I Knew You Once

Chapter 10

Suddenly my phone starts ringing. I am trying to escape his grip. I'm sliding across the blood underneath trying to reach the phone. My fingers dig deep into the carpet as I pull my self away. I'm almost there! Just one more... with all my strength I pull my body upwards. Got it! I grab the phone and click answer.

"Mason!"

"Hey, I'm on my way."

"Mason! Please hurry!" I keep trying to escape his hands.

"Why?! What's going on? Are you okay?!"

"Just hurry Mason!" After my words, I scream as I feel pain on my back.

"Julia! What's happening?! I'm almost there! Don't leave me! Stay on the phone!"

"Mason!" I'm crying with so much pain.

"Juli-."

Mason's dad snatches the phone from my hands. "How do you know Mason?!" He demanded. I hesitate to answer. "I'm asking you a question!" He grumbles loudly.

"I'm his girlfriend." I reply quietly. Then I remember. "Well, I was."

"What's wrong with you? Why are you bleeding?" He asks.

"What? I'm bleeding?" I touch the bullet wound on my back. My back was never completely healed. With all the moving and hitting the floor, my bullet wound opened up. The blood! It was mine. I feel so weak.

"What is your name?"

"It's Julia." I say without any breath left. My eyes are low, I feel sleepy and I can barely move.

I'm laying on the floor and he is sitting near me. "Alright, Julia." He stands up. "I'm sorry..." He looks at me as I lie there weak on the carpet floor. "I can't stay. I need to go. Mason will be here soon. Again, I am sorry."

He walks out of the room, goes downstairs, and leaves. Mason pulls up a few minutes later. He quickly gets out of the car and runs to the house. He runs upstairs and finds me bleeding to death.

"Julia!" He holds me in his arms. "Oh lord, please help her. Please! Don't let her die!" Mason rocks back and forth crying. "This can't be happening! Not again. I don't want to lose you again! Please! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry." Mason sobs and looks at my face. "I love you."

"Move! Move! Move!" A group of men and women crowd into the room. Mason looks at the people coming in. It's the paramedics. Someone had called an ambulance. But who? "Please help her!" Mason is scared to death.

"Sir, we need room for her." The paramedic lady said. Mason puts me down and gets up. "Sir, we need more room. It'd be best if you left the room."

"No, I can't leave her." He refuses to leave.

"I'm sorry, but you are going to have to go... now." I am being picked up and put on the bed.

Mason walks out of the door and sits on the steps of the stairs hoping for the best. He is sitting there with tears running down his face and regret traveling through his veins. "Please stay with me Julia." Mason whispers to himself.

His phone rings. Mason answers:

"Hello."

"Mason."

"Who is this?"

"I think it's best that I don't tell you."

"Dad?"

"I guess I didn't have to tell you."

"How are you ali-."

"I can't tell you. At least not now."

"Can you at least tell me how you got my number?"

"I saw you buy a new phone and kinda tracked you down."

"Are you stalking me?"

He sighs. "It's difficult to explain."

"Wow... you haven't been around and this is what you give me?"

"Goodbye Mason. I'm sorry for everything."

"Right." Mason hangs up the phone.

The front door bursts open. My mom and dad storm in. "Where's my daughter?!" My dad yells.

"She's upstairs."

My dad runs into the room upstairs. "Hold on sir, you can't be in here."

"She's my daughter." My dad replies angrily.

The paramedic lady nods. My father grabs my hand gently and kisses it. "Oh, sweetie. Come on back to us. We need you here. We need you here to brighten our day, and to show us your pretty smile." He hopes for me to open my eyes. His happiness fades when my eyes stay shut. "Be strong, apple pie." He kisses my hand once more and stays by my side.

My mother sits next to Mason and comforts him. "She's gonna be okay. Don't you worry." She rubs his shoulder.

"I hope so."

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Yeah, anything."

"Would you mind going to the store and buying something to eat? I'm starving, Chuck's starving, and I'm sure you are too." She smiles.

"Yeah."

Mason leaves the house and gets into my car. He starts the engine and off he goes. He gets to the store and walks inside. Mason grabs the food and a couple of beers. He walks to the cash register. "ID please." The cashier says.

Mason is under 21 and cannot buy the beer. Then, Mason remembers the fake ID he made on his 17th birthday. "Here you go." Mason hands the fake ID to the cashier.

The cashier checks the ID. He nods. Mason had successfully paid for his items.

He leaves the store and gets into the car. Mason is stressed and angry. He turns on the radio and turns up the music loud. He grabs a beer and pops open the cap. Mason gulped once out of the bottle. Then twice. Then a third.

"Why?!" Mason yells in anger. "Are you punishing me?!" He grabs another beer. "I tried! I tried, okay! I did my best to be my best!" Mason's voice squeaks as he cries while saying his words. He hits the steering wheel and opens the beer bottle.

As Mason finishes his second bottle, he drinks a third bottle. He reaches into the bag for another one. When he grabs the fourth bottle, it drops. "Ugh..." Mason reaches down to grab the bottle. He gets back up and finds himself on the wrong lane.

Mason is swerving and struggling to get back on the right lane. "Wooh! That was close." He takes a sip of the beer. His vision suddenly gets blurry. "Woahhh!" Mason blinks his eyes multiple times to clear the blur.

Mason's swerving left and right. He's speeding, then driving slow. He comes across a red light but runs it. He can't see. A car on his left side crashes into the car door. Another car comes and hits the front. The windows smash and glass shatters. The airbag puffs open in the driver's seat. The driver's seat is empty and the windshield is broken. On the road lies a body. Motionless. Breathless.