No Loose Ends

Morgan

The lifeless body of my father and the person who abducted me lay not even ten feet apart. I sit on the floor in between the two bodies, my knees are to my chest and my head rests on top of them. I walked over to the nightstand by the bed, I can see the imprint his body left in the mattress when he would sleep at night. His phone laid on the nightstand, I grabbed the phone, but it started ringing and had three missed calls. I couldn't unlock the phone, but I could see the name that kept calling. I knew the name, her name started and ended with the same letters as mine, Maddison. My heart sank as I saw her name pop up across his screen. I tried to unlock the phone but every time I tried it wasn't the right password. Emergency call, I guess if you type in a wrong password too many times then it'll sense an emergency. I knew so many numbers I could call but at that moment, I could only think of one, the number to call during an emergency. It was like all my knowledge of everything I've ever known disappeared into thin air.

"You reached 911, what's your emergency?" The woman asked. I couldn't think of anything to say, I didn't know the address, I didn't even know if I was in the same town.

"I've been kidnapped. I need help."

"Do you know the address?" I took a deep breath and answered,

"No, can you just track the phone?" I could hear as she typed on the keyboard.

"Unfortunately, the phone you're on isn't trackable. Here's what we're gonna do, I want you to look out the window and see if you recognize anything. Can you do that?"

"They're both dead."

"Both?" She asked. I stepped outside of his apartment; I was in that apartment for what seemed like forever.

"126 Maple Road, there's no apartment number or letter or anything." I could hear more typing on the computer.

"You did amazing, what's your name?" She asked.

"Morgan." I answered. I took a deep breath. "Is it really over?"

"Yes, Morgan. They're on their way, it's all over." I smiled at the sight of the other apartments. I felt like I could finally breathe, as I inhaled the air that burned my throat it felt nice, the burning sensation made me feel safe and it made it feel real. The war was finally over, the war against my mind was still ongoing but I was free of him. I could hear the sirens in the distance, but I didn't move from in front of the apartment. I felt like I could barely move from this spot, like I was attached to this apartment. I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs, four police officers with their guns out in front of them. I stood in the doorway for the apartment with his t-shirt on. The t-shirt smelled like him; the smell made my skin crawl.

"Morgan?" One of the female officers asked. I nodded; I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The female officer stayed with me, but the three other officers entered the building.

"Two bodies, both males." An officer said over the radio. I could feel a wave of relief come over my body. I fell to my knees; my legs couldn't support my body any longer. The officer bent down to the ground; she held me in her arms as I sobbed.

"It's okay, it's over." She whispered as I buried my head in her shoulder. "It's all over." She repeated. She gave me reassurance that I was safe, but I didn't feel any safer. I thought that when I finally left that apartment, I would feel safer, but being out in the open just made me feel in danger.

"We got a pulse!" I heard from inside the apartment. I couldn't move, I couldn't lift my head to see who was rolling out in the gurney. They rushed the body to the ambulance, and I sat there, I couldn't find the strength to stand up. I could barely move my legs, let alone any part of my body.

"Morgan, is there someone we can call for you?" The female officer asked. I wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"My mom." She nodded, she brought me to my feet, and we walked down the stairs, the brown stairs. I take a deep breath as the sun hits my face, it's the simple things that you start to forget about. I forgot just how bright the sun was during the afternoon, and how windy it can be during the afternoon even when the sun's out. Sometimes as humans, we forget to appreciate the small things in life. We forget to appreciate the season change, the time between seasons where the weather is unpredictable. Or when the flowers are starting to bloom but not quite fully grown, the first stage of the flower. We forget to admire things, we forget to admire summer, then fall rolls around and it gets cold again. We forget to admire the things that are temporary and focus on the only things that we can't change. I couldn't change what happened that day on my way to school, but I can admire the outcome of it.

"We need to check you out in the ambulance, we'll have your mom meet us at the hospital." The female officer announced.

"Can you come with me? In the ambulance?" She smiled and nodded. She helped me into the ambulance, the paramedic felt my neck and my stomach. He asked the routine questions but the only physical wounds on my body were the marks his fists made.