Amnesia Girl

Riley - Age 6

Riley was a bright, cheerful girl. She had 2 parents and an older brother. Very smart and articulate for her age, never wanted for anything. Her father was the mayor of the city and ruled it with an iron fist but to her he hung on the moon. Little did she know however that looks can be deceiving and that her family and especially her father was caught up in things he had no business being part of. 

"Riley, come inside," her mother shouted, "You know you aren't allowed to be outside after dark."

"Okay, I'm coming," she muttered as she trudged to the house with her bodyguard trailing behind her. All of a sudden she heard a thump and looked behind her and froze at the site of Matteo laying on the ground and a man standing over him. Before she could react, the man stepped over him and grabbed her. She yelped and tried to scream but the man put his gloved hand over her mouth and stuck a needle in her neck which caused her to black out. She woke up in a dusty, smelly basement that was pitch black apart from a tiny window in the upper corner. She shivered and started to cry. All of a sudden the door opened up and a man stepped through.

"Stop your crying little girl, it's not going to help you."

"I want my mommy and daddy," she whimpered.

"Look, as long as your parents do what we want, no harm will come to you."

Riley looked up at him with tear stained eyes and at her young age really didn't understand what was going on. She started to cry again. The man sighed, went outside and came back and gave her a blanket. She clutched the blanket to her body and cried into it. The man than left and she heard the lock behind him. She lost track of how long she stayed down there but finally the door opened and she looked up excitedly thinking that she would be free. Unfortunately that was not the case. 

She never got his name, to her he was the darkness. He looked her over in disgust and than pulled her up by her hair and looked at her. Riley yelped in pain as she felt some of her hair get pulled out.

"What are you going to do to me?" she stammered. 

The man chuckled darkly, "Nothing if your father cooperates with us. We didn't want to use you but he gave us no choice in the matter."

"And if he doesn't?"

The darkness just laughed.

Riley's eyes widened at his evil laugh, she never heard anything like it. That's when she knew she was in trouble. 

The darkness than left her in the dark taking the blanket with him. She lost track of time and once a day someone would throw a water bottle down and very little food was given. She was lucky if she got a piece of bread. Thankfully though the darkness left her alone. However one day the door got thrown open and he lunged down the stairs. Riley cried out as he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards him. She started crying from the pain and he slapped her across the face saying "Shut your mouth, not a sound."

Riley whimpered in fear as he dragged her up the stairs. She was put in a chair, tied up, blindfolded and gagged. "Your father is not doing what we want so we are going to send him a message," the darkness chuckled. 

Silent tears ran down her face and than due to lack of food, & water, Riley ended up blacking out, her body couldn't take the stress anymore. She woke up as she was thrown down the stairs, she landed on her back in the basement, her head hitting the ground hard. Her body ached, she felt so cold and felt blood trickling down her face. She ended up going in and out of consciousness, and than one day she heard gun shots and yelling. She tried to open her eyes but she was so weak and tired. She heard footsteps coming down the steps and she resigned herself to her fate, but someone picked her up gently, the touch was familiar and she squinted up at the guy, the sunlight blinding his face making it difficult to see. "It's okay now, we got you." She than passed out. 

Riley woke up to the sound of monitors beeping, she opened her eyes and she was in a bed, wearing a hospital gown, hooked up to a dozen wires. 

"Oh honey, you're awake," a voice said. Riley looked over and saw her mother but as her mother reached out a hand to touch her, Riley flinched back. Her mom took a step back, hand the mouth in surprise, eyes welling up with tears. 

Soon a doctor came in. "Hello Riley, my name is Dr.Klien, I have been taking care of you since you've been in the hospital. Can you tell me what you remember?"

She leaned back from him and curled up in a ball in her bed, hiding her face. Riley didn't know why she couldn't speak, she just felt absolutely terrified to even make a sound. The doctor sighed and she overhead him speaking to her mother. "Her body is recovering fine but I'm concerned that her mind is not in a good place due to the trauma she suffered. I would recommend getting her into seeing a therapist right away."

"Of course doctor, whatever you recommend," her mother replied, "What should I tell the police?"

"Well if she isn't talking there isn't much to be done right now. I don't think the police should come talk to her, the last thing we want to do is make her worse."

"Of course, I understand. Thank you doctor. I will pass this on to my husband." 

Suddenly a noise came from the hallway, and Henry burst through. "Hey, move aside people, let me see my sister." At 9 years old he thought himself very grown up and protective of his sister. He came to a sudden stop in the room looking at his sister. Bruises all over her body, skinny and frail, she looked nothing like the girl he remembered. 

He came over to her and amazingly Riley felt comforted and allowed him to crawl into the bed with her and wrap his arms around her. She curled up to Henry, closing her eyes, feeling the best she had felt since she woke up.