The Watched

by Amanda Nowak

saw that Brenda was lying on her bed, facing the opposite wall. She walked over the bed and sat on it.

  “Brenda? You awake? I know you feel bad, but it isn't your fault. It's mine. I'm sorry I got you into this. You're like a little sister, and you trusted me but I took you down the wrong path. I can't fix this for you. The way you're feeling isn't something I can take away. However, I can make sure that you are never put there again, in a position to make that decision. I'm gonna create a better life for us, a legit one. I'm sorry again Brenda. I love you.”

  She got no answer and Brenda didn't stir.

  “Brenda? Brenda?” Michelle asked with a tone of concern. She reached over and shook Brenda's shoulder as she repeated her name, louder and louder. By the time she had rolled Brenda on her back she was screaming her name.

  Brenda wasn't responding to her and Michelle started crying, thinking the worse. That her friend was dead. She slid off the bed and started pacing the room, tears flowing down her face. She stopped, screamed at the top of her lungs, and flung herself on the bed next to Brenda. He held onto her tightly as she cried. While was cradling Brenda, she stopped crying to listen. Brenda was still breathing. With a thought of hope she reached out and grabbed Brenda's wrist to check for a pulse. The relief that flooded her was overwhelming when she felt the gentle throb that meant her friend, no her sister, was still alive.

  She was still not responding and that scared Michelle out of her mind. A hospital, Michelle thought. I've got to get her to a hospital. She slouched down and picked Brenda up like a child. She stumbled with the limp girl in her arms through the cabin, out the door and to the car. After a struggle to get the door open she slid Brenda into the back seat and ran around the car. Hopping into the driver seat and she started up the car. She put it in reverse and headed back down the extremely long driveway to a road where she would have to guess which way to turn to find the nearest hospital.

  She didn't get that far. Thirty yards from the cabin, the car spat, sputtered and died. She looked at the gas gauge. Empty? How could it be empty? They just filled it last night at the gas station, the now scene of a crime. There was no way it took a full tank to get here.

  Doesn't matter now, she thought to herself. Regardless, we aren't going anywhere. She looked at Brenda laying in the back seat. “What the hell am I gonna do?” She spoke aloud.

  She decided that her first step was to her her friend out of the car and back into the cabin. Outside the car she lifted her friend out, carried her back inside and laid her on the couch. The fire was dimming so she threw a couple more logs onto it and decided she was hungry. She needed to search for food. The only thing she could possibly eat was canned food left here from her family. She went to the kitchen and started searching cupboards. On the third one she opened she hit the jackpot. She found spam, speghettios, franks and beans, and various cans of soup, vegetables, and fruit cocktail. She grabbed a can of fruit, and started searching the drawers for a can opener and spoon. She found both. Opening the can she headed to the living room to eat her find and think about what to do next.

  She sat down in front of the couch and her friend. As she ate, she listened to the steady breathing coming from Brenda. She started to think about what could be wrong with her, but decided that it wouldn't help her get out of this situation and tried to put it out of her mind. I've got to get us out of here, she thought to herself. We just need gas to go. Maybe I'll search the cabin for a gas can. I can also search outside to see if maybe the folks left something. We don't need much. Just enough to get the main road and flag some help. I'll find some, I have to. As soon as I'm done eating.

  She slowly ate her food, repeating her new mantra. Gas, help, hospital. Saying it that way to herself made it not seem so bad. Not so impossible.

  She was almost finished eating when she heard slamming coming from the back of the cabin. She jumped at the sound, and hesitantly left her safety to see what was making the noise. She walked out the door and around the cabin, heading to where the sound had come from. She got to the back of the cabin and found an old canoe propped up against the cabin wall, banging in the wind. Underneath the canoe, she saw flattened ground. Two things then became obvious. One, was that somehow the canoe had gone from lying on the ground to leaning against the building. And two, this extremely frightened her, that she and Brenda were definitely not alone.

