Five
I didn’t realize how terrified I’d been to break up with Tyler until I’d actually done it. I couldn’t stop shaking as I got myself ready for my shift. I tried not to focus on it though. I tried to keep the image of his face when I told him we were through out of my head and once I took the order from my first table, I was alright. As the evening went on, I actually felt a little empowered. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stand up to him, but now that I had, it felt good.
It was easy to feel that way though while I was busy at work, but when my shift was over and I headed home, it was all I could think about. I’d turned my phone off while at O’Leary’s and when I finally turned it back on as I walked, I wasn’t surprised to see Tyler had blown up my phone with voicemails and texts. I started listening to each message, which ranged from desperation to almost threatening. I told myself to ignore him. He’d get over it and move on. Tyler Reeves could have any girl he wanted with the snap of his fingers. He’d realize soon enough that I wasn’t worth the drama.
All I wanted to do was get upstairs and get to sleep. It was nearly midnight and I was exhausted. I was still trying to reconcile what had happened the night before and the only way I knew how to deal with it at the moment was to sleep because when I slept, I couldn’t feel his hands on me or his body on top of mine as I told him no.
I was reaching for my key as I got to my floor and when I looked up, my heart began to pound. I froze as my eyes met his.
Tyler was leaning against the door, his arms folded as he looked at me. I could tell he’d been drinking by his bloodshot eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I asked softly.
“I came here to talk to you.” His words were slow and slightly slurred as they crawled out of his mouth.
“How’d you even get in here?”
“It’s not that hard. People are entirely too trusting. I just followed some old lady inside after she’d brought her Pomeranian down to do his business,” he told me and I knew exactly who he was talking about. Mrs. Downs took Teddy out every three hours like clockwork.
“You need to leave,” I said, trying to keep my voice quiet so none of my neighbors could hear.
“We have to talk, Sam,” he said, leaving his post at the door and walking towards me. Instinctively, I took a step back.
“I said all I needed to say earlier.” I tried making my voice sound strong, but I knew it was a pathetic attempt. I felt my body start to tremble as he got closer.
“I thought maybe after you had a chance to calm down, you’d come to your senses and stop with your bullshit.”
“No,” I said and he cocked his head in confusion.
“No what?”
“No. I have nothing new to say to you. Just…just go home, Tyler. We’re done,” I said softly, but he didn’t move. He continued to stand there, his presence intimidating the hell out of me.
“I can’t accept that, Sam,” he said, coming even closer, taking my hand. “I told you I’m sorry. I told you we can get past this.”
“And I told you we can’t.” I pulled my hand from his and brushed past him quickly to get to the safety of my apartment, but before I could, I felt his grip on my arm, yanking me back.
“Stop the bullshit, Sam.” He pulled me so close to him, I could smell the liquor on his breath as his menacing eyes bored into mine. His nails began to dig into my arm and it only got stronger the more I tried to free myself.
“Please, Tyler,” I whispered. “Please, just let me go.”
“No one makes a fool of me,” he threatened.
“I’m not. Please.”
“Dammit, Sam,” he grunted and I felt my body slamming against the wall as I felt his fingers curl around my neck. “You’re impossible! Why do you have to be such a little bitch sometimes?”
His fingers were growing tighter as he pressed his forehead against mine. I told myself not to panic as the tears sprang into my eyes and I struggled to catch my breath.
“Please, Tyler,” I pleaded, our eyes meeting as tears streamed down my face.
His grip tightened and a vein throbbed in this forehead.
“Dammit!” he grunted, his hand finally leaving my neck as I gasped for air.
I only waited a second though as I set my sights on the door to my apartment. Maybe if I moved fast enough, I’d be able to get past him. I sprinted towards the door, but he grabbed me again. This time I fought back, pulling and tugging as hard as I could away from him.
I opened my mouth to scream for help, but nothing came out as his hand struck my face so hard I stumbled back to brace myself, only to realize there was nowhere for me to go.
I flew backwards, landing with a hard thud as my back met the stairs, pain shooting all over my body. The world around me was a blur as I tumbled over and over, everything spinning around me until it went black.
~~~
The pain flooded my body. There were voices around me, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. My head was foggy. My eyes wouldn’t open. I was suddenly freezing and I started to tremble. I felt arms around me and I was warm again.
“Hang in there.” The voice sounded like it was coming from a tunnel, but it sounded familiar. “The paramedics are on their way.”
My eyes finally opened. They were slow and heavy, but a stream of light finally made its way into my sight and when I focused, a pair of black eyes were looking back at me. I felt safe.
“What’s going on?” When I heard my voice, it didn’t sound like my own. It was soft and confused and scared. I didn’t know where I was or what was happening or who all these people were.
“You fell down some stairs.” I met the dark eyes again. His voice was gentle and I wasn’t as afraid when I heard it.
“What?”
“Try not to talk. Just relax.”
“What’s going on?” I asked again and I could hear the agitation in my voice. I started to move. I wanted to get up, but when I did, every ounce of my body hurt. I felt a hand on mine. It was warm and I stopped squirming.
“Relax. Please try and keep still. You don’t want to injure yourself anymore,” the man said. Stairs? Injured? What the hell had happened?
I felt my eyes darting around as my heart started to pound in panic. I focused on the dark material and the shiny brass badge. This guy was a cop. Why was there a cop here?
I heard sirens coming closer and then they stopped, but red and blue lights started bouncing off the wall.
“They’re here,” the officer whispered to me just as two paramedics rushed in. He let go of my hand and I instantly wanted it back. He was talking to the EMTs and then it was all a blur as they started looking me over. Taking my vitals and placing my neck in a brace. I was being hoisted onto a gurney after that and I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. My mind was racing. I was scared. I couldn’t remember what happened. I knew I was in my apartment building, but the cop said I’d fallen down the stairs. I couldn’t remember though. I couldn’t remember anything, which was what terrified me most of all. I felt a tear stroll down the sides of my face and then I felt a touch on my arm.
“They’re going to take good care of you.”
The police officer was looking down at me again and he smiled. I knew he was just trying to make me feel better. He draped a blanket over me and then his face was gone a second later as they started wheeling me out of the building.
It was a blur after that. I was put into the ambulance. One of the medics was saying something to me as we drove away. I couldn’t focus though. I barely understood what he was saying to me. I started to tremble, even under the blanket, and then I closed my eyes again, welcoming the darkness as I tuned everything out.