Crash.
My eyes opened wide. That hurt. They were very heavy and felt like they haven’t been opened for years, and the fact that I opened them wide and so abruptly made them sting as if a bee had come along with his buzzer and made a new found interest with my pupils.
I woke up to something falling above me. I don’t know what it was, neither do I know where above me is, mainly because I don’t know where I am.
I found myself paralysed; I couldn’t move my legs or lift up my head. I gripped my hands onto whatever it was that I was lying on top of. A mattress. No question, it’s definitely a mattress. It has no sheet though, neither were there any pillows. It’s very uncomfortable, and I began to feel life in my legs once again.
I raised my head, and hung my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet surfacing the ground. I looked around, scanning the unknown room. From what I can see, it was like a prison cell; the windows were barred off, the door was thick, there was no light in the shoe-box replica of a room. There was nothing in here, only a bed and a wardrobe, or at least I think that’s the only thing in here. It’s too dark to be sure. I felt as if I was isolated from the rest of the world, as if there was nothing outside that door but miles and miles of sand, a large desert with no life.
I rose from the rock-like bed, and made my way over to the wardrobe. I reached out my hand and slid the door; I squinted so I could see what was there.
I examined the contents, which wasn’t a lot. There was a large jumper hanging from a clothes hanger, and that was all. I looked up. There was a shelf on the top, I couldn’t see if anything was resting on it though. I held onto the edge of the shelf with my left hand. Now standing on my toes, I reached up with my right hand and moved it around up there, feeling around so I could confirm whether or not the something that was up here would be useful to me.
I felt something circular and long, thick in width. I stood on the very tip of my toes to try and reach it fully to pull it out. Putting a lot of pressure on my poor toes that hadn’t been used for a while, I finally got it. I stood down properly, holding the object in my hand.
Just what I needed. I thought and took the jumper and hanger out with it, walking away and leaving it rest on the bed. I walked over to the door, turning the old fashioned knob.
Locked.
Thought so. I walked back over to my bed and pulled the jumper off the hanger, and threw it on the ground. I pulled at the thin metal hanger, rearranging it so it was now just a straight line. I then got the object I pulled down from the shelf, a baseball bat, and walked back over to the door with both items in my hands.
I let the hanger rest on the floor for now, and got a grip of the baseball bat with both my hands.
Bang.
I hit it against the door knob, but not hard enough.
Bang.
Again not hard enough. This was making a lot of noise and Jason was sure to hear it, but as far as I was concerned, it was best for me to still think I was isolated, I was surrounded by nothing but sand.
Bang.
The final and loudest bang filled the air of the room; escaping through the cracks in the door, under the window, and through any hole in the ceiling or floor. Third time’s a charm. I smirked as I bent over to reach for what used to be a clothes hanger.
Now on my knees, I pushed it through the hole where the door knob used to be, causing the knob on the unknown side of the prison door to fall out. I heard it roll around on the floor for a second or two.
Satisfaction filled my body as the door slowly creaked open itself. There must be a draft or something. But, wait…
Before it could open far enough for me to see what was on the other side, I gently stopped it with my hand.
Jason’s smarter than that. What if he did that on purpose? What if this is a trap, a test? No one would be so stupid that they’d leave two objects in the room that are essential for their victim's escape. Especially not Jason McCann.
Oh, shut up, Melody! This is your only chance, it’s now or never. I sighed quietly. Right. I took a deep breath and removed my hand from the door.
I let it slowly open by itself. I kept my head on the ground until I seen it pass my feet, which meant it was fully opened now. It took all the courage I had to look up, and so I did. But what I saw was not what I was expecting to see. There before me stood Jason McCann, with that famous evil grin of his. Arms crossed over his chest, standing tall like a tower. My eyes widened, he smirked.
“Well, if it isn’t sleeping beauty. Fancy seeing you out here in the hallway. How was your sleep, princess?” After that, his face got serious and the smirk morphed into a straight line.
Just as he was about to grab me, I crouched down. It was either that I was small enough or he was tall enough, but I somehow managed to dodge his hands. And then I ran.
Faster than I’ve ever ran before. He stood in the same spot for a few brief seconds, no doubt in shock, before I heard him running after me. Just don’t look back. I bolted down the stairs I seen in the somewhat far distance ahead of me before he had a chance to catch up and see where I was going, and it directed me straight into his living room. I couldn’t help but think: Who has their stairs lead to their living room? But there was no time to expand that thought, obviously.
