Embrace the light

Oh my god... Oh my god... Oh my god...

I'm freaking doing this, god damn... this will be so much easier in the daytime...

My backpack was holding down my pace, I was getting tired. The air was cold, it was eerily silent.

I was not supposed to be out at night, but it was the only time that they would let their guard down. They thought that I would be too scared, to get away from them at night.

Shit! But I am scared... Okay...you got this Flo... Inhale...exhale...

Then I heard it... a slight rustle of a tree branch, then a gust of wind blowing my long hair to the front of my face. I was about six blocks away from home, one more block to the intercity bus stop.

I decided to went straight to the bigger bus stop to avoid my parents, I didn't want to be seen just sitting around waiting for the bus.

I paced myself faster, but they were draining my strength. I could feel them lurking at me from the shadows, the goosebumps were long gone. I was feeling the coldness that was engulfing my surroundings. Their smell came next, the smell of carcasses, their dead bodies were making sounds on the damp pavement, some were coming from the woods just meters away from me.

I could see the neon signs, and dimmed lights of the twenty-four-hour small convenience store and dinner already. I made myself run to it, my breathing was heavy, sweats trickled down my forehead. It was a cold and windy night, but I was sweating running away from them.

You can do this Flo!

Just meters away now... Keep running...

I finally sighed and rested my hands on my knees, as I kneel in front of the small store. I looked at my watch, one more hour until the next bus arrived. I had already checked the bus schedule. I went to the counter, and buy myself a one-way ticket for the next bus. I didn't even check the destination. I didn't care where I was going, I just need to get out of town.

The sketchy old man was looking at me, he probably met several runaways in his time selling bus tickets. He didn't ask me any questions, he just handed me the ticket and told me to wait.

My breathing was slowing down. I couldn't smell or hear them any longer. I finally slumped to the empty chair after buying a can of soda, I need my sugar. I felt so tired, they almost got me.

Only one other person was waiting for the bus. He was wearing his hoodie and pulling it down like he was trying to sleep while waiting for the bus. I decided to sit, two seats down from him just to be safe.

He sensed my presence as he looks at me, then stared at me for a couple of seconds. It was a weird feeling like was studying me. I quickly looked away and open my can of soda, and start drinking it.

Then I heard it...the screeching tires of their car.

Oh Shit! God damn it!

I didn't know why, but I quickly scoot myself next to the stranger, hoping my parents decided that I was not there, seeing that I was not alone. I hope they saw us, as two strangers waiting for the bus.

But I was not ready when my hand touched his unintentionally. The sadness was overwhelming, he looked at me instantly like he knew that I could feel him. His eyes look deeply at me.

"You...." He was just about to say something.

But his sadness was draining me, I haven't even recovered from my fatigue earlier. And now the feeling was truly immense, as I could feel my tears pooling, my vision was blurry. I was shocked, I never felt something this intense before, it feels like my heart was shattered to pieces.

Then my father was by my side, I didn't say anything, as he grabbed my arm forcefully. But he was putting on his worried look, and so did my mother.

I didn't fight back to father, I was giving up. The stranger made me give up, his feelings made me discard all of my urges to fight my parents. I was limp in my father's arm, and he made me stood up and called my mother to get my bag.

"Sir, is everything okay?" He asked my father.

"Yes, yes...I'm sorry to bother you...you know teenagers, you can't tell her no and then she decided to run away. Come on sweetie, we'll discuss this at home. Your mother was worried sick when she couldn't find you in your room." He told the stranger and quickly ushered me away.

I'm a twenty-one-year-old adult woman, but I like wearing my jeans and sneakers, which made me look like a teenager.

He didn't believe my father's words, making him stood up and took my arm and look me in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked me softly.

But his touch burned me as I feel his sorrow, it eventually made me sob while I took my arm away from him and shook my head. I could hear dad chuckled behind me, and pulled me back to him.

"I'm so sorry..." That was all I could manage to say to him. My voice was small and croaked, I was giving him my last strength to say it. He looks shocked and then looked at both of my parents, and they quickly pulled me away and took me back to the car.

That night I learned my lesson, I know that there was greater sadness than mine. My sadness was just the tip of the iceberg compared to his. I didn't know what had happened to him, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know.

Minutes later, we were on the road going back home when father decided to stop by the dark forest. Mother stayed at the passenger side, as he pulled me out of the car roughly to the ground. My knees hit the small rocks below, my palm breaks my fall and made me cry in pain. My body slumped to the ground, and I was once again drained of my energy. I could feel them closing in on me.

