Your Worst Fears

Chapter 4: Just a Dream

I headed upstairs to see what she was doing, but she wasn't in her room. I yelled for her, but the house had abruptly gone silent. As I stood in the hall, I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end, causing me to sprint to my room and shut the door, locking it behind me. I stood there listening, but heard nothing.

I stepped away from the door, still listening, when something grabbed me from behind. I tried to scream, but they covered my mouth, making it hard to breathe, let alone scream. Aside from the knife I felt pressed against my throat, their hands were ice cold, both causing me to freeze up, no longer fighting. I heard myself whimper, which only made them jerk me to the side, away from the door, and hold me tighter, causing the knife to start to cut into my skin. It was at that moment that I knew I'd either be raped or killed... maybe both.

Silent tears were pouring from my eyes, which I knew the intruder felt, as they pulled me toward my bed and tugged at my shirt, trying to pull it off of me, ripping the hem. Whoever this was, they obviously had no empathy, ignoring my crying, which terrified me even more, knowing they were capable of anything. 

It became apparent that my shirt wasn't coming off unless they let go of my mouth, so they started yanking at my shorts, instead, which came off in one tug. They jostled me around until I felt the knife on my hip, and with a quick yank, it sliced one side of my panties, causing them to join my shorts on the floor.

No. This can't be happening. No. Noooo!

Fear seemed to take over and cause me to fight once again. I refused to let this monster rape me. My first time was going to be special, willingly given, not stolen. Not like this.

I tried to think back over all the defensive tactics I'd learned over the years, never thinking I'd ever have to use them. I couldn't get to their eyes to gouge one out, and I couldn't get turned to kick their balls into their stomach. The only other things I could think to do was stomp their foot or elbow their ribs, maybe surprising them so I could get myself free somehow. Since I was barefooted, I went for option two, ramming my bony elbow so hard into their chest that I actually thought I felt their ribs separate. When they let out what sounded like a hiss followed by a sinister laugh, I assumed my effort had been futile.

Without warning, pain radiated from the top of my head to the base of my skull, causing me to see stars just before my vision started to fade and I hit the floor. I don't know what they'd hit me with, since they only had one free hand, the other one still covering my mouth, or how they'd managed to hit me so hard, but what I did know was that I would no longer be able to fight them off. 

As the intruder held me face down against the floor, I thought about my family coming home to find that I'd been raped and murdered, hoping he didn't make a huge mess that my parents or Kylie would find. I hope he wouldn't get my blood everywhere and that he wouldn't just leave me lying here naked once he was done. Maybe he would take my body with him so he could bury it somewhere, causing my parents to look for me forever. I couldn't decide which one was worse, actually seeing me dead or wondering forever if I was.

I didn't have to think about my death long. Within seconds, my head felt like it had exploded and I was fading away. Who knew when I woke up this morning that it would be the last time that I'd ever wake up again? I sure didn't, yet here I was, dying.

***

"Amber?" I thought I heard Mom ask, but knew that was impossible, since I was dead. "Amber! What's wrong?" I even thought I could feel her tugging on me as she yelled for my dad. "Michael! Michael, get up here!" 

I felt myself rocking back and forth and could taste salt in my mouth.  Ghosts might be able to move, but I doubt they could still taste. Could they cry? Apparently they could, since I was.