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The winter night’s sky was a thick haze of grayish-purple, covering the stars and casting the moon to a dim glow. The icy fingers of season-dead trees jutted out, a jagged black silhouette against the sky.
Her legs moved as quickly as possible, the muscles flexing and contracting. Her body ached from the chase; her breaths short and labored as she stumbled through the trees. Suddenly, her foot jammed into a rock veiled by the shadows, sending her body flying to the ground. A scream ripped from her throat, the piercing cry of terror echoing through the quiet night. He then stepped over her, his hand colliding with the side of her skull, knocking her out to prevent any other screams or cries for help.
When she awoke again, her body was a solid dull ache, everything hurt and everything was hazy. She tried to open her eyes, the scratchy dryness almost unbearable as the lids slid open. The room was dark except a few beams of light filtering from the floor above, the wooden planks of the floor gapping at spots. The thick musty scent of age and dust filled her nostrils as she took a deep breath, her lungs exploding into pain as she sucked in the air. The simple action sent her into a fit of coughs; her mouth filling with the thick, warm liquid she knew was blood. She tried to move, her limbs heavy and pained as she shifted slightly. She had no idea where she was or what was happening…all she knew was the piercing pain shooting through her entire body. Heavy footsteps fell on to the floor boards above her, the shadow of her attacker disrupting the small rays of sunlight streaming through the cracks, moving with him as he walked toward the stairs to the basement.
Her mind whirled at each footstep, the creaking of the stairs as he came closer and closer to her. His heavy boots thudded against the rotting wood, echoing through the abandoned house as he stopped beside her motionless form. The words her mind formed only came from her lips as a groan before her grabbed her wrists, twisting them forcefully to tie them to the post of the old bed she had been thrown on. Pain shot through her rib cage, the cracked and broken bones rubbing together, grinding sharp edges against sharp edges inside her body. She tried to scream in pain but not sound came from her mouth as her eyes slammed shut, the blinding white light of pain filling her mind before everything went black again.
Consciousness slowly washed over her like soft waves on the beach, gently bringing her mind back to the basement she was in. With the notion of awareness came the unbearable pain. Her body hurt worse now, her arms twisted over her head and bound by ropes. The bindings rubbed the sensitive skin of her wrists, gravity pulling her hands downward. She swallowed, the dry inside of her mouth providing little to her parched throat. She looked up at the dust particles floating in the dimming evening light…I’m dying.
“In today’s news, a local college student has disappeared. In a research project on haunted houses, eighteen-year old Melissa Lobach went in search of a local abandoned house rumored to be haunted. Being separated from her group, Melissa has now been missing for two days, the only evidence of her whereabouts being the wallet she dropped.” A picture of the young woman flashed onto the screen before it changed back to the reporter.
Yo, Bri…did you hear that? A haunted house! We have to find it!!” Nick exclaimed as he and Brian relaxed in the Backstreet Boy’s summer home in the New England countryside. Having a few week break in the schedule, the band retreated to the mild outskirts of Boston for rest and relaxation. “It’s supposedly near here…we could go look for it tomorrow! That would be so much fun!”
“Yeah!!”
The door to the deteriorating old house swung open easily, the hinges shrieking form lack of oil. The overwhelming stench of dust and age invaded their nostrils as they slowly ventured inside. The wooden floor boards, not gapped and warped, creaking at each slow step. The house was so empty it seemed dead itself. Stopping in the middle of what had once been the living room, Nick and Brian looked around, the scrawling profanities written on the walls by teenagers over the years mixing with signs of the devil and witch spells. The cobwebs in the corners created a dull gray tone for the room.
Help me… Nick jumped at the hushed sound. “Frick…did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Listen…”
Please…help me… Nick glanced down at the spaced floorboards at his feet and froze. The woman’s face was a solid bruise down the side, her hair stringy from days of not caring for it. A small trickle of blood exited the corner of her mouth and slid down her chin. Her wrists were twisted above her head and bound by ropes. Her eyes, glazed and pained, looked up at him, pleading with her whispers.
Nick attempted to tell Bri, the wordless gasp coming out of his mouth as he grabbed his friends arm. Brian followed Nick’s gaze and froze as well.
Please… her lips hardly moved as she begged them. They slowly made their way to the basement, the shadowed underground room humid and cold. The old bed in the center of the room was only one piece in the collection of junk they wove their way through. Their heart pace quickened as they untied her, her familiar face suddenly registering in their minds as the girl who disappeared. Gently sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her shoulders, Nick carefully lifted her off the bed, her wince of pain the only reaction as she had no energy to scream.