"Father please...." I begged him to let me inside the car. He was standing at my door with his arms crossed, and smirking at me.

"You asked for this Florence! I really don't have time for a midnight field trip, but you fucking made me do it. Why? Maybe I should just leave you here. They're coming, aren't they? Come here you ghouls, ghost, demons, or whatever fuck you call yourselves, here! ... she's fucking here, you can fucking take her!" He shouted into the woods.

Goosebumps trickled down my spine, they're coming... my parents couldn't see them, that was why they were not afraid.

"Father please..." I was tugging his pants, begging him to let me back in the car. But he slapped my cheek harshly, making me fall to the ground. Then seconds later I felt it, my feet were being dragged into the woods as I let out a loud scream.

"FATHER no please, I won't do it again, I promise..." Mother looked at me in horror when she saw my legs were being dragged by nothing into the woods, then father finally pulled me into the car and quickly got in along with mom.

"What the fuck was that Jared?" That was the last thing that I hear when I finally fainted from exhaustion.

Two months later

"Mother please..." She slapped me again.

"You ungrateful daughter! As long as you live under our roof and eat our food. You will do as we say. You know, you're not safe out there and they will come and get you. They will find you, and they will drain you in the most horrible way possible. You know this, you had tried to run away before."

She choked me, hard until I almost fainted. I couldn't fight her anymore, I was too weak. Then she kicked me again, this time she was aiming for my backside. It hurt me none the less. Then she let me go to slumped onto the floor of my bedroom.

I was still thankful that it was my mother, and not my father. Because tonight was his poker night with his buddies. The bruises that he gave me was still there, from three weeks ago.

Then I heard her as she put my dinner in my food tray, it usually contains scraps of leftovers from whatever they've had for dinner earlier. I gulped down my drinking water. I was always parched since the room had no windows, and I was always sweating from the little fan that they let me have.

"Do the dishes once you're finished. I'm going to bed. Just leave the back door open, your dad will be home late tonight." She told me as she walked lazily to their bedroom.

Being twenty-one years old, I should be able to support myself and leave my parents already. But they always get me back every time I tried to run away, and the punishment was harder after each attempt.

My time was wasted doing work for them. Being a clairvoyant was my gift, I could see glimpses of one's future. I never wanted it, but I have it, and it made me a slave for my parents as they put me to work since my early childhood days.

I heard my late aunt said to my mom that the gift might skip a generation. I was playing hide and seek with my cousins, and I was hiding under one of the kitchen counters. I didn't intend to eavesdrop but I was intrigued when I hear them talked about me.

I still remembered when my late aunt told my mother, about my other cousin that had the gift. How he made lots of money for himself in Vegas, until he died from his drug habit. She said that the ability made him delirious to the point that he overdosed on drugs and took his own life.

The visions started after I almost drown in the pool when I was eight years old. My foot was pulled down by a hand. I was trying to see under the pool, but all I could see was blackness. My mind didn't know how to process it, because I was swimming at a public pool. I was in the one-meter pool for kids, and there were lots of people but no one seemed to hear my cry for help. The next thing I know, I was pulled by a hand. I couldn't see the face as my eyes were blurry from my tears, up to now I never knew who saved me.

Mother didn't believe me, as she told me to shower and go get change. And that was when I saw him under the pool. I was on my way back to our seat where my parents were waiting for me.

He was looking at me standing up facing my direction at the bottom of the pool. I was pacing my step quicker and was almost running towards my parents. I obviously know as a kid that nobody swims with a dark cloak, even his hoodie was covering his facial features. All I knew was that he looked really tall, and it looked like he was standing so deep under the one-meter pool as the darkness surrounded him.

A couple of days after that I started seeing more monsters, I couldn't get to sleep. Then I overheard my mother talking to my father in the living room.

"My sister told me that these were the signs, Jared love... she can make us a lot of money, and with your business prospects. We can really use the extra income." She was telling my father, as he was taking in her every word.

One week later it was coming true, as I started knowing things before it even happened. Mother was excited as she started gathering information from her sister, and together with father they start to set up shop.

From then on I was working from home, the would put a veil on my face and put me in costumes and tell people their future. I never knew how much money they were making until I was older. And that was when I started my attempts to run away, and that was also when the beatings started.

