by C. E. Snyder
“Who are you? I have nothing for you,” she pleaded, her body shaky with fear. The lightning flashed. He took one step forward. She panicked and ran toward the closet. She tripped with her hands in the air, grabbed the shelf, and it fell down, bringing her with it. Everything on the shelf fell on top of her. She couldn’t move; she just lay under boxes of clothes and whatever else was on the shelf. She heard the door slam and thought that he might be in the room. She prayed that he would just leave, but when nothing happened, she hoped he had left.
She was bleeding from her head. She grabbed something and pressed it hard on her forehead to try to stop the bleeding. She laid back down and waited, waited for Isaac to come home.
Isaac was on stage singing when the lights went out. He stood in silence for a moment. He was calm until he got the feeling of fear running through him. He stood frozen for another second. He felt that Carrie was in trouble. The emergency lights came on, and he ran to his dressing room, tore off his costume, and wiped off his makeup. He threw on his jeans and his shirt then ran out the door.
He kept running until he was on the street. He tried to hail a cab, but none would stop. He was only a few blocks from the apartment, so he took off running, dodging walkers as he ran by. All the while, he was hoping and praying that she was okay. While running, he could hear laughter, but he didn’t bother with the chaos. He just kept running. He reached the building of where his home was, and he stopped, throwing up on the sidewalk. He couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t stop. He ran in the building, and taking the steps, two at a time, reached the floor and ran down the hall. The door was ajar slightly, and he swore under his breath—what breath he had. As he pushed the door open, the lights came back on and the TV played music.
He saw that she had been watching the wedding video. It was on the part of their first dance. His gaze shifted down, and he gasped, putting his hand over his heart. The glass coffee table was shattered. There was blood everywhere. His heart sank, and he was instantly panicked.
He stepped toward the glass and the blood. He saw a trail leading to the wall. There were two handprints with streaks of blood running down on the wall as if she ran into it. There was a trail of blood running through the kitchen and into the hallway. He followed the blood, his heart pounding. He was moaning with grief the farther he went. He stepped into the hallway. There was a long line of bloody handprints running across the wall. Pictures were knocked off the wall, and blood was everywhere. He knew she was dead. He shoved his fist into his mouth to keep from screaming. The smell of blood was making his stomach turn. His heart was dying. He was dying.
He glanced toward the bedroom, where the blood was leading, and saw the mess from the closet. He saw what looked like an arm on top of the rumble. He ran over, heart pounding in his ears. Fear was a strong taste in his mouth. The smell of blood was stronger. He went down on his knees and reached for her. “Carrie, oh God. Please be alive,” Isaac pleaded. She moaned, and he sighed with relief.
She turned her head and lightning flashed. All she saw was some pointy ears and fur. It looked to her like she was looking at a beast. She panicked and pushed with what strength she had at the beast. She screamed and yelled. “Don’t hurt me anymore,” she said. Isaac was confused.
“Carrie. It’s me, my love.” He stood up, backing up till he hit the wall and felt around for the light switch. He found it and turned on the light. “What is it, Carrie?” He turned and caught his reflection in the mirror. He had forgotten to take off his ears. He ripped them off and went back down so she could see it was him. He grabbed her arms and when he saw her face, he was horrified. Half of her face was red with blood. It was smeared everywhere.
Her one eye opened, and she calmed down and saw that it was Isaac that had her. “You’re safe now,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. She was silent for a moment. He pushed her from him, and her head fell back. He shook her a little, and she raised her head. “I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said as he picked up her limp body and ran out the apartment.
Standing outside of the back entrance to the hospital, Dr. Christina Evans waited for her friends to arrive. “You can’t say a word about who is coming, do you understand me?” Chrissie said to the nurse that she’d asked to help. The nurse nodded and pointed to the taxi coming down the alley. Chrissie turned around to watch; she could see Isaac in the taxi but not Carrie. She didn’t know to what extent Carrie was hurt. He just said that she might need stitches. When didn’t she need stitches?
