Woke Up to Yesterday's Terror

The last thing I saw was Old Man Hemlock' s leering face before darkness consumed me.

I died, my leg broken, sold by my own family.

My father beat me, my brother tied me up, my mother screamed I was a curse.

All over a credit card statement for baby supplies.

I was just trying to help, saving them money with Black Friday deals.

Then, I woke up.

In my bed. My leg healed.

It was Friday, November 24th. Black Friday. The exact day it all went wrong.

My mother's voice drifted up: "Sarah? You up? Did you get those orders placed? For Jessica' s baby things?"

I was back.

I knew what came next: the rage, the accusations, the violence.

When my mom snatched my phone and saw the bank app- $487.00-her face contorted.

"Are you trying to ruin us? Again?!" she shrieked, calling me a "curse" and a "financial drain."

My sister-in-law appeared, her kindness replaced by dawning horror, quickly calling my dad and brother.

The same nightmare began to unfold.

How could a few hundred dollars, spent on things they asked for, trigger such overwhelming hate?

What hidden poison lay within that innocent financial number that turned my family into monsters?

I died wondering, and now I was living the horror again, completely baffled.

What was I missing?

I fled, screaming for help from our quiet Rust Belt town, desperate to expose their monstrous plan before history repeated itself.

But would anyone believe a terrified girl claiming her family wants to sell her to Old Man Hemlock?

And what if there was a deeper truth, a past my memory had erased, that explained their terrifying reaction?

My rebirth wasn't just a second chance, but a hunt for forgotten family secrets, a revelation that could either save me or condemn us all.

The last thing I saw was Old Man Hemlock' s leering face.

Then darkness.

I died in his cold, dusty house, my broken leg throbbing a final, dull ache.

My family put me there.

My father, Mike, beat me.

My brother, Kevin, who used to chase away bullies, tied me up.

My mother, Brenda, screamed I was a curse.

All because of a credit card statement.

Some Black Friday deals I found for Jessica, my pregnant sister-in-law. Baby supplies, household stuff.

They asked me to buy them. I was good with computers, the only one in our blue-collar family who' d seen the inside of a college, even if I had to drop out.

I thought I was helping. Saving them money.

But that piece of paper, or maybe the online confirmation, turned them into monsters.

What was on it? What number could make my father' s eyes fill with such hate? Make Kevin scream I' d destroy them?

I never understood.

Not when they dragged me to the damp basement.

Not when they broke my leg so I couldn' t run.

Not when they handed me over to Hemlock, a man whose name was a stain on our small Rust Belt town, for a sum of money.

I died wondering.

Then, light.

Sunlight.

My eyes snapped open.

I was in my bed, in my small room. The familiar scent of old wood and my mother' s cheap laundry detergent.

My leg didn' t hurt.

I sat up, heart pounding. My hands flew to my leg. Smooth skin. No pain.

Impossible.

I looked around. My worn dresser, the chipped paint on the windowsill.

My phone was on the nightstand.

I grabbed it.

Friday, November 24th. Black Friday.

The date seared into my brain. The day it all went wrong.

A cold dread, colder than Hemlock' s basement, washed over me.

No. It couldn' t be.

Brenda' s voice drifted up the stairs.

"Sarah? You up? Did you get those orders placed? For Jessica' s baby things?"

The exact words.

The exact morning.

I was back.

My breath hitched. I remembered.

I remembered their faces before the rage.

Mom, always tired from her two cleaning jobs, but her smile for me was usually soft.

Dad, quiet, a man who showed love through fixing things, who taught me to ride my bike.

Kevin, my big brother, always looking out for me.

I remembered wanting to be good, to help. My computer skills, a small thing I learned in my short time at college, felt useful here.

I remembered the hours I spent hunting those Black Friday deals. Cross-referencing, finding coupon codes, making sure every penny was stretched.

For Jessica. For the new baby. For all of us.

Brenda called again, louder this time, a hint of her usual stress creeping in.

"Sarah! You hear me? Jessica' s coming over soon, she' ll want to know about the stroller and the diapers."

I had to think. I couldn' t let her see the order confirmation. Not yet. Not until I understood what that total, that harmless-looking number, meant to them.

I scrambled out of bed, my mind racing.

I had to see it myself first. Find the poison hidden in those savings.

"Coming, Mom!" I called back, trying to keep the terror out of my voice.

I fumbled with my laptop, the one I' d used for the orders.

Jessica walked in just as I was about to open it. She was smiling, her hand resting on her growing belly.

"Morning, Sarah. Kevin said you were getting some great deals for us. Did you manage to get that car seat we liked?"

Her voice was kind, just like it always was before... before.

The kindness was a punch to my gut.

"Hey, Jessica," I managed, forcing a weak smile. "Yeah, still working on finalizing a few things. The sites were crashing all night, you know how it is."

A lie. I' d finished everything meticulously.

"Oh, okay. No rush, just excited."

Brenda came to the doorway. "Sarah, can I see the confirmation? Just want to check the total for the household stuff."

Her eyes were on my laptop.

Panic flared. "Uh, it' s still... buffering a bit, Mom. Super slow this morning. I was up so late, I think I' m just gonna lie down for a few more minutes, if that' s okay. My head' s killing me."

I feigned a yawn, rubbing my temples.

Brenda frowned, a flicker of impatience. "Alright, but don' t be too long. Mike needs me to call him about the grocery run, and my phone' s acting up again."

She sounded normal. Stressed, but normal.

Maybe I could change it. Maybe if I just... cancelled the orders? But they needed these things.

I retreated to my room, closing the door, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I had to see that order. I had to understand.

I opened my laptop, hands shaking.