When I was young, I would have dreams where it seemed like I was falling to my death from a high place. I would wake up mid-fall only to realize that I was asleep and it was only a dream.
I would wake up with my heart trying to force its way out of my chest, my breath catching every time I replayed the scene of me falling. On those nights, I was thankful that I could, at the very least, wake up from such a nightmare.
I can feel myself falling headlong this time, only I cannot wake up from this nightmare. The very epitome of my nightmare loomed before me.
Unconsciously, my hand spread protectively over the baby growing inside me. Who would have thought, that the man I woke up to every morning for the past 5 years would be the very one that I longed to escape from now?
“There has to be another explanation” I kept saying to myself but deep down, I knew. I knew what I had just heard was the truth. But the question really was, what did that make me? How could I accept this truth as the truth?
At that moment a quick flash of little mason and the others swirled in my mind’s eye. A callous reminder that I was in fact staring the truth in the face and it was a truly frightening one. The man whose child I carried had suddenly become the stranger I had to protect my child and myself from.
Now the only word that rang in my pain-riddled heart as the truth of what was happening dawned on me was “WHY?”
Why did it have to be me? Why had he come to me? Why had I seen him that day? Was I merely a tool to guarantee an heir to the throne?
So I laughed. It was void of humor. After all, the situation was quite literally maddening so I had to be excused for my little display of pure unadulterated madness.
I could not be blamed.
“Am I just a pawn in a game Richard?” I hated how broken I sounded. “Was this all a lie?” I continued, trying desperately to hold back tears. What was happening to me? My whole world had come crashing down and I was having a full-blown emotional hazard. I had finally come undone.
“Baby,” he said and made an attempt to come close to me.
“Don’t come any closer!” I screamed, my whole body vibrating with anger.
Palpable tension filled the room.
“Don’t touch me” I said taking more steps backward effectively creating the much-needed space between us.
“Emma, I…” His voice sounded pained. But I was not going to be deceived again.
“What did you think was going to happen Richard? How could you? Why would …” I was cut-off by a sudden loud crash that shook the apartment.
“What was that?” I looked at Richard.
Phoebe’s scream for help pierced the tension that cloaked the bedroom. We dashed to the living room in a haze.
The horrible smell of Sewer hit me in the face when I stepped into the living room. I gagged at the smell that had filled the small space. What was that smell?
But the more pressing question was, what had happened in the living room?
Our wooden floor was completely caked in dust and debris from a crash. The source of the crash could be traced to the apartment door which had been yanked off by something heavy. The whole living room looked like the scene of an earthquake.
Phoebe was crouched on the floor with her hands covering her head, a lame attempt to shield her from what stood in front of her. Her frail hands shook violently.
Dread was plastered on my face from what I could see from my reflection staring back at me courtesy of the mirror standing opposite me at the other side of the room where Phoebe was crouched.
All the anger and warring emotions I had just a minute ago were long forgotten as I stood transfixed, staring helplessly at the creature taking up space in the living room.
Standing across the room was an otherworldly creature that stood intimidatingly tall with its head just a few inches away from the center room chandelier. It was covered in shimmery scale-like skin from the crown of its head down to the tip of its tail between its legs.
Sensing the presence of the two strangers who had interrupted its one-woman party, its eye found us where we stood. Instinctively, Richard brought me behind him. I continued to look at the creature from Richard’s broad shoulders.
I was caught off guard when Richard began to speak to the monster in a language I couldn’t comprehend. What was he doing? no, scratch that, what was he saying? To my ultimate surprise, the creature responded to him in like manner.
Was this some sort of family reunion? Did it mean we were safe?
The conversation must not be going well because Richard suddenly stiffened and he began to whisper instructions to me.
“Emma, at my instruction, run to the room and head straight to our wardrobe. On the lower shelf where my shoes are, you’ll see a box. When you open the box, you will see a red button, hit it.
The door to the underground chamber will open. Get into the chamber and bolt it no matter what you hear or see.”
When I didn’t answer, he found my hand. I didn’t recoil this time.
“Emma baby, I need you here with me” he squeezed lightly to emphasize his point.
I croaked out a weak “Okay”
“Follow the path and it’ll lead you to the entrance of a coffee shop. Do not speak to anyone else but the elderly female attendant at the counter. Speak to only her. She’ll be expecting you” he said in a rush while keeping his eyes trained on the creature.
When I didn’t answer, he squeezed on my hand again
“What- what about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you with phoebe”
“Absolutely not!”
“Emma!” his voice sounded urgent “If you don’t do as I say, I could lose you and the baby and I really don’t want that”
I started to take a few steps back choosing to focus only on Richard’s broad shoulder and not the strange creature that dominated the living room.
“Emma, Now!” Richard screamed.
Fear gripped me when I dared to look at the creature. Its eyes were filled with hatred and malice.
Those eyes were trained only at me
It was here for me
I was its target.
