VULNERABILITY

Pleading

Everyone runs out of the building. The alarms wail loudly. I lose myself in the crowd easily. My tennis shoes smack against the pavement. Everyone was too distracted to notice me running past them and down the alley. I can't help but smile through my panting. 

I know that there is a bus stop up town that can take me to the next town over. I can get to a phone there and have Daniel pay for my ticket. I'll be home the next day if everything goes to plan. My stomach does cartwheels in excitement. 

I stick to the alleys until I make it to the bus stop. There is only one woman sitting on the bench. I slide my hood over my head and take a seat next to her. 

"How are you today, sweetie?" She asks in a frail voice. 

She smiles at me. She looks like an amazing grandma. Her eyes are warm and homey. Her voice is welcoming and as sweet as honey. She must be around sixty years old or so. I find myself responding to her. 

"Really good, actually. How are you?" 

She laughs and rubs my shoulder. 

"Very good myself. I'm going to my husbands grave today. It's his birthday," she tells me. 

"Well, I'm sorry he can't be here today," I reply with sincerity. She just waves me off with a soft smile. 

"You know, he trapped me into marrying him? Foolish man. I fought him for weeks before he finally came to his senses," she says with genuine laughter. 

I listen to her story and can't believe how similar it is to mine.

"Didn't you try to escape?" I ask with genuine curiosity. Her eyes crinkled in laughter at my question. She placed an arm around my shoulder. 

"Oh yes, many times. He found me and dragged me back every time. I hated him in the beginning." 

I nod and digest her words. I relish in the warmth of her touch. It makes me miss my mother but I can't forgive her. Especially after what she did to me. 

"How did you forgive him?" I ask. 

She opens her mouth to reply but the bus pulls up to the cement. She closes her mouth and instead pats my hands gently. 

"I got to know him. It was the best decision of my life." 

I nod, not in agreement but in acknowledgment. I stand up but turn to her one more time. 

"I don't think that's how my story ends, ma'am." 

She smiles and shakes her head. 

"That's what I thought too." 

I bid her goodbye and board the bus. I find myself thinking back to our conversation.  It's crazy how our stories are almost the same. I wish I had gotten her name but it doesn't matter. I won't be coming back to this town ever again. 

I lean my head against the window and watch as we make two more stops. I am mindful to keep my hood up and my head down. I can't have anyone notice who I am. We make one more stop when the bus goes silent. The small chatter is halted. Loud footsteps make their way up the stairs and down the aisle. I hold my breath and make a silent prayer. 

"Is this seat taken, little flower," the voice is deep and angry. Very angry. The voice is Weston. 

My blood goes cold. I don't respond. I don't move until he physically makes me. His hands grab my arm and yanks my body towards him. 

"Stop, leave me alone!" I scream and try to hit his hands away from my body. 

My hitting does little. He picks me up like a leaf and carries my squirming body out of the bus. I see his truck parked next to the bus and start to cry. 

"You are in big trouble, little flower," he says in a deeper voice than normal. It's terrifying. It makes me shiver in fear.

He shoves me into the front seat and slams the door shut. I don't dare try to open the door. He looks . . . not human. He looks like an animal. Through my blurry vision, I can see everyone on the bus peering out the window with straight faces. 

He gets into the truck and slams his door shut. He slams it in drive and we take off down the road. The sound of the locks clicking makes me jump. He doesn't look at me once the entire ride home. I can't stop the tears that gracefully slide down the blotchy cheeks. 

He puts the truck in park and comes to my side. In a last ditch effort to escape, I lock the doors and slide into the driver's seat. If he was mad before, he is furious now. I hear a roar as I turn the key. When my foot slams onto the accelerator, I expect to be propelled forward, instead, I am not moving at all. I turn my head and almost faint. He is holding the truck back with his hand. One hand. I let off the gas and scream as the door is ripped off the car. 

"Get out of the fucking truck. NOW." 

I do what he says and hop out of the seat. I am swooped off my feet and roughly taken into the house. He drops me on the living room floor. 

He looks dark. His eyes are glowing. His body is shaking as he looks down on my small, fragile form. 

"I was scared, Poppy. I was fucking scared. I didn't know where you were. I thought there was an emergency and you were gone or hurt. Turns out you were trying to escape. I told you to not try anything, you did not listen, just like a child. I have eyes all over this town. I can't have that happen ever again. I'm sorry for what I have to do." 

I start to scream as he grabs me. 

"No, let me go you sick fuck, I hate you, I hate you, I-" 

He forces me up against a wall and licks my neck. The shocks of pleasure don't distract me this time. Fear overwhelms my senses. I beg and plead but he does not listen. It all happens so fast. Sharp teeth impale my neck. My mouth is open in a scream but nothing comes out. The feeling was a hot pain. It felt like I had placed my neck on a burning stove. Tears streamed down my neck as he keeps his teeth embedded in my neck. 

He pulls away after an eternity and wipes his mouth. 

My thoughts go blank. My body is in shock. I feel dizzy and sick. I feel hurt. I feel devasted because I know this is defeat. 

I slide to the ground and hold my neck. It's tender and bloody. 

With no other option, I start to sob uncontrollably until I can barely breathe. 

I kick and shove as he tries to touch me. My breathing comes out in ragged pants and choking sounds. 

He listens for once and backs away. My vision starts to blacken at the edges until everything becomes a dark portal of nothingness. I black out on the living room floor with blood on my neck and hatred in my heart.