  She looked fearfully around her, into the still dark woods, and got chills in the cool night. Who moved the canoe? Why? Were they still around? Were they watching her? She freaked herself out with these questions and headed back to the front of the cabin quickly, not looking back.

  She reentered the front door, shut it behind her and locked it. Feeling a little safer, she went back to the couch and sat down with Brenda who was still lying there. Her only motion was the slight rise and fall of her belly.

  “Okay.” Michelle started talking to herself. She needed to organize her thoughts and speaking out loud seemed to be her best option to do that. “So, Brenda's out, the car's out of gas, and there's someone creeping around outside. But I have the door locked, and enough food for a couple days. What else do I need? Water, gonna need something to drink.” With that she returned to the kitchen and turned on the faucet. Some clunking sound started, but with a shutter, the faucet turned on. Brown thick fluid started pouring out the tap.

  “Ewwww.” She said aloud. After a couple minutes the water cleared up and she sighed with relief.

  “That takes care of that. Now, what about Brenda? And how do we get out of here?” Soon it would be daylight and then she would figure out what to do. Who ever was outside wouldn't be able to creep around in the shadows any more and she'd have a better chance formulating a plan.

  It wasn't very long until the sun was coming up, and the time she spent waiting had been uneventful. No more noises and no change with Brenda. Michelle was a little closer to an idea of what to do. She wanted to go outside and hunt around for some gas, but she was scared that whoever was out is still lurking around. However, she argued with herself, she'd be able to see them now and find out what she was up against.

  With that argument in her head, she made her decision. She was going out. She went to the front door, opened it slowly, and looked around the front yard. With nothing there, she breathed a little easier as she stepped outdoors. Walking slowly, and still looking around cautiously, she kept an eye out for some place she might find a gas can. Seeing nowhere up front, she headed around the side and to the back of the cabin where she had been just a short time ago.

  Upon reaching the place that the canoe was laying up against the wall, she carefully scanned the area. Nothing, no footprints, no sign that anyone had been there. She saw off in the back yard a little shed. If she was good find what she was searching for it would be there. She headed to the small building, and found a pad lock on the door. She could go look for the key, she thought, but what was the chance of her finding it, and how long would it take? So she started hunting the area for something to break the lock with and found a large stone on the ground.

  “Well, here goes nothing.” She said aloud as she picked up the rock and started to slam it into the lock on the door. She had gotten lucky, the lock was rusty and it only took a couple hits. The large wooden door swung open slowly, screeching on unoiled hinges. The sun let very little light into the dark shed as she stepped in. She quickly looked around the best she could, but could barely see. So she stopped for a moment to let her eyes adjust, and they landed on a red gas can in the close corner.

  “Thank God for some miracles. Now we can get out of here.” She stooped and picked up the gas can. Joy over came her as she felt that it was about three-quarters of the way full. She couldn't hold her excitement as she practically skipped to the car.

  She got there, popped open the gas tank, and poured the contents of the can into the car. She started the car to make sure it worked. As the car hummed nicely, she headed back in to get Brenda. Now, she could get them out of
here, and get her friend some help.

  Michelle again picked up Brenda, and cradled her in her arms as she carried her back through the cabin and out towards the car. Once she got to the door, she saw that the car was backing quickly down the driveway. She dropped Brenda and started running after the car. She wasn't fast enough, and the car kept getting further away.

  She stopped running when she heard a call for help.

  “Brenda!” She screamed and turned back the way she had come. “Brenda I'm coming!” She yelled as she ran back to the cabin. There she found Brenda sitting where Michelle had dropped her. Rubbing her head, confused and she looked up to see her friend running towards her.

  “Michelle? What's going on? Where were you? And where are we?” Brenda rattled off her thoughts. Crying, Michelle reached her friend, threw herself onto the ground and gathered Brenda in her arms. She was so thankful to see that she was alright and just held her for what seemed like forever.

  Brenda tolerated it for a moment until she pushed Michelle off her, and