Re-Born
Chapter 1 - Rebuilt
It was a lovely sunny day, she was sitting on her lawn chair for the first time ever this summer. Sipping on her beer, she took a long hard drag of her cigarette. Relaxed, she watched the embers burn and light with fury. "I'll be right back" her boyfriend said leaning down giving her a kiss on the forehead, she smiled and took in the smell of the propane tank as it lit up the BBQ at their new home. Flicking the ashes from her cigarette the wind caught them, just before they fell to the ground... twirling in the wind, barley noticeable at all, the embers danced in the wind under the BBQ and were sucked into the propane line.
In seconds flames swallowed almost everything in sight. The explosion sent her off her chair and into the side of the house, eyes wide open she watched as her entire right side of her body melted away. Aside from the pain and fright, she was more so confused... she couldn't feel anything at all. As she watched the BBQ fall back to the ground, flames poured over her like water crashing to the shore. A ringing... An awful ringing, only in her left ear. A buzzing ring, almost a high pitch hum. Afraid to look but unable to close her eyes, she watched as her pretty garden and that lawn chair crumbled around her. As it melted, and died... she remained. The ringing was now fading, a voice in the background, like screaming, was muffled and must be coming from the right side of her body. Looking up, she saw her boyfriend staring intensely at her as he screamed and begged for her to live. Eyes fluttering she drifted into a sleep, falling deeper into utter darkness, never to return.
"Where... where am I?" She said, trying to focus her eyes around the room. She stared into the over head lights that hung inches from her face. "You my dear, are on my operating table" said a little man, he had greyish white hair that looked as if he'd been electrified a couple of times. "What am I doing in surgery?" She asked, she tried to sit up but was unable finding that she only had one arm. Panic struck. "You're not ready yet my dear!" He said pushing her back down and strapping her to the table. "We must finish the final touches" His voice was mad scientist like. He almost sounded like the voice of the man who would play doctor Frankenstien's assistant when creating the monster. Coming closer, she saw his face a bit more clearer. He had one eye that was significantly bigger than the other, one was a bright blue, his other was brown. As he came closer the reflection of his glasses brought her face into view, the metal piece reflecting from under her right eye made a glare that caught her attention.
Dependance Day
I wake to the sun shining in my eyes, rubbing them with both hands my vision begins to clear. I look at the time on the digital clock on my bed side table, it reads 4:00 am.
This isn't right
I think to myself. I make my way to the curtains and reveal the enormous spot light shining into my bedroom. I turn to make a run for it, but it's too late. My body gets pulled into the craft and I fear for the worst. I am knelt down before several beings who sit, anxiously observing me. I hope that my pink and white pajamas do not offend them, as I stand up and reveal the whole ensemble. I wait for them to speak.
They remain silent.
"What... what do you want from me?" I ask desperatly masking my fear. Still, nothing.
A hologram appears before me and reveals the earth, their craft hovering outside my house. I swallowed hard, trying to find the words to speak. "Are you going to destroy us?" One of the beings nods. "Please don't!" I shout without meaning too. It's silence once again, one of the beings mutters out something that sounds like "why". I've never been a good public speaker, and I honestly can't think of a reason to save earth. But I try.
"Why? Um.. well.." Not starting off very strong.
"Because earth isn't a bad place. I mean it has so much potential, it's beautiful, it's housed people like me for many many years..." I search for a powerful sentiment but come up short. The hologram outlines the ocean, tankers are pouring waste into the water and fish and other creatures are suffering for it. Before I can speak, it turns to war. People killing one another, guns, money, the need to own everything. I know I'm not going to win this one but I try anyways.
"Yes well, there are people who have no morals. But our race is so impressionable. We have come so far as to become independent, and to not rely on any one else. Neighboring countries, neighbours. We are not ment to be controlled by another race. They won't stand for it, they will stop at nothing to regain independence and to remain so."
