Finally, I hear David, but I’m unable to face him. Every inch of me feels stiff and thick against the uncomfortable hospital mattress. In the distance, a whispered conversation commences, then comes to an end.
A whiff of David’s scent approaches me. He strokes my arm and whispers, “I’m here, lover, always.” Then he pleads for me to return to him. My efforts to comfort him are in vain.
Time passes before I hear Violet whisper to David. Again, I’m left alone. My body is stiff while my mind is a fog of uncertainty. And yet, tears brim and flow from my eyes.
Beeping commences from the right side of my room. Next, I feel a freezing substance enter my veins. The room begins to blend into a mixture of unfamiliar shapes and colors until the darkness takes over. My body levitates and then detaches from my bed; I aimlessly drift into the darkness.
“You’ll never be alone, again. My sweetness. Oh, how much I’ve missed you,” Kate’s male voice vibrates around me. His breath is hot and tense on my neck while he fondles and lingers on my skin. First my breasts, then my damp apex. I hate my body for betraying me.
His firm growth presses against me. We float through the darkness while he strokes my center. He licks my neck and an ache forms within me.
“Don’t fight it. I feel that you want me, too. In this form, you should call me Klad. Oh, you’ll learn to desire me as much as I desire you. Oh, my sweet—in no time I’ll have you quivering all around my thick, firm cock.” He slithers to face me as we continue to float. His kisses are intense, and I fail to struggle against him.
“Mmm…I see why David is so enamored by your features.” He frees a breast from my hospital gown and teases my nipples with his teeth.
A red light appears in the distance, and I know exactly where we’re drifting to.
“Normally, I don’t like busty chicks,” he whispers as he tightens his grip around my breast. “But since we’ll be together forever, I’ll just have to learn to like you, my sweet, sweet Scarlet,” he huffs against my lips before he forces his tongue down my throat.
I struggle to break free, but he’s too powerful. With each stroke and each thrust, I know that my efforts are useless. Finally, after a miserable lapse of time, we’re on Klad’s bloody beach. The sun blazes with a menace-like crimson glare, while a blood shower greets us. A dense, sanguine wave crashes against the stained sand.
His taste buds slither from my left toe until he reaches my center. I become hot and drenched against his flicking tongue. Tears form at the corners of my closed eyes, and I imagine that I’m with David.
“Shhh. Don’t cry, my sweetness. I won’t be rough this time,” he whispers while he nibbles at my clit. His growth throbs and is hot against my leg. Klad strokes and thrusts against me while he laps at my center.
Heat builds and taunts as his intensity increases. A moan escapes my throat while I wither beneath him. He sucks on my clit until his warm, thick cream covers my knee.
I’m still, with my eyes shut, as I wait for him to finish.
“Now I can have you as long as I want,” he moans before he flicks his wrist and flips my body onto all fours.
Klad lied—he wasn’t gentle, and he wasn’t nice. He’s precise and relentless as he grunts and fucks me. I’m his toy that he’ll never grow tired of. He shoves a finger into my ass. I’m silent as I dig my fingers deep into the sand.
He stops pounding me, but continues to finger my unexplored hole. “Mmm…” he moans as he attempts to slide his unwanted muscle inside my virginal backdoor.
“Fuck no,” I roar as I break free and then dart away from him. Frantic clumps of sand shoot up and attack my exposed body. In a naked spree, I dash toward the shoreline. Klad’s thunderous laugh strikes all around me. Lightning bolts flash sporadically across the sky before several voluptuous clouds release a vigorous blood shower.
A violent whoosh rushes behind me and then a firm object tightens around my neck. “Nooo!” I yell as I’m dragged backward. Chains clink while the collar wrapped around my neck chokes me into a submissive position.
“I tried to be nice, Scarlet,” Klad hisses at me. “But obviously I must show you who the fuck is in control.” His venomous voice ricochets against the rock formations that surround us.
“Lord, please save me,” I plead as I fight against Klad. He hovers above me. Sand shifts beneath me as I fail to escape his wrath. Slap after slap strikes against my face until blood trickles from my lip and nose.