Chrissie ran over to the taxi and swung open the door. The smell of blood was strong on the breeze. Chrissie looked in; she saw Carrie with a towel or something covering her face. The cloth was now totally red. Carrie’s arms were pure white. Blood was streaming down everywhere. She was lying across Isaac’s lap.
“Isaac, why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” Isaac turned his head around to look up at Chrissie, while shifting both him and Carrie out of the back of the car.
“Because you would have had the entire hospital out here, and it would be in the news,” Isaac said. Chrissie put her hands on her hips and scowled.
“I would not. I know what would have happened if someone found out. I would have been more prepared. She’s going to need at least three pints of blood,” she said as she held open the door.
“Well, now you know. Just do what you have to, and I’ll clean her up,” he said. He laid Carrie on a gurney and stepped back so she could work. She went to work right away. She pulled Carrie’s hand away from her face. She ran her hand down Carrie’s cheek. Carrie looked up at her with her pale face and glassy eyes.
“Oh, Carrie, what happened?” Chrissie asked sadly. Carrie’s expression changed. Carrie didn’t know what she was seeing. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out but a moan. Isaac was immediately at her side, holding her hands.
“I’m here, Carrie. I’m not leaving. Chrissie was just trying to fix you up. That’s all, my sweetheart. Okay?” Isaac said in his calmest soothing voice. When Carrie focused on his face, she calmed visibly and laid back down on the gurney. Isaac went to step back again, but Carrie wouldn’t let his hand go. “Chrissie, can you work around me? She’s not going to let me go.”
“Yes, you won’t be in the way.” She turned to look at the nurse. “Get four pints of A negative blood STAT!” Chrissie demanded. She ordered an extra pint of blood just in case she might need it.
“How long is this going to take?” he asked. “Can you give her the blood fast?”
“It might take thirty minutes for her to take all the blood,” she said, looking up from Carrie’s face where she was wiping off the blood from her new cut. “She’s lost a lot,” she said as she put some numbing cream on the gash.
“Can I take her home after she takes the blood? I need to take care of her myself,” Isaac said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“I wouldn’t recommend that. She should spend the night here in the hospital.” Isaac went to protest, but she put her hand up to stop him. “I know, Isaac. I’m going to let you take her home as soon as she takes the blood, but I need you to be totally focused on her. If you don’t do what I suggest and keep an eye on her, I will come and get her myself. Do you understand me, Isaac?” She put her hand down and wiped at Carrie’s face again.
“I promise, but I’m taking her out of the city tomorrow,” he told her. She just shook her head and picked up the needle to close up the gash, and then she changed the subject.
“Are you going to tell me what happened to her?” she asked without looking up.
“I don’t know what happened. One minute I was on stage singing my first song, and the next, the lights went out and I felt like something was wrong. I ran all the way home.” He paused for a second to look down at Carrie’s face. The nurse was back and put an IV into Carrie’s arm. She flinched from the pain of the needle. He looked back up and finished his story. “I walked into the apartment, and the glass coffee table she l
oved so much was a pile of glass and blood. There were handprints of blood on the walls. The hall had a long line of blood, as she was trying to feel her way down it. I’m not really sure why or how, but she was lying in the closet with everything that was on the shelf lying on top of her. How could she just fall like that? I don’t understand it.” He took a deep breath.
“Well, whatever did happened, she was really cut this time. Whatever cut her face also took a chip out of her skull,” she said, holding up a piece of bone with tweezers. She looked up to Isaac’s fearful face. “Oh, don’t worry. She still has enough bone to protect her brain. It’s just a chip.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
It took an hour for Carrie to take all the blood that she needed. It was a good thing that Chrissie ordered the extra pint. Her color was almost back to normal. As promised, he was allowed to take her home. The taxi was still waiting for them in the alley. Chrissie gave Isaac a blanket from the hospital, and he wrapped Carrie up tight. He held her on his lap the whole way home. Holding her tight, he promised to himself and to her that he wouldn’t let her out of his sight again.