This displeased them. They rose in unison, one reaching to the other for support and made their way to me in a line. I backed away, frightened. The first one reached out and touched my forehead, the voice I heard, was like angels singing. She showed me a time where people were able to depend on one another, neither ruled or governed by a specific person, simply living in peace with one another. My body filled with a glow that made me feel warm and calm. I understood what she was saying. It's one thing to live independently in harmony with what is around you, then to live in fear of your neighbor. I saw then that these beings have a higher appreciation for my home and the people that live in it. They suggested a few ideas, wiping the nation and starting fresh, killing off a race of my choice, starting with just me and my selection of who lives. All thoughtful offers, but I declined. I then negotiated if I could convince the world to change its ways, and that there was proven change by next independence day, that they would let us live. And perhaps teach us their ways. They released me that night, I couldn't even sleep. I drove all night to the white house and explained what had happened. I begged to be heard but they wouldn't listen. After being removed from the property, I sat in my car, defeated. My phone rang for my morning alarm, and that is when I got the idea. Opening up social networking I hit record and began my plea;
"Citizens of earth, this is no joke. We are being threatened by alien invasion. They want to wipe us out because of how we have treated our planet. I've managed to negotiate with them for our lives, but at a cost. I ask you all to consider your lifestyles, your nation and your habits. We thought that we were a nation that was independent. But we are not. Like it or not, we have been dependant our entire lives. From birth, we depend on some one to nurture us. As we age, we depend on someone to teach us. We depend on the economy system to live. Air to breathe. Animals and plants to eat. We are the most dependant race there is! And now, we need to reach out to one another, and fix what we have done by next independence day, or the consequences will be dire."
I paused for a moment, exhaling deeply.
"I ask you to join me in the rebellion to save earth. That this day we call 'Independence Day' be changed to 'Dependance Day' in recognition that we need each other to survive. Now more than ever. Please... join me."
I stare at my phone, the battery is low. I have just enough to upload the video. A notification dings and advises me "my video is ready".
I take a deep breath, and hit "share".
Dependance Day
I wake to the sun shining in my eyes, rubbing them with both hands my vision begins to clear. I look at the time on the digital clock on my bed side table, it reads 4:00 am.
This isn't right
I think to myself. I make my way to the curtains and reveal the enormous spot light shining into my bedroom. I turn to make a run for it, but it's too late. My body gets pulled into the craft and I fear for the worst. I am knelt down before several beings who sit, anxiously observing me. I hope that my pink and white pajamas do not offend them, as I stand up and reveal the whole ensemble. I wait for them to speak.
They remain silent.
"What... what do you want from me?" I ask desperatly masking my fear. Still, nothing.
A hologram appears before me and reveals the earth, their craft hovering outside my house. I swallowed hard, trying to find the words to speak. "Are you going to destroy us?" One of the beings nods. "Please don't!" I shout without meaning too. It's silence once again, one of the beings mutters out something that sounds like "why". I've never been a good public speaker, and I honestly can't think of a reason to save earth. But I try.
"Why? Um.. well.."
Not starting off very strong.
"Because earth isn't a bad place. I mean it has so much potential, it's beautiful, it's housed people like me for many many years..." I search for a powerful sentiment but come up short. The hologram outlines the ocean, tankers are pouring waste into the water, fish and other creatures are suffering for it. Before I can speak, it turns to war. People killing one another, guns, money, the need to own everything. I know I'm not going to win this one but I try anyways.
"Yes well, there are people who have no morals. But our race is so impressionable. We have come so far as to become independent, and to not rely on any one else. Neighboring countries, neighbours. We are not ment to be controlled by another race. They won't stand for it, they will stop at nothing to regain independence and to remain so."