“Please,” I whimper. My hands fail to protect my face.
“Stop,” an earthquake roar carves through the sky. Klad halts his assault. The once sanguine ocean and rain morph into a traditional beach setting. A gust of sweet lavender swirls around me.
“You’re safe now,” Clara announces before her arms and delicate wings encompass me. I shrink into her embrace before she rockets into the sky.
For a moment, I peer down to witness my nightmare crumble beneath me. Klad roars as my hell engulfs him into a volcanic hole.
Clara’s mighty wings carry us beyond the sea and toward the unknown. My beaten body succumbs to her tender, motherly protection. Her wings create a rhythmical pattern, and like an infant, I drift to sleep within my mother’s arms.
David
“Scarlet? Can you hear me?” Violet questions as she strokes at Scarlet’s hair. She shifts to face me. “Did you call my parents?” Her eyes are desperate for answers.
“Umm…no. With…you know, Elizabeth’s…condition.” I cough then allow Violet to finish my statement. A soft whimper hums from Scarlet’s throat.
“How long will she be like this?” Milton inquires while he strokes Violet’s back.
“It’s uncertain,” an unknown female voice offers from behind us.
We jerk our attention to her.
“Hello. I’m Dr. Debra Blantz. I’m here to personally escort Scarlet to DLC.” Dr. Blantz extends her hand to Violet, then directs her gaze at each of us. Violet takes a step forward to shake the doctor’s hand.
“I’d say that it’s a pleasure, but under these circumstances… I’m sorry. I’m Violet Belka, Scarlet’s sister. And this is my fiancé, Milton Pike; and that’s Dr. David Jensen, Scarlet’s fiancé.”
Milton and I step forward to shake Dr. Blantz’s hand. Again, we’re requested to leave Scarlet alone. We find a quiet corner in the waiting area so that Dr. Blantz can use a sensitive tone to explain Scarlet’s prognosis.
“I must clarify that I’m only speaking from what I read on Scarlet’s chart. Until I’m able to thoroughly diagnosis Scarlet, her prognosis is what we’ll base her treatment by.” She nods her head in agreement as we acknowledge and mock her gesture.
“Dr. Warn mentioned that Scarlet exhibits symptoms of psychosis. Is it treatable?” I shift forward to hear Dr. Blantz’s answer.
“David, right?” she questions before she clears her throat. Her lips form into a gentle smile. With urgency, I nod my head and wait for her answer. She pauses for far too long, then exhales deeply.
“David, Scarlet is portraying symptoms of what holistic psychologists identify as possession.”
Violet gasps, and Milton draws her into his arms. I dig my nails into my knees.
“Possession?” I snap before I begin to grind my teeth.
“I would rather not elaborate at this moment. However, this may be the last time you see Scarlet. At least, until we can relieve her symptoms to the point that she’s lucid.” Dr. Blantz straightens out her long-sleeved shirt. She allows us a moment to digest Scarlet’s condition. More time lapses while Violet weeps into Milton’s shoulder.
“Psychosis is a disturbing and often unforgiving mental illness. At the moment, Scarlet is not herself. At least, she believes she’s not.” A cough rasps from Dr. Blantz’s throat before she continues, “I read that Scarlet suffered a traumatic brain injury, and there’s a shockingly high level of opioids in her system.” Her face hardens with disapproval.
Violet jolts her glare at me, then speaks through sob
s: “P-Personally, I was unaware of the o-opioid abuse. But she was assaulted in October. She had to be operated on and hospitalized.”
I exhale then bite my lip before I interject, “Scarlet complained of debilitating headaches and would abuse her pain medications…” I pause to formulate a manner that wouldn’t portray Scarlet as an addict. I swallow my uncertainty, then confess, “She would often drink while heavily medicated.”
A brisk exhalation shoots from Violet. Her cries increase before she scolds, “Then that’s why she behaved in such a repulsive manner at Thanksgiving dinner?” Her puffy, bloodshot eyes squint at me.
“Yes,” I confess as I lower my gaze to my restless fingers.
