Chapter 71: Feel the Pain

< Dylan >
It hurts...
It feels as though every fiber of my being is being crushed underneath a truck as I watch some men drag away Shirley.
She is struggling. She is crying. She is in pain. She is getting hurt, and it's paining me, yet I can do nothing. I am out cold.
I want to scream, "Don't take her. Leave her alone. Don't touch her with your filthy hand. I'm going to rip off your arm if you hurt her." But I don't have enough strength to open my mouth. It hurts...
I can't move. I want to go save her. But my body won't just move.
This terrorizing pain... It's not letting me go. I can't move my muscles. My body feels so numb and useless.
Shirley...
She is getting away from me. Don't go. Don't take her away from me. I can't afford to lose anyone anymore.
I watch as she starts crying out loud. I immediately felt the urge to hug her.
She's crying. Please don't cry, my love. Can't anyone see she's crying and she doesn't want to go with them? She is hurting. Please, stop it.
I can't take it anymore. I am breaking. I can't...
But Shirley, why can't I stop you? Why is it that I can't move? Why is it that I'm seeing you getting far away from me, yet I can't do a thing? Why is it that I'm incapable of saving you? Why is it that you are crying?
It's all my fault, isn't it?
But please don't hurt her. Don't make her cry. It hurts, dammit.
"Shirley..." I rasped out, opening my eyes slowly to meet a plain white pillow. I was lying on my stomach, and my back hurt like crazy.
I just had the worst nightmare ever. It felt like it dragged on forever.
The vigor odor of the hospital hit my nostrils, making me realize that someone brought me to the hospital. There was an oxygen mask on me, still, I struggled to breathe. There were needle-like things connected to my wrists. I subconsciously shifted to my side to not pressurize my back.
My eyes scanned around the room. Everything around me was white and plain. It looked so dull, even duller than my life. I could hear the sound of faint heartbeats from the machines.
I hateD this place. What happened to me, anyway?
Feeling extremely tired, I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the pillow. Pain shot up at my back. It was like the bones in my back were being crushed mercilessly.
As an instinct, I tried to inhale and exhale, but I couldn't due to some unknown discomfort in my lungs. I started breathing through my mouth, trying to grasp some oxygen.
I was trying to calm down, just then everything started coming back to me.
Everything flashed in front of my eyes. It felt like a horror movie trailer.
I let out a groan. Someone started hammering my head as if blood was rising to my head. The frightening images kept displaying in my mind like a broken tape recorder.
Shirley... I need to—
My breathing started getting worse. I couldn't breathe anymore. I choked while my lungs felt like they would diploid. Everything started to become fuzzy.
I could not protect her... It's my fault. I'm responsible for her miserable state.
My heartbeat was getting more unstable. I could hear the shrill beeping of the medical instruments. Anguish jolted through my chest. My fresh wound started to ache badly.
The grief of losing Shirley was getting unbearable. I wished to die. I whimpered. Right at that moment, the door busted open.
"Oh, my God! Doctor! Doctor! The patient's deteriorating. Doctor! It's an emergency!" hollered an unknown female voice in a panic.
I heard a commotion outside. I didn't pay attention due to all the pain surging through my body.
Maybe I deserve to get hurt for all the crimes I did over the years. After all, I let Shirley get taken away. It was all karma. I didn't know if she was even alive. What if she was being to do something she didn't want to do? What if someone was forcing himself on her? She must be crying right now.
"I swear if something happens to my son, I'm going to burn down this goddamn useless hospital of yours!"
Is that you, Sienna?
"I can't promise anything, ma'am. His condition got worse than before. Already his survival chances were low, now it looks worse."
"I do not fucking care. If something happens to Dylan, I swear on his life, I will massacre every last person here." I heard Xavier's voice. He sounded more desperate than ever.
I couldn't concentrate on anything except the agonizing pang on the back of my chest. All I could feel was pain.
But was the affliction in my chest more than the affliction of not being able to protect Shirley?
Every mistake of my life started flaunting in front of my eyes. Every mistake that led me here, in this miserable condition. Also, the mistakes that cost me to lose Shirley. I would never see her smile again, would I?
Regret started eating me alive.
The pain was paralyzing. The pain of losing Shirley, the pain of my incapacity, the pain of being a failure.
Everything started fading away; all the noise around me. All memories started to fade away, mixing with thin air. My heartbeat was getting slower. I gave up on trying to breathe properly.
Darkness and numbness started taking over me.
My eyelids were shutting down. Eventually, everything faded away. Maybe it was me who was blending with the obscure.
