Remember Me

Chapter 1

I could feel the icy claws of terror against my skin, like a bird with talons dug in. The smell of smoke and fire clogged my nose making it hard to breathe. "Don't worry sweetheart, we will keep you safe."

It was like I was suddenly put behind a frosted glass window, the once visible colors of the car's interior was suddenly foggy and I could seem to make out the details of the women's face I was staring at.

Hit.

She reached out for me, fingers brushing at my skin, across my cheeks,  my forehead; and slowly the clawed grasp of fear diminished. I felt protected, safe.

Hit. Hit.

Something about her felt familiar to me. Like the smell of rain, and you remember playing in open fields behind your house, but you just can't pinpoint the day. Her voice was soft, a whisper almost.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

She pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled me close her fingers cupped around my ear, but nothing could block out the screams, echoes of pain and sorrow and anger. "You will be safe Love."

Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

A groan filled the car, the sound of a car being torn and smashed, and my body was jolted forward and pain seeped through my body like water through rocks, slowly but surely.

Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, hands reached in through torn off doors; like a machine reaching for its next toy. Screams that sounded so terrified ripped from my throat, a lonesome yell of a child, met only by angry shouts of a Man. Nothing was clear, blurry pictures like those ruined in an old movie reel, the only thing standing out was the brilliant color of red that stained the seats and windshield as I was torn from the car, the echoing silence that followed as I cried out for the women who I couldn't remember but felt so familiar to me. I cried out for the man who drove us to safety, yet I couldn't even imagine being there.  And I cried out for a pair of crystal blue eyes, eyes that meant the world to me; yet I didn't understand how.

Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

Her fist flew forward in a quick succession of punches, hitting the bag so quickly Cylia was afraid it would break. The force of her hits bruised and tore at the skin on her knuckles, and she could feel tears dripping down her face; leaving a cool trail down her heated skin. Cylia accepted the pain the punching bag brought, feeling as if she deserved it; guilty over a nightmare that felt so real to her. A scream ripped from her throat as she lurched forward, her arms wrapping around the old brown bag to steady her. A sudden fatigue washed over Cylia like a tidal wave, and she did everything in her power to keep from falling to her knees. The skin of her cheek brushed against the warm leather, and the smell of salt and leather, mixed with a hit of something almost metallic, calmed the shaking of her body slightly. The only sound that filled the air was the raggedy breathing that exited her lungs, and seemed to burn her chest; her guilt tore at her. The nightmare had felt so real to Cylia. So real that in dragged her from sleep in cold sweat and kept her from closing her eyes again. Like an open wound she shouldn't touch, but did anyways. She could feel her heart tattoo itself onto the skin of her chest, and adrenaline roared through her veins like a forest fire that would not go out.

The door creaking open snapped Cylia from her reverie, and she looked up towards the dark opening to meet the worried green eyes of her best friend. It dawned on her then how early she had woken, finally tuned into the grey morning light that seeped in through the high, barred, windows. People could hear her in here if they were close enough, and more guilt gnawed on her. The morning had given Cylia just enough light to see what was in front of her, so she had not bothered to turn on any; but now she wished it were completely dark so she would not have to see the worry written on her face. Cylia looked away. She could feel the pain throb through her knuckles like a second heart beat, and curled her fingers into a fist; hiding them behind her back. "I'm sorry to wake you Marci" Cylia mumbled, looking up to meet her eyes once again.