Hold On

Terror

It's dark. She's surrounded by trees, and she can't see much past the ones right beside her. A voice calls to her in the distance, but the urge to run overpowers her. Fear courses through her veins like blood, her feet moving faster than she can think, propelling her through the forest. Roots, sticks, and leaves dig into her feet as she weaves between the monstrous towers of bark threatening to trip her. To stop her from getting away from whatever it is chasing her. The voice is far away, but the eyes are everywhere. Staring at her, looking deep into her soul, burrowing their way into her thoughts until she can't remember which direction she was going. Her thoughts run wild as she tries to remember how she got here, why she's being followed, but the only thing she gets is fear. Sheer terror as she subconsciously wills herself to keep going as the fatigue seeps into her bones. She doesn't know how long she's been running, but the ache in her feet, the soreness of her legs, and the burning in her lungs tells her it has been a while. The voice gets closer. But it's different from the other one. Lighter. Less chill-inducing. A feeling of safety washes over her as the new voice continues to direct her. Almost like a light, she knows where to go. The ache in her bones fades as she hears the voice get closer and closer. Her surroundings become clearer; she can see more of where she's going and can avoid the threatening roots.

The voice she's been following sounds again, but it's different. Sinister. Finding herself at a break in the seemingly never-ending forest, she steps out into the expanse. The raging waterfall tumbles gracefully over the side of a deadly looking cliffside, spilling into a shimmering lake surrounded by nothing but grass and flowers, sparse saplings hoping to one day grow into the large towers she just escaped from.

There you are.

She whips around, coming face to face with a set of eyes. The sickly shade of blue she's come to hate. Not the warm, inviting, almost celestial blue of her best friends, but the murky, almost overcast shade that sends chills down her spine and churns her stomach. The urge to scream overpowers her as his hand covers her mouth. Like the Cheshire cat, his sickening grin forms as his free hand travels down her arm, finding its way to her hip, resting just above the waistband of her jeans. Hooking his leg around her ankle, he knocks her onto her back before pinning her to the ground. Pain shoots through her shoulders as her cries are muffled by his hand. She tries to shove him off, but he's too strong for her. Not after she's just spent who knows how long-running. The roar of the waterfall pounds in her ears as he continues to trail his free hand up and down her sides, pushing it ever so slightly into her stomach before moving it back over her ribs. Every few passes, he presses harder and harder into her stomach, making her feel like a stress ball each time the pressure increases. 

Feel that?

His laughter echo's in her ears as she attempts to get away from him. His knees press into her wrists, trapping them at her sides. The rest of his weight holds her legs as he removes his hand from her mouth, her cries becoming instantly more audible, though still hard to hear over the rushing water. Both of his hands find themselves at her neck, resting at the collar of her shirt, his thumbs swiping across the exposed skin with an unnerving gentleness. His fingertips lightly trace the curve of her neck, trailing their final path down her sides as he loops his fingers through the belt loops on her jeans.

I did this to you.

She knows it going to hurt, but she's got no choice. She knows, either way, she's not going to survive. Using the minimal will-power she has, she propels her torso off the ground, connecting her forehead with his chin, the force startling her as she lands back on the ground. Eyes squeezed shut she feels the weight lift from her wrists as he falls backward gripping his jaw. With this newfound freedom, adrenaline courses through her as she pushes up from the ground pulling herself out from under him. The surprise movement sends him rolling as she makes to stand. Without giving herself time to think, she starts running once again, the adrenaline fueling her more than before. Following the river, she gets closer and closer to the edge. She can hear him calling out to her. Screaming for her to go back to him, but she doesn't listen. With her stomach in knots and her heart in her throat, she launches herself over the edge. Knowing there is no way she could survive, she allows herself to think of the one person she would go to. The one person she would have stopped for. The only one that could save her but didn't know. She doesn't blame her. No. she can't. Nobody could have known she was in danger. She only wished she could see that ray of sunshine one more time. Just one more and she would be able to leave happily. But she couldn't. As her tears mixed with that of the waterfall, she watched the sky get farther away. The stars shining happily above her, knowing that pretty soon, she would be up there too.

Casting aside all rational thoughts, she allowed herself to be surrounded by the good things that came to mind. The picnics with her birth mother and the way she smelled of pine and cinnamon. The times she spent with her father. The way Lionel taught her to believe in herself, and that if she did, she could do anything. She thought of the way Lex made her feel like a part of the family from the day she walked into that mansion, clutching her teddy bear for dear life. The way Lillian kneeled in front of her, wiping the tears off her face telling her everything would be okay. She thought of the day she met the artist that became her best friend. The day she sat alone outside instead of in the classroom. The blonde had come running up to her asking if she had a band-aid. She had scraped her knee playing some sort of recess game nobody had ever wanted to include the brunette in. From her NASA backpack, she pulled a band-aid and cleaning wipe. From that day on they had been inseparable.

The lake engulfed her as a searing pain ripped its way through her, a scream clawing its way out of her throat, instantly filling her lungs with water. Her tears continued to mix with the water around her as her lungs burned for air and her vision clouded. Her back was screaming from the impact and her throat was on fire as she tried to find the tiniest bit of oxygen to hold on to, but her consciousness was slipping too quickly for her to grasp. Letting out one final cry, calmness washed over her as she let go, slipping into the darkness.