Oblivion

Oblivion

He says he knows me but I don’t know him at all. The first time I met him was in the woods where he found me wondering around aimlessly with a head injury. Sure he’s taken care of me, dressed my wounds and been as wonderful as Prince Charming himself, but I just don’t recognise him. I don’t feel any kind of connection. 

He’s a doctor, at least that’s what he says. He also says I have amnesia and that’s why I don’t recognise him. 

He’s told me all about our romantic relationship, which explains the engagement ring on my finger. He’s gone into intimate detail, hoping I’ll remember along the way, but I just can’t snap any recognition back into my brain.  

Take right now for example he’s standing at the table looking down at me so intensely, I can feel knots in my stomach, his dark blue sapphire eyes searching mine for any kind of recognition, full of what I can only believe to be passion. What else would make your eyes burn that way? So he must know and really care about me, I don’t want to hurt him, I want to remember. But it’s hard so hard, there’s not even a flicker of memory. 

He does look hurt that I can’t remember our relationship, when he gently says.

“Don’t worry honey it will be alright, while we can’t force your memory to return , maybe we can make new ones instead? What do you think? we still have a couple of weeks here for our get away.” He smiles hopefully.

“Yes I guess you’re right, I’m sorry I can’t even remember your name.” I feel terrible, I hate that I can’t remember us.

“Jake, my name is Jake”.

Jake, nope still not even an ember or spark at his name. He’s looking directly at me again.

My stomach flips into twisting summersaults as he moves towards me, his musky Cologne entangling its scent to my nostrils. He gently tilts my chin upwards leaning in until his lips are almost touching mine, his warm breathe rapidly heating the air between us burning it away with intoxicating power, my own breathe catches in my throat as my eyelids begin tilting downwards in anticipation.

“Maybe I should kiss you honey, that might trigger something?”

My heart quickens at his words, my eyes snapping open instantly as my throat begins closing up. It’s almost as if invisible hands are wrapped around them squeezing what’s left of my breath into my vocal chords leaving me speechless. He’s smirking, his eyes two sapphires glinting with a sparkle of mischief dancing over them. I can’t respond when he adds.

“It’s ok that can wait, we have new memories to make first.”

Jumping backwards from our close proximity, he adds.

“Do you think you can get up and move around now honey? I have an idea on something we can do.”

My throat feels grainy, like it’s been filled with sand and the grains are slowly dropping back out from my lips as I speak.

“sure, I can try”

“Let me help” he offers his hands out for me to take. I grab them and pull myself up with his help. 

He pulls me into him holding me against him. I can feel the tension in all of his muscles as I’m pressed against his chest. He swiftly moves his hands down to my buttocks pulling them towards him. I can feel his excitement twitching and hardening against my inner thigh. There’s that smirk again as he whispers in my ear, sending chills tingling down my spine.

“They say the body remembers what the mind closes off, do you remember us now honey?” 

He begins kissing down my neck, gently creating goosebumps down my body, that choking sensation returns, closing my throat off.

“No I can’t” is all I can manage as a sharp pain stabs through my head. Shadows of strange images swirling around my mind at a dizzying speed. Until I see Jake’s face hovering above me, I’m overwhelmed by the strength of the image, bringing my hand towards my forehead in an attempt to stop the pain, I manage a raspy.

“Yes, I remember Something” before passing out with the intensity of the pain.

***

I wake up in a double bed, which I can only imagine is our bed. It has a green duvet cover and matching pillowcase, with darker green entwined leaves and pale pink flowers on it. Looking around the room I see the pale green, dark green and pale pink decor matching the duvet and pillows. 

Did I decorate this? It looks a little familiar, but also unfamiliar. On the bedside table there’s a glass of water and a couple of tablets next to it, in front of a dark green lamp to the side of that is a book, I pick it up to take a look “Amnesia” by LJ Ross, it’s a thriller. Do I like thrillers? Or is this Jake’s? 

Clearly one of us likes thrillers as there’s a bookmark about halfway through the book, suggesting one of us must have been reading it, probably on a night when getting ready to sleep. ‘But is that something I do?’ The question lingers on my mind as I hear Jake’s voice from the other room.

“What can I do? She doesn’t remember, no nothing at all, she’s in bed, she passed out when I tried to help her remember, ‘I don’t know? Wait I think she’s awake, I’ll call you back later”.

“Hi honey, you scared me passing out like you did. I left you some painkillers on the table with your water. Do you want to take them now? Your head must be in serious pain. I should have given you those earlier really. What kind of an idiot am I? Pain relief is important.”

He passes me the pills, which I can now see are paramol, I take them with the water. I hope they will start working fast, I don’t like feeling trapped like this. I’m an independent person, at least I think I am?

I’m wondering who Jake was talking too on the phone, was it someone I know? Would seeing them help my memory return?

“Who was on the phone?”

“Oh just a friend, now you lie back and let the painkillers kick in honey, then maybe we can build a campfire together outside? You like that, it’s something you always enjoyed in the past, I remember you saying ‘it’s fun to exchange campfire stories.”

‘Is it?’ I think to myself as I lie back and close my eyes.

Images of a dry cracked muddy ground with tree shaped shadows appear and move along, I can see my white reebok trainers one of the laces is untied I’m moving quickly then I trip, the ground comes at my face so rapidly I can feel the smash before blacking out. 

My eyes zoom open. Jake’s no longer there, just the smell of his musky Cologne in the air.

‘That’s it I remember I was running through the woods and tripped over hitting my head on a rock, that must be what caused the Amnesia! Also there was a male voice calling out “Grace Stop come back quick”. Grace, that must be my name, Jake is right my memory is returning. At least in pieces anyway. I was running from someone or something? That’s why Jake found me in the woods and brought me back to safety. ‘So we do know each other! and I’m guessing he’s right about our relationship too’. I just wish I had a clearer memory of it all”.

