From far at the edge of the foggy space, the languid beep, beep of the hospital monitor melded with the chime of the phone alarm.

Joselyn watched the doorway. Her eyes wide from fright as if she was expecting the devil himself to emerge. "Your mom can't come here. Not now. If anyone sees me here like this—"

Rhea didn't respond. In fact, she didn't say or do anything. Her eyes glazed over as they landed on mine. A faraway stare that unnerved me and sent a shiver down my spine.

"Rhea?" I knelt beside her, trying to get her to move or say anything. I waved my hand before her eyes. "Hey, you can't give up. We have to get you out of here."

Joselyn crept toward the apartment where the phone's alarm called to her like a siren of the sea. Her apprehension to rush into the room revealed how uncomfortable and scared she was of what she might find once she entered.

Rhea remained on the floor, staring, unblinking. Her hair matted and caked with dark thick blood. Her once bronze complexion now taken on a pale grey hue. The thought that in this moment she could take her last breath, blink her final blink, and leave what would be left of her to Nolan, caused anxiety to grip me in my gut. But the faint mechanical beeping lit a fire under me. I had to do something. Anything. I couldn't allow this to be the end.

"Get up," I ordered. I waved my hand and snapped my fingers, gesturing for her to react and take action. "You have to get up and get to the door."

She only lay there, eyes locked onto mine, unblinking.

Anticipating the final phantom emerging from her body, I reached out to jostle some fight into her but stopped short when I couldn't see my entire forearm. It not only become transparent, but even the faint outline had disappeared. Alarmed, I lifted both arms to quickly determine the progression. As I feared, more and more of me was disappearing into nothingness. Thank goodness I still had my sense of touch, as I reached out to paw her shoulder.

With an eager intent of connecting, my fingers gingerly grazed her dewy skin and her eyes widened, startling us both. She felt my touch and I felt her too. Her arm was cold and clammy, even the spot that was free from blood.

"Mom?" she whispered, her soft voice was separate from the beeping, chiming, and frustrated grunts that filled the space around me. "Mama?" She narrowed her eyes as if to get a better look.

"No." I shook my head and pointed to her and the front door. "I'm you and we're gonna get you out of here." I signaled for her to get up.

She struggled, pushing herself up on her hands and knees. As she paused to gather her strength, the fingers of her right hand rhythmically tapped the tiles, making me realize I too had been unknowingly tapping my fingertips along my thigh. Anxiety of the unknown, the pressure to succeed, and the fear of failing needed an outlet when I was hellbent on suppressing those feelings.

It all made sense now and it only took me seeing my life from another point of view to give me perspective.

Rhea grunted though the pain and exhaustion as she moved forward.

"Yes, yes," I encouraged. "Get up, Rhea. Get up now and get to the door. You have to hurry."

She crawled, one arm and leg before the other. Pushing herself to clear just a few feet. I knew the pain that threatened to beat her down, I felt it too. The spasming pressure around my head, the icy tiles and tacky blood on her hands, the clammy dew along her forehead and neck. Even the weight of her body bearing down on her knees was excruciating when you wanted to give up the fight and rest. I understood her pain but giving up was not an option.

"Come on, Rhea," I cheered through clenched teeth. "You can do this."

She tried to stand but wobbled and collapsed back to the floor. Out of frustration and urgency, I slipped my hand in the crease of her elbow, feeling the muscle tense with shock.

"Wha—?" She locked eyes with me.

I nodded, reassuring. "I've got you."

She mimicked me and nodded and pushed herself to stand with my help.

As she managed to move a few feet toward the front door, it occurred to me that we would need the keycard to unlock it. Nolan, being the self-proclaimed protector, made sure only those suitable could access the studio. That being him, Jos, and me. Although he hadn't given me a keycard and kept his in his possession. I had no idea where his could be. However, Jos always had her keycard on her, and I knew exactly where she kept it.

My gaze landed on her handbag toppled over on the floor where she dropped it. The name brand purse remained open and abandoned along with most of its items. I motioned to Rhea to wait by putting a finger up. She nodded and tried to balance on her own while I left her side to go to the purse.

Getting low to the ground, I peered inside the handbag. Recognizing the distinct thin and rounded corner of the black keycard. When I reached inside to retrieve it a foot came down on it, pinning my hand to the ground. When I looked up, Nolan's evil features stared back.

"Looks like someone's being a naughty girl." He beamed the vilest, overextended grin I had ever seen. "Naughty girls deserve to be punished."

His shoes crushed my fingers against the tile as if he were stomping out the butt of a lit cigarette. I cried out from the pain and pulled my hand back, glad that I brought the key card with it.

The coldness of the thin card between my fingertips gave me the confidence I needed to continue fighting. There was no doubting that I could do this. I had the ability to help Rhea get out of this building and far away from the threats that tried containing her, but first I had to keep Nolan from stopping me.

While the phone's alarm provided a great distraction for Joselyn, it was apparent Nolan had given up trying to turn it off. The dripping, black ooze from his eye sockets stole my attention and preventing me from looking away. "We're getting out of here, Nolan. So, you might as well step aside."

"Why step aside when I can do this?" He floated directly toward me, tips of his shoes just skimming the floor.

I backed away, getting closer to Rhea whose eyes were fixed on the keycard that must've been oddly floating in thin air from her perspective.

The more I tried to keep a safe distance between us, the further from the door I got, which was probably part of his plan.

"It's over." I threw my hands up in defeat. "Just give up already."

"Using my words against me, huh?" He continued my way. "When have I ever given up, Babe? Nothing's ever stopped me from getting what I want. And neither will you."

