Brielle

Chapter Two

          Chapter Two

    Brielle pulled into the shipyard parking lot. Her mother was already getting out of the car. She sighed heavily, if there is one thing her mother still had, was her impatience. As she got out of her car, the large husky followed. His large fluffy tail swishing.

    He jumped down, giving her a light bark. His eyes bouncing with happiness. She nodded her head, her mother was swaying in place, playing with her fingers. Mumbling to herself. Bring him back…bring…him…back…shipyard…ships…oversea…dead…wish would come true…wish…wish…

    Brielle was unsure of what to do, she’d never seen her mother so…out of it. “Momma, after we look around, I’m taking you to the hospital, okay?”

    “Hospital…hospital…” She wandered over to the gate.

    Brielle started after her. Matilda only glanced over her shoulder; a sick grin crossed her lips. She took off at a run through the ‘employee only’ entrance.

    “f**k! Mom don’t go running off!” With a sigh, she took off following her mom.

    It was dark, as it always was before a bad storm…Brielle looked out in the night sky, the ocean was starting to act up. There was a storm on the horizon, the cold bit into her cheeks. She still couldn’t find her mom.

    Brielle was left alone on the dock, with silence and the raging waves that crashed against the shipyard wall. The sun was setting behind storm clouds, and she was alone. All the dock workers left for the day, and the large shadows of the ships stretched out before her.

    The ships were tall, gray, and had rust running down their sides. It reminded her of when she would fall and scrape her knees or hands…bloody. The wood underneath her feet creaked, as the wind picked up. It blew sea salt and foam into her dark starless wavey hair.

    There were no streetlights along the walkway, so the setting sun caused deep shadows all around her and along the tall warehouse buildings. She could smell the tide coming in, taking away that nasty low-tide-at the pier smell with it, and bringing in fresh, ocean water.

    Still, Brielle couldn’t shake this feeling off that she was being watched from somewhere in the shadows. Her ankle-high boots took her a little bit further down the walkway, her eyes bouncing from brick ally to brick ally. This far away from the road, she couldn’t hear any cars, or humans alike.

    Once upon a time, Brielle’s mother used to take her out on walks like this after dinner, but never at the shipyard. Her mother had been acting odd for the last couple of days. Oddly distant. Her lips had been in a deep frown. She could never meet her eyes, and when she did speak to Brielle, it was in a cold, harsh tone that made her skin crawl.

    She had stopped making homecooked meals, and gave her cold tomato soup, with a single slice of bread, and nothing to drink. Then, the last day or so, she even stopped giving her the soup and just gave her a single slice of bread.

    They never really had much, but her mother made do with what she could afford. Fresh fruits and veggies were always a rarity in their home growing up. And when they did get it, Brielle always had the first pick. Always.

    Lately…lately her mother had been shoving her away, ignoring her completely. Forgetting she was even there. Her eyes glazed over and rimmed red. Her lips were raw from being rubbed. She started to…smell odd.

    Brielle paused in her thoughts, to turn her head and listen. She swore she had heard footsteps behind her. I don’t know how to get home from here, but I’ll try…where did mom go anyway? All Brielle had on was a light hoodie, a skirt, and tights. The temperature was dropping and dropping quick.

    It was the third of November, and they lived in South Dakota where the winters were harsh. Brielle’s teeth chattered as she pulled her arms in her hoodie. Her eyes bouncing around, from one pier to the other. Her mother was nowhere to be seen.

    “Mom?!” Brielle shouted, her breath escaping her lips in puffs of white, her voice came out clear and honeyed. “Where did you go? I don’t want to play seek the ghost!” It was a made-up game her mother had come up with during one night when they had a particularly bad storm when she was younger—it conjured up a tornado that had killed almost thirteen people in their little town—she did it to keep her mind off the raging storm, and train like winds.

    Every now and again, her mother would run off and hide. Brielle would have to find her by using her other senses. Hearing, smell, and touch. No taste, and no sight. It was a stupid game, but it helped her home in on her sense of hearing, and sense of smell.