I get the feeling Jakes left for a bit, maybe to collect some firewood to build a campfire later.  

I manage to get up and head to the bathroom. My heads feeling a bit better but is still hurting . I need to freshen up, maybe have a shower and get changed. As I walk into the bathroom, I catch a side glimpse of the bandage in the mirror. It appears to have soaked through blood on it, no wonder my head still hurts. 

I walk to the mirror to take a closer look, I remove it and see the full extent of the damage. From the looks of the deep wound on the right side of my forehead I should surely be in the hospital. The gash looks like it needs stitches. I also have a black eye on my left side which is half closed up and a reddish purple bruise on my left cheek. I’m not sure my head injury and those two are from just falling. The latter two look more like I was beaten up. 

That grated sandy feel in my throat is back, I can see physical finger shaped bruise marks on the right and a thumb shaped mark on the left of my neck as if a hand had gripped my throat seriously tightly. 

I grab my own throat and fall to my knees on the floor as the image of Jake’s face hovering above me reappears. Only this time he has a murderous expression on his face, his left hand is holding my throat down, he punches me in the face. I take my opportunity from below him and kick upwards, straight into his groin causing him to release me, he holds himself cursing

“Great Scott” 

I’m up and out of the cottage door running straight out into the woods “come back here now, you BITCH”

He yells after me, I manage to run through the woods when I see my lace undone. I know I don’t have time to stop, so I run on hoping I’ll escape, until I do trip, fall and black out.

I’m shocked by my memory now as clear as a blue sky on a bright sunny day. I’m physically shaking at the realisation. I can’t remember Jake because I don’t want to be with him. He’s a violent man, I’ve no idea how long we’ve been together but the Amnesia now makes sense, of course I didn’t recognise him, my brain wanted to keep me safe from him. Now I just have to pull myself together and try to figure out a way to escape without getting caught. First things first, I can’t let him know I’ve remembered him. While he believes I’ve forgotten it’s keeping me safe, I know that now. So I’m going to take a few deep breaths, then grab some fresh clothes, take that shower and form a better plan. 

Not so easy when your heads already in pain. I don’t think he’s a doctor but at least he kept the wound clean for me. I just need to clean the wound and wrap it back up with a fresh bandage. If I can figure out where we keep them that is? I need to think, they don’t appear to be anywhere in here. Having checked the room.

I leave the bathroom into the hallway. 

Jake is there he sees me and runs over with a concerned look, genuine or fake I’ve no idea. 

“Omg Honey, come and sit here” he beckons to the chair near the table. 

“Why is your bandage removed? You need to keep that clean and dressed, doctors orders”

“It was bleeding, I couldn’t find another bandage, I’m sorry”

“No need to be sorry honey, I’ll fix that right back up for you.”

He sounds genuine, pity he’s not actually the nice guy he’s making himself out to be! I’m still trying to work out an escape plan when he asks.

“How’s your head feeling now?”

I reach up, to where the new clean bandage has been put around my head. He certainly works fast and gently. I didn’t feel him clean the wound at all, but he is very good with bandaging up wounds. I wonder is that a good or bad thing? I question myself, I mean on the one hand he’s clearly used to dressing wounds, but on the other is that because he really is a doctor or because he’s bandaged me up many times before?

I shudder visibly. 

He doesn’t miss it, his voice gets that sinister edge when he says.

“Honey, are you shivering?”

“Yes, sorry I’m cold, is there a breeze in here?”

“That was me, I forgot to close the door when I came in.”

Another man steps out from the shadows.

“It looks like you had a nasty fall, glad to see Jake here is taking care of his mess.” He sounds angry and completely unimpressed with Jake. He also makes my skin crawl, I want to ask so many questions at once. Who is he? What mess? Why is he here? Does he always just walk into our home? I don’t get a chance to ask any of it. He turns to Jake, passes him a gun and states.  

“Now you need to complete the job, get out of here fast as you can. If not you’re taking the fall for this. You clean it up right and I’ll be in touch!”

He nods in my direction, sneering as he leaves.

“Switch on the news, Jake, it might be nice for her to remember before this is all over for her.”

“What does he mean?” I ask. 

Jake doesn’t answer instead he does as the man asked and switches on the news.

There’s a man on screen appealing for anyone, to come forward with any information about his missing fiancée. He looks very familiar, my heart races at the instant recognition. I’m breathing so rapidly my own breath is deafening my own ears.

Jake finally speaks,

“He’s never cared about you, all his billons and he’s not been prepared to pay a penny for your safe return! Me I’d have given everything I own including the shirt on my back.”

I’ve no idea how to answer his sentiment. I just keep staring at the tv screen

The news reporter is now talking:

“Honey Malone fiancée to millionaire Barry Carter has now been missing for 3 weeks, if anyone has any information on her whereabouts please call this number 02235 763941 and quote crime-busters now.”

‘Honey Malone’ that’s me! Jake hasn’t been using the term of endearment I thought he was, even with his intense stare. 

He’s been calling me by my own name. I tried to escape him when I heard Barry was refusing to pay any ransom and threatening to take everything public. I had feared I wouldn’t get my freedom with Barry’s help and instead taken my opportunity to run for it. 

Jake had brought me back to the cottage, I’ve been held hostage in the last 3 weeks by himself and the other creepy guy.

Since I hit my head he’s been using it to his advantage, hoping to get the ransom money with my cooperation and less of a fight from me. 

I look straight at him into those deep blue sapphire eyes for the last time. They look so sad as he points the gun at me, clicks the trigger back and says.

“I’m sorry honey, it wasn’t meant to end this way!”

The End.