Breaking His Dancer

chapter 4

Her dreams were restless, full of maniacal laughter and a faceless man who took her and killed her son in front of her eyes over and over again.The man who haunted her dreams felt familiar somehow, yet no matter how hard she tried she couldn't figure out who he was. All she could remember was the way his voice haunted her, the same way the voice of Jeremy's father had haunted her since the day she turned 18.

When she woke, it felt as if she had hardly slept at all. Her limbs felt heavy, her mind foggy, and her eyes burned with exhaustion. Still she forced herself to get out of bed. She dressed quickly in the little bathroom of their new temporary home. By the time she was out, and fully dressed, her son was awake. He sat on the edge of his bed, bleary eyed and half asleep. The poor boy looked much worse for the wear, as if he had slept about as poorly as she did. One look at her sweet baby boy's face made her decision for her. She marched right over to him, and captured him in a fierce hug, doing her best to convey all the love she had for him through that one bit of contact. Ruffling his hair she said: “That's it We’re taking the day off. First thing on the agenda is a nap for the both of us. Then it will be a day of just us two. “

His face lit up at the idea of spending some time with his mom. She tucked him back into bed, and soon he was out completely. While her son napped she called and canceled her appointments for the day. She would spend the entire day reassuring both herself and her son. Right after she took a nap herself.

She woke a few hours later, finally feeling rested for the first time in days. Her son was already awake when she got up, sitting on the end of his bed, quietly watching tv. She smiled at the sight, at least he still knew how to be a little boy.

“Hey buddy, you wanna grab some brunch from the cafe here in the hotel?”

He nodded vigorously. “Yeah, mom. I’m really, really hungry. I bet if I tried hard I could eat a whole elephant.”

She chuckled. “Alright, love. Let’s get dressed and head down.”

The morning was spent in jovial conversation. The service at the cafe was a bit slow, but it was obvious that the staff was entirely overwhelmed by the humongous crowd that had come in for brunch. Her son chatted at her endlessly about school, detailing several projects he was working on. He spoke as he shoveled forkfuls of pancake into his mouth. Normally she would have chastised him for such behavior, but today she was making every effort to just let him be a kid. And the look on his face as he spoke to her warmed her heart, helping to remind her what she was fighting for against the maniac out to ruin her life.

For the first time in days she found herself relaxing. She took in the dining room around her, the warm wall lighting that added an intimate flair. The gorgeous red table cloths on each of the tables. There were several crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, helping to illuminate the creamy beige walls. The window covers were the same color as the table cloths, and everything was trimmed in a rich brown mahogany. Frankly she was surprised that the restaurant would be so beautiful and fancy, when compared with the plain interior and exterior of the hotel itself.

Halfway through her eggs benedict her phone rang. An unknown number flashing across the screen. She answered without any forethought, not thinking for a second that it could be anything concerning. “Hello?”

Breath rasped from the other end of the phone. Chills traveled down her spine at the sound of the voice as the caller spoke. “Motel 6, room two-one-six. Did you really think you could hide from me?” The words were garbled, his voice gravely and inhuman sounding. She dropped the phone in shock, her mouth falling open. It had to be him. Who else would be calling her like that? And he knew exactly where she was.

In a panic she picked up her phone, only able to think of keeping herself and her son safe. He looked at her inquisitively from across the table, but she shook her head and gave him a look to keep quiet. There was only one more thing she could think to do, and that was to call the sheriff personally.