Chapter 15: Andrea

I lay in bed, curled into a fetal position, hugging my knees and my eyes burning with tears.

It was over.

Dennis had found me, and he had ruined everything, just as he had done with my entire life so far. I had never thought I could hate someone so much, but I genuinely loathed him, and although I was crying like a child, I was furious. A part of me wished he had actually taken me back to Manchester. I would have gone quietly, taken the beating, and then, when he was asleep, stabbed him so many times you couldn’t see where one stab ended and the other began.

I wanted to kill him. I wanted this nightmare to be over. I wanted him out of my life, and preferably, buried so deep in the ground, there would be no way to dig him back out, even if someone wanted to.

Bobby tried to get me to talk several times, knocking on my door and calling my name before disappearing, only to dutifully return ten minutes later. By the fourth or fifth time, he gave up, and I could hear him close his bedroom door, and the sound of his bathroom shower coming on as he readied himself for bed.

I cried harder. I replayed the incident at the coffee shop in my head. Seeing Andy that way only made me cry harder. I was grateful for what he had done for me, loved him for it actually, but hated what he would have had to suffer in return. I had heard Bobby talking to him downstairs, and although I couldn’t make out all the words, I knew that Andy was alright. I felt better for it.

But I also knew Dennis had slipped away. That worried me more than the fear I had for Andy’s wellbeing.

You need to go to him.

But how? Bobby was keeping a close eye on me, and with Dennis out and about, how safe was I out on the streets alone? Would he be waiting outside for me to do something stupid? Was he anticipating how naïve I would be?

I shook, overwhelmed with a mix of feelings ranging from anger to fear. I was frustrated that I couldn’t do anything, that I was helpless and weak. I felt like I was back in Manchester, accepting the inevitable, coming to terms with the harsh reality that I would forever be a mouse in a maze, racing in circles and going nowhere.

How could I be so stupid? How did I think I could live a normal life?

I had the audacity to hope. And it came back to bite me in the ass.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to see Andy. I had to make sure he was okay, see it for myself, and not just be content with the scattered words of a phone call he made to Bobby.

You should have answered your phone when he called you.

But I hadn’t been able to. Ever since we had gotten home, I had been hiding in my room, laying in the same position, terrified to move. I was in no position to answer my phone. And besides, what was I going to say? I’m sorry my crazy husband took his frustration out on you?

Then go see him.

I had to. I needed to.

I tried to push myself up and realized that I couldn’t. I was so petrified, I had frozen myself in place. I closed my eyes, willed my muscles to move, but nothing happened. My body was fighting me, adamant on staying hidden behind the closed door where no one could hurt me.

Get up!

I tried again, and this time, I was able to curl out of my fetal position, my muscles screaming in protest and the joints in my limbs popping. Only then did I realize how tense I had been, how locked into place I had forced my body to be.

I groaned as I rolled my legs off the side of the bed and forced myself into a sitting position. My head was swimming, and I was exhausted from all the crying. I wiped my eyes, contemplated washing my face, then decided against it. I didn’t want Bobby hearing me move about. It might make him feel like I was ready to talk, and he’d come back. I wanted him to think I had fallen asleep. I needed him to fall asleep so I can get on with what I wanted to do.

I looked around my room, briefly taking note of where my keys and ID were, keeping my ears pierced for any movement in Bobby’s room. I heard his bed springs as he climbed into bed, then took out my phone and put it on airplane mode. I wanted to make a silent exit and didn’t want to risk any notifications giving me away. I looked at the time, and watched the numbers change until ten minutes had passed.

No sound came from Bobby’s room. I waited for another ten minutes, and when I could hear his distant snoring, I got up, slowly, making sure my own bed springs didn’t ruin the stealth I would require to leave. I tiptoed across my room, grabbed my keys and ID and pocketed them, and quietly turned my bedroom knob until the door swung open. It squeaked, and I quickly stopped it, opting to slide through the narrow opening and close it behind me again, making sure it stayed closed and didn’t swing open on its own when I left it.

