In The Midst Of Darkness (On hold)

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|U N E D I T E D|

The passage is dark with a rotten smell. My vision blurs at the edges as I step forward cautiously. The passage leads to a closed door with light seeping out through the edges.

My heart thuds hard against my chest as I walk closer. Tentatively my hand moves up to grasp the golden doorknob and I twist it.

The door bursts open, throwing me back and I scream as I fall. Suddenly, there's no floor. I scream and scream as I fall into darkness. There's laughter all around me, voices taunting me.

My eyes widen as I near the bottom and I brace myself for the impact, but there's nothing. When I open my eyes again, I'm in my old bedroom.

The light is bright against my sensitive eyes and I squint, struggling to grasp at the image before me.

And there they are— the monsters disguised as humans. They prowl towards me and one of them holds up a hand. I flinch as their vile skin meets mine.

I try to step back, to run, but I can't. My bones are locked, and my heartbeat slows. There are tears streaming down my face and I'm screaming with everything I have as they lift my limp body and pin me down.

He lifts up his hand, readying to slap me. I watch as the palm moves closer and—

Gwyneth woke up with a gasp. The lights were still on. She'd lost track of the hours as they had passed by. Today and tomorrow blended and there was nothing but a haze that coated her life.

Her phone began ringing and she groaned.

Who was it?

She rolled over and reached out for her phone. A glance at the caller ID told her that it was Daniel. Suppressing a sigh, she picked up the call.

"Hey." She said.

"Open the door. I'm outside." He simply replied and hung up.

She regretted agreeing to go out with him. He was great, but she didn't need this. No doubt, she'd get another lecture. His presence although a little welcoming was evolving to suffocation.

But he definitely wouldn't take no for an answer so she strode over to the front door and unlocked it.

Before she could say anything, she was gripped by the elbow and pulled back inside. The door slammed shut behind them and she was turned harshly to face him.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded.

Gwyneth blinked.

"Don't act like everything is fine. What happened the other night? And why are you avoiding everyone? This isn't you." He snapped.

"What's your problem?" She yelled.

"My problem is that you're isolating yourself, and I know I don't know you that much, but this sure isn't you! Faith needed you yesterday and you just walked out. Her father had a seizure for fuck's sake." He yelled back.

"I don't care. Get lost. I don't want to see you again." Gwyneth stepped back.

"She's your best friend. You don't even care. I thought you were better than that." He said as she stalked towards her bedroom.

Gwyneth didn't reply and simply began making the bed.

"Gwyneth." Daniel whispered, coming closer. His hand was on her waist, urging her to face him. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and looked away.

"Look at me." He whispered.

She didn't comply. He swooped down and kissed her. His lips were fervent against hers, expressing his growing arousal. She clung to his shirt and blocked the mental images.

Daniel pushed her back and they fell against the bed, his lips on hers. They pulled away after an eternity, both of them breathless. He cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes and she'd never felt this bare.

His head hung low as he controlled his breathing and leaned in to kiss her again. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, he stopped and pulled away.

"What's that?" He asked.

"What?" Gwyneth asked breathlessly.

He shook his head and got up, his eyes searched the room and landed on the table by the door of her en-suite.

He strode over and Gwyneth held her breath as he picked up the small packet.

"You're an addict?" He asked, turning to face her.

"What? No!" She protested.

"Then what's this?" He demanded.

"Forget about it." She mumbled.

"Tell me."

Her frustration grew at his insistence. Why couldn't he just leave it the hell alone? His prying concern was nothing but suffocating at this point.

"Gwyneth. Tell me."

And she burst. Her anger swelled to the point of combustion. There was nothing right with this world. Everything was just wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

She was mad at him for not dropping her to her apartment door, she was mad at Faith for being her best friend, she was mad at her mother for not insisting further that she shifted.

But most of all, she was mad at herself. She didn't care about what they would do anymore. Let them fuck her up. Let them fuck her family up. Anything—anything was better than the constant terror she had to live with. So she let that anger enflame and let go of the fear that tied her down.

"What do you want to know? The fact that I was raped by my best friend's brother and some gang leader? Do you want to see what they did to me too? Do you want to know how this wouldn't have happened you had come up with me that day? Why are you torturing me? What the fuck do you want!"

Daniel blinked and placed the packet on the table.

Everything was quiet and Gwyneth immediately regretted saying anything. The flames extinguished with a poof and gone was the courage she had had mere seconds ago.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He asked quietly.

His voice was a breathless whisper and his eyes were disbelieving. Gwyneth dreaded what would happen next. She was coping in her own pace. And maybe it wasn't ideal, but at least she wasn't dead.

Her heart stopped the moment Daniel mumbled something under his breath and stalked out of her room. She tried to convince herself that he would be back, that he wasn't leaving her alone.

But after the infinite silence that followed the slam of her front door, she knew he'd left her to mend the broken pieces alone. She was left bare— the ugliest parts of her were out open to the world and he'd split her open only to leave her bleeding.