TOUCHED

TOUCHED - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“Renee?”

The sound of his voice helped a final reserve of pain and anger bubble to the surface. I used it to force my head up and clear my vision for what I knew would be the last few moments. I blinked and he was standing over me, an expression I couldn’t read contorting his face as he took me in.

“There’s no one coming is there?” He said it as more of a statement than a question.

“Of course someone is coming.” I said scoffed.

“How long have you been on the run?”

The insight behind the question caught me off guard. I swallowed hard before responding. “Why are you still here?”

“Because you want me to leave so badly,” He said folding his arms across his chest as he stood over me. He would have to be just as difficult as- “you were suddenly in a huge rush to send three possible witnesses to the hospital and inevitably the authorities so I asked myself, why? What could be worse than getting caught to someone like you? Funny thing, I could only come up with one answer. Want to guess what it is?”

“You believed that crap from earlier? How hard did you hit your head again?” I pretended to mock him but true fear was blossoming in the pit of my stomach. Boy did I know how to pick them! The one guy in thousands and he had to be wearing that face! What had I been thinking?

I glared at him with every dagger of hatred I could muster. “This is just low blood sugar,” I added casually, “nothing more.”

“No, you’ve been looking worse since Anna got better.” He accused.

“Are you a doctor now? It’s a personal and very private health issue and I would appreciate it if-” He snorted in derision but I continued. “I have years of experience. I can deal I promise…” I heard my words starting to slur. I cursed myself and spoke again though gritted teeth, “Pretend you pulled yourself off that bus and walk away. You’ll never see me again I promise. All you have to do is go- now please.”

“It’s going to happen isn’t it?” There was the strangest mix of fascination and fear lacing his words.

I couldn’t understand why he wanted to know unless he had much darker intentions. I couldn’t believe that I had so completely misjudged him. Terror clawed at my stomach as I realized that in a few minutes I wouldn’t even be able to scream. I had to remind him of what he feared, what everyone feared to be around.

“Are you curious? Haven’t seen enough people die, you want to see me get what I deserve for touching you?” Pure venom dripped from every word as I unleashed my anger. The betrayal from someone I had helped wasn’t new but coming from someone who looked like he did, it cut twice as deep. It was my own nightmares coming to life. “I refuse to be a side show freak for your entertainment.”

He watched me, silent. I needed to find a way to scare him off or I would be at his mercy.

I refused to let my fear show as I continued between shallow breaths. “Unless that is what you are into. Is that why you came back Eric? Is this your favorite part? Is that why you were really upset earlier, I was taking away the thrill you get from watching the light leave people’s eyes? Or are you the other kind, you just don’t like it when your prey can fight back?”

“I won’t…It’s not like that…I…AHHH! What is wrong with you? Why do you have to be this way?” He yelled, frustrated but seemingly at a loss for words. When he found them again I thought I was going to die of shock. “I came back… to help if I can.”

His response was so strained and unexpected I would have laughed mockingly if I could have caught my breath. It had to be the oddest reaction to guilt I had ever seen.

“I’ve been here before, trust me there is nothing anybody can do” If he needed a way out he had my blessing, anything to make him leave.

“What about what we just did? With Anna- It did” he searched for the right word. “-something.”

“You’re kidding right? You couldn’t decide whether to turn us in or be sick.”

Eric knelt until he was at eye level, his left arm balancing on the ridge of the couch behind me. He was closer than normal people usually allowed. He held my gaze as he countered, “What are you afraid of?”

I heard the challenge in his voice, the dare to trust him, but I was not so easily manipulated. And yet-

I already sounded as if I had been running; my breaths were coming so fast. Time was running out. “How about some guy I just met waiting for me to lose consciousness so he can do god knows what to me?”

He looked away at that and I pressed my advantage. “Look you don’t owe me anything okay.” My voice wasn’t as convincing as I wanted it to be, owing to the fact that I could no longer hide the shaking in my body.

I couldn’t hold my eyes open more than half the time but I noticed when Eric moved closer. “You don’t owe me anything, you would have probably been fine without me so...” I concentrated my remaining strength into the hand holding the knife. The blade flipped open smoothly as I pointed it at him. “Don’t make this your problem. Leave, now.”