Riverton High School

~23~

"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.."

- Barack Obama.

When Ashton dropped Charlie off by the dumpster she slowly regained consciousness reached out her hands feeling steadily on the concrete in the blackness finding her way around.

Huffing briefly in a mini panic, rubbing her eyes, fearing she was blind. She felt hope as her hands rolled over beer bottles, plastic bags, foam cups. She mentally could understand what she was feeling, even though she couldn't see.

That relieved her shakey heart a tad. She bit her lip and came across a brick wall feeling up it, she gained some steadiness in her legs and pushed herself up.

She began to walk along it slowly, still blinded by the darkness she was unsure where the wall would lead her. She whimpered and coughed viciously, because unseen smoke and dust danced through the air.

Her navy blue dress was ripped and stained with blood. She moaned in pain walking stiffly. She began to see light in the distance and her heart jumped with hope. As she picked up her pace a bit.

She then made her way onto a sidewalk. She inched out holding onto nothing. A distracted man on his phone bumped right into Charlie. Nearly knocking her over.

"Hey watch where the hell you're -"
he jumped when he saw her rugged appearance.

"Hey man you are alright?" He sized Charlie.

Her vision still a little blurry "where am I?" She mumbled losing balance, tears trickled down her cheeks.

She moaned in pain. The man reached and out to support her stance.

"Okay I don't know what's going on but your bleeding and your knees are scrapped, you need to go to the hospital?"

Charlie mumbled something he couldn't quite understand.

"Alright we're going to go to the hospital okay?" He said softly. Leading her to his car.

"No! Who are you? Let go! What's going on!" Charlie yelled frantically.

She fought at him pulling violently out of his grasp.

"Ma'am I'm only trying to help you." He grunted, shutting his eyes tightly as her hands smacked his face fiercely, he finally grabbed hold of her arms.
"Please please! Let me help you..please." He said softly, staring at her intently.

She folded her lips in and looked at her feet.

"I'm not going to hurt you I want to help honest." He put his hand to his chest.

They traveled to his car and the man took off his jacket and laid it on the front seat so she could sit without blood staining his car. He hopped in quickly and started his roaring engine.

"Do you know how you ended up behind Rackcity bar in the alley?" The man asked.

Even though looking at the fear in her eyes and her clothes he had a pretty good idea of what happened. He wanted to see what she knew and what she could recall. He put on his seatbelt and looked over at Charlie who looked pale and half alive. So he reached over and buckled hers for her.

"Rackcity? What?" Charlie said in a hushed tone.

"I see your dress is bloody do you know where you're bleeding from?" He asked pulling out of the bar parking lot.

"I feel like I'm still bleeding out.." Charlie cried.

"From where? Can you tell?"

Charlie's lips quivered as she pointed to her crouch. She burst into a sea of tears.
"I - I don't know what's going on." She heaved. Her cry sounded weak and fragile. As if she had ran for miles and she had nothing left in her being.

"It's okay I'm going to get you help right now.." The man said,

focused on the road his voice nervous and shakey. He showed emotion through his eyebrows, they were thick and bushy. He had a beauty mark under his right eye. He had a rich, carmel colored tan. They pulled into the hospital's emergency section and a rushed inside.

"Do you know how this happened at all?" He asked.

Charlie weakly shook her head as she was being wheeled inside. Her pushed her chair. He had strong bicepts with visible vains. His hair black slicked back at medium length. After about 20 minutes Charlie was settled into a room. She was hooked up to machines and safely tucked into the hospital bed. The man quickly came in her room to check on Charlie.

"What are the doctors saying?" Charlie mumbled.

"Going to based on the situation and the bleeding they predict you've been raped, they called the police and the forensics team to perform official tests on you..I'm so sorry." The man's voice cracked.

he touched her hand, he sighed solemnly, kneeling at her bedside.

"Raped?" Charlie jerk up in bed. Her hair a tangled frizzy mess she mouthed. 'No.' Words could escape her lips and tears couldn't surface. She inhaled harshly and yelled out a pain filled cry. She kicked, trying to get out of bed.

"Im so sorry - no no you've got to stay here," He whispered holding her in place. She struggled with all her might to fight his grip and wiggle out of bed. She grunted loudly and pushed and the commotion fled in a team of nurses. "Hey hey.." He cooed trying to calm her down.

She glanced up at sign that read ' the best medical teams service in state Pale Riverton Hospital's ' She gasped like a fish out of water.

"Pale? I live in Temple Riverton 3 hours away how did I get all the way out here?" She hyperventilated.

"Really? You don't live here? And you don't know at all how you got here?" He looked at Charlie, and then up at the nurses.

The nurses said it would be something police would handle whenever they got here. Charlie felt lost, and afraid hurt, and broken down to the core her body was going numb and she swore she would pass out at any given moment.

She didn't understand or remember anything. She felt as if she was dreaming and at any second she'd wake up. She stared up at the blinding hospital lights.

"I promise the doctors and police and I will do everything we can to get you home and make sure your safe." He said softly.

"I'm dave, what's your name?" He asked.

"Charlie - Charlie Kissinger."