Freezing

I can recall the feeling of terror and horror as I ran from him. A stupid seventeen year old girl who'd wanted to be cool by disrespecting her parents, they always did say there was something off about him. Hazily the memory of getting into his car with a tipsy smile, nodding stupidly as he told me he'd take me "Straight to my house, no problem."

Needless to say he didn't take me to my house, as soon as we were driving he forced me to get in the floor of his car. For two hours I crouched down trying not to cry. When he finally stopped at a cabin that was basically falling apart beside a lake and forced me inside I knew I wouldn't be seeing my family again.

I could already picture my mother, sitting in her armchair with my father on the couch reading the paper, both ready to yell at me for breaking curfew, though as the hours crawled by my mother would become hysterical and my father's brows would slowly crawl downwards into a worried frown.

At three a.m. they called the police who told them nothing could be done for 48 hours. In 48 hours I would be dead. I remember him raping me for hours, falling asleep behind me, me running for the front door and getting close to the highway. The sound of a shot being fired and red hot pain sliding up my back. I know I slipped on the lakes gravel shore, cutting up my arms, knees, and feet.

I gave up then, just laid there as crimson from my cuts stained my skin and a waterfall of blood from my back ran into a pool around me. He'd grabbed me by my hair and drug me onto the dock.My breathing was shallow and every beat of my heart was painful, rough rope rubbed against my already abused skin and I could see it was attached to cinder blocks.

I knew in that moment I was going to die, no that isn't right, I'd know before that but I hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. Some part of me had wanted to continue holding onto the stupid belief that I'd walk across the stage to get my diploma, my dad and I would dance at my wedding, I'd have a little girl calling me mommy. He pushed the blocks off the edge of the dock and just a few minutes later my body was yanked towards the edge. Splinters imbedded themselves in my skin stinging and burning but that didn't matter once I hit the water.

It was frigid and I screamed. One piece of my mind was calling me an idiot for disposing of my air supply so quickly while the other didn't care. Ice water filled my vacant lungs, freezing me to the core. The edge of my vision was shadow and it crept closer and closer, threatening to overtake everything. I closed my eyes not wanting to see the end that was stalking towards me so quickly.

Thump thump thump

My heart seemed to be in overdrive for a minute.

Thump thump

Here it comes, the end.

Thump

Silence, yet I was still there. My eyes opened then to see what seemed a reflection. My body a pale blue floating with the gentle current, an expression of slight pain on the delicate features, bleeding pink. I glanced down to see my hand was slightly translucent. I wept as best a ghost was able though no tears would flow. A girl appeared then, beautiful native American features clear as day, handprints around her neck.

She'd asked my name and I'd answered as others appeared around us. Slowly I pieced together that we'd all been murdered by the same man, and he was still out there. They laughed at me and we all disappeared to separate places I assumed.

Suddenly I was back in the cabin, everything started over. I've been reliving everything for forty years and I will until the end of time. The man who put me here has long since stopped but his son prowls now. Do you know who to trust?