I was quietly doing the dishes when my father barged in from the back door. He brought his friend home, he had never done this before. But I decided not to ask questions and retreated to my room. But his friend followed me to my room, I had a bad feeling about why he was there.

Then he grabbed my hand, and pulled my body to his, and whispered disgustingly in my ear.

"Your father can't pay his lost, so I asked for you instead and he agreed. Let's get out of here, I want you screaming my name and I don't want to wake your sexy mom. She's also delicious by the way, I'm hoping you are too." He started licking my neck and groping my breasts.

I looked at my father, with tears streaming down my eyes. He just looked at me and shrugged then continue walking to his room.

This is it, I'm going to end this, even if I die from trying. I'm going to run away for the last time.

The funny thing about me being a clairvoyant, was that I couldn't predict my future. If had known about this night, I would surely make a run for it days before.

His friend dragged me to his car and took me to a motel. He was stripping himself, as he pushed me down to the bed and started touching me, all over my body. I was crying and fighting him, but he was too strong for me.

"Please don't do this...I'm a virgin, please..."

"Damn, you shouldn't say such things fuck! I'm fucking having you. I never had one before." He slapped me and pinned me to the bed roughly.

Shit!

My hands were looking for something...anything...then I found it, an in house phone. He was busy stripping me, as I hit his head with all of my strength until he fell to the floor. I quickly got up and found his car keys. I was going to try my luck in driving. I never knew how, but I used to watch my parents intensely, just in case one day I might have the opportunity. I was hoping, it would be as easy as it looked.

I was about to reach the door when his hand grabbed my waist and slapped me hard in the face until I taste blood.

"You stupid bitch, your dad told me not to punch you in the face." He said to me as he stood up wobbly, and punched my stomach, I cried in pain but the adrenaline was flowing. When I saw an opening, while his footing was still wobbly. I took the cheap motel chair and hit his head again. Then he fell, he didn't move, so I quickly checked his keys in my pocket then went to his car.

My hands were shaking, but my adrenaline was still pumping as I turned on the ignition couple of times, until I could awkwardly start the car. Luckily I managed to drive it slowly on and off for a few blocks until I saw the hospital. I parked in the lobby as the EMT guy was calling me out not to park there.

But I got out of the car and he hurriedly runs to me, as he saw my battered state. He was calling out his team, and more were coming from the inside of the emergency unit.

I fainted as I saw the tall hooded guy in the swimming pool back when I was eight years old, he was watching me from the far corner of my eyes.

Damn...my body hurts like hell...

I slowly opened my eyes, I didn't know why but I just had to look that way, which was to the far end of the room.

And there she was in her long black looking cape, with her hoodie down covering her hair and half of her face. She was walking with a thud as her cane touched the hospital floor, I tried to move but I couldn't. She was grinning wide when she feels my fear. She was showing her rotten teeth and wrinkled face. She was coming towards me.

Oh my god...please not now...

Then she was behind me. Her rotten smell hit my nose as I felt her cold decaying body embraced me. Her long nails scraped my arms, I could see the bloody rotten fingernails. She was humming above my head, and that was when she said.

"My beautiful child, you are too precious. Come with us, live with us...my dear son has been waiting for you..." she whispered in her old shaky raspy voice. Then she touched my jaw and moved me to look the other way. She nudged me to see the tall man that I would see from time to time, since when I was eight.

I had felt his presence several times, but he always comes and go so I never think much of him. But now I was whimpering, I was crying, I was truly terrified for my life. I could feel my body was getting weaker. Her laughter filled the room, as the man walked to the other way.

My body felt hot and cold at the same time, I was shivering, my teeth were chattering, then a loud beeping sound echoed inside the room.

I could see people in scrubs surrounded me, they were sticking needles in my IVs. Then the old creepy woman was gone just like that, and the hospital machine sound was back to its regular beeping rhythm.

And then whatever they put in me seemed to do the work, as I felt my eyes slowly became heavy and I drifted off to sleep.

*****

It was daylight when I opened my eyes, and the nurse who was taking my vitals greeted me.

"Good afternoon miss, we have been waiting for you to regain consciousness. Let me get the doctor for you. And there are police officers outside, waiting to take your statements, we are waiting for you to wake up, to do the procedure on assault victims. I'm truly sorry that this happened to you..." She tapped my hand and walked out of the room.

I could feel my tears fall to my cheeks.