Melissa opened her eyes. It was a dream… she thought as she let the sunlight from a nearby window warm her cheeks. A steady beating slowly filtered into her sleep-dulled mind. Beep…beep…beep… Her eyes focused more, the white ceiling the white walls, cheery yellow sheets, a curtain dividing the room, the yellow chicks happy and bright on the white fabric. She took a deep breath, her entire body aching. She looked down at herself, bruising and scrapes littering her arms. Slowly turning her head, the pain in her body excruciating at the simple movement, she found flowers arranged on the table and floor, balloons saying Get Well and I Hope You Feel Better! Her eyes widened as she whispered, “It was real…”
The door slowly opened, two strangers walking into the room with looks of uncertainty on their faces. When she looked at them, they smiled before the one left to tell the doctor that she was awake. Now the tall blond approached her bed, his eyes troubled with fear and worry as he looked down that the broken girl in the bed.
“Hi…I’m Nick,” he said quietly as he set a bouquet of flowers on the bedside table.
“You look familiar.”
“I get that a lot…” the room turned silent a moment, the stillness akward.
“Um…I don’t know if I should ask, but what happened?”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t ask,” she replied as she settled her head back in the pillow and stared at the ceiling. “So, are you the one who found me? I can’t remember.”
“Me and Brian…he’s the one who went to find the doctor. You’re supposedly really banged up…”
“Yes. Everything hurts…” Her voice was soft and full of pain. She looked away from him, tears filling her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” she whispered, afraid to tell him that the loneliness and confusion was far worse than the physical pain she was enduring. She knew nobody, had no clue where she was…all she knew was that she was attacked and some strange man found her. She remembered the chase, and a few bouts of consciousness in the basement. She remembered seeing Nick walk towards her as someone untied her wrists. Then all she knew was that hospital room.
"Um...so I guess you don't want to talk..."
"You want me to talk? About what? All I've known the past few days is fear and pain...they aren't exactly my favorite topics of conversation, ok?"
Nick could see the hurt in her face, and the emotions deep in her eyes. "I know it makes me feel better if I get everything out instead of bottling it up inside..."
"Well, I'm not you," came her bitter reply.
"I was just trying to help..."
"Thank you, but I don't want help right now. I just want to be alone..." she said as tears started to run down her cheeks, the glistening trails turning the pale skin beneath to silver. "I just want to forget that all this happened. I wanna go on with my life...I just want to leave here!"
Wanting to just gather her into his arms but afraid to cause her more pain, Nick reahced out and placed one of his large warm hands over her small cool one. He folded his hand over her fingers, her grasp tightening as she closed her eyes and let the tears fall.
It's going to be alright..." he whispered as the door opened. Brian and the doctor walked in as she angrily swiped the tears from her cheeks.
You can't let them see you cry... she thought stubbornly
Jake Connor was past upset. He was too angry to be furious. He was just plain pissed off. He threw the newspaper across the room, the pages scattering, littering the floor in a jumble of text. He could still read the headline on the front pages, "Two Backstreet Boys Save Local College Girl". He stormed across the room, swiping the paper from the floor, shredding it into small pieces, the scraps of printing falling to the floor like confetti.
"That little bitch isn't going to get off this easy..." he growled as he grabbed his coat and marched out of the house.
Melissa's eyes flew open, the dark hospital room lit only by small streams of moonlight through the blinds. Her body was coating in a thick layer of sweat, the cool air of the room sending her into a fit of shivers. She pulled the blankets up as her eyes darted around the room from corner to corner, her nightmare sending her into a stunt of paranoia.
He's coming back...
Jamie, Melissa's roommate and close friend, ran into the hospital room with a smile. "Oh my God, Melly! Are you ok?! How are you?"
Melissa smiled, the afternoon sunlight casting her hair into a mixture of brown, red and blond. "I'm doing better...I'm not in as much pain today...even with the drugs they have me on, I can still feel some stuff..."
"Well, at least you get out of classes...that Bio exam was killer."
"Trust me...I'd rather take the exam than this."
"Well, yeah. But I was trying to cheer you up."
"Thanks..."
"I don't know..."
Their conversation then switched to happier subjects: boys, movies and shoes. Jamie left after an hour long visit, leaving Melissa in a slightly happier mood.
