The darkest despair

chapter two

two weeks, day one, before

Chapter two

Dark green trees flashed by Emily's eyes as she sped down the dirt roads behind the wheel of her truck. The radio had been playing at max volume and some indie rock band sang behind guitars and hardcore drums, but the music faded out in Emily's mind. though the base boomed inside her chest, she was in a whole different state of mind.

She was lost in thought about her dreams, and the mystery behind them. Her concealer she had been seeing since the incident believed that she was traumatized from the kidnapping and her mother's death. Emily was already vulnerable at her young age, trying to cope with the absence of her mother, and the kidnapper taking her from her safety zone, that is the elementary school she went to at the time, pulled her in to a constant frame of fear. Even when she was home she felt unsafe, unprotected, she just pretended, to satisfy her father and to get out of the shrinks office.

All she wanted to do was move on from that day, live life with a sense of peace, a normal state of mind. But every night that she went to sleep, she was pulled into a nightmare... And there were no hero's.

But still the fact remained that something was missing in her dreams. She could feel a constant pull toward something else, whether it be a human, a monster, or a figment of her imagination. Emily lived on edge and knew that there was a missing piece to the kidnappings incident, all those years ago.

Emily continued to drive through the woods, but the exit where she would pull off into town came all to fast. She was still dazed as her truck sped over the normal limit. Oblivious to the world around her, she didn't notice the black crow that seemed to keep swooping at her truck.

Then boom. A hard thud awoke her from her day dream and the crows cry as it hit the windshield startled her. She shrieked in shock as the bird flew to the left and fell off of her speeding vehicle. Emily had lost control of the steering wheel and before she could even think of what to do, her truck spun out into traffic.

She clung onto the steering wheel and layed on the horn to gather the drivers around her attention. The truck must've spun twenty three times before it finally stopped, slamming against a old large tree on the curb. Emily held her breath the whole time, and finally let out some air.

But her exhaling turned into holding back tears. She still held onto the steering wheel, clutching it so tight she could've sworn she left finger imprints on the rubber. Breathing heavily she had her eyes tightly shut, not noticing the small crowd that gathered around her. Slowly opening her eyes, she began to notice that her spin out caught the attention of almost everyone on the street. People every rushed to her side, one man opened her car door and grabbed her arm, slowly pulling her out of the vehicle.

"Miss are you okay!?" he said in a quick ansy tone.

Emily was still in shock, but managed to get a nod out of her system. She sat on the edge of her car while she let everything process in her brain. Two teenage boys came around the truck and noticed that there was a large dent in-printed into the passenger side door.

"Oh man... You got some damage." one tall blonde boy said.

"Whats your name?" the boy with red hair said.

"Emily". 

The blonde boy came around and put his hand on her shoulder "Do you need a ride to school?"

"If the truck starts then i can drive myself." she said in a nice way.

"What happened?" He asked
"I don't know, there was a bird, and it was very crow for a moment and I just, I saw feathers and Iost control,"
The boy staired at my arms and took one in his hands, he studied it intently, Emily watched him as he did this, slightly startled to how easily he took her arm. No awkward asking permission took place.

"Well you don't look hurt," he looked at her face, studying it for bruises, "did you hit your head at all?"

"No, I am okay I think" she whispered. He was looking deeply into her eyes.

"Do I... Do I know you from somewhere?" Emily suddenly said.

The boy looked at her now more aware of the situation, "um, no.. I don't think so, maybe I've seen you at school."

No that couldn't be, she felt a strange sense of deja vu towards him.

"Speaking of school" he began to speak, "are you sure about the ride I can get you there right now?"
This brought Emily back to reality "no I'm fine... Thank you though. "

He looked almost disappointed at the rejection, he wanted her to sit beside him in his car. 

"Okay, try starting it up?" he suggested.

Emily hopped off the hood of her truck and jumped into the drivers seat. Turning the key in the ignition it took couple times to get the truck to finally come to life again.

"See its fine." she said with a half smile.

"Okay" he closed the car door and put his hands on door. "You be safe okay, my names Brennan, that over there is mark... Here's my number" he handed her a small notebook torn piece of paper with his digits on it.

"If you need anything or have car trouble just give me a ring, okay?"

She smiled and put the paper in her center council, "I defiantly will, thank you Brennan."

He stepped back from the truck and let her begin to drive away, she waved her hand and pulled off of the grass bank, and again made her way to the high school. The further she drove away the more she thought about the feeling he gave her. Where did she know him from, not just school.