I finally did it, I ran away. Now I just need to hide and run further.

I sat up and tried to get up, my body hurts but I have to do this. I must get away before they found me here, I groaned as I try to put my feet down on the cold floor.

How the fuck am I going to do this? I don't have my shoes and my clothes.

But before I could answer my own thought, the nurse came back with the officers, a woman, and a man. The woman quickly came to my side.

"I must go before they found me. Please, you got to help me. I can't do this anymore, I won't....please...." more tears came running down my cheeks. I still feel dirty from last night though they had changed me into a hospital gown. This was my lowest point, I felt like I just wanted to give up and die.

"Sshh...miss, you're safe now. We have security on your door. Nobody will enter without our approval. I'm sergeant Green and, this is my partner Lieutenant Kelly. We will continue with the gathering of evidence for your case. We had already collected your clothes and shoes. My partner will wait outside until we're done with this." She was wearing surgical gloves when she holds me and helped me back to my bed.

The nurse came back with another female nurse, she was carrying a large bag and put it aside then start to arrange them in order. I was nervous as the other nurse close the bed curtain, and cocooned us all in.

Sergeant Green caressed my shoulder, trying to calm me down. "So what's your name? It's okay, we can talk about anything, just to keep your mind off of this." She said to me softly.

"Florence...I can't...why don't you tell me, what's going to happen to me after this." I looked at her, while the nurses started scrapping from under my nails, and combed my hair. Then one of the nurses was taking the scraps and put them into the evidence bag, and marked them carefully.

"We need your last name dear..." The older nurse asked, while she was jotting down words on her pad and then to the evidence bag.

"Patterson, " I said lowly.

Then the other nurse helps me stripped off my hospital gown, I was teary and crying as I looked at my battered state. Older wounds were still visible, but the fresh ones were horrifying to look at.

"Sshh... just let it out, I couldn't even try to imagine being in your position. Please bear with us, it'll be over in a few moments okay? This will make sure, that we will put all responsible people in jail for a long time." Sergeant Green said softly, while she rubbed my back. Then the nurses started the embarrassing moments, as they took close up detail pictures of my wounds on my naked body.

I could feel sergeant Green was sighing behind me when she took in all of my wounds. I could feel the anger in her, I could feel how mad she was with the people who had done this to me.

"We will get them. You just need to be strong for us. I'm just asking you that, it must be hard but please...be strong okay Florence?" She asked while the nurses kept on taking my pictures, lifting my arms, turning my body, my legs, they kept on taking my pictures quietly. It felt like hours, while I kept on crying and sobbing, and listening to sergeant's Green soothing words.

Then it was finally over, as the nurses gathered back all of their equipment.

"Florence dear, I'll be back later after the police finish taking their statements. I will help you wash your body in the bathroom okay? You are a strong woman." The older nurse came up to me and caressed my hand. Then they opened the bed curtain again, once I was back in my hospital gown.

Lieutenant Kelly came into the room, minutes later.

"He could stand outside if you're not comfortable with male presence." Sergeant Green informed me.

"I'm sorry, I'm good...he can stay, " I told her. I could feel that she's a young mother and that she truly cared for me. That made me felt safe, that made me believed her.

"Now if you could state your full name for us, and tell us everything then we could carry on with the next procedure." She nodded to her partner as he flipped open his pad and start scribbling.

"Flo, I'm Florence Patterson. My parents are Cindy and Jared Patterson...." then I started telling them the whole story.

I could tell, that they were skeptical about me being a clairvoyant but kept on taking my statement anyway. They must've known that I couldn't possibly, do this battering to my own body. And that there was someone out there, who was responsible for my state of being.

I told them that he didn't rape me, but they advise me to pressed charges on assault and attempted rape. I nodded to her and started crying again, as I remembered what happened to me last night.

"Hey, it's okay we got their names, it'll be over soon." She caressed my arm tenderly then I felt it, the motherly loss, how she had just lost her baby. She was not a young mother. She was supposed to be one but lost the baby as she was injured in a shootout. The baby I saw must be the future one, I did saw her earlier with a beautiful baby boy.

"I'm so sorry about your loss, but not long now...it's a baby boy, a handsome one..." She was taken back by my words as she looked at her partner. He was shocked but was back to writing down on his pad seconds later, trying to keep calm as he nodded to Sergeant Green.

An hour later it was all done, then they leave me alone in my hospital room.