She began to fear every sound since she had met him. With every step she looked over her shoulder. Fear of him kept her wary. Trying to run from the nightmare he put her through was all that mattered, but the pain of being away from half of your sou...
Today is the day. Apex is asleep next to me and I can't bring myself to wake him. I decide to just leave him a note that I'm going out shopping because lying to his face would make it so much worse. I opt to leave him a note. I texted Hope last night asking if we could go shopping together. She thinks that I'm buying some lingerie for tonight. I feel guilty for lying to her but, at least if things go wrong I'll have a doctor with me. I leave the note on the bedside table and lean down to press a kiss to Apex's cheek. I walk to the door and just before I step out I take one last look at the man who has changed my life in the past few months. He is so painfully beautiful. It takes everything in me to restrain from running back to him and never leaving his arms again. Somehow, I find the strength to press on. I take a daunting step through the threshold and don't look back again. I make my way down the hall and winding staircase. I try to memorize every detail to immortalize this house that holds so many great and terrible memories in my mind. Stepping outside, the forest surrounding the house sways in the violent breeze, and the sky above has taken on a dark color as though night. I can smell the promise of rain clinging to the air and thunder already cracks in the distance. Hope is in the driveway and gets out of her car to wave at me. I go to her and get in her passenger seat. She smiles at me and makes small talk. The sense of dread is so heavy in my stomach that I hardly pay attention to a word she says. We reach our destination quicker than I'd like. I step out into the parking lot of the complex and walk with her towards the doors. My feet feel as though they're filled with lead. Hope chatters on excitedly next to me. We get inside just as the rain begins to fall. We walk around the Complex for a while before I spot him. He's standing near some bathrooms when I see him. "Hey Hope", I clear my throat, "I have to use the restroom can you go get us some snacks?". I smile at her but, it feels weak even to me. Nonetheless, she agrees and I head to the restrooms. I get to him and chills run down my spine. Everything about this feels wrong. "Hello ma'am", he says, "just wanted to remind you of our deal before I give you these". He takes a blister packet of pills from his pocket to show me. "Yes, I'll tell Apex to make space in his schedule for you", I say. He smiles at me before handing me the packet and walking away. Just like that he's gone. Looking down at the packet in my hand the little pale blue tablets don't look so nefarious. I step into the women's restroom and to the sinks. I look at myself in the mirror questioning if I'm really going to do this. I sigh and pop two of the pills from its packaging. He didn't tell me how many to take so I'm just guessing. I hold the tablets to my lips and pop them in my mouth. I cup my hands under the sink to get water to swallow them down with. I take one last look at myself in the mirror before stepping out of the restroom. I find Hope quickly she's standing in the food quart hold ice creams. I walk up to her and plaster on a fake smile. When I reach her she makes a sour face at me. "What's wrong?", I ask her. She leans forward and seems to sniff me. She shakes her head, "nothing you just kinda smell like a rogue, you must have brushed against one". "What's that?", I ask her. "It's not important right now", she shrugs, "besides your mate could probably explain it better than me". I nod and she offers me an ice cream. I go to grab it but, my fingers don't want to wrap around it, they feel numb and when I look at them I realize I'm shaking. I smile apologetically at Hope. "Sorry must be nerves about tonight", I say. She nods at me in a knowing way. I manage to get the ice cream from her but, don't eat it as my stomach has started churning. We walk through the mall and I feel myself losing feeling in my hands. Half an hour into our trip I start to stumble over my feet, Hope chuckles at my clumsiness at first. Then a few steps later I fall. The ground hits me hard but, I don't really feel it. I can't get up either. I can't feel anything when I'm lifted onto a stretcher and I can hear Hope calling someone on my phone. She's crying and my head is so fuzzy. Everything is so fuzzy and suddenly there are bright lights and masked faces over me. It feels like my head is filled with cotton when I hear a commotion toy right. I can't turn my head but, I can hear his voice. Then he's over me and his shoulders are shaking. I can't make out most of what's going on. The only thing I manage is the word 'poison'. Then the world around me is gone.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
