Remind Me

Chapter Twenty-Eight

He's holding a knife.

I don't know who he is, but he's twice my size and made up of pure muscle.

I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run. I'm only in a tiny cement room. The only source of light is a burning candle right in the middle of the room.

And he's just standing there, a mask hiding his face.

He takes one step and the flame flickers.

The knife is gleaming in his hand, and I can feel my neck grow slick with sweat.

Another step and he's hardly a foot from the flame.

My heart is beating too fast.

The man leans over the candle and blows it out, leaving me in complete darkness.

I back myself against the wall completely, having nowhere to go any longer. He could be anywhere. He could be right in front of me. I wouldn't even know.

I hear a scrape of the blade against the cement wall to the right of me.

I let out a rigid breath, sliding further away from the noise as fast as I dare.

I hear the plate the candle was settled on flip over. I try holding my breath.

A cough escapes the man's throat probably a foot away from me. I dart across the room, accidentally kicking over the plate again in the process. I wince, standing stock still.

A long and silent minute passes, and I close my eyes tightly.

A warm breath touches my face and I have hardly enough time to let out a shout before the knife is against my arm.

The blade cuts, and his other hand is around my neck, holding me in place.

I scream out in pain, only causing him to tighten his grasp on my neck. I gasp out in pain, unable to catch a full breath. My eyes are watering and my entire body is drenched in anxious sweat.

Once the knife is released, it's held against my neck that the hand has just moved.

When the blade begins to break the skin, I let out a far louder scream that rips at my lungs.

"Brinley," a voice says. How does he know my name?

"Brinley!" He's shaking my shoulders now, and I scream louder.

"Brinley, wake up!"

I gasp, sitting straight up. My eyes meet the darkness. Where is he? Where's the man, where is he? I scramble backwards, but tangle in the sheets on the bed I'm occupying. A man moves towards me, their hand outstretched in my direction.

"Brinley-"

"No!" I scream, tears streaming down my face. "Please, stop!"

They must have the knife, they must be trying to finish me off. I'm done. I never got to say goodbye. I never got to grow old, never got to live a full life. I'm about to die and I am so afraid.

"Brinley, please, I'm not going to hurt you-"

He said that last time. He said that and then he did. I can't trust a word he says.

A hand touches my arm and I let out a shriek, throwing a fist out in a weak attempt to defend myself. The man lets out a wince, and I hide my face in my knees, soaking my cotton pants in tears.

The bed dips beside me, and I know these might be my very last breaths. I anticipate the pain I'm about to endure. I'm shaking in fear, unable to control my uneven breaths and whimpers.