The Choice

I saw her lying there, a red satin sheet of blood draped over her head and streamed down her face. She was limp, pitiful, and broken. Her eyes were wide open and her jaw was slack with disbelief. Those wide ocean colored eyes were searching as the laughter echoed around her. They darted in every direction before they landed on me. I could feel the pull of the tide, the plea for someone to cast out a preserver. My body felt heavy; she sucked me in with her undertow and I was sinking further into her dark.

I can't do it. I didn't see anything. I have to swim back to the surface, back to the shore. If I give you my hand, I'll be pulled down too. They will break me too. I know what they look like, their clothing, their faces. I even heard a name.

They see me.

I could feel two eyes, white hot flames flicking towards me. They found me at the bottom of her abyss and threatened to chain me to the floor, never to ascend to the surface. Slowly, the flames grew and there were four eyes plastered to me and hushed voices crackling in my ears. Anxiety, anger, fear, they were all feeding the flames. Their roar grew louder as they came closer and I struggled to stumble backwards. I struggled to swim against the current. I only made it a few feet before my coat was caught and I fell backwards into the flames.

"I don't know what you think you saw but, if you tell anyone, I will find you." I felt the smoke curling around me. "I'll make you regret opening your mouth." The ash stung my face, I could feel the flames encompassing me. The soot began coating my lungs as my vision blurred and faded. "He's out cold dude, I doubt he'll be telling anybody anything, if he can even remember... if he even wakes up." The flames retreated and my body started to cool.

My face stung and all of my muscles ached. I shivered and winced if the memory lingered for too long. I stared at my hand gripping the phone, my thumb hovering over the dial pad. What if they find me? I could see her eyes again. I could feel the sway and the pull. This town is so small, they could see me at the grocery store. They would remember me. Everything went numb.

"9-1-1 What's your emergency?"

It has been two weeks since they were arrested. The flames were put out and although she's still recovering, I brought her to the surface. I escaped her depths and dodged their firestorm so that I can breathe.

She can breathe.