In a blink of an eye, his hand was around my neck, pausing me in my tracks and causing me to drop the keycard. The agony of his thumb digging into the flesh at my voice box plunged me to my knees. My hands tried to break his grip, but the thought of him winning overcome and weakened me.

I dug my fingers into the wounds on his forearms again and he only growled, not letting me go like I had hoped. A fire raged in my lungs, and I grew desperate for a breath of air. With my head back, I pummeled, kicked, and scratched.

My eyes widened to take in the bright exhibit lights on the ceiling that flickered and flashed out of sync. For a moment the beauty of the lights mesmerized me, and I wanted to relax and stare at them forever. The rhythmic flashes attempted to lull me to sleep, but they soon matched the slow beeping that acted much better than the phone's alarm at keeping me attentive.

The look on his twisted face was nothing short of content. For a moment I wondered how many times during our relationship had he fantasied about this very moment. Silencing me with a dominating grip on my neck.

The beeping pulled me back to the matter at hand and I once again returned to his long, gruesome wounds on his forearms. This time I didn't stop at sinking my fingers in, I continued with a pull and rip, removing chunks of cold, wet pulp.

His howling shook the room, and he finally released me.

I choked on my words as I pushed myself to stand. "I'm leaving."

"You're not."

"Yes, I am." I coughed, clearing my throat, and catching a breath. "I'm fucking leaving like I should've done long time ago. You're going to hell and you're not taking me with you."

"You leave the way I want you to. When I want you to."

I shook my head, taking his words from earlier and twisting it on its head. "I'm gonna disappear from you the same way your parents did, grab the key and walk right out of the door, never looking back."

He cocked his head. "You...bitch. You know how much I despise you bringing them up." He growled and ran his thumb across his neck, indicating what he intended to do to me.

From behind him, Joselyn entered the room with my phone in her palm. She paused when she saw Rhea standing in the middle of the studio with the keycard in hand. But before I could do or say anything, the entire space went utter black, and a spotlight flashed on illuminating the spot where Jos had been standing.

Now, instead of her standing there wide-eyed, the man and woman from Nolan's life review was there. The anger and disappointment on their faces said enough.

"This is what you've given up your life for?" The woman glared at me in distain although it was apparent her words were to Nolan, her son. "This is how you chose to ruin your existence?"

"We're disappointed in you, Nolan." The man lengthened his back, broadening his shoulders. "Some son we got here, huh?"

The woman shook her head in disapproval.

"Get out of here!" Nolan swiped the air as if they would disappear in the surrounding fog, but they remained. Staring, watching, shaking their head in unison. "Leave. Go. Get gone, won't you?" he demanded but they refused.

Back and forth their heads rocked on their shoulders, side to side, sneers on their judgmental faces.

"Leave me alone," he cried, shoulders slumping like a little boy being punished. "Just leave me already." His father was first to turn, and his mother followed. "Wha—wait."

Together, side by side, they took a step into the fog. Before the darkness could completely consume them, Nolan rushed after them. "Wait!" he called out. "I didn't mean it." He went chased them until they all were one with the swirling mist.

The light crept in, slowly revealing the studio and Jos trying to wrestle the keycard from Rhea. "Give me the key and I'll give you the phone."

"Don't believe you," Rhea managed.

Jos wouldn't let go of the keycard. "All you have to do it text your mom not to come and then I'll let you go."

"Stop!" I screamed, and the lights flickered, hindering Jos. "Leave her alone," I cried out and Jos's sights landed directly on me.

"Oh, my god." Her eyes were so wide they seemed to pop out of her head.

I channeled the fed-up beast within and growled, sprinting toward Jos. She screamed and put her hands up over her face in defense. I let out my frustration and anger by throwing all my strength into her, knocking her off her feet and to the floor so hard her body slid a few feet on the messy tile. "Leave us alone."

I rushed to Rhea's side and concentrated on helping her up. The silence in the space alarmed me, although Jos's whimpering occasionally cut through it. The lights continued to flicker as I pulled Rhea to the front door. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jos standing and preparing to pounce.

I turned to Rhea and we both looked into each other's eye. "You have to run. Don't stop running until you find help. You hear me?"

She nodded and together we placed the keycard against the reader and the door unlocked.

Jos approached apprehensively. "Wait, Rhea. Just ... one second."

I gripped the door handle and pulled until the blinding sunlight hit us like the light a spotlight on a stage, giving us one last chance to give the audience a proper send off.

"People!" Rhea pointed to something in the distance.

I peered through the glaring light, but I didn't see people, I saw myself in the hospital bed. The exposed parts of my body were so transparent I could see the bottom bed sheet through them.

Jos reached out. "Rhea, wait."

I nudged Rhea, prodding her over the threshold. "Run!"

She did. She rushed through the door and out into the white light, and I didn't wait a second running too. Side by side, in the blinding light, our pace matched, and I couldn't be prouder that she was giving it all she had.

Running nonstop the hospital bed seemed to get closer, closer, closer. I anticipated finally getting away from the dark hellscape and getting back to my body. Only feet away I continued running alongside my counterpart. "Yes!" My feet carried me, bringing me to the edge of the space.

From right behind, Nolan's familiar voice sent a shockwave through my system. "Don't do this, Rhea. Stay—"

With death at my doorstep, I had to muster up the courage to do what seemed impossible. With all my strength, I took a breath, ignored the searing pain in my temple, and took a leap, landing on the bed just as I heard the squeal of car tires and a blaring car horn.

The sound of impact was the last thing to enter my ears before everything went black. 

~~~

Just two more chapter to wrap up Rhea's intense journey. 

What's on your mind?