You should have stayed away
1288 Words
Brianna
I hurriedly find my way towards the restroom. finding the closest, I get in and lock it behind me before answering the call.
“ Oh! Bambina" the sound of her voice sends a refreshing feeling inside me.
“ Hello Abuela,"
“ How are you doing my bambina, I've missed you so much" the sadness in her voice makes my chest tighten emotionally.
" I'm doing great. I've missed you more”….
“ How's everything going over there?”
“ It's all good. How's the search going? Gotten a head yet?”
I pause.
She immediately starts panicking" What's wrong bambina? Are you okay–"
That gets me laughing “ yes abuela, I'm fine. I found them, and they all seem genuinely happy to see me”
She sighs in relief " christ. dear, you almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you were in some kind of danger" she scolds playfully.
" Sorry, but you worry about me too much. I'm an adult now who is very capable of making her decisions”
We continue talking for a while, before eventually saying our good nights.
I quickly relieved myself before heading for the door.
On reaching for the handle, I hear a ping on my phone.
Thinking it must be beth cause I forgot about texting her, I tap on the message.
“ Be careful who you trust in this family"
That stops me in my tracks.
I'm trying to wrap my head around what I'm seeing when another another message pops up.
“ You should never have come back"
Who sent this?
How did they get my number?
Was this some kind of sick joke?
Thoughts are racing through my head and it's making me dizzy.
I immediately grip the sink steadying my stance.
Flashes of that night come flooding through my mind.
The accident
How not a single piece of their remains could be salvaged
How I would have died if only I hadn't insisted on staying with abuela for another day.
How dad was always dismissive anytime I asked about his family.
My pulse starts racing
My airway feels clogged
My hands feel clammy
It feels stuffy in here
This can't be happening
It's been years since I last had this attack
I brace myself, trying to reach for the door
“ Please … help" my voice sounds faint even to my own ear.
" Brianna!” someone's calling out for me.
I can't speak so I try tapping on the door.
I hear footsteps and a voice.
“ Brianna! Are you in there?"
There's a rattling sound outside the door before everything goes black.
Marcus
My footsteps echo through the empty hallway of the restroom.
The first stall was empty
The second stall was empty also
By the time I got to the third stall, a knot had formed in my stomach
" Brianna!”
I called out.
I hear a faint tap on the door.
“ Brianna!, are you in there?" There's no response.
It could be that someone's locked up in there, or even worse her.
Dread coils in my gut
I try opening the door, but it's been locked from inside.
I immediately rush back to the restaurant, heading straight for the manager.
“ I need the keys for a stall in the restroom, someone's locked up in there".
Without questioning, he quickly grabs a couple of keys before we match towards the restroom.
He tries some couple of keys before the door finally opens.
On stepping inside, the sight I meet sends a new wave of panic through me.
Brianna is there, lying flat on the floor.
I instantly rush towards her, checking for injuries. Apart from the fact that she passed out, She seemed to be perfectly okay.
I swoop her into my arms rushing outside.
I'd almost forgotten that the manager was with me. He asks if he needs to call the ambulance but I reassured him that I'll take care of everything.
He insists on helping me take her things to the car before heading back into the restaurant.
I'm in the process of buckling her to her seat, when she stirs awake.
On meeting my eyes, she immediately wiggles out of my hold.
“ What are you doing?"
" Trying to buckle your seatbelt”
" And why would you do that?”
" Seems like you don't remember anything?” She just stares at me.
“ Okay, let me rephrase. I went looking for you and found you lying on the floor in–”
" Hold up, I know all that." She moves the belt to the side, then turns to fully face me.
“ My question is, where are you taking me to?"
I look at her in disbelief. “ are you seriously asking me that right now?"
She shrugs “yh”
I bite back an annoyed retort.
Taking a deep breath, I decide to anwser.
“ I was about taking you to the hospital"
“ Thanks but there's no need for that, I'm fine now. So can I go now?”
Is that an undertone of irritation I sense in her voice? Wow
“ It's late already, and the closest bolt should be like thirty minutes away. So I'm driving you home."
“ I can–"
“ It's not up for bargain" she gives up the argument and buckles her seatbelt.
She's so damn stubborn and it's grating on my nerves.
Brianna
I sit quietly cause I know I've pissed him off with my bratty behavior.
I'm lost in my thoughts staring at the passing scenery around us, when his voice slashes through the silence.
“ What happened?"
“ It's nothing serious" his grip tightens on the steering wheel and he takes a visible breath like he's trying to keep his temper in check.
Jeez, am I that much of a handful?
" It's not nothing serious cause I found you passed out on the floor” he grates out.
" I just slipped and fell, that's all”.
The lie doesn't sound believable even to my own ears.
He decides to drop it
We continue to drive in silence but I don't know why I still felt like clearing the air
“ It's really nothing serious"
“ How so?" For some reason, his curt reply irritates me.
“ look, you really don't have to worry about me"
“ That's the problem. I already do".
His words stills me.
For some reason, they give me a sense of comfort.
I let his words hang in there air for a few minutes before adding –
" Thanks” he gives me a curt nod.
We both settle in a comfortable silence, except for the few times I had to give him directions.
He parks his car directly outside the apartment building.
I unbuckle my seatbelt, reaching for the door, before turning to look at him.
" Thanks for the ride”
He shrugs " anytime”.
I watch as he drives down the street, then make my way into the building.
Beth's on night duty at the hospital, so I'm home alone.
I showered, already preparing to sleep when I heard a ping on my phone.
That gut wrenching feeling holds me in a chokehold.
I walk across the room with my wobbly legs, to retrieve the phone from my clutch.
It's a message from an unknown number again.
Dread coils deep in my stomach
I can feel sweat already dripping down my chin.
Bracing myself, I tap on the message
“ you really should have stayed away. Now you'll be met with the same fate as your parents”
My knees immediately gave out.
- Writer
