BABY PINK| h.s. d a d d y

31

Reread previous chapter to know the scoop.

I Spoke to the Devil in Miami, He Said Everything Would be Fine REMIX -Erikthemc

I don't remember much between the hazes of Elouise and where I lay my head hours later. The constant blur and nostalgia crept into my head like a steady dripping leak.

My toes moved first. The constricting fabrication of a tight shoe inhibiting full range of movement. My eyelids began to flutter, a soft squint to a sudden stare. I heard before my sight came around, small scuffles and distant grunts. Waves of sudden nausea coursed through me as I shut my eyes to decipher my current state. A whimper makes me alert once again, although this whimper didn't leave my mouth.

I peeled my eyelids from one another to be met with none other than darkness. No, little specks of light illuminate the previously black screen; stars. I stared into the darkened night sky with little knowledge as to what had happened. The surface below me was soft, forcing my fingers to penetrate the mush that lay beneath my body. Another whimper. I stay silent, quickly observing my surroundings of nature. My head tilts to the left and my vision spins until the outline of grass is manageable. I shifted to the right.

Elouise lay crumbled in an awkward position, her legs folded over one another like lawn chairs. I gasped, making my first audible noise as the ringing in my ears subsided. Becoming more aware, I focused on the noises coming from a few feet ahead of Elouise's cold body. My heartbeat increased, a feeling I never thought I'd have to encounter: true fear.

I shut my eyes once again. I wanted to cry out, opening my mouth to do so before a sudden grip on my wrists stopped me.

"No." Elouise whispered. Her dirtied finger pointed to an area where the noises were originating from.

I held my scream, seeking the identity of the tall man who held a rusted shovel.

I began to breath unsteadily. It was all apparent the situation we had unwillingly thrown ourselves in. A small sigh escaped my lips, blowing on the grass tucked underneath my cheek. My head throbbed, my heart raced, and my stomach dropped.

My eyes sifted around in search of familiarity. I found it once I spotted the pink rose bushes circling the ground. Tears threatened my eyes though I fought them back, realizing crying was useless. Memories of weeks past crawled into my brain, forcing the glimpses of pink and white roses surrounding the perimeter of Harry's extensive yard. We were in his domain.

I grabbed onto Elouise's open hand and squeezed it tight. "What is he doing?" I mouthed as the moonlight shined brightly in the open atmosphere.

"Digging."

My heart sank, immediately replaying the words of my mother over and over. "Always be aware of your surroundings, even if you're safe." Tears threatened my eyes as I stared into the dirt. I knew in my shattering heart the shovel and hole was destined for two girls who lay next to each other in apparent sleep, ones who are so similar yet so unaware, ones who fall at the slightest touch.

Eyes wide and hair astray, Elouise whispered again. "It's Harry."

My throat closed and my head shook. I peered over her body to analyze the hunched figure on pause for much of a few seconds. Even in black, I recognized the body, the movement, the breath. Harry was indeed the digging man. It made sense in that moment. Memories trickled in and the sudden realization made me blind with rage.

He was the cause of this, the cause of our futile end, the cause of our aches and pains, the cause of all disruption and anxiety associated with new days.