I made my way downstairs, quietly, avoiding the parts of the stairs I knew would creak under my weight. When I was downstairs, I reached for the lights, and froze. No. No lights. I could make my way through the house in the dark. Deep down I knew it didn’t matter if the lights were on or not, but for some odd reason, I didn’t want to risk it.

I stealthily made my way to the end of the hall, pulled on my sneakers, and then backtracked to the garage door. My car was snuggled up in there, and I began to think of ways to get it out without making a racket while opening the garage door. Nothing came to mind, and I realized that the only solution was to act fast. Once the garage doors began to roll up, the machinery would definitely wake Bobby up. That is, if the growl of the car engine didn’t.

Screw it. You’ve come this far. By the time he realizes what’s going on, you’ll be halfway down the block.

I bit my lip, fiddled with the car keys, and decided to go for it. I opened the driver’s door, put the key in the ignition and turned. The engine purred like a cat, thankfully causing less noise than I had hoped. The garage doors were a different matter, though. The minute I clicked on the automatic opener, the cogs squealed in protest before turning slowly and bringing the doors up. I quickly got in the car, closed the door, and drummed my fingers against the steering wheel.

“Come on, come on, come on,” I whispered. I half expected the garage lights to come on and Bobby to rush up in front of the car, stopping me. When did I become so afraid of my own brother?

I began to think that I might be getting used to running away from places in the middle of the night.

As soon as the doors had risen enough for me to drive through, I shifted the car into drive and raced out, clicking the ‘closed’ button as I exited the driveway and turned right down the street. I briefly caught sight of a police cruiser parked outside the house on the other side of the street. Were they there for us?

I didn’t care. All I wanted now was to get to Andy. That’s all that mattered.

I drove down Davis Road well over the speed limit, hoping I wouldn’t run into any trouble on the way. I kept my eyes glued to the road, only briefly glancing in the rearview mirror, making sure no one was following me. Every now and then, a pair of headlights would pop up, then turn right onto one of the side streets and disappear. For most of the drive, I was alone.

I rushed past the STOP sign on Maple Road, again ignoring all traffic rules in favor of getting to Andy as quickly as possible. I reached for my phone, thinking it best to call him and let him know I was coming. For all I knew, he might not even be home. My hand searched my pockets, and I began to panic when I found nothing. I slammed my fists against the steering wheel, realizing that I had forgotten the phone back in my bedroom.

You’re already making stupid mistakes. This should be a sign. Turn the car around and drive back home.

No. A hiccup, that’s all this was. I didn’t need the phone. Andy would be home. Where else could he be? Of course, he was home.

I turned onto Silo Road, entering Juniper Hill and resting a little easier now that I was closer to my destination. I glanced up at the rearview mirror, saw nothing, and eased my foot off the gas pedal. I wasn’t in a rush anymore. I turned left into Silo Circle, cruising the car around until I found a parking space close to Andy’s apartment complex. I caught sight of his Nissan parked a few plots away and let out a relieved sigh.

See? He’s home. There was no reason to worry after all.

I stayed in the car for a few seconds, resting against the headrest and scanning the parking lot. I turned around, looking at the entrance into Silo Circle, waiting to see if any other cars would be driving in behind me. When I was sure I was alone, I turned the engine off and climbed out of my car. I gave the parking lot another quick scan, and then hurried towards Andy’s complex.

I climbed up the stairs, moving quickly and forcing myself not to look back, as if doing that would somehow make Dennis materialize out of thin air and come after me. I reached the third floor, hurried down the hall, and rang Andy’s doorbell. The graffiti ‘asshole’ had been painted over, the fresh coat still glistening in the fluorescent light. I waited for a few more seconds before ringing the bell again.

A woman opened the door, and I took a surprised step back. She was naked except for a pair of lace panties, and my eyes dropped to her breasts before I quickly looked away and up. She was leaning against the door, obviously very comfortable in her nudity.

“I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I must have gotten the wrong apartment.”

“Who are you looking for?” the woman asked.

I forced an uncomfortable smile. “No one, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, glancing up and down the hall, trying to understand how I had missed Andy’s apartment. “Definitely the wrong address.”

Only, I wasn’t convinced. None of the other apartment doors looked recognizable.

