Hearts Lost

Part 2- Jessika's Escape

A car rests at a burnt down gas station's parking lot. This isn't the first time this car has been here. The driver has come to this spot for the past year as an escape. Just like the asylum there is nothing but desert and darkness surrounding it. Music blares in the background. In this car sits Jessika (with a K). She has her head rested back at this moment. She is 22 years old, brown hair to her shoulders with green eyes that are blood shot. Her right eye is bruised shut and purple. She has a busted bottom lip. She looks down and pulls out a prefilled syringe with its cap on. She tosses the cap outside.

She injects it into her arm. We see one of her veins is blackened and useless at this point. She presses down and it begins to flow through her. She removes the needle that is covered in blood. Almost in poetic fashion, blood gently pours out of her vein.

She throws the syringe outside as well and puts her head back...and shuts her good eye. Dark memories begin to flash rapidly in her mind. A large fist smashing into her eye, a sneaker covered foot connecting with her stomach. Her screams echo in her mind as she squirms in her seat. The distorted shouting from the aggressor plagues her mind and eats away at any shred of happiness she may have left. She cannot escape the memories. A loud gunshot blast awakens her in startling fashion.

She looks around in a state of paranoia. A sigh of relief as she sees the parking lot is empty and silent just as it should be. She leaves as feet appear in front of the syringe. A gloved hand picks the dirty needle up and sniffs it. This being drops the needle back to the pavement.

She sits up right and drives away from this desolate and depressing place. Back in the desert where the moon is the only light, Victor roams and finally finds a large rock to sit on. As he contemplates his next move, he takes in what just transpired. More importantly, the thought of him smashing the heads of the two orderlies together with ease, is coming back to him.

He looks down at his mutilated arm. Even in the darkness he can see his fingers are no longer black and useless. He doesn't feel the pain that he did earlier. He carefully removes the wrapped up arm. To his astonishment, the wound has healed. It is as if it never happened. What is baffling him right now is that he knows exactly what he is...but he isn't surprised. He should be. It's not like he caught a cold or something. What is hitting him hardest is that for the first time in many years, he feels at peace. The world seems to make a lot more sense now even if little sense has been given. He gets up and continues to walk.

Meanwhile, at an up and running gas station, Jessika's car pulls in. It is early in the morning or middle of the night for most so she is the only customer. She enters the gas station and walks towards the back of the store where all of the drinks are located.

The man behind in counter is a near obese man named Big Ben, a 50ish man but has had grey hair since his mid 20s. He stares at Jessika but not in a perverted way. He just has this bad feeling about her. She opens the cooler and lets the cold air flow against her battered face. The air seems to sooth the pain of her blackened eye.

Big Ben from behind the counter: "You buying something?"

Jessika ignores the comment and continues to take in this refreshing air.

Big Ben(Louder): "Hey!!"

She snaps out of it and turns to face Big Ben.

Big Ben: "Believe it or not there, lil' miss Black Eye Pea, the longer that door is open....the more expensive my electricity bill runs. So if you don't mind...take something from there or...shut the door, please."

Jessika turns back and lets the air hit her once more before she shuts the door...slowly.

She turns back and heads to the counter.