This displeased them. They rose in unison, one reaching to the other for support and made their way to me in a line. I backed away, frightened. The first one reached out and touched my forehead, the voice I heard, was like angels singing. She showed me a time where people were able to depend on one another, neither ruled or governed by a specific person, simply living in peace with one another. My body filled with a glow that made me feel warm and calm. I understood what she was saying. It's one thing to live independently in harmony with what is around you, then to live in fear of your neighbor. I saw then that these beings have a higher appreciation for my home and the people that live in it. They suggested a few ideas, wiping the nation and starting fresh, killing off a race of my choice, starting with just me and my selection of who lives. All thoughtful offers, but I declined. I then negotiated if I could convince the world to change its ways, and that there was proven change by next independence day, that they would let us live. And perhaps teach us their ways. They released me that night, I couldn't even sleep. I drove all night to the white house and explained what had happened. I begged to be heard but they wouldn't listen. After being removed from the property, I sat in my car, defeated. My phone rang for my morning alarm, and that is when I got the idea. Opening up social networking I hit record and began my plea;
"Citizens of earth, this is no joke. We are being threatened by alien invasion. They want to wipe us out because of how we have treated our planet. I've managed to negotiate with them for our lives, but at a cost. I ask you all to consider your lifestyles, your nation and your habits. We thought that we were a nation that was independent. But we are not. Like it or not, we have been dependant our entire lives. From birth, we depend on some one to nurture us. As we age, we depend on someone to teach us. We depend on the eco system to live. Air to breathe. Animals and plants to eat. We are the most dependant race there is! And now, we need to reach out to one another, and fix what we have done by next independence day, or the consequences will be dire."
I paused for a moment, exhaling deeply.
"I ask you to join me in the rebellion to save earth. That this day we call 'Independence Day' be changed to 'Dependance Day' in recognition that we need each other to survive. Now more than ever. Please... join me."
I stare at my phone, the battery is low. I have just enough to upload the video. A notification dings and advises me "my video is ready".
I take a deep breath, and hit "share".
Prose.
Here I sit, flipping away
News feed reads, day by day
Endless inspiration, I dare view
Igniting a flame, feeling anew
Pen and paper will not cut
My lack of words, alas a rut
But then, I see a familiar face
A fellow author, who quickens my pace
Now erupting, with lava flow
No! Why pen?! It just won't go
My thoughts come pouring out of me
Thank goodness for my memory
Rapidly typing on my device
Watching my spelling, I'll check it twice
This is it now... I suppose
My poetic review of beloved prose
Ah complete... or so I'd hoped
My thoughts escaped me, but I coped
Drifting asleep, late in my bed...
"This sounded better in my head"
With Red Lips
"What have you done with her?"
"With who mother?"
"My daughter."
"But I am your daughter, mother."
"No. Your different then she is... similar, but different."
A gruesome tale of an orphan abandoned at birth to the care of an elderly couple who mysteriously dissappear. At age 11, fending for herself living off of what scraps she can salvage, she stumbles into a rather inexplicable journey as she seizes the opportunity to become someone else.
Falling victim to her deranged mind, she presumes it to be fate after meeting another girl who looks just like her. In the darkness of the night, she lures the girl into the forest and ruthlessly murders the girl for her chance to gain wealth and fortune.
The girls family, after several hours of looking for their daughter, send a search party into to woods. Finding only the orphan girl, in their daughters clothes.
Assuming she is suffering from amnesia, they take her home and hire the best doctor to help her regain consciousness. She suffers great pressures to live up to her new found parents expectations, raising question of what really happened in the forest that night.
Doing everything in her power to keep her identity hidden, she adopts the habit of wearing red lipstick, in hopes to mask her blood stained lips that carry the secrets that will forever haunt her.
Between the Lines
He walked along the water's edge, feeling indifferent. The past few times he had met her here he felt only excitement and love. But this time, something had changed. He could see her car pull into the gravel parking lot further down, the headlights switch off as she kills the engine. He slowed his pace and waited for her, pulling his jacket tighter. She scurried over the rocks and down to the path, making her way towards him with determination. They had only ever fought about her friendship with Mark once before, when she had been out all night boozing with him and his friends.
