feet, coughing and spluttering. His feet moved at a faster pace when he realised I was coming after him. Couldn't he accept an act of gratitude?

Abruptly, he stopped. I lost balance and hit into his chest with an almighty thump. I never thought a glare could be so horrific and filled with so much confusion. It was my turn to run. Calling for me, he tried to stop me. The tables had completely turned. What if I was running away from being saved from the world around me? On the other hand, there was always the chance of me saving myself. "Wait! Stop!" He sounded like a broken record that would slowly send me to insanity. So I listened. I stopped.

"Thank you!" He shouted from, what he considered, a safe distance away from me. His voice was carried delicately by the wind and from his tone, I could tell he was a local figure. "Are you a figment of my imagination?"

"A figment of your what?" I managed to say after the fifth attempt.

"Fuck. It speaks!" He roared, grabbing his shovel. My mind couldn't put the two together as he walked towards me. I looked up at him, his lean figure causing me to crane my neck. "Sh, go to sleep." A pain shot through my head as darkness fell upon my mind.

Maybe this was what death feels like.