“TBIS is a challenging condition that can be sustained,” Dr. Blantz offers as she gives Violet’s thigh a swift pat. “We have to stay vigilant and positive about her treatment. There could be a curable cause to her psychosis. But we must also prepare for the worse,” she pauses then shuts her eyes as she exhales with hesitation. “Scarlet’s condition could be permanent, and you must be prepared for either outcome.”
While Violet signs all the necessary documents required for Scarlet’s DLC entrance, I slip away to say goodbye to my lover.
The sun ganders through the clouds and shoots a ray onto Scarlet’s lips. She’s motionless and defeated as she appears to be one with the restraints that have caused deep wounds on her wrists and ankles.
I stand and stare, unsure what to say or do. My mind runs amok with a gamut of emotions and countless, “What ifs.”
Finally, I use caution and smooth out a spot next to Scarlet on her bed. I draw her toward me, then stare at the symbol I placed on her finger—my promise to love and be with her. The bejeweled symbol of my love that she used to injure herself.
“Gorgeous. My lover, please. Prevail against whatever has you…” I choke as I struggle to form a supportive statement. What if she stays like this, forever?
Psychosis?
Possession?
Finally, the fortitude I held onto begins to deteriorate as I grasp that I may never see my Scarlet ever again. I may never hold her while she returns my affection. My once limitless future with her is now uncertain. With hesitation, I remove Scarlet’s engagement ring.
“This isn’t goodbye, my love. You will always own my heart. And I will wait for you. Once you’ve overcome this, everything will return as it was. This is only temporary, but I must take your engagement ring so that you don’t use it to hurt yourself again. Please, my love, come back to me.” I disregard my emotional shield, and allow my anguish to flow from me. I lower my lips to kiss the finger that once held my promise to love Scarlet—each day more than the last.
I shift forward to place my head on her chest and listen to her pulse. Her heart’s gentle thuds may be the last I hear from her. Ever. As much as I want to be hopeful, I must be prepared for the unknown. And acknowledge the possibility of continuing my life—without Scarlet.
After memorizing the pattern of her beating heart, I slide off of her bed to draw closer to her face. “And I will wait. I will wait for you,” I sing Scarlet’s favorite Mumford and Sons’ song with hopes that my awkward singing will wake her. That she will just wake up and look into my eyes and tell me that all is well. Just wake up, please.
Silence slaps my conscious into reality as Scarlet continues in her medicated state.
My lips find hers, before I whisper into her mouth, with hopes to reach her soul, “Scarlet—lover. Please. Please fight this. Come back to me.”
Scarlet
A vast, aqua-colored ocean sparkles beneath us while Clara’s wings take us far, far away from Klad/Kate.
“I see something we can land on,” Clara states as she nods her head in front of us.
Moments pass before we’re finally hovering above a small island that’s surrounded by the endless, intimidating, pristine ocean.
“You’ll be safe here,” Clara whispers before she releases me onto the warm, prickly, island sand.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me.” Tears stain my checks as I rush to hug her.
“Of course, Scarlet,” she replies while she strokes at my hair. Her embrace is different from the last time I hugged her in my dreams on that lush green hill. The memory of the grassy hill we chatted on flashes in my mind. I glance up at Clara to admire her beauty. How much she has changed. She’s ageless and shines with an unfamiliar brilliance. Her intricate wings retract to rest behind her like two archer’s arrows that wait to be disbanded.
“They’re magnificent,” I murmur in awe as I use caution to pet one.
“They won’t break, Scarlet.” Her smile and laugh are so contagious that I relax into her embrace.
I question how she was able to save me from my hell. A long moment passes while we listen to the delicate waves that join the immaculate sand. “Scarlet, something has gone wrong up here.” Her face strains as she stares and points at my temple.
Clara reveals that my physical form is being transferred to a mental health facility, and that there is talk of psychosis and possession, but that I will need to be fully evaluated. My attention is captured by the endless bruises that adorn my limbs.
“Is-th-is-ss-even-real?” I stutter as I motion over all my injuries.
Clara fidgets to create space between us. My naked body is exposed and vulnerable without her protection.