"Because of the nature of this situation, you cannot go back to your normal residence until the case is solved..."
"You've got to be kidding me. Where the hell am I supposed to live then?!" Melissa schreeched as she sat upright in her bed. She winced at the pain but continued. "Either you solve this quick or let me go home!"
"We found an adiquate place for you to stay. It's safe, it's protected and it's quiet so you can complete your recovery."
"So now you're shipping me off to Oz?! Is Glinda gonna wave her magic wand and fix me too?"
"No. The Backstreet Boys have granted permission to house you in their summer home."
"Oh great! I get to stay with the Backstreet Boys. What next? Chinese Water Torture?"
"It's a high security estate and you'll be able to relax."
"Whatever..."
Nick walked into the guestroom they had given to Melissa and set a tray of food on the table. She broke her gaze out of the window for a moment to see what he brought before she looked back outside.
"You could at least try to be friendly..." he said, aggrivated by the past few days of complete silence from her.
"And why should I?" she bitterly whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears. It was a typical site since the ordeal, Melissa would sit staring out the window with tears sparkling in her green eyes.
"Because it's lonely not to have someone to talk to."
"Maybe...but it's a lot safer..."
"I don't quite understand what you mean..."
"Nobody to turn on you...to tell everyone your deepest secrets..." she trailed off. "Look, I really don't feel like talking about this right now..."
"You know where to find me if you need someone to talk to."
A tear slid down her cheek as he closed the door behind him.
Nick fell back onto his bed as he tossed a mini Nerf basketball in the air and caught it. He didn't know why he cared about this strange girl...it just happened. As soon as he saw her that day in the old house, he felt this need to reach out to her, to touch her, to comfort her. She was truly a beautiful woman and did not deserve to be beaten and tortured...but rather held and cherished. He envisioned her in the circle of his arms, her head on his chest and a smile on her lips. He knew there was a wonderful person inside her cold shell...he just didn't know how to break the shell.
Melissa crept into the dark hallway, the goosebumps still on her skin from the fearful dreams plaguing her sleep. Her bare feet made no sound as she made her way down the hallway, the fear of her attacker greater than the fear of turning to someone to help. She gently knocked on Nick's door and a few minutes later was allowed inside.
"Mel...what's wrong?" he asked groggily, knowing she would only come to his room at 2am if there was a problem.
"I...I had more nightmares. They keep getting worse. I see his face, I'm running through the woods and I can't get away from him...I just can't get away. Oh, God...I don't even know why I came here..." she babbled, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry...I'll leave...Go back to bed..." She walked to the door but his hand caught her wrist.
"Don't be sorry..." he whispered as he pulled her into his embrace. Her face was buried in his chest as the tears came harder.
"Oh, Nick...you don't know how scared I was..."
His hands soothingly rubbed her back as she sobbed, weeks of pent up emotion pouring out in crashing waves.
Once she calmed down, her eyes red and puffy from crying, but her soul no longer imprisoned inside her, she shook her head ruefully as she stated she was a fool.
"You aren't a fool, Mel. You're just human..." Nick stated as he brushed some of her long brown hair behind her ear. "You're stronger than anyone I've ever met. Most people would never haev survived that, but you did. "You needed to release all that emotion...it was inevitable..." "Thank you, Nick..." she whispered as she tightened her embrace around him slightly before letting go. "I should try to get some sleep although I know I probably won't..."
Do you want to stay in here tonight in case you need someone to talk to?"
"I...I don't...I don't know..." she said warily
promise I will do nothing but sleep and make you feel better...Cross my heart and hope to die..." He traced an X over his chest.
"Well...that room does get lonely sometimes..." she whispered before crawling in the double bed, the sheets still slightly warm from where he had been sleeping.
"I know what you mean..." he said with a half-smile as he flipped off the lights and then crawled in the other side of the bed. The gap between them Nick had intended as a comfort zone for her and he was soon back asleep.
Melissa looked over at him and bit her lower lip before shuffling slightly closer. She looked at him again before she moved to lay next to him, her head on his shoulder. His warm body felt so safe as she slowly drifted off, finally able to face the fact that she wasn't alone in the world.
Nick was still in the hazy cloud of sleep when he realized there was a weighted feeling on his one shoulder. He blinked open his eyes and looked down to find Melissa curled against his side. He smiled before slipping his shoulder from beneath her cheek and replacing it with a pillow so he could go to the bathroom, his main purpose for waking up.
