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Chapter Eight- Hers

Two weeks flew by in a tornado of nerves, stress, and self-doubt. My routine of therapy three times a week, work schedule, fighting/ignoring my mother, and constantly looking over my shoulder for Chad left me completely exhausted. I skipped last Saturday's brunch when Mother confirmed Bernie and Chad's attendance. She repeatedly told me how disgraceful it was to leave them waiting on me for so long. She didn't bother to convince me to meet up this morning. I was grateful I didn't have to sit through another hateful meal. I stretched my arms over my head, bending at the sides to relieve my aching muscles. The shop had been so busy this week I hadn't seen Ms. Cordeau, and the lack of positivity absolutely wore on me. The stress of everything was getting to me, and I'd already had a cryfest in the quiet of my apartment earlier this week.

Feeling pathetic at the thought of that fact, I pulled the box cutter out of the check-out counter drawer. This morning, I'd received multiple delivery boxes, one of which I was hauling up to the counter. I sliced the tape open and set the box cutter on the counter. Opening the four tabs on top, I removed the bubble wrap and pulled out the first title. It was the second book in the herbology series I'd previously taken to Aurora's shop. The deal we had allowed me to sell specific types of books in her shop, and we would split the profits. It had been relatively lucrative for both of us because the books sold out in the last three months.

I attempted not to let my mind wander to the ridiculously handsome man I'd encountered in her shop. We bumped into one another three times, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for a fourth. The man was walking eye candy. I bit my lip to prevent myself from drooling at the image of him in a suit. The man and his dazzling smile had starred in my dreams more than once since the first surprise meeting.

When I was finally ready to close the shop, I couldn't wait to take a warm bath and go straight to bed. I strolled over to the front door and prepared to turn the lock on it. It was sometimes hard to flip the deadbolt, but something caught my eye at that moment. I initially believed the reflective light from the alley was those same orbs I had hallucinated often since the first night I saw them.

I even spent an hour the other day snooping around to find a logical explanation for what I was currently seeing. From what I saw in the daylight, there weren't any reflective surfaces or abandoned lighting fixtures. So there was no apparent cause of the lights that I could find, yet every evening before closing, there they were. They didn't feel dark and murderous like previous hallucinations; instead, when I gazed at the orbs, a sense of calm settled deep in my bones.

As I stared at them this time, I squinted because something was different. Something was off about how the orbs bounced; they seemed to glow brighter than ever. I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my palm to try to adjust my eyes some more. When I peered through the dim street lighting, a dark figure surrounded the spheres. The longer I stared at this emerging shape, the more precise the image became. I subconsciously knew what I was looking at; however, it meant that my medication was no longer working. I couldn't accept that because it would mean accepting I wasn't getting any better.

Usually, when I start hallucinating images, once they are a known hallucination, I feel calmer and can control them better. It doesn't always make them disappear, but I could ignore them easier. I had to know for sure what this was, but I wasn't brave enough to walk around a dark street by myself. So, I calmly walked over to the counter, picked up my phone, and raised it towards the alley through the window, using the camera to check for my benefit. I nearly dropped the phone when a clear image appeared on my phone: an unnaturally large gray and black wolf stood at the opening of the alleyway. The wolf stood tall and on alert. Its fierce, reflective eyes conveyed a power that accelerated my heartbeat with their strange familiarity. I pressed the button to snap the picture. I could hardly breathe with the cemented knowledge that I was seeing a wolf, just like before.

Suddenly, blocking out the wolf's image was a blurry blob of color. I lowered my phone, confused at the abrupt change. I looked toward the alley where the wolf once stood, but it was no longer there. Had I hallucinated the whole thing? No... I looked down at my phone, swiped it up, and unlocked it with my fingerprint. I scanned through the apps in my background to find the photos icon, but my fingers were shaking so hard it was difficult to use them.

I heard the bells on the front door jingle only seconds before a man's figure shoved me backward. I stumbled from behind the counter, crashing down hard on my tailbone, and looked up at Chad's sinister face. It took me a second or two of sitting there on the floor to understand the danger I was in. Chad purred, looking down at me with a murderous gleam, "Hello, sweetie."

He stalked toward me as I attempted to turn to get back up on my feet. A scream caught in my throat as years of experience told me it would only make it worse. I had to think on my feet and do something to make it challenging to get to me. I instantly remembered the box cutter, finally getting up on my feet. Chad slicked his hair back, grinning from ear to ear, "Oh gorgeous if only you accepted my date offer. This would have been easier."

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to persuade him not to do this, but one look at the excitement in his expression stopped me. I ground my teeth together with the recognition that I was not getting out of this unscathed. I pretended to wobble and used the counter to catch my fall. I clung to the box cutter, pushing the blade up. Chad cackled and stepped next to me, grabbing the back of my neck. With all my strength, I slashed at Chad. He jumped back in surprise but wasn't fast enough. A small cut across his cheek leaked huge droplets of blood. Anger erupted in Chad's eyes, "You dumb bitch."

Chad's hand knocked the box cutter out of my hand, then swung to backhand me across the face. I fell to the ground and tasted blood. Chad gripped my shoulder, yanking me over to look up at his blood-soaked face. He stood over me with sinister joy for only a second before I kicked up into his balls. Chad screamed out in pain, falling back, and I took this chance to scramble up. I tottered past the book display right before Chad took off after me and shoved the structure over, scattering books all over the floor.

I knew running like this would only worsen it, but I couldn't let him get to me. I stumbled over a chair, scraping my hip on the corner of the armrest. I bit my lip to suppress the pain. I needed to get away now. I could deal with the pain later. I shoved the chair behind me, hoping it would slow Chad down, only hearing a loud snapping sound. Chad's hand suddenly gripped my throat, picking me up and pushing me rearward. My entire back stung where it collided with the end of a bookcase.

In a desperate fog, my brain registered the bookshelf's label: Poetry—my least favorite genre to read. Death by poetic irony had not been on my list of potential ways to kick the bucket. Chad yanked my neck forward and slammed my head into the board again. I felt a warm trickle on the back of my head. I suddenly heard a loud pounding sound, but I couldn't focus enough to tell if it was my heartbeat or something else.

Chad leaned his entire body into mine, holding me in place. His fingers gripped my throat a little tighter when his lips neared my ear. I wildly tugged at his fingers to pry them away, gasping for any bit of oxygen. "You belong to me now! I've earned you fair and square, and that sweet cunt of yours is going to be mine again and again and again."

He let go of my neck, hysterically laughing as I began to sink to the floor.

"No, no. I can't have any fun unless you are fighting back." Chad propelled me forward by tugging my upper arm. The pain in my bicep caused my eyes to squeeze shut. As I fell to the ground, I knew this was how it ended.

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