“Can you tell me what happened?” he asks, and I turn to Sophia. She squeezes my hand and steps up to the officer.
“She can’t speak, so she will need to do a written statement.” She's talking to him but faces me while looking me over. Her eyes lock on the bruising before she continues. “It looks like he grabbed her arms pretty tight and her neck. Do you need to see a doctor, Charlie?” I shake my head no, and she frowns before leading me outside, looking over her shoulder to tell him we’d meet them at the station. I notice that they already have officers checking out the alley and the sidewalk, their cars forming a blockade to ward off the forming crowd.
Cole calls his mom on the way to the station, which was the only reason they let him come with us. Of course, as soon as we get there, they separate us. The detectives have me write down the details of what happened. I mention the blur of a red vehicle and write down every detail I can think of through the whole thing. We each have to work with a sketch artist as well, Sophia telling me we both get the same results.
“Don’t walk alone anywhere or linger outside. I doubt that will be the last of them,” the officer lectures me before turning his attention to Sophia. “I’m not sure they know where she lives, but they could be tailing her. I will make sure we have the officers add you to their routes. Do you have a security system?”
“Of course I do,” she says, not defensive but trying to rush him. I've never been so thankful for the extra locks and security system Sophia insists on.
It’s late by the time they finally give us permission to go home. Cole wraps me up in a reassuring hug before leaving with his mom. It all still feels so surreal, like a bad nightmare or something. But having Cole there meant everything to me. He held me together more than he knows and he literally saved my life. If he hadn’t been there, the man would have overpowered me easily. The thought sends a shudder through me that Sophia notices right away.
She quickly takes the cop’s business card before walking me to her bug so we can finally leave. I can’t stop looking around as we walk, half expecting to see the man’s angry face each time I look around.
As soon as we get home I go upstairs and straight to bed, though I know I'm going to have the nightmares again. They've gotten a little less frequent, but no doubt that evil man will bring them back full force. There’s no way I can nearly be killed in public and not have some fallout, even if I’m too shaken up to realize it fully right now. The icing on the fucking cake is that we’re only days away from the anniversary of my family’s death.
As I lay in bed, I stare at my family picture, tears falling as I try to reassure myself that he can’t get me in here.
Saturday
Early Afternoon
Charlie
I'm hiding behind the dresses in my closet, praying that the men don’t hurt my family. I hear footsteps on the stairs, and I hold my breath. Big hands reach out and clamp down onto my arm, dragging me down the stairs. I look up at the evil man, begging him to not hurt them. He pulls out his gun and aims it at me, this time the gun pressing into my forehead. The click of the trigger...
I wake up screaming and the fire in my throat intensifies. Sophia is already on the bed next to me. She sits up and pulls me into her arms. It must not be the first nightmare I've had tonight, but I'm so groggy that I can't remember. She doesn’t even hesitate before she rocks me and pulls me close, sleep taking over again.
The next time I wake up, I'm alone. Grogginess still tugs at me, so I decide to be lazy for a bit longer. The nightmares make it hard to get decent sleep and I feel like this nightmare will never end. I lean over and grab my phone off the charger and my eyes widen at the notification for sixteen missed text messages.
Abby: OMG you almost got kidnapped?
Alice: Did you know who they were?
Trent: How are you holding up?
Cole: She’s probably still asleep, we didn’t get back until late.
Adam: Cole’s a hero!!!
Cole: Shut it, Adam!
Adam: I’m serious, dude! You saved her. I’m genuinely grateful.
Alice: That is instant
hero status.
Abby: Text us when you wake up, Sweets! <3
Trent: We should probably plan something to keep her mind off of things.
Adam: Paintball?
Alice: Arcade?
Cole: Indoor pool?
Trent: Sleepover and scary movies?