She inched closer, but he turned away from her. "Jake!" She called out to him, as if he didn't know she was there. He cringed at the sound of her voice. Jake stood silently listening to the gravel crunch beneath her feet as she came closer. "Wow, Jake. Look at how beautiful it is." She said, staring across the water at the city line lit up by buildings and street lights as the sun set over the horizon. "Yeah, it's something." Jake responded with a different meaning behind it. "Are you still upset with me about Mark?" She asked, the name lingered in Jake's mind. "Chloe" He tried without a chance. "Look Jake, if you want this to work out, you're going to have to understand that I have friends, and I need my space." Jake turned. "I'd hardly call him a friend."
He walked further down the path, she followed relentlessly. "You're being childish." She pressed. "Chloe, you know damn well I have a right to be." She knew what he was getting at. She and Mark had had a history not to long ago, one she hoped was forgotten. Jake was a good, loving man who had taken care of her when things ended with Mark. He was hard working and did everything he could to support her and himself with his low income job. He couldn't understand, after all he had done... why she would turn to this monster when things became hard for them. "He's not a bad guy Jake, he's turned his life around. He's getting a new job..." "So you're defending him now?!" Jake shouted at her, his voice echoed loudly over the raging rapids. "No, I'm not defending him Jake!"
He shoved his hands into his pockets, the ring he was going to propose to her with that night pulled at his emotions as he fought back tears. "I need to know, did you see him again Chloe?" The sound of the water rushing past them carried the answer he was looking for. "Did you sleep with him Chloe?" He persisted, the wind blowing colder now, swirling around them. She shivered and tried to control her voice. "I..." Was all she could muster out. "I don't get it Chole. What we have is good, isn't it?" He continued walking, she stood frozen in place. "I mean, after all he's done to you. What I've done for you... I love you Chloe." She mutters a silent I'm sorry and begins to weep. Falling to her knees, she begs for forgiveness.
Jake feels the blood rushing to his head. Flashes of light set him off balance and he can't tell if it's cars coming down the road or his imagination. She reaches out to him, crying out I'm sorry and please understand. He fights with himself not to turn to her and tell her to get away from him, to leave and never come back. He peers over his shoulder at her. The sad mess he had once fallen in love with, is now begging for his forgiveness. He finds the courage to face her, now kneeling on the ground in front of her. "Stop it Chloe." He says wiping tears from her eyes.
"I love you so much, please. Please Jake, forgive me." She wraps both arms around him. She smells of perfume and sweat. He reaches into his pocket for the ring. "I promise..." she whispers in his ear, stopping him. "I promise those were the last times."
Times.
The word plays over and over again in his mind. His arms fall dead at his sides, releasing the ring from his clutches, falling lost to the gravel and sand. He feels a rock in his left hand, tempting him to make a move. He grasps it tightly. "Time's Chloe?" He says through clenched teeth. She pulls away confused, eyeliner streaking her face. "I thought you knew?" She asked him. "How many times?" He growled at her, she swallowed hard. But before she could open her mouth, he swung the rock with all his might against her face, ripping open her cheek.
"HOW MANY TIMES CHLOE?!" He screamed in a jealous rage hitting her hard with the rock again. Now standing over her, Jake is exploding with new anger. She crawls the shore line crying out for help, tears mixing into her blood drenched face. "Answer me." He says calmly, watching her helpless on the gravel. She lets out another scream and he brings the rock down hard on her skull. She is silent, motionless. Jake doesn't register what he has done. He drops the rock at his side and kneels down beside her.
"How many times Chole?" He asks silently, tears streaming down his face. Little spots of blood stain his jacket and pants. Approaching the right side of her body, he reaches into her pocket for her car keys and rolls her into the water. The current is strong, it carries her out deeper until she is out of sight. He heads back to her car and starts the engine. Checking the rearview mirror, he sees her blood, splattered all over his face. He puts the car into reverse and follows the dark lit road ahead leaving her dead, floating down the river that separates the two state lines.
Dead. Between the lines.
