JOAN’S POV
Darkness.
It felt like I was hanging in a void. The darkness stretched out before me. I felt something cold on my forehead, something like a cloth. I could also feel the tender touch of someone’s hand in my head. I blinked my eyes open, my vision blurry and unfocused.
Slowly, Emily’s face came into view.
“Joan!” Emily squealed in excitement “Thank goodness you’re awake! You scared me half to death.”
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry, and all that came out was a raspy noise. The effort of talking made my head spin, and I winced, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain.
“Don’t try to talk just yet,” Emily said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder to keep me lying down. “You fainted, Joan. You’ve been out for hours. And you had a fever-such a high fever. I was so worried…”
Emily’s words blurred into the background as I struggled to focus on my surroundings. My vision was still a bit blurry. At first, I forgot what happened but as time went on, my mind started to piece together the memories of what happened.
The thought of what happened made my heart beat faster.
The man’s grip on my neck, his breath in my ear, the feel of the gun to my head, the sound of the gunshot – it was all too much.
I could still feel his grip around my throat. I fought the urge to scream in terror
“Emily,” I managed to rasp out “I… I…”
“Hush, Joan. You’re safe now,” Emily said “I’ll go tell the others you’re awake. They’ve been so worried about you. Just rest here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She gave me a small smile before hurrying out of the room. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
As soon as she was gone, the nausea hit me hard. I barely had time to grab the bowl Emily used which was beside the bed. I emptied the contents of my stomach inside it. My hands shook uncontrollably, and tears blurred my vision as I threw up.
When I finally stopped, I slumped back against the pillows, gasping for breath. My entire body was trembling. I could feel the sweat on my forehead as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The reality of what had happened-what I had narrowly escaped-was too much to bear. I could still see the darkness closing in around me and I could still feel the fear I felt in that moment.
I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t stay in this house, with these people. They were dangerous-far more dangerous than I had ever imagined. My mind raced as I thought about what I had witnessed, the kind of people I had unknowingly chosen to work for. If I made a mistake, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me. This wasn’t an ordinary household. No wonder we had to sign an NDA.
And then there was my mother. She was all I had, and I was all she had. The thought of her losing me-of her being left alone in this world-was unbearable. I couldn’t do that to her. I couldn’t die here, not like this.
With fear in my heart, I threw off the blankets, forcing myself to sit up. My head spun, and I had to clutch the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out. I needed to leave before Emily came back.
My legs were weak, barely able to support my nody as I stood, but I forced myself to move.
I grabbed my phone from inside my drawer and dialed Bea’s number The phone rang once, twice, and then I heard Bea’s voice on the other end.
“Hey babe” she said happily “What’s up?”
“Bea… can you-can you come get me? Please?” I whispered.
There was a pause on the other end “What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“I’. m.. . I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the Stonewood estate. Please, Bea, I-” My voice cracked, and I couldn’t finish the sentence. Tears filled my eyes.
“I’m on my way I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
I ended the call and left my room. Luckily, the hallways were empty. I sneaked outside and walked out of the gates. The guards didn’t suspect anything. They probably assumed I was going to buy something. I made my way to the front of the estate gate and waited for Bea.
I took a seat on a bench. It felt like the walls were closing in on me even though I was outside. The world around me felt distorted, like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I kept replaying everything that had happened earlier in my mind.
A few minutes later, I saw Bea’s car approaching. I sighed in relief. Bea jumped out of the car and hurried toward me.
“Joan! What happened? Are you okay?”
I tried to answer, but my voice caught in my throat, and all I could manage was a shaky nod. I felt frozen, like I couldn’t move or speak. Bea’s eyes softened as she looked at me.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” she said gently, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and guiding me toward the car. I leaned into her, and let her lead me to the passenger seat. Once I was settled, she closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side.
As soon as we were on the road, Bea tried talking again “Joan, what happened back there? Did someone hurt you?”
I shook my head, unable to form words. My throat felt tight and my chest was heavy with the weight of everything I was holding in. Bea glanced at me with worried eyes but didn’t push me any further. She just drove.
We arrived at her house before I even realized it. The drive had been a blur. My mind was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to notice the passing scenery. Bea helped me out of the car and led me inside, guiding me to the living room couch where I collapsed, feeling so drained.
“Stay right here,” Bea said softly. “I’ll get you some tea.”
I nodded weakly. The room felt too dark, too warm, too everything. I felt like I was suffocating under the presume of it all, but I didn’t know how to stop it. My mind kept spinning, replaying the events over and over.
I could still feel the tightness of his arm on my throat and the coolness of the gun. I could have died.
Bea returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea. She placed it in my hands “Drink this, it’ll help you calm down.”
I brought the cup to my lips and took some sips of the hot tea. It didn’t stop the shaking, but it helped a little. I could feel Bea’s eyes on me, full of concern, but she didn’t say anything. She just sat next to me, .
After a few moments of silence, tears started to spill from my eyes, silent at first, then they turned into uncontrollable sobs. The cup slipped from my hands and onto the coffee table as I buried my face in my hands. My shoulders shook with the force of my crying.
“I… I can’t do this, Bea,” I choked out between sobs. “I… I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have-shouldn’t have taken that job.”
Bea didn’t say a word. She just pulled me into her arms, holding me close as I cried into her shoulder. Her hand stroked my back in slow, soothing circles..
“I’m so scared, Bea,” I whispered “I don’t know what to do.”
“Shhh,” Bea murmured softly. “You don’t have to say anything right now. Just let it out, Joan. I’m here.”
I cried harder I felt like I was falling apart. All the fear, all the anxiety, all the confusion I had been holding in came pouring out.
Bea just held me, wrapping her arms around me. She didn’t ask anymore questions and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t in the mood to talk right now.
Eventually, the sobs began to subside, leaving me feeling exhausted. My tears had soaked through Bea’s shirt. She just kept holding me, her hand still stroking my back in gentle circles.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered “I didn’t mean to fall apart like this.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Bea said softly. “It’s obvious that you’ve been through something traumatic, Joan. It’s okay to feel this way.”
I nodded, sniffling as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I felt like I should say more, explain what had happened, but I didn’t know where to start. The memories were still too fresh.
“Thank you,” I said quietly “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Bea replied with a small smile. “You don’t have to go through this alone, Joan. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”
Her words brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes I started to feel exhausted I felt my eyelids drooping. Bea seemed to notice because she gently guided me to lie down on the couch.
“Rest now, my love. We’ll talk more when you’re ready.” she said.
I nodded, too tired to argue, and let my eyes close. The last thing I felt before sleep claimed me was Bea’s hand on mine.