When they got home, he carried her up the stairs and through the door. The smell of blood was still potent in the apartment. He laid her on their bed. She gasped and held on to his hand. “I’m just going to run the water so I can wash you. I’m only going to be in the bathroom,” he explained. She nodded and relaxed back down on the bed.
She watched him leave the room, and she heard the water running in the tub. He came back, as he had promised, and unwrapped her from the blanket. As he took the blanket off, he had forgotten about her blood-soaked clothes. “I’m going to throw these clothes out. We can get you new ones,” he said, and he gently pulled her t-shirt over her head. He pulled her pants off next. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He set her on her feet and braced her on the wall so he could take off her bra. He paused for a second as he saw the twin bruises that weren’t there that morning. “Carrie,” he said as he spun her away to look at her face. Her face went up abruptly, and he framed her face with his hands. “Carrie,” he said her name again, “what happened tonight? I need to know. There are bruises on your back that weren’t there when I left you.” She looked up in his eyes, the eyes that she loved. She searched his face, tears burning the back of her eyes as she struggled to use her voice.
“I—I was watching the wedding video, and the lights went out,” she began shivering from being cold.
“Yes, I saw that when I got home. Go on,” he prompted.
“The lights went out. I lay down on the couch, and I heard the door open and close. The lightning flashed and the man from the recital was standing there.” Isaac pulled her into his arms, and he smoothed out her blood-soaked hair and kissed her cheek, not caring that he would get blood on him. “I should have gone with you; I just wanted to look at pictures and watch the video.” She looked up at his face again, and he framed her face and kissed her.
“Don’t worry about that now. Just tell me what he did.” He pulled her again to put his arms around her. She turned her head and rested it on his shoulder.
“I couldn’t hear him, and when the lightning flashed again, I couldn’t see him. The next thing I knew, I was pushed, and I was falling forward into the coffee table.” She stopped and looked up at his face. “I hit my head really hard on something. That is how my head got cut.”
“It’s okay. Let’s get you cleaned up. I still have to clean up the apartment,” he said, unfastening her bra and slipping off her underwear. He picked her up and laid her in the water. She hissed as the hot water burned her cuts on her arm. He made sure that he used a soft washcloth and it was soaked. He wiped the blood clean from her skin as she watched him with unblinking eyes. He glanced several times at her eyes as they were stuck on her face. “I’m going to wash your hair now. It might sting a little. Know that I’m sorry.” He poured water over her head and massaged shampoo in her hair. He was careful not to get any near her cut. His gaze locked with her unblinking eyes, and he had to say something. He rinsed her hair, he pulled the stopper out of the drain, and before he took her out, he framed her face again. “I love you so much, Carrie. You are the only one for me. I wouldn’t be able to live without you. If you never get your memory back, I will stand by you and make new ones you can remember.” He watched the tears flow down her cheeks.
“Isaac, I don’t remember anything, but what I do know is that I really do love you. You were the first person that I thought of when I needed help. I actually said your name when I didn’t see that man. I—”
He stopped her. “When did you say my name?” he asked.
“Right before he pushed me. You were there really soon after,” she said. He searched her face for a long while before he spoke. The bloody water was all gone now from the tub, leaving the tub stained red. She laid there in the empty tub.
“Honey, I think our connection is stronger than any of us first thought.” He lifted her out of the tub, wrapped a towel around her, and carried her to the bedroom. He set her on the bed and put a nightgown over her head then slipped the covers over her. He bent down to kiss her and pushed her hair out of her face. “I’m going to clean up the mess, and then I’ll come to bed. If you need me, call. I’m not going anywhere.” He shut off the light, and she screamed. He ran back to her and sat next to her. “I’m here, what is it?”
“When the lights go out, I see his face,” she said, shaking and whimpering. He leaned over and switched on the bedside lamp.