When he returned, he gently lifted her head and slid his arm underneath before pulling her against him, his other arm draped over her protectively.
With a smile, he fell back asleep, comforted by the feel of her in his arms. Her outburst of emotion was the first step on the long road of recovering from the fear. Weeks passed as Melissa and Nick grew closer and closer, their friendship slowly blossoming into love as the frightening memories faded a small bit at a time. After every nightmare, he comforted her in his arms. After each flashback he would sooth her screams with a tender kiss. Every tear was shed on his shoulder. He was her sanctuary, her place of refuge.
She slowly opened herself up to him, the feelings inside her twisting together, melting away the old fear and pain with new sensations of love and devotion.
Nick and Melissa held hands as they walked down the Philadelphia sidewalk, a trip to the city a way to spend sometime together as they shopped. They stopped at a street corner and waited for the "Walk" signal to flash. As soon as the light flashed that they could go, Melissa stepped into the road, tugging Nick's hand as she looked back at him with a smile. He smiled back and followed her.
The sudden scream of rubber moving quickly, grinding against the pavement as a car swerved around the turn filled the city streets. Nick's eyes widened as everything suddenly went into slow motion: the car careening around the turn, Melissa's look of fear, his diving to push her out of the way. The last thing he saw was Melissa's small frame tumbling to the pavement as the front bumper of the Buick drove into his side. The pain overtook his body as he fell hard to the side of the car. His shoulder slammed to the hard street before his head crashed down.
Melissa looked back to see Nick fly as though he were a rag doll when the car hit him. She looked at thte driver...It's him! She shuddered as she realized the face of the driver was teh same that hovered over her the night in the woods. She scrambled to her feet and ran to Nick, cradling his head in her lap, he fingers cupping his face. the crimson trail of blood falling from the corner of his full lips trailed down his chin and to his neck.
"No, Nick...baby....talk to me," she cried as tears spilled onto her cheeks. His blue eyes slowly slid half-open as a hand came up to her face.
"I love you..." he whispered.
She bent down to kiss his lips. He weakly returned the gesture before whispering again, "I love you, Mel..." His eyes slowly slid closed as he fell limp in her arms.
"No!" she screamed as she shook his shoulders. "No, Nick! You can't leave me! I need you!! I love you, Nick! I love you!! PLease don't leave me....please..." Her screams echoed between the tall buildings. "Nick...come back! Please...I love you..." she hunched over his motionless body, her tears wetting the front of his shirt, blood covering the side where the car contacted with him. She gripped him tightly, crying as she repeated, "I love you...don't leave me..."
Melissa stood on the cemetary, in one hand a copy of the police report of the man's arrest. She kneeled before the cold marble marker, it's shiny new surfaced etched with the sad words.
Nickolas Gene Carter
Melissa traced the letters of each word with her fingertips, the tears falling down her cheeks. "I never told you so many things, Nick. I wanted to tell you so much...The man. The one that took me. The one who killed you. He was arrested. Nick...he's my father. My real father. When I was 2, my mother ran away from him with me...he was abusive and scared her. He vowed to find me one day...and he did. They arrested him and found out he's insane, Nick. He killed you...how could he do that? Oh, Nick...I love you so much. I can't live without you Nick. This past week has been so hard. I lay awake at night and can only think of sleeping in your arms. I go through each day thinking only of seeing you again. I sit and class and can only see your smile. You don't know how much I want to look in your eyes, just once..."
She reached for her purse, opening the top to pull out a shining object. The four inch blade of the newly bought hunting knife shone in the afternoon sunlight. "Nick...I'll see you soon baby..." she whispered as she held the knife at arm's length with both hands. With one final deep breath and a look skyward, she rammed the knife into her chest as forcefully as she could, the tearing sensation of flesh and breaking bone overtaking her as blood spilled onto her hands. The oozing crimson liquid coated her white shirt and lower arms as she fell back onto her heels, her rasping breaths shortening each time. Slowly falling backward into the thick green grass behind her. She looked up, the clouds suddenly parting as if someone had pushed them out of the way. She then could form his face as a hand extended to her, a hand she grasped, a hand she knew so well. He pulled her up to him, his arms circling around her as she looked back at her feeble body laying on the ground covered in blood.
"Now we can be together forever..." he whispered.
THE END
"When do you think you're getting out of here?"
1980-2000
"The mystery of love is greater
than that of the mystery of death"