Forsaken Below The Tracks

Chapter Nineteen: Morgan's Wrath

Erik was waiting for me when the train pulled up to the platform. He always was. He hated the fact that I even rode the train to his place and always offered to pick me up. I never let him. In some morbid way, that train station made me feel closer to Morgan. Like a part of her was still there. In many ways, I'm sure that was actually true and after what I had encountered today, I knew it was true.

"Hey baby," he greeted me warmly.

"Hey!" I replied as normally as I could muster.

"What's wrong?"

Nothing could get past him.

"Nothing's wrong, per say. I just..." my voice started to fade, "I ran into Liam at the last stop."

"Are you shitting me? Did you talk to him? Are you okay?"

"Easy! I'm fine. Yes, I talked to him. He was fine too. Apologized in his own weird way for how things went down after the accident."

"What the hell happened to your knee? And your hand? Jesus, babe!"

I hadn't noticed that my left legging had ripped when I fell, leaving my skin exposed to show a gaping gash.

"I fell. I'm fine. The hand thing, I don't really know, I think it's an allergic reaction or something. It hurts like hell though."

"Have you been scratching it? It looks like a handprint, dude."

"That's what I thought too. I must've been messing with it or something. I don't know," I stammered, desperately trying to veer the conversation into something else, "can we go? I'm feeling like crap, and really just want to crash on your couch and watch something that requires no thinking."

"Real Housewives of Some Place?"

"Not even on my deathbed."

He laughed, "I parked over there. Let's roll, babe."

We pulled into Erik's garage and he closed the garage door shut behind us.

"I'm worried about you, babe. You don't really seem like yourself."

"I'm fine, really. Talking to Liam just kind of tossed me sideways and I'm just feeling a little off is all. I'll be fine. Do you have pizza rolls?"

"Well, you can't be too jolted about the situation if you're already ready to clear out my fridge," he laughed, "you missed out on pizza rolls last night though, babe. I'm high and dry now. But, if you kiss me right, I may just be compelled to go get your cute self some."

God, he was cute when he flirted like that. I did as he suggested and he grinned.

"The place is unlocked babe, go let yourself in. I'll just walk to the store real quick, save the gas and the environment."

"So considerate!" I jabbed his ribs and he kissed me again.

"You know me! Love you, babe, back in a sec."

I smiled as I sat watching him as he let himself out of the car and walked out the side door to the garage. I really could see myself marrying that man, I thought to myself when suddenly the lights shut off.

What the hell? You had to manually turn those lights on and off and Erik had left them on when he left. I got out of the car and went to the light switch, it was still in the on position so I clicked it down, then up, then back down again. Okay, then... Mental note to tell Erik there was an electrical issue in the garage. I returned to Erik's car to retrieve my purse and felt someone shove me inside of it. The door slammed behind me, almost catching my leg, and locked itself.

Panic struck me and I reached into my purse in a desperate attempt to find my cell phone. Where in the hell was it? I know that I had brought it... It has to be here somewhere. The engine of the car started up and my breath started to get shallow, there were no keys in the ignition. What was happening? I had to find my phone and call for help. In my panic, my phone was nowhere to be found. I fumbled with the door handle, no luck. I tried the automatic windows, nothing. I hopped in the backseat, desperately trying all of the windows and handles as the exhaust started to fill up the small garage. Oh my god. I'm going to die. I continued the search for my phone confused as to where it had gone. It was nowhere in the back, so I climbed back into the front this time opting to take the driver's seat. I was going to back up through Erik's garage door if I had too. I tried Erik's garage door opener and much to my dismay the red light wouldn't even come on to indicate that the batteries were working.

Terror began to set in when I looked up through the exhaust fumes of the front windshield. Morgan was standing directly in front of me, with that same horrifying smile that she had on the train tracks. This time, she looked like a bloodied, mangled corpse. Her face was contorted, her eyes were black and her clothing shredded. She was missing an arm, her entrails were hanging through her torn blouse. And she was holding my cell phone.

I yelled, "Morgan, please! Stop this! What the hell are you doing to me? I didn't do anything! I loved you! I still love you!"

This time it was her turn to scream. A shrill, harrowing scream that made me clasp my hands to my ears. It was penetrating into my skull and the blisters on my hand began to swell and pop. Puss and blood oozed from each blister and I cried out in pain and confusion.

I was sobbing, "Morgan stop!"

She then started to laugh, a sinister, deep laugh. A sound that I had never heard ever escape her lips when she was alive. She threw my cell phone at the windshield, shattering into countless pieces. I stared at her and her laughing ceased. She simply stared back at me with the coldest eyes. I tried to put the car in reverse but it only revved the engine causing the exhaust to flow out in an increasing amount.

Think, Jenn, think. My head was getting lighter and I was beginning to feel nauseous. Stay with it, Jenn. Where was Erik? How long had I been in here? Would he be back soon? Would he know I was missing? Or even know where to look? I felt my lungs starting to close in. I was tired of fighting. I wasn't going anywhere. I felt like Morgan wanted me. Was trying to bring me to her. Why? Did I anger her? She had to have known just how much I loved her and that I would never have hurt her. She had to have known that. But, what if she didn't? What if she thought I was behind her demise? What if she knew something that I didn't? Was she plotting revenge? I closed my eyes and blinked back tears that refused to shed from my eyes. I couldn't cry. I was too drained. Emotionally, physically. I was dying.

I don't know how long I sat there with my eyes closed. I looked up and Morgan was gone. My phone still lay on the windshield and hood of Erik's car. It hadn't been a dream. The garage was filled with exhaust, I didn't know how I was still breathing. Or was I? Had I died?

I heard someone screaming my name and pounding at the door. Morgan? No. It was a man's voice. It was my man's voice. Erik. I yelled, but my lungs weren't permitting sound, my throat felt as if it had completely shut. I kept trying to yell when I saw what looked like a brick go through the side window and a hand reached through to unlock the garage door.

"Jesus! Babe! Jenn, what the fuck are you doing?" Erik was frantic. I couldn't move.

He shut off the car and ripped open the door having to first unlock it with his set of keys.

"Baby, my god, baby. What are you doing?" I felt his arms wrap around my limp body as he picked me up and ran me outside. He laid me on the concrete walkway that led up to his house. I heard him on his phone talking to someone as he held my head in his lap.

"I found her in the garage. I think she was trying to kill herself. She was locked in the car. Exhaust..." his words started to fade away and I didn't wake up until I heard the ambulance arrive.