“Is that better?” he asked. She nodded and rolled over. He stepped back out again, but not before he looked back. She was lying on her side with her eyes closed. He ached inside for her; he wanted to weep. He just didn’t know what to do, but he would not leave her alone again.
Chapter 21
“ won’t you let me help you, Isaac?” Carrie asked with her arms crossed, looking at herself in the mirror. She now had an X over her right eye, a short line from the original attack and a new one with fresh stitches that was twice as long as the old one. “I’m not going to get hurt helping you pack my suitcase, am I?” she asked again, turning to glare at him. He turned around from putting clothes in the bag and wrapped his arms around her with her arms still crossed over her chest.
“No, I don’t suppose you would, but I think I’m done here anyway. Can you take this bag out to the living room? I’ll be out shortly,” he requested, kissing her on her forehead. She winced just a little, but she didn’t want him to see. He pushed her from him, running his hands up and down her arms, then stepped out of her way so she could grab the case. She made an “ugh” sound as she caught up the handle. Isaac let out a quiet laugh and straightened his face when she whirled around to give him another glare.
“Did you have to make it so heavy?” she asked, taking it out of the room.
“You were the one who wanted to help,” he reminded her, snickering.
“I know, I know,” she said. She heard him laugh again. She couldn’t help but laugh a little too. She pulled the case all the way out to the living room. She braced the case against the couch and stood up, tucking her hair behind her ear.
When she looked up, she saw a man standing in the living room. He had his back toward her. He was very tall with wide, broad shoulders, and he was wearing all black. She couldn’t move, stood there frozen. His head suddenly turned and he glanced at her from over his shoulder. She saw a smile curve on his face as he turned his full body to face her. He had a cup of coffee in his hand.
“Karolina,” he said with his teeth flashing at her. “Laslovaya moya; I have missed you.” He spoke in a language that she didn’t understand, but he seemed to know her. She should have known this man, but she didn’t. “Karo, what is wrong?” he asked as he took a step toward her. She stepped backward, holding up her hands to ward him off. She kept walking backward until she hit the doorframe to the kitchen.
“Isaac! Isaac!” she yelled as she turned around to burrow into
the wall. Isaac came running out of the hall.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he saw the man in the room. The man was at least a foot taller than him, but he knew the man quite well. This tall, wide-shouldered man was Aleksander Ivanov. He was Carrie’s personal bodyguard. “Oh, hello, Sasha,” Isaac said. Carrie pushed back to look up at him. She was shaken, but now she was confused.
“You know him?” she asked, her eyes glittering with tears.
“Yes, of course I do. I told you about him,” he said then remembered that he hadn’t told her he was coming. “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. He is coming to the house with us.”
“Who is he?” she asked.
“This is Aleksander Ivanov. He is your bodyguard, and you call him Sasha,” Isaac said, looking up at Sasha.
“Why do I need a bodyguard? I have you,” she said, turning her face away.
“Yes, but I needed him for help. I’m not taking any more chances with your safety, Carrie. I won’t,” Isaac said, framing her face with his hands. “Sasha is only here to help me keep you safe, nothing more.” He kissed her, not caring that they had company.
“I am sorry to have startled Karo, but I haven’t seen you in a while, and I was worried. I wish you would let me guard you more often than you do,” Sasha said and watched Carrie’s expression change in her eyes. Isaac stepped back from her and rested his hands on her shoulders.
“I have to finish packing. Would you talk with Sasha and tell him what the man looks like, as it is only you have seen him?” She nodded to his request and turned to face Sasha. She studied him for a while and decided that if Isaac was okay with him, then she should be too.
“It is okay. Sasha, I was attacked in my home last night; Isaac has probably already told you,” she said with her head bowed.
“Yes, Karolina, why don’t we sit down and talk. I need to know what I am looking for when we go to the airport,” Sasha said, gesturing to the couch for her to sit. She looked up abruptly and snapped her teeth together.
