Time Capsule

Chapter 17

Time Capsule

Chapter 17

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I woke up to a loud ringing in my ears. Kinda like the one you hear in movie sound effects after a bomb goes off. My mind was a mush of fog and fuzz. When I slowly opened my eyes, they were blurry, making it hard to see. I glanced around the room to see Melanie's furniture. I recognized the feeling of her bed as well. I had no recollection of how I got here.

Melanie walked into the room with a wet cloth and a glass of water. When she saw my wide eyes and deer in headlights look, she burst into sobs. "Oh my gosh, Annabelle! I was so scared! When I found you, you looked nearly dead! You've been out since last night!" I looked at the dark window. It's Saturday night already?

"What the hell happened!" She yelled.

I didn't know where to begin. I looked down at myself to see Melanie's pajama's on my body. All the blood and sweat had been wiped away with a towel and the one she just brought was placed onto my forehead.

"Annabelle, what happened?" Her voice echoed softly, breaking me out of my dazed state.

The wall broke and tears started to pour from my eyes as I started to hyperventilate. "I, and then, and they, but I and then he, hurt, and hours, I-" 

"Annabelle! Calm down, love." She started to rub my arm.

Then, almost like realization struck, her eyes went wide and wild, knowingly. "You didn't text me yesterday, did you?" I sadly shook my head. She covered her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other. "Oh my god! Annabelle, PLEASE don't confirm what I'm thinking!" I just stared at her with a dead expression. "Oh my god, they did. Didn't they?!" I just looked down and started to cry.

She started to cry angry and sad tears. She was in shock, just like how I was all day yesterday, at learning the extend of the wickedness that lived in our school.

"I don't even know what to say, except for I'M GOING TO KILL THOSE BASTARDS!" Melanie screeched as she threw a book from her dresser. 

"Mellie, calm down and think rationally, okay?" I spoke quietly, trying to rein in the fuming blonde. As soon as she looked at me, pure sadness sunk in her features.

"I'm so sorry, Annabelle. I should've known. I shouldn't have read that text and left. I should have known better." I stared at her like she was crazy. 

"M, this isn't remotely your fault! You couldn't have known! I don't blame you at all, so please don't blame yourself." She looked down and nodded her head.

"What happened, Annabean? What did those beasts do to you?" She whispered, still shocked by this whole thing.

"After they texted you from my phone, they dragged me to a car and brought me to Nick's house. I begged them to stop, but they didn't." My already weak voice cracked. "Hours, Melanie. Hours. It went on for hours. They wouldn't stop." I put my head in my hands and cried. "After, when they were finished, they just got me dressed and threw me outside like a leftover pizza box. I had no phone because they took it, and I could barely move." 

She stood up from the bed, taken back. "They just tossed you outside like a piece of garbage with no phone?! Are they that fucking stupid and heartless?!" She huffed several ragged breaths. "What did they say when they saw..." I knew what she was talking about without her even saying anything. 

"They didn't even care. They just said I was clumsy and continued to have their good time." 

"Wow, they really are stupid, heartless, fucking pigs."