Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(112)

“This would be twenty-five years of my family seeing me for my birthday,” Joe reveals. “Missing this year won’t be a big deal.”

“No,” I repeat. “Call them back.”

“No.”

“Joseph.”

“You can’t get rid of me, beautiful,” Joe announces.

Arguing with him is pointless. I’m too tired to fight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows that he’s already won.

“Don’t worry,” he soothes. “No one will know you’re here. I promise.”

About an hour later, Anna arrives at my room with a bag for Joe. I hide Sadie and myself in the bathroom, not wanting her to see me, especially since my eyes are still puffy from crying. Joe orders room service for dinner and has Taylor take Sadie out when she needs to go. Most of the night I’m pretty quiet and so is Joe. Eventually, we take a long bath and Joe rubs my neck, shoulders and back. When we move to the bedroom, we snuggle up with Sadie and put on a movie — Joe picks what to watch because I’m too indecisive.

As the sun goes down, I fight the urge to sleep — fearing the nightmare.





Ninety


As I attempt to lift my heavy eyelids, I discover a hazy darkness surrounding me. Blinking slowly several times, my half-opened eyes won’t focus to give me any clear indication of what’s around me and where the blurry, flashing lights above are coming from. My body feels heavy. Still unable to open my eyes all the way, I perceive that I’m laying down somewhere. A cool dampness near my left cheek reveals itself as a slight gust of air brushes past my face. Sliding my right arm up the side of my body like a snake, my fingers creep to my lips. Drool — or, at least I hope so.


Two large and oddly shaped figures materialize in front of me. They are so close, only a foot or two away. Voices suddenly emanate from the now more defined silhouettes. Their speech sounds muffled and trails off into the distance even as I try to concentrate on their words. Who are they? What are they saying? Why can’t I understand them? One of the voices almost sounds feminine.

Another indistinguishable sound gradually becomes more apparent as it grows louder and the ringing in my ears subsides. It’s the engine of a car. My brain finally starts to put the fuzzy pieces of evidence together. I must have fallen asleep in the back seat. A familiar smell creeps into my nose that reassures me — my mother’s perfume.

“Mom?” my throat squeezes out in a raw, breathy, hoarse tone.

Wake up, Emma.” Her voice replies in a low sluggish tone.

What is she talking about? I am awake.

A sudden rush of nervousness enters my belly. The car feels as if it’s flying down the road like a rocket ship as the speed of the flashing lights zooming above my head all blur into one.

“Mom,” I try to shout, but not a single sound escapes my mouth this time. Confused, I try again. “Mom!”

She doesn’t hear me. I don’t hear me.

A single, bright white light races toward us, growing larger by the second. Mom turns her head toward me smiling. Why doesn’t she hear me? How does she not see the light?

Again, with all my might. “Mom . . . !” my voice trails in my head like a deafening siren, stabbing my ears like a knife.

Time stops in this very moment. I can see everything with complete clarity as I stare in horror into my mother’s eyes. I can’t move. My mouth is left open, screaming without a sound. I can’t hear anything besides a piercing ring that echoes in my brain.

My body lurches backward as I scramble to grab anything.

“Wake up, Emma!” the voice beckons.

Ignoring the command, my nails dragging over the flesh of my mother’s body, I reach to yank the bloody, metal object from her stomach. Black liquid oozes from her mouth as her eyes stare lifelessly past me.

“Mom!” I finally hear the sound of my own voice as I claw at the protrusion in her abdomen. Tears streaming down my face, blocking my vision as I jerk at the metal object to remove it from her cold, stiff body. “Mom . . . I can’t get it out.”

I’m thrown backward when the voice echoes again, “Emma, wake up!”

With my mother’s body no longer within reach, I scramble to get a hold of one of her legs. Using all of my strength, I pull myself over and grab onto the metal.

“I need to get it out,” I cry as I’m snatched away again. “I need to . . . .”

“Wake up, Emma!” the voice orders.

My eyes fling open as I scream out in horror. Disoriented, my body shakes as tears continue to down my face.

“Emma?” a voice calls full of tormented concern.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus on its words.

“Emma,” it calls. “It was just a dream. It isn’t real.”

I nod, but my eyes stay closed.

Sadie rests herself across my lap.

“Emma,” he says. “Emma, please. Look at me.”

Five seconds later, my eyes flutter open. “I’m . . . okay,” I gulp in-between breaths.

“You sure?”

“Yes,” I say a little more confidently.

“Was it the bad one?” he checks.

“Bad one?” I ask, not understanding.

“Like the one you had at my place the first time you . . . .” Joe chokes on his last words.