CONVICTED
Chapter Thirteen
I tried to keep my thoughts
focused on Jack’s whereabouts, but all my body could think about was the pain
in my head. It felt like someone had tried to chop open my head with an axe,
but decided to stop halfway.
I slumped up against a wall.
"Jack…Jack!" I called,
my voice cracking.
All I heard was the wind moving
through the air. I felt something dribble down my chin and when I touched it, I
found my finger soaked in blood. I patted my lip and felt the big gash in it.
"What the…?" I asked
myself.
Trying to regain focus, I pushed
myself off the wall and staggered down the street like a drunk. Dots continued
to dance in front of my eyes and my head felt as light as a feather, but that
wasn’t going to stop me.
Something rolled by me really
fast and I thought it was some kids, but it really was a garbage can blowing in
the wind.
"H-hey, watch where you’re
going," I cautioned.
The dots in front of my eyes
mixed in with the nighttime sky, making it seem more magnificent than it
already was. I felt something in my pocket and pulled out the picture I had
sketched of Jack.
I held the portrait close to my
chest and squeezed my eyes shut tight.
"Come on, Jack. Come
back!" I whispered to myself.
I tucked the picture safely back
in my pocket and continued to push my way down the street, calling for Jack. I
crossed the road. By the time I reached the sidewalk, I passed out again.
*****
For some reason, I woke up on the
ground in an alley, and a boy, maybe about sixteen, was standing near me. But
the worst part was, I couldn’t remember what I was doing outside or who this
man was. But where was I?
"Who are you?" I asked,
my words a bit slurred.
"Never mind that. But
please, Miss, let me take you to a hospital," the boy said, trying to help
me up.
"No. Leave me alone!" I
retorted, pushing myself away from him.
I staggered away from the boy,
but he continued to protest. I broke into a run and disappeared down one of the
alleys as he called for me.
Great. Why won’t this guy
leave me alone? I’m already confused enough as it is, I thought to myself.
Once I was sure he had gone
another way, I continued to try to figure out what had happened. I hadn’t
realized I had crossed a street, but I saw a huge flash of bright light.
I put my arm up to block out some
of the light and the honking of the car horn went in one ear and out the other.
Someone grabbed me, pulled me out of the street, and the car zoomed past.
"Oh, Marie! God, you could
have been killed!" a man’s voice said.
I was staring up at a man with
sandy hair and sexy blue eyes.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The man smiled as if I had made
some funny joke.
"Come on. We’d better get
you home," the man said, pulling me up, but I jerked away from him.
"Get away from me!" I
yelled.
"Marie, what are you
doing?" he demanded.
"Why do you keep calling me
Marie? Who are you?"
The man suddenly backed up. His
face looked horrified, from what I could tell. His clothes were tattered and
dirty, and his face had a couple of scabs on it.
"Marie, it’s me, Jack,"
the man said, trying to take my hands again.
"Jack? I don’t know any
Jack."
The man named Jack laughed again,
but I didn’t understand what was so funny.
"Oh, come on! We’ve known
each other since we were thirteen!" The man named Jack laughed.
"Okay. You’re scaring me.
Where’s my home? What am I doing out here? Why do you keep calling me
Marie?"
He leaned in closer and looked at
my hand.
"Back off!" I screamed.
He put his hands up and took a
few steps back.
"Maybe it’s that bump on
your head. I’d better get you to that doctor," he said.
"I’m not going anywhere with
you!"
"Please! You have to trust
me!" he begged.
"No! No! Get away from
me!" I screamed, and ran down an alley.
The twists and turns were
confusing, and I didn’t recognize anything I was seeing. The man kept following
me, screaming for me to come back. I was terrified.
"Marie, come back!" he
yelled.
"Leave me alone!" I
sobbed.
I finally stopped to catch my
breath and hid between two garbage cans. I heard the footsteps stop right in
front of me, and then continue down the alley.
I stayed hidden in the shadows,
my knees up to my chest.
Where was I?