Taboo (Merle Dixon x OFC)

Chapter 19

After Merle and I wrapped ourselves in each other's warm embrace, we fell into a deep sleep. I was dead to the world for hours before I had a horrific nightmare. I had them sometimes, just like everyone else who suffers from PTSD, but this particular one was about 'that day', or 'it', as I called it now. 'That day' was what had caused my PTSD in the first place. I never mentioned it because I didn't like thinking or talking about it. I shut it out of my mind as much as possible. I only thought about it when I absolutely had no other choice.

Only four people on Earth knew the truth of 'that day'. Those people were Merle, Daryl, Mama and myself. Sure, the coroner, the police and anyone of authority knew what actually happened. The biker gang and its enemies knew what really happened, but we lied to everyone else about how my Daddy died. Mama and I had Daddy cremated so no one would question a closed casket service. No one, close family included, knew any different than the lie we had fabricated.

The horrible truth was the reason I didn't like thinking or talking about how Daddy died. The truth was I had been there. I had watched my Daddy die, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening while it was going down. I had come home early from a photo shoot on 'that day', but after 'it' happened, I wished the shoot had lasted much, much longer...

(Dreams and flashbacks will always be in italics)

As the cabbie pulled to a stop in front of my driveway, I thanked him for the ride.

"Thanks fer the ride, dude," I said sweetly, handing him more cash than was needed for the ride from the shoot.

"No problem. It's my job," he said. Counting the tip I had given him, he smiled. "Thank you. That's a mighty fine tip, ma'am."

"Yer welcome. I know that's how y'all make yer money." I grinned, opening the door and hopping out. "I always tip cabbies real good fer that reason."

"Thank you again!" he said happily, waving and driving off after I had slammed the door.

Walking up my driveway and to the front door, I knew something was off right away. The door was wide open. Mama and Daddy never left the door open. It was against Daddy's rules. Mama's car wasn't in the driveway either, so I knew she didn't leave it open to come back out and get something out of the car.

"Hmm..." I thought suspiciously. "Somethin' ain't right here. I'm prolly bein' paranoid, but I better call Merle just ta be on the safe side." Something told me I wasn't being paranoid, though, and I was glad I listened to my gut later.

I dug out my phone from my purse with shaky hands, ducking behind the recycling bin on the side of the house and dialing Merle's number. He and Daddy always said if something was amiss at the house to call Merle so he could check on things.

"Hey, sweetheart? What's up?" Merle answered right away, his tone happy and unsuspecting.

If there was a problem inside my house, he didn't know about it. Not that I was suspicious of him. I just knew he was oblivious to a problem at all, which worried me even more.

"I think there's somethin' wrong," I whispered frantically, my gut telling me something terrible was happening in there. "The door's-"

Merle turned super serious quickly, interrupting me. "What?! What do ya mean somethin's wrong? Gotta calm down, Autumn. Gotta talk slower, sweetheart. Can't understand ya too good."

"The front door's wide open!" I whisper-yelled. "That's against Daddy's rules and Mama ain't here! I'm scared, Merle! My gut's tellin' me-"