I close my eyes as he kisses my cheek. The first time we met, his eyes were magnetic. One kiss after another, he slowly moves down my face, and I lift my chin up as he gets to my neck. My heart beats faster and my hands begin to tremble. He always said it was love at first sight. Ever since he saw me in the food court at The Maine Mall. My arms slowly move outwards and I can feel the cool satin sheets intertwine with my fingers. He kisses the right side of my neck. I flinch, turn my head to the left and slowly open my eyes. My breathing tightens as he slowly starts to pull my bra strap down my shoulder and starts kissing down my neck to my collar bone. His soft lips are so gentle on my skin. I reach my left arm up slowly.
SMASH.
Heart beating fast, his body falls hard onto me as the glass from the lamp shatters over top of us. Pieces scatter across the room. Reach into the back right pocket of his jeans, grab the small key, slide out from under him, and fall out of the bed onto the glass-covered floor, barely feeling the cuts. I stand up, stumble, and run to the big dark door that stands out against the white walls. Push the key forcefully into the lock, twist it, then yank the door open. As I prepare myself to run away, I turn around to give him one last look to make sure he’s knocked out. His long brown hair lays over top of his strong pale face.
My cold bare feet slam onto the hard floor with every step I take down the dark hall, and my breathing is tight. Everything seems to be moving so slow as my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I feel around the room. I bump into a table and run my hand over it. My hands graze over something sharp. It feels like the scalpel he used to cut me with when he first brought me here. I know the feeling of it all too well. If you love me, why do you feel the need to cut my body? I continue to feel around the room, and finally find the door. I pull my bra strap up, turn the doorknob, and use the force of my body to push it open.
The bright sunlight bounces off the white blanket of snow covering every inch of the forest in front of me, and I swear the cool winter air freezes me in my place. I look down at my bra, underwear, and bare feet, and then back up at the pine trees that are so white you couldn’t even tell they were supposed to be green. I’ll freeze if I don’t grab a jacket. Fuck. There’s no time! I start to run. Looking back at the small brown cabin, it stands out so much in the white snow. How long was I stuck here for? My breathing gets harder and faster the more I run, and all I feel is the cold touching every inch of my body.
All I can think about is the last time it was snowing like this, my two little brothers were building snowmen outside with me, their soft innocent giggles surrounding the air. Mom was making hot cocoa in the kitchen, dad was watching some game on ESPN…
A soft smile comes across my almost numb face at the thought of being able to see my family again. It goes away almost instantly as I try to maneuver my way through the forest. I turn right after running for what feels like forever, then left at the one pine tree that has the smallest shade of green popping out, and I continue running straight forward from there. I hear the crunch of snow as I take each step. My entire body is numb at this point, and I catch myself on the trunk of a tree, breathing so hard that all I can see in front of me is a small cloud forming. My breaths are so loud that the pure silence of the forest is disrupted and I hunch over.
I won’t survive if I stay out here. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t even know if there is anyone out here to help me. Maybe I should just go back. I turn around and instantly feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I look down and see the scalpel, then up at him. His bright blue eyes pop with the stream of blood running down the side of his face. I fall to the ground. My brothers smile and run around. Little ‘I love you’s’ emerge from their small mouths. I love you guys too.
Robin Roney writes: “My name is Robin Roney. I attend the University Park campus. I’m an English major from Lancaster, PA. Before attending Penn State, I attended Murray State University in Kentucky. I’m a Delta Zeta alum. When I’m not working or doing school work, you can find me writing, drawing, or doing photography.”