Eyes Wide Open

1

 I frantically looked around in an attempt to identify my surroundings.The room was pitch black and carried a deafening silence. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air causing panic to wash over me.Moments later another scream rang through my ears. As I moved towards the origin of the screaming when a figure emerged from the shadows,an evil smirk playing at their lips. "Look at you, still help less and terrified. Go on, try and find mommy." A voice echoed.Swallowing the lump in my throat, I marched on.

 "Mom?Mom, Where are you?" I called out, coming across a dimly lit room.Listening closely, there was no response. I walked into the room with light feet, trying to make very little noise. The room looked similar to that of a morgue; empty, eerie and sickly. The lights flickered rapidly before shutting off and back on quickly. Light was shed on the largest flat top.

 A woman's body lay on the surface. Her skin was extremely pale aside from bruising on her wrists and neck. Deep cuts covered various areas, her chest and abdomen freshly stitched from an autopsy.Stepping closer to the slab I noticed the victim's face. I gasped quietly, bringing my hand up to cover my mouth. "Mama." I choked out as tears spilled down my cheeks. Turning my head to the side, a sob rattles my body.

 A hand roughly grabbed my wrist causing my to crane my head to look. To my disbelief, I see my dead mother 'stare' at me with a tight grip on my wrist. She was covered in blood, bleeding from multiple gashes,her eye sockets and from a stab wound on her lower abdomen. I tried to stop the bleeding from her stomach, but it I couldn't. My gaze locked on her as she shrieked, "You did this! This is all your fault. I'm dead because of you, Dakota, Dead!"

 I woke with a stifled scream. My heart was racing as I tried to steady my breathing. Nightmares like these became a regular thing in my life after my mother's death. It has been 13 years since I came home to find my only parent laying in a pool of their own blood. My mother,Sherry, was one of Joe Carroll's 14 victims.

 With a sigh I pushed the haunting thoughts to the back of my mind. I stumbled around my apartment, slowly getting ready for my day. After showering and getting dressed I left my home. I made my way down the staircase and to the lobby, gripping my cellphone and Vodka filled water bottle for dear life. I slowly walked to the park that was 2 blocks away from my current location.

 Upon arriving at the empty park, I sat on an old, chipped bench. I took a deep breath, thinking about everything that had happened in the past years. I can hardly think back to when things were calm or easy. All I can remember is the pain, guilt and suffering that my family and I had endured. I thought about my father leaving when I was really young, I thought about my mother and how she could be be alive if I was home that night. Sherry could still be alive had I stayed at the house with her. I was supposed to be there, but at the last minute, I told her that I was going to stay at a friend's house until late that night. I could have stopped Joe from ending her life

 My cellphone rang in my hand, snapping me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. Taking a deep breath I answered the call. "Hello?" My shaky voice asked. There was a short pause before a male's voice replied, "Hello Agent Wayne, This is Director Franklin. I need you to come in as soon as possible." I bit at the inside of my cheek before telling the Director that I would be at work as fast as I could. I ended that call shortly after.

 I decided against heading home to change into my work clothes. Instead,I went straight to my field office. As I walked through the main doors and into the building a ways, I saw a lanky man with his hands on his hips. "R-Ryan?" I croaked out almost silently. He didn't hear my voice when I first spoke out, but I called louder, gaining his attention.

 Ryan turned to see who called his name. His arms fell down to his sides,eyes widening when he saw me. I shuffled towards him, roughly wiping my eyes dry. "I'm sorry." I coughed, "It's been quite awhile,Mr. Hardy." He looked at me with a sense of disbelief before saying, "Yeah, It has. You've grown up a lot since last time I saw you."