May The God Have Mercy

Snow

After they reported everything to the police and testified, Annabelle, with Toms help, took Diana home and after she led her friend to the bathroom, she shut herself inside her room and hid under the covers in the darkness. It was so terrifying to know, that she was just moments away from death, that she breathed right in to the reapers face, its scythe waiting to get her and cut her in to little tiny pieces. What would've happened if Annabelle pissed the killer off when she accidently hit him? Or if he decided to come back and found them next to the body? Perhaps that night could've been Annabelle's last one. And just the thought of it terrified her so much, that she kept herself locked up in her room for days, just staring in to one spot and not moving except shivering after her mind kept on playing the same flashback over and over again. Even Diana couldn't get her out of her trance, of the shock she experienced. Annabelle wouldn't eat, she wouldn't take her medicine or go to the bathroom, only sometimes closing her eyes for a brief moment to sleep, but the nightmares kept crawling back to her and soon she would wake up, screaming and crying, calling out to her mother, but the only person that would show up was Diana, not mama or papa.

Annabelle didn't respond even when Tom came over. Diana let him in with a worried expression on her face, hoping that maybe he will be the one to wake her up out of her never ending dream, but it was a failure. She didn't even flinch when he touched her arm, offered her to eat something and called out her name. She just kept staring and breathing. From afar, she looked like a statue, a motionless creature with no other felling except fear.

Nothing, just pure darkness in her mind with the demons from her past, haunting her, reminding her of the night she lost it all, her pureness, happiness and a stable mind. Just one look and Annabelle lost her chance to a normal life as her parents' blood washed away her dreams and hope for this life to be other colors than just black and white. She had thought, that maybe a life with a new family will help her start anew, but old memories fallowed her wherever she went and never let her relax. Sure, the time she spent with her family and Diana made her happy and from time to time she would actually forget what happened when she was merely five years old, but at times like this, those memories would creep on her, tapping on her shoulder, smiling, from ear to ear, their dirty sharp teeth showing and warn her about what is coming, but not give enough time for the fragile soul to get ready. And that happened all the time, making Annabelle more and more weak, scared and frail.

After two days of the deadly silence, Diana decided to call Mrs. Parkens and report her on what is happening to her beloved friend. The psychologist rushed to their house immediately, leaving her office and her other patients just to see and help Annabelle. It was very impractical of her, but Elizabeth thought of Annabelle as her own daughter, since they knew each other for a very long time, and was more concerned as a mother than a doctor.

When she arrived, Diana told her more about the situation and the reason why was she like this. Of course, why wouldn't she, anyone would be shocked to find a dead man lying on the street, with vomit all over him, but what Annabelle had experienced when she was little made a bigger impact on her reaction. How horrible it must be to look at a person and remember the scene of her parents death. But it was just as horrible for people around her as much as it was for her.

"Annabelle, honey, can you hear me?" Mrs. Parkens brushed the fragile creatures' pale and bony arm, hoping for a reaction. Nothing. "It's your psychologist, do you recognize me?" Again, pure silence. "Annabelle, look at me. Everything is going to be okay. That man wasn't your dad. Snap out of it."

"I know" Annabelle whispers.

"Then what's the problem?"

She shakes her head and looks at her doctor, fear clearly visible in her eyes.