    But right now, she was cold—damned cold—and wanted to go home. No matter how weird her mother had been acting, she would never just up and leave her. Would she? Brielle shook the cold thought off. Now wasn’t the time to start panicking. Mom always said, panic does nothing but hurt you further. The best thing to do is take deep breaths and try to find her. If you don’t find her, find someone who can help you.

    Her toes and face were growing so cold that they hurt. She stopped at the end of the shipyard, stuck at the dumpsters. Her mother wasn’t anywhere…she looked top to bottom, and down every walkway…and it was impossible to get on any of the ships, they had them locked down tight. Surrounded by a barbwire fence. What’s going on here?

    As she was about to turn around, a cold, harsh voice broke through the darkness nearly scaring Brielle half to death. “What are you doing here?” It sounded like a man…but also a woman? She couldn’t tell. “You shouldn’t be out this late. Why are you out here alone?”

    Brielle shuddered at the thing’s voice, “I was looking for my mom she was right here with me, she has a mental—”

    “What does she look like?” The voice interrupted her.

    She came up with the best description of her mother as she could, tall, thin, with dark grey hair that was missing in patches. She had green/brown eyes—hazel—as her mother would say, she had her ears pierced and always wore her best pair of earrings, and never stopped wearing her father’s wedding ring around her neck—he died overseas—

    She tried her best to recall what her mother was wearing that day too, even if she was the one who dressed her, Brielle was more focused on giving her medication. She knew she dressed her mother in a yellow cardigan, blue jeans that had a hole in the knee, brown boots, and her father's belt buckle that had US Marine Corps on it.

    Brielle faced the person and all she saw were shadows cast over them. She couldn’t make out if it were male or female. There were no features she could recall either. It was…just there.

    A voice in the back of her mind whispered, “Run Bri, run!” But her legs refused to move. She stared at the shadowed being and the fear captured her throat, her blood ran as cold as the ocean water underneath their feet.

    The first large snowflakes fell from the sky, and her fear turned into sheer panic. She slipped her arms back out from her hoodie, and the thing came forward. Brielle wasn’t a strong woman, but she was fast. She had taken up track at her college, and softball. Years of playing football with Ezekiel made her legs powerful.

    “Bri, you have to run. It’s not safe.” That nagging, whispering voice came from the back of her head. “It doesn’t matter where you run too, you just have to run!” It wasn’t hers, and it wasn’t her mother whispering to her from the shadows.

    It was different, something she’s never heard before…

    “I…I have to go now.” As she slid across the dumpsters, smelling of rotten fish. The shadow lunged at her. No matter how bad she wanted to scream, she ducked underneath the arms and forced her cold legs to run. Her pursuer was quick, and she could smell the sweat on its skin.

    It stunk and reminded her of the boy’s locker room. Deep inside Brielle knew she was in it deep. There was no way she could get away in time if only—where the hell is mom?! Did this person take her too?! She wanted to scream, but she was so terrified she could hardly breathe—

    The person was right behind her, her legs were short. Brielle was only twenty-five years old. Why would her mother just up and leave her? She panted, taking a sudden turn down one alley. It would lead right out to the main street—

    Ice cold hands wrapped around her mouth and pulled her in. Whoever it was, was boney, and stank of piss and sweat. The breath hot against her neck, she tried opening her mouth and to bite down on the hand. Instead, the person whispered in her ear; “You make a single sound, and I’ll kill you now. It won’t be painless either.”

    She froze, her muscles tensing. “Bri, you have to listen to me. Stay. Calm.” How in the hell was she going to stay calm?! “Listen to me, listen to my voice…” Something else covered her mouth and nose.

    It smelled and tasted…funny.

    Her already frigid limbs went instantly numb. Brielle could see the streetlights from where she was. Freedom was right there…she could almost touch it. The snow fell around her, sticking to her hair and clothes.

    Her eyes rolled back as her knees gave out from underneath her. The dreams came, they were warm and filled with sunflowers and her crush. Blocking out the dark voice calling from the void, ‘You’re mine.’