Time Capsule

Chapter 20

Time Capsule

Chapter 20

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Annabelle...

I felt the pain seeping in and I knew I was coming back to consciousness. I let out a few strained moans to help release some of the pain. I felt the warmth of a body holding me. Had Melanie found me? The last thing I remembered was blacking out after digging up the box.

I fluttered my eyes open and looked up at the person holding me. Instead of meeting Melanie's blue eyes, I found a different pair. "Niall?" I said in confusion. Why was holding me?

Then everything came back to me.

He was chasing me. He wanted to hurt me. He found me here. He told me not to come here again.

My face quickly changed to horrified as I started to cry and struggle out of his grip. I couldn't let him hurt me.

He tightened his grip around me and my sobs grew more frantic. "No, please. Don't touch me. Just, just let me go." I had to get away.

I finally broke free and started to back away before my foot got caught in the hole I dug up. He got up off the ground to follow after me. "N-no! Please. Stay away."

He took a step closer and an involuntary scream came out of my mouth without warning. "Please, stop. Please don't hurt me!"

I was so afraid that I curled up into a ball, cowering as far away as I could get myself.

I didn't hear him make any effort to leave, so I mustered up as much of my broken voice as I could and looked up into his eyes.

"Please. I've had enough."

I curled up again, not wanting to look at him anymore. I heard him collect the box in his hands and run off into the woods.

I was so paralyzed with fright, that I just barely caught the distraught, "I'm sorry" he whispered before he took off.

I laid there for hours, curled up in a ball, sobbing. The sun had set and darkness blanketed my weak body. My foot was still caught in the hole and I made no effort to try and move it. My mind was still reveling in the reality of the horror that almost happened.

Niall nearly took advantage of me. He actually was so close to almost doing that wretched thing. But it confused me that when he found me, he didn't do anything.

He was holding me. Why?

Whatever the reason was, he ran off without doing anything. He didn't get angry and kill me for being here. He didn't try to pull a move on me. He just ran. After everything he's done so far, it didn't make sense.

My insides were burning with pain and my eyes felt like they were going to swell to the point of no return. When my phone rang for the thousandth time, I pulled it out of my back pocket to answer it. It was dark, I was in pain, and I just wanted to go home. Or at least get somewhere comfortable.

"Hello?" I barely croaked out. From all the screaming and crying I did this weekend, my voice was gone.

"A-Annab-belle. W-where are y-you?" Melanie sobbed through the phone. I was shocked to get this reaction from her out of the blue.

"Mellie, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I was looking everywhere for you and calling you all day." She stuttered every other word. "N-Nick told my that Niall had taken you somewhere and I couldn't find you." She choked out a sob and hiccuped. "Please tell me he didn't do anything. Where are you?"