“Scarlet, this world around you is all a development of your condition—your psychosis.” Clara’s gaze enchants me. Her eyes glow in an unfamiliar shade of lilac. She continues to explain that what happens to me in my dreams depends on me; I determine my fate. But that Kate’s demon soul is indeed within me, and I have to stay resilient or she’ll possess me again.
Somehow, Kate escaped her hell. The moment her demonic spirit forced her way down my throat, I was doomed. Tears escape my eyes as I take in the fact that I may never rid myself of her.
“Don’t let her win, Scarlet,” Clara urges, before she brings my chin up for me to face her. “You are stronger than you believe to be. You have survived all of her previous attacks. Just because this one is from within, doesn’t mean you can surrender. You must push her out, do you hear me?” I shake under her grip while she orders me to free myself of Kate.
“How are you here?” I question in a meek tone. My attention becomes diverted to a brilliant monarch butterfly.
“You asked for God’s help. It’s not always in the moment, but I was sent to help.” Her skin shimmers under the sun’s brilliance. Her hair is vibrant and ageless, just like her taut skin that’s free of wrinkles. Without thinking, I reach for her face. Immediately, she takes my hand. With my hand in hers, she places my palm against her warm face, then I return my hand to my lap.
“Now what?” I question as I search the area that surrounds us.
She grabs my chin to face her. “Now, you listen carefully. You’re going to wake up, far, far away from your family and David. It may be days, even months, before you see any of them. But you must be and stay cooperative. This is your body, your mind. Do not let Kate win.” Clara stares deep into my eyes, then nods her head as she waits for my acknowledgement of her instructions.
As I nod my head, I feel an unfamiliar weightlessness invade my body. “What’s happening to me?” I bellow as my naked and bruised body floats away from her.
“You can and you will survive this,” she encourages before she vanishes into the air.
My muscles ache worse than they would if I had jogged for hours. And my neck is as stiff as a brick. I attempt to lift myself, but again, my limbs are restrained to the bed. I’m able to lift my head up enough to take in my surroundings.
There’s a simple metal lamp resting on a nightstand in the corner that’s next to a black, patent leather chair. A miniature window is to my left, and an intimidating steel door to my right. I shift enough to not cause pain and then notice that, although there’s a chair next to my bed, I’m all alone.
Flashes of David’s vo
ice and face penetrate my mind. My David. Where is he?
“Hello?” I call with hopes that someone will hear me. A significant moment passes. And yet, there’s nothing. No one.
“Hello? Please help me,” I scream and struggle against my restraints.
With each failed attempt to free myself, my leather restraints restrict and injure my wrist and ankles. The familiar pinch of a catheter reveals my long-term confinement to this bed.
“Hello, Scarlet. I’m delighted that you’ve finally adjusted to your meds. My name is Dr. Blantz, and I’ll be in soon to meet you. Please be patient while your vitals are checked,” a boisterous voice shrieks through an unforeseen intercom.
The massive, grey, metal door that confines me to my prison cell opens. A medium-built male nurse walks in. His dark-navy scrubs match well with the light-blue wall paper.
“Hi, Scarlet. It’s nice to see you awake. I’m Sal, the nurse on shift. I’ll have to check your vitals. So please be cooperative,” he informs as he takes gentle steps in my direction. For some reason his palms face up. “How do you feel?” he inquires before lifting the sheets off of my feet. For a moment, I hesitate and fail to recoil away from him.
“You’re fine, lady. I’m just trying to check if you have any swelling. You’ve been laying there in that bed for almost a month.” His hands are cold as he probes at my tense ankles.
“A month?” I whisper in disbelief.
“Yes, sugar, you were brought in at the beginning of December, and now it’s January,” Sal replies as he checks his chart. He glances to see my reaction, then softens his expression. Concern wrinkles the corners of his eyes.
“You’ll be all right. You’ve progressed wonderfully since your first night. Tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?” he questions as his lips form a lopsided smile. Sal pats my leg, then walks toward my window. For a second, I’m unsure what to say or what to do because a long scale-covered tail begins to rip the seams of his scrubs.
Scarlet Unleashed Page 5
