even more broken. Why is this happening to us?
“We should have left her behind,” Vader says from the front seat.
Thomas answers him in rapid Spanish, his tone harsh.
Vader answers Thomas equally as fast. The two go back and forth in Spanish and the only thing I can make out is Teeny’s name, Vader saying it several times.
Why do they keep saying her name? Is Vader trying to talk him into getting rid of her? Will Thomas use the knife on her like he has so many others?
Images of the blood he wiped across his pants leg fill my head and my body starts shaking. Every inch of it. I try to relax so it will stop, but it only gets worse.
“Whoa, what’s happening?” Ethan asks. He pulls me in a little closer but it doesn’t stop my trembling. In fact, my body is shaking so hard it makes Ethan’s body shake.
I can’t form an answer so I just shrug.
Ethan holds me tight, trying to get me to stop shuddering but it doesn’t work. His face comes close and his cold cheek brushes up next to mine.
I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…
“Anna, you’re sweating,” he whispers. His voice sounds panicked.
He buries his head into my neck, right near my pulse. He pulls back and yells to Thomas, “Hey! Pull over. Something’s wrong with Anna.”
No response.
“Pull over! She’s shaking and sweating and her pulse is going crazy.”
Thomas swerves to the side of the road but doesn’t get out of the van. “If this is some stupid trick…”
The interior light flips on and Vader says, “I don’t think he’s making this up. She looks terrible.”
Thomas and Vader both bolt out of the van and the back doors fly open within minutes.
Thomas cuts my hands loose with a few swipes of his knife.
“Make sure he stays in the van,” Thomas shouts to Vader.
I hear Ethan and Vader yelling at each other but it sounds like I’m underwater.
Thomas pulls me out and the cold night air washes over my sweat-streaked face. I try to stand but fall to the ground. The total blackness of the empty back road surrounds me, strangles me. I’ve got to get out of here. The desire to run is overwhelming. Thomas pulls me back up, sitting me on the rear bumper, and then pushes my head between my knees. Tremors rush through my body.
Thomas jumps back inside and I can hear sounds of Ethan struggling. I’m so dizzy I can’t lift my head to see if they’re hurting him. The clawing fear squeezes my neck. I try to suck in air but nothing happens. The fighting in the van seems to have stopped, but I’m frozen. Thomas jumps out of the van, dropping next to me on the ground.
My mouth is open but nothing goes in or out.
“Calm down,” he says. “Deep breaths, in and out.” His voice sounds weird, like he’s trying to be nice but it’s a completely foreign concept.
I try. I lower my head and for the first time, I’m able to draw in a deep breath.
“Relax.”
I throw my head up, head-butting Thomas by accident.
“Relax?” I manage to scream out between labored breaths.
He pushes my head back down then moves away, and I risk raising it slightly so I can see if Ethan is okay. Glancing inside the back of the van, I see Ethan pinned to the ground with Vader sitting on top of him, Ethan’s hands tied behind his back. A stream of blood oozes from his mouth. The broken piece of bottle is a few inches away. Teeny is curled into a ball and whimpering softly. I’m not sure if she is awake or still unconscious.
My throat feels like it wants to close up again, so I pull myself together and try to get my breathing under control.
In and out.
I clasp my hands together, trying to stop the shudders racking my body. I can’t think about where we are or what’s going to happen to us.
So I think about Ethan. I picture us on a blanket near Cane River in Natchitoches. Our favorite spot.
Deep breaths. Eyes closed.
Teeny’s there. She’s flying a kite down the bank, running around and laughing.
Air in through my nose.
“We should have left her behind,” Vader says from the front seat.
Thomas answers him in rapid Spanish, his tone harsh.
Vader answers Thomas equally as fast. The two go back and forth in Spanish and the only thing I can make out is Teeny’s name, Vader saying it several times.
Why do they keep saying her name? Is Vader trying to talk him into getting rid of her? Will Thomas use the knife on her like he has so many others?
Images of the blood he wiped across his pants leg fill my head and my body starts shaking. Every inch of it. I try to relax so it will stop, but it only gets worse.
“Whoa, what’s happening?” Ethan asks. He pulls me in a little closer but it doesn’t stop my trembling. In fact, my body is shaking so hard it makes Ethan’s body shake.
I can’t form an answer so I just shrug.
Ethan holds me tight, trying to get me to stop shuddering but it doesn’t work. His face comes close and his cold cheek brushes up next to mine.
I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…
“Anna, you’re sweating,” he whispers. His voice sounds panicked.
He buries his head into my neck, right near my pulse. He pulls back and yells to Thomas, “Hey! Pull over. Something’s wrong with Anna.”
No response.
“Pull over! She’s shaking and sweating and her pulse is going crazy.”
Thomas swerves to the side of the road but doesn’t get out of the van. “If this is some stupid trick…”
The interior light flips on and Vader says, “I don’t think he’s making this up. She looks terrible.”
Thomas and Vader both bolt out of the van and the back doors fly open within minutes.
Thomas cuts my hands loose with a few swipes of his knife.
“Make sure he stays in the van,” Thomas shouts to Vader.
I hear Ethan and Vader yelling at each other but it sounds like I’m underwater.
Thomas pulls me out and the cold night air washes over my sweat-streaked face. I try to stand but fall to the ground. The total blackness of the empty back road surrounds me, strangles me. I’ve got to get out of here. The desire to run is overwhelming. Thomas pulls me back up, sitting me on the rear bumper, and then pushes my head between my knees. Tremors rush through my body.
Thomas jumps back inside and I can hear sounds of Ethan struggling. I’m so dizzy I can’t lift my head to see if they’re hurting him. The clawing fear squeezes my neck. I try to suck in air but nothing happens. The fighting in the van seems to have stopped, but I’m frozen. Thomas jumps out of the van, dropping next to me on the ground.
My mouth is open but nothing goes in or out.
“Calm down,” he says. “Deep breaths, in and out.” His voice sounds weird, like he’s trying to be nice but it’s a completely foreign concept.
I try. I lower my head and for the first time, I’m able to draw in a deep breath.
“Relax.”
I throw my head up, head-butting Thomas by accident.
“Relax?” I manage to scream out between labored breaths.
He pushes my head back down then moves away, and I risk raising it slightly so I can see if Ethan is okay. Glancing inside the back of the van, I see Ethan pinned to the ground with Vader sitting on top of him, Ethan’s hands tied behind his back. A stream of blood oozes from his mouth. The broken piece of bottle is a few inches away. Teeny is curled into a ball and whimpering softly. I’m not sure if she is awake or still unconscious.
My throat feels like it wants to close up again, so I pull myself together and try to get my breathing under control.
In and out.
I clasp my hands together, trying to stop the shudders racking my body. I can’t think about where we are or what’s going to happen to us.
So I think about Ethan. I picture us on a blanket near Cane River in Natchitoches. Our favorite spot.
Deep breaths. Eyes closed.
Teeny’s there. She’s flying a kite down the bank, running around and laughing.
Air in through my nose.
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