What Could've Been

Chapter one

A figure sat hunched over, a dull blue blanket placed haphazardly over her shoulders. Dirty blonde hair spilled over the blanket as fingers ran through the ratty strands in an attempt to untangle the knots that had formed. Suddenly the sound of footsteps entered the room.

"Shelby Miller?"

The blonde looked up, her tired eyes falling on the man standing in uniform by the door. The man gestured for Shelby to follow him as to which she slowly got up to follow. They walked down a dimly lit hallway, the flickering lights casting shadows across the wall. Shelby pulled the blanket tighter to her body, but it seemed that the further she walked down the hall, the colder she got. The man stopped in front of a metal door with only a small square of glass serving as a window before opening the door. Shelby muttered a small thanks as she made her way into the room. The room was nearly desolate minus the plain metal table and two chairs that occupied the middle of the room. Shelby made her way to one of the chairs before she grabbed the back of the chair. The metal was cool to her touch but it still felt as though it really wasn't in her grasp. In fact, none of this seemed real. She vaguely remembered riding in the back of a police car but her memories were foggy beyond that. It was the clearing of a throat that brought Shelby back to where she was.

"Sorry."

The man gave her a small smile.

"It's quite alright. I'm sure this is a lot to process."

Shelby sat down in the chair, the coolness of the metal seeping through her clothes. Why couldn't she get warm? It was as if her body was filled to the brim with an unshakeable numbness. The man cleared his throat once more and Shelby fixed her attention on him.

"I'm sorry. I-I just don't understand why I'm here."

The man nodded along as he placed a folder that Shelby hadn't seen him carry onto the table's surface.

"What happened?"

The man's gaze met Shelby's and she could feel his surprise at her questions.

"That's precisely why you're here Mrs. Miller. After the horrific events you've endured, I'm sure you are going through a hefty amount of shock."

Shelby let the words sink in. Horrific events. That's right. It was as if those two simple words that shouldered such specificity had unlocked a door in her mind she wasn't aware she had locked.

"Before we start the process of what happened exactly, I want you to know that if you need to take a break at any time, just say so and you may step out of the room."

The man paused but Shelby gave no response so he continued.

"To start, my name is David and if I overstep any boundaries whether it be by furthering the recalling of your memories by questions, please say so."

Shelby nodded, but she wasn't listening. Her mind was running at what seemed to be a million miles a second as she began to process everything. She remembered the police car, but there was something else, the sound of silent sobbing. Shelby unconsciously lifted her hand to her shoulder as she felt the bulk of bandages beneath her bloodied sweater. When had that happened?

"Mrs. Miller?"

Shelby looked at the man, a small frown gracing her lips as she toyed with frayed edges of the blanket she wore.

"Who else came in?"

"What do you mean?"

Shelby shook her head.

"There was someone else in the police car."

David nodded as he caught on.

"There was. The other person that was with you when the police arrived at the scene. Audrey Tindall, I believe."