“You’re Andrea, right?” the woman asked.

I froze, looking at her in confusion. How the hell does she know me? I nodded.

“Are you looking for Andy?” she asked with a smile. My heart immediately skipped a beat.

“Andy Stetson, yeah,” I said, my voice barely audible.

“Oh, then you’ve got the right place,” she said, opening the door to let me in. “He’s inside. Sorry, you caught us at a bad time.”

I felt my heart drop, and my stomach twisted and turned, bile rushing up into my throat. I felt like gagging, my eyes wide and my jaw dropping. “I –”

“Don’t worry, I think I can wake him up,” the woman said. “Come in, please. Don’t stand outside in the cold.”

I took a step back, slowly shaking my head.

The woman frowned, but her smile never left her face. And there was something in her eyes. Something insane and unpredictable. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head with more vigor, fighting back the tears that were stinging my eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart,” the woman cooed, but I could tell there was nothing warm about the gesture. “Did you think he was alone? I’m so sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry. Quite the opposite, actually. “But Andy’s rarely alone, you know? And most of the time, he’s with me.”

A tear raced down my cheek, and I could tell that she noticed, because her smile widened. “You still want to come in?” she asked, her tone a little more challenging.

I bit my lip. I couldn’t stop shaking my head, my mind spinning in disbelief. How could he? How the fuck could he?

I raced down the hall as fast as I could, away from the apartment and the naked woman, away from the bastard I had snuck out of the house to check up on because I actually cared. That son of a bitch! Bobby was right about him!

“Bye!” the woman called after me. “I’ll let him know you passed by.”

There was this undertone to her words, as if she were letting me know that she had the upper hand; that she had gotten the grand prize and I had come in close second. It made me want to scream out in anger, but I bit my tongue and rushed down the stairs, crying freely now, longing for the comfort of my car. I suddenly wished I had stayed home, locked behind my bedroom door where I was safe, and the world was a little less cruel.

I should have listened to Bobby. I should have listened to Bobby.

I kept repeating the thought like a mantra, as if somehow it could give me some sort of comfort against the stabbing pain I was feeling in my chest. I clawed at my shirt, trying to reach in through my chest cavity and grab the pain, pull it out and throw it aside. It hurt so much.

I was almost at my car when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, and just when I thought the night couldn’t get any worse, I gazed into the smiling face of my husband. Dennis was standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes flashing with rage. There was a nasty cut above his right eye, and his lower lip was swollen. Andy’s handiwork, obviously.

“Hey there, baby,” he said, his words muffled because of the swollen lip.

“Dennis,” I gasped.

“Did you actually think I’d let you out of my sight?” he asked, taking a few steps towards me, forcing me to take a few back. I bumped into the side of my car with nowhere to go.

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw you leave the house,” he explained. “Of course, I had to be careful because of that fucking police cruiser, but I wasn’t worried. I had a feeling you’d come here.” He came closer, closing the gap between us quickly. “You see, after my little fight with your boyfriend upstairs, I followed him. Found out where he lived. And when you left the house, I took my sweet time. I knew you’d come here. Checking up on lover boy?”

He grabbed my hand, twisting it hard and forcing me to scream out in pain. “You came to check up on him, but me? No! I don’t deserve your sympathy, do I? I came all the way to this asshole of the world just to find you, and you don’t even care about how I’m doing, do you?”

“Dennis, you’re hurting me!” I screamed.

“Oh, I’m going to do so much more than that, you cunt,” he hissed. “I’m taking you home, and when we get there, I’m going to fuck you up so bad, Quasimodo wouldn’t come within an inch of you.”

I lashed out, scratching at his eyes. I could feel skin tear, and he yelled in pain and surprise, jumping back. I didn’t hesitate, jumping at the opportunity to get away, and raced towards my car. He caught up with me, though, grabbing me by the hair and pulling me back. I felt strands tear from my scalp, and I screamed in pain. He latched on hard, and when I turned around and tried to scratch at him again, he grabbed my wrist and twisted it.

My knees buckled, and before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me and slammed my head into the side of my car.

I fell to the ground in a heap, the world around me spinning out of control until everything went dark.