C.C. Jackson - Stay

Stay

A Callie Rose Novel

by

C.C. Jackson

SMASHWORDS EDITION

*****

Published by C.C. Jackson on Smashwords

Stay

A Callie Rose Novel

Copyright 2011 by C.C. Jackson

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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*****

Stay

A Callie Rose Novel

Chapter 1

Lying in my room in the dark, I fought hard to get a grasp on what it was that had suddenly ripped me from my sleep. I was completely disoriented and worse, I was still trembling from the nightmare that I had just been having. It just felt so real.

In my dream, I was running down a dark road fleeing from a city that was engulfed in flames. I tripped and stumbled along the way, scraping my knee and palms. I vividly remember the pain that ripped through my hands as I fought to keep my balance and to keep running.

The smoke was filled with a strong bitter odor that scorched my throat and eyes. It was like a combination of burning rubber and chemicals. I struggled with each breath. I was nearly choking.

I repeatedly looked back over my shoulder as I ran, trying to get a glimpse of whatever it was that I was so convinced was chasing me. My lungs burned and my muscles were screaming in pain, but the terror that I felt compelled me to keep moving.

I turned again to see how close my pursuer was getting, only this time I completely lost my balance and fell hard onto the asphalt, scraping my shoulder and forehead as I slid to a stop. Tears began to stream down my face and tremors ripped through my body as I came to the realization that I would not escape.

Frantically, I searched the darkness and shadows. I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Before I knew what was happening, he was on me and I was screaming.

I woke up to find that I was still in my bed. The sheets and blanket were a twisted mess and I struggled to free my legs from them. I could still feel my tears hot on my face, and I had to work hard to steady my breathing.

I heard it again. I jerked my head up. It was the same sound that woke me from my dream. A loud thud, that seemed to have come from the other side of the room. I froze as I tried to force my eyes to focus in the darkness. I searched the contours of my room with wide eyes. I did not move a muscle and I held my breath.

Nothing looked out of place from what I could tell in the dimly lit room. The only light was what little moonlight made it in through my heavy curtains. I waited and held my breath but nothing else happened. After a few minutes, I finally felt my muscles begin to relax. I let out a long ragged breath, and shook my head in frustration. It was only a dream. I said out loud to myself, and I began to settle back into the comforts of my bed.

I was about to close my eyes, hoping not to have any more nightmares, when something happened. It is kind of hard to explain, but the darkness just sort of shifted. There was no light really, just that the darkness seamed to grow darker in the far corner of the room.

I stopped breathing and again, I strained to see in the murky blackness. What was wrong with me? This dream has made me so paranoid.

That is when I heard him. Footsteps came across my floor and in a hurry. I barely had time to sit up. The next thing that I knew, I was being dragged from my bed by my arm and just as I was about to start to screaming for my parents a cold hand clamped down hard across my mouth.

I could not see anything in the blinding darkness, but I could tell that this guy was tall. He was at least half a foot or more taller than I was, and obviously very strong because he propelled me across my room with ease. I clawed and scraped at his arms in an attempt to free myself, but his grip never loosened. He kept one hand wrapped tightly around my waist and the other continued to stifle my scream as he raced toward my open window. I had not even noticed that it was open a few minutes ago. He climbed out, still clutching me to him and carried me out into the cool spring night.

I felt as if I were soaring through the air as he leapt from my second story bedroom window and landed on the ground in a graceful thud. He immediately started running towards the woods behind my house. It did not take long until I found that we were under the cover of the trees. I could smell the sweet scent of the Magnolia trees that my mother was so fond of, and the soft needles of the pine trees tugged at my skin as we sped by them.

My mind started racing. I could not imagine how we were even able to survive a fall like that, let alone for him to be running through the woods with me in his arms. More important, who was this and what did he want with me?

I tried to fight harder. I kicked and clawed at him, but he never slowed. I tried to bite the hand that was covering most of the lower part of my face, but his grip was too tight and I could barely move my jaw. I was struggling just to breathe. No matter how hard I fought against him he just kept running. I could feel the wind blowing my hair around my face as we moved. I had to shut my eyes to keep them from burning from the cold air. We darted through the trees in a way that left me baffled. I could not understand how he could move so quickly through them and not run into a branch or trip over a log.

I tried to remember if I had done anything in the last few days that would have angered somebody enough to do something like this to me. I lived in a small town in southern Louisiana. Nothing ever really happens there.

I went to school, and while I was not really the most popular girl, I did not think that anyone hated me. I have never had a boyfriend, and I just had a few girls that I talked to in school. For the most part, I kept to myself.

After school, I came straight home. I did what little homework that I needed to do and then I hung out on our front porch swing reading the latest vampire novel and listening to 30 Seconds to Mars on my iPod.

My parents came home and did their nightly ritual of cooking, bathing, and TV watching. I did not remember seeing any strange people hanging around like you always hear about on the news.

Believe me, I would have noticed. I lived in a pretty rural area of the south, my nearest neighbor is over a half a mile away. Our yard is pretty much surrounded by woods and swamp. The only thing that should be out there is deer and an occasional raccoon.

What if this was some sadistic serial killer? What in the hell was I going to do? I could not fight him. I could barely breathe, let alone scream. I just needed to try to calm down. I needed to be able to think. He would have to stop eventually. When he did, I would have to be ready to do everything that I could to escape before he hurt me.

He carried me for what felt like an eternity, but he never loosened his grip on my mouth or my waist. All that I can remember seeing are trees. The moon was shining brightly overhead, and occasionally I noticed an opossum or some other animal skitter away from us.

He kept me with my back pressed firmly against his chest. His arm snaked out from under my left armpit and curled across me along my chest. I could feel the rigid contours of his pecs and his abs through my flimsy t-shirt. He definitely worked out, a lot. He never seemed to tire, or even so much as breathed heavily.

He finally slowed and I was completely lost. I had no idea how far he had carried me, nothing looked familiar. The trees were taller and thicker, nothing like the grand moss covered Live Oak trees that surrounded my home in Louisiana. There were no palmettos, and the terrain was no longer flat and marshy. I thought that I could see tree covered mountains off in the distance.