But I only had one wish—that was to save Shirley.
< Shirley >
"Dylan!" I screamed out.
I panted hard and took a few deep breaths, stabilizing my breathing. Sweat bids rolled down the side of my head. My bangs were falling over my eyes.
"Chill, Shirley. It was a dream. He is okay. He is fine. Nothing will happen to him. Nothing can happen to him. Dylan is perfectly fine," I tried to assure myself.
What a horrible dream it was!
Seriously? Dylan died in my dream? That wasn't a freaking dream! It was a nightmare. Worst nightmare ever!
But then again, why was my heart so restless? Why do I feel so anxious? As if something precious to me was leaving—This feeling... It was so suffocating and throttling.
More bids of sweat ran down by my cheek. I was sweating badly. It was burning in here. The place was frightening. The air had an odd smell in here too, which disgusted me. It was a very small room.
My hands were chained to the decaying walls, and my legs were shackled. I was leaning against the wall in a sitting position. My limbs were hurting badly. But I deserved this pain, anyway.
The door flew open. I nearly lost my eyesight due to the sudden brightness. I blinked many times before adjusting to the outside light.
A bulky guy walked in. "Are you ready to accept our boss?" he asked in his usual rude tone. It was the eighth time he asked the same question from the time I came here.
"Over my dead body," I responded, raising my head to make myself look braver, only to receive a slap on my cheek.
It stung a lot every time he slapped or punched me in the guts, but there's no way I was going to marry their boss, Mr. Creepy Stalker. If I married someone someday, then it was going to be Dylan Lewiston.
But then again I didn't deserve someone as good as Dylan. I had certainly gone crazy. I was contradicting my own words.
"Girl, you should know better than to deny over and over. You are going to get punished again," he snarled, flipping his blonde hair.
"Huh, I deserve it. I deserve all of the pain in this world. And know this, even if I died, I would never marry that creep you call 'boss'," I spat out harshly, though the cuts on my lips stung. I could taste stale alkaline in my mouth as I spoke up. Some warm liquid rolled down my lips.
Blondie grabbed my neck and slammed me against the wall brutally. The back of my head ached at the sudden contact with the hard wall. The wounds on my arms, stomach, and legs pricked at the sudden movement.
I whimpered.
"You are crazy. Just get married to the boss and live happily ever after," he snickered, trying to strangle me.
I managed to let out a mocking laugh. "As I said, over my dead body." As I laughed, blood rolled down beside my eyes from my previous injury.
"You sure are stubborn."
"You have no idea," I replied and coughed as soon as he let go of my neck.
He feigned a sigh. "Come in." As expected, a woman walked in with a wide smirk on her lips. "Make her feel hell until she faints." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.
The woman turned on the dim light, letting me see her evil grin. I flinched when I heard the sound of a whip crash on the ground.
"It's the eighth torture time, babe," she snarled, licking her lips in anticipation.
A lone tear slipped my left eye as I waited for the strip of the cord to wound my body over and over again. I bit my lips hard to tolerate the pain. I could savor the alkalinity and salty taste in my mouth.
With every beating I took, I bit my lip harder, making my lips bleed eventually.
But this time, it didn't pain as much as it did the first few times. My body had grown numb to the throttling pain. While she kept tormenting me, all I could think was about him…
How long has it been, Dylan? How long has it been since I last saw you bleed out on the ground like that? Has it been ages since our lips touched?
Uh, I knew it had been exactly forty-nine hours. How did I know, you ask?
I glanced at the clock which was kept on a tiny table. It was kept there to count as to how long I could reject Mr. Creepy Stalker, but I was using it to countdown my time here.
I reminisced about my moments with Dylan again. Back when we used to fight with each other like crazy. Those were the best days of my life. Heck, every second I spent with him was the best.
Dylan was going to confess something to me. Alas, I wasn't lucky enough to hear those three magical words from his mouth with a smile.
I snapped back to reality when someone pulled my hair, almost pulling them out of my scalp.
"What, bitch? What are you smiling for?" she spat out in her venomous voice.
I didn't realize a smile had broken out on my face while thinking about Dylan.
What have you done to me, Dylan? I'm being beaten to a pulp, but here I am, smiling like a little bitch, remembering the times I spent with you when, for all I know, you might be dead already.
"Stop smiling, you crazy bitch!" she screamed and started slapping me.
I really am crazy for you, Dylan.
I laughed bitterly. There was no hope, but my love wouldn't die. I would keep hoping—hoping for you to come to save me from this hell.