Awake
I can see a dim light between the lashes of my eyes, my head feels full and heavy. My eyes shut again on their own will. The cold hard cement feels nice against my naked body. I try to roll onto my back, but I'm stopped by the agonizing pain in my side. I bend my arm to try and discover what's causing the pain with my free hand, there's a gash down my left side of open flesh, I manage to finger out a piece of glass from my disfigured side. I cringe with the new pain, it stings and I cry out a whimper of pain. "Shh! He'll hear you." A voice I don't recognize tells me with disdain. I try once more to open my eyes, she's crouched over me examining my wound shaking her head and scolding me under her breath. "Where am..." I try to speak, but I can't find the strength. She places her hand over my mouth and tilts her head back to listen, I hear nothing but the infuriating dripping noise coming from my right side. "You shouldn't have fought him. He doesn't like that you know." She says all matter of fact like. I don't have the energy to deal with her, my body gives into sleep and I drift into a dreamless slumber.
I awake, possibly hours later. I've been moved, my body is draped over a steel table, there is a bright light hovering over me. I bring up my arm to shield my eyes, but what I see above me is not my arm. I scream out, willing it to go away. The arm covers my mouth and the same girl is once again scolding me to quiet down. She must have been reaching for something when I tried to shield my eyes. She removes her hand giving me a look of dominance and retrieves the item she was reaching for. She returns to her work on my right side, and I seize my opportunity. "Where am I?" I ask her in a hushed whisper. "We are in his basement" she says to me vaguely. She hums a silent tune to herself as she carries on. "Who's basement?" I ask losing patience. "His." She smiles a toothless grin at me. My stomach turns and I vomit, she balances me on my left as I empty my stomach. The gash on my left side sends sharp pains through my body and I cry out releasing my anger and helplessness. She continues to hum, working away. I realize she is not tending to my wound and my curiosity gets the best of me. With all my strength I look over to my right and follow her arms down to my right shoulder.
The sight is too much for me. I squirm and kick and call out for help. She holds me down with all her force, cursing at me and demanding I shut up. Tears stream down my face, powerless against her will and my ruined body. "What happened to me!" I demand, screaming at her. "I'd say you should be lucky you even woke up." She says, threading a needle. The dripping noise continues relentlessly from my right side, which I now know was not a leaky pipe. I give her my undivided attention in hopes she will humor me an explanation. "You tried to escape." I can feel her stabbing into me with the needle. "You broke his car window and tried to climb out, silly girl. It's a no wonder he broke your arm." I flinch as she yanks on the thread pulling my skin over the revealed bone. I stare blankly into the light trying to remember. My eyes roll back and I drift off again.
I awake once more on the cement. My side is bandaged and I stare at the hack job that used to be my right arm. I force myself up using my left arm, I'm wobbly and unbalanced but I manage to get myself in an upright sitting position. Strands of my hair fall across my face and I shuffle over the the wall closest to my left. I lean against it for support and study my captivity. A single spot light hangs above me leaving what hides outside its rim in darkness. I hear scurrying from the other end of the room. The girl enters the light on all fours carrying something in her mouth like an animal. She drops it in front of me and says "Eat." I do so without hesitation. It's chewy and soaked with blood. I can't bring myself to finish it. "You'll need your energy for him, eat." She insists. My eyes swell with tears and my emotions conquer my strength. "Why are you doing this to me?" She jerks her head back, listening. "He's coming. Lucky girl... he's coming for you!" She coos with pleasure moving quickly back into the darkness.
I hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs that I have yet to discover, I urge my body to get up, fight. But I haven't the strength. He approaches me, standing over 6 feet tall, he grabs my left arm and heaves me over his shoulder. His hands caress my backside gingerly as he runs his fingers between my thighs. We're moving swiftly up the stairs and into a well lit kitchen. The brightness blinds me as we take another set of stairs to his bedroom. He lays me flat on the bed so that I can look on the face of my abductor. He sticks his face between my thighs and breathes in deeply. "You need a bath." He tells me unzipping his pants. "You're lucky you woke up, last few died." Stroking his dick between my thighs. He kisses my neck and licks my ear. Bringing his dick to my mouth I smile and say, "Awake? I'd rather be dead." As I bit it off.