The room was eerily silent except for the sound of the ticking clock on the wall and the woman in the bed woke up suddenly in a cold sweat, her body still shuddering from the nightmare. She checked the time, it was hours before sunrise, not able to go back to sleep she sat on her bed staring at the ceiling and murmuring.
“It was just a nightmare it won’t happen again. I’ve moved on, it won’t happen again” repeating the same sentence again and again as though she was trying to convince herself.
Soon the morning rolled around forcing her to get up and get ready for work. Though she wasn’t much excited about her new job, it was still a good distraction for her mind and the workplace was nice, filled with friendly colleagues. After locking the door, she started walking towards the bus stop and suddenly felt like someone was watching her. When she turned around to check, there was no one behind her, she swept her eyes all around her to confirm if someone suspicious was there, when she was sure there was no one else, she let out a calming sigh and continued her commute to work.
The day went on like usual with no surprises or shocks which was a new normal she was trying to adjust to but it was still pleasant. Now a days her daily life was a mundane routine, simple and uncomplicated which she preferred rather than the life she left behind consisting of bruises, wounds, knife and blood. She shuddered at the thought which made her remember the nightmare from previous night. She would take the mundane life over that any day.
That evening when she returned home from work, she had the same uneasy feeling of someone watching her, this time she didn’t stop to check around, but quickening her pace and walked towards her house. Only after entering inside and locking the door shut, she could breathe properly.
Next day morning she started for work early after spending another sleepless night, but today she didn’t feel like anyone was watching her, which made her chalk it up to her imagination. The day went on as usual which put her more at ease. But on the way back home the feeling returned and she hurried. After she got off from the bus and started walking or rather sprinting towards her house, she felt a dread spread through her as though the threat was closer than she believed. When she was only a few feet away from her house it happened, a figure covered in black came from the shadows behind and hit her head with a sharp object and all she could feel was the blinding pain before passing out.
When she came back to consciousness she was tied to a chair, her hands tied behind the chair with a rope and her mouth was tapped shut. The room was covered in darkness, making it impossible to know where she was. As panic started to fill her heart she tried to free her hands from the rope. Suddenly she heard footsteps nearing her and a door opened revealing the same figure who had hit her head. The figure moved into the room and switched on a dim light after the door was shut tight.
Then they removed the mask slowly revealing their face and her heart sank at finding who had kidnapped her. The man stood in front of her with a smug smile on his face. She couldn’t believe he had found her, in spite of her being very careful.
“Not happy to see me?” he asked her in a teasing tone.
When she stared at him with the panic increasing in her heart making it almost beat out of her chest, he leaned on a table near by slowly letting his gaze run all over her with an assessing look on his face.
“You seem well. Living a good life here?” he asked her as though he was interested in her well being which was far from the truth. She knew he wanted her to suffer, wanted to hurt her. She tried to free her hands faster while trying to be discreet
“Did you really think you could escape that easily? Don’t you remember what I told you?” he looked at her with a piercing gaze and continued “That, I will find you someday and once I have found you, I will never let you escape again.”
He stepped near her and bent down to look at her face. He examined the wound on her forehead as he traced a finger on the trial of blood that had dried on her face, she flinched and moved back her head at his touch. He let out a small laugh.
“Blood does look good on your face and I hope it will look better on this floor” he said icily and went to reach inside his back pocket for something.
Her hands were finally free and she quickly grabbed the sharp knife she always had on her and stabbed him right in the shoulder. Rookie mistake on his part, not checking the abducted person for any harmful objects. He fell back in shock and unexpected pain. She used the moment to stab him again on his thigh. he shouted in pain.
Tearing the tape from her mouth she looked at his face scrunched up in pain.
“I told you not to follow me, didn’t I? Why won’t you listen?” she asked him in a calm tone.
“Do you think I would just let you go after you killed my brother?” he shouted at her in anger and pain.
When he pulled out a knife from his back pocket, she didn’t give him a chance to attack her, slitting his throat in one slick cut, blood gurgled out from the slit and he gasped staring at her with wide eyes as the life left his body.
She took her knife and pointed it at his chest, after hesitating for a moment she slowly carved the number eight on his chest with her knife. She knew marking him would alert the police to her current location, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing it. It had to be done, or her nightmares would never leave her alone, though this meant she had to move again, she couldn’t do anything about it.
As she stood up, she felt a sense of resignation as another nightmare of hers had come true once again. She shook her head and started walking towards the door, muttering to herself.
“It won’t happen again. I’ve moved on, it won’t happen again” and an eerie smile appeared on her lips.