16
Riggs
Ten Days Later
"Mom!" I cry out.
Her fear-filled, drugged-up eyes dart over to me. She barely gets out, "Go!"
A man I've never seen before keeps his grip on her throat, pinning her to the wall, and turns his head. He narrows his dark eyes on me, and a sinister smile overpowers his expression. He taunts, "You want to play too?"
"Mom," I say again.
The man laughs, squeezing my mother's throat so hard, her face begins to turn purple.
Something snaps in me. I can't turn around and hide like I normally do. I lunge at him, slamming my fists on his back and screaming, "Get off her!"
She chokes and splutters.
He releases her, spins, and reaches for me, easily picking me up off the ground.
My airway closes. My limbs flail in the air, trying to hurt him, but it's pointless. He's too strong.
He laughs, then tosses me across the room.
"Riggs!" my mother screams.
I hit the ground hard, skidding across the cheap laminate floor and hitting the dirty couch.
He pulls out a knife and holds it to my mother's throat.
"Mom!" I scream.
"Riggs," a voice calls out.
"Mom!" I cry out again.
"Riggs, wake up," a soft voice orders.
He takes the knife and pushes it against her throat. Blood oozes out of her skin.
"Mom!" I yell, tears blurring my vision.
"Riggs! Wake up,"Blakely demands, shaking me.
I open my eyes and sit up. My skin's coated with sweat, and my insides rage with hatred. And everything feels out of control.
Blakely's blue eyes are wide. She strokes my cheek and asks, "You okay?"
I snap out of it, realizing where I am, and cringing that she witnessed me having a nightmare.
I thought they had stopped. I hadn't had one in over a year, yet this is the third in the last ten days.
The first nightmare occurred the night I caught Blakely drunk on the deck. The second, a few nights after. Now this one.
I've kept all this away from her. It was easy since I've not allowed her to sleep with me since we returned from Apartment Thirteen.
I snap, "Why are you in here?"