There was no door separating his living room and kitchen, but I ran in there anyway. Hiding behind the wall by the fridge; that half a wall was the only thing that separated the two rooms.
Before I ran in here, I managed to spot the front door. Across from the couch that was facing north, (considering the stairs were south) and on the west of that couch was the window, just down from the window was the door.
It looked like a garden door, with it being mostly covered with the type of window used in bathrooms, and a silver metal framed around the window and separating it in the middle, making it look like there were two medium sized windows instead of just one large one.
I heard his loud footsteps stomping down the stairs; he must have given up on running. I pushed my back against the wall, and leaned the back of my head up against it too, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths quietly. I was afraid to breath, but if I didn’t I might pass out.
Why does he always seem to take my breath away? I was going to chuckle at the thought that was referring to now and when we first met in the bathrooms, but I stopped myself before he heard me.
“Where are you, sweetheart?” Okay, now I’m holding my breath. “Princess, if you just come out things will be a lot easier and I promise I won’t hurt you.” He laughed. “Well, at least I won’t hurt you as much as I’m planning on doing now.”
I was so tempted to poke my head around the corner of the wall to see where he was, but that would be setting myself up for the kill.
“Princess, why don’t you make me a sandwich while you’re in there?” He laughed again.
Fuck it. What am I gonna do?
Go. A voice inside told me, and I had no choice but to do what it said. There seemed to be no other option.
So I ran, lucky for me, he was by the couch and I had a clear path to the door.
Please be open, please be open.
Just as I opened the door, he chased after me, but I ran as fast as I could. I ran and ran and ran, he was a bit behind me, so that was one good thing. I heard a train, and looked ahead. When I saw the train tracks in the distance I knew what I was going to do.
You can’t have me. I thought, and forgot that I needed to breathe. My legs weren’t getting tired; I didn’t need to catch my breath. I was determined, and now that I know what I want, no one can take it from me.
The irony of all of this was killing me. What I was about to get, is what I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember.
I only got faster the more I ran. I want this. I need this. I’m going to get this.
My pace picked up until finally I was standing on the edge of the tracks, looking down at my feet.
No. I took a breath. Not now. Now I will have the confidence to raise my head. Look up, Melody. Stand tall.
I looked up.
The train was a few seconds away.
"No! Don't do it!" I heard Jason yell at the top of his voice. I turned my head around and blew a kiss at Jason who was catching up with me. It was the only way I could thank him, it's because of him that I'm getting this. After all, he is the one who brought me here.
You can’t have me, Jason. You can’t have me. He took my life away. Well, no. No one can have that type of control over me. I’m taking control now. I’m in control.
In four seconds, I’ll be nothing but an angel by the train tracks.
You took my life away from me, well it’s my life. I have a right to end it. You can’t stop me now. You can’t have me. I shut my eyes as I stretched out my arms like a bird would it’s wings, and began to fall.
Three seconds.
That’s what I felt like. A bird standing on the edge of a cliff, stretching out their wings getting ready to fly. So they begin to fall, but they don’t actually fall. Because once they start falling, their wings begin to work and they fly. They fly away. The train was getting closer.
Two seconds.
I’ve always admired birds; how free they look flying around in the sky. Free to go where ever they want, do whatever they want with no restrictions. But, what fascinated me about birds was that even with their ability to escape this place, they never left. Only flying south in the winter, but they always came back. And it always made me wonder: If I had the ability to fly away, would I leave? Or would I stay? Would I only fly south in Winter, but come back afterwards? Would I never leave? Would I finally escape and never come back?
I've always said I wanted to escape. But, if I had the chance, if I really had the chance to escape, would I? I wonder...
I wonder what it’s like to be free.
One.
And that’s when I felt it, a blow to my chest. My lungs gone, I couldn’t breathe. To think that I’ve spent my life longing to leave, to die, to be free, and it turns out that one blow, just one blow, is all it takes to have ended everything this whole time..
One blow is all it would have taken.
“My time has come,
and so I’m going to a better place, far beyond.
I love you all, as you can see.
But, it’s better now, because I’m free.”