I'm Not Alone

Chapter 1

A soft, humming vibration echoed the cold, dark, stone hallway. It crept into the room, onto her skin, forcing her nerves to react. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly awoke hazily eyeing the room. She was alone. I was a feeling she absolutely hated. Her gut twisted. The vibration dissipated. The light above her flickered on. Adjusting herself, she scanned the room and her surroundings. To the left was a stand with a bible and some hygiene products, To the right was a toilet, sink, and mirror. In front of her, ten metal bars.

Abruptly, she jolted out of the nightmare. Heaving in and out, she attempted to catch her breath. Her throat was dry, her lungs were tight. Her vision was blurred, but the room was no longer dark. Instead, it was a bright white. As she regained sight, she noticed butterflies and birds drawn on the walls. A Mickey Mouse clock read 4:32AM. Across from her was a mirror. She looked at herself. Her body was covered in scratches, bruises, dirt and dried blood. Lastly, she noticed something else that startled her.

She was strapped to the bed.

What the hell? She thought.

She glanced to her wrists. They were red from the handcuffs gripping them tightly. Each hand was cuffed to one side of the bed's rail. On her right hand, was a hospital band.

DANIELLE ATILLIA DOB: 08/22/2003 DOA: 07/02/2020 AGED: 16 SEX: F PHYS: DR. BOAR

Frantically, her body bounced back and forth, looking for a way to escape, not just the hospital room, but that gut wrenching feeling of confinement. She yanked against the cuffs, which caused a roar of clanking shrieks to echo the room and into the hall. The commotion alerted the staff outside of the room, and the nearby police officer.

The door had purposely been left open. If anything happened in that room, the officer wanted to hear it. He had been sitting in a chair just outside the room, but his throat was parched, and he needed some coffee. It was a long night. He planned to sit there until Danielle woke up. He was sure she would have information related to the case he was working on.

The black coffee had just begun to pour as he heard the noises from down the hall. Sitting the cup down, he met up with nurse that was assigned to the girl, and they headed towards the room. He gripped his sidearm. The police office wanted to be safe, rather than sorry. He viewed her as dangerous.

Danielle shifted herself into the head of the bed, scared, as the nurse and cop entered her room.

"Good morning, Danielle," the nurse began. "It's okay if we call you that, right?"

Danielle remained quiet. She did not trust them. She noticed that the nurse had more than one name tag.

"My name is Clara," the nurse started. She quickly reviewed Danielle's information, some of which was provided by her therapist. "Your chart says that you prefer the name Danni. I can call you that if you'd like?"

Danielle did not loosen her position in the bed. "Yes," she answered.

The nurse smiled. "Alright then, Danni. How are you feeling this morning?"

Danni stared at the nurse. She could tell the lady would try to approach her. Take her vitals. Try to calm her down. But she did not want that. Danni wanted to be released, she wanted to go home.

"I want to go home," Danni uttered. It was clear she did not want to speak to her.

She glanced over to the cop. He was tall, had a gut, and a grey beard. He could not have been too old, she figured he must be a drinker.

"Why am I in handcuffs?" she asked him.

He did not answer.

Clara waved for her attention. "Danni, right now you have been admitted into psychiatric care until you are deemed safe, then you will be transferred over to Orange County Jail to be arraigned."

Danni's breathing became heavy. "Arraigned for what? Where is my mom?"

The cop stepped forward, still gripping his firearm. "Danielle, there is no easy way to answer that. Your mom and dad are deceased. You have been charged for their murders. Please calm down, as I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the incident."

What?!

Her breathing turned into hyperventilating. Within seconds, her face was red, and her vision began to blur. Her mind ran wild, her body ached. Oxygen left her body and did not return. The computers blared.

"Code blue!" Clara yelled.

The officer backed out of the room, and a handful of other nurses quickly ran in. One began CPR and chest compressions, while another administered medication into Danni's bloodstream. They put a mask on her mouth, forcing air into her lungs. Pulling it out. Pushing more back in.

Within a minute of calling the code blue, the nurses had returned Danni's vitals back to normal. The monitors steadied. Danni was alive, but for the time being, asleep.

They cleared the room. Nurse Clara stopped at the door. Her forehead was covered in sweat. Her shift had just started, and she could tell it was going to be a long 10 hours. Regardless of the circumstances around Danni's admission, Clara was happy that she had lived. She was taught to fight for every life that came through the hospital doors, even if they had done something horrible.

The officer walked up to her.

"Officer Clint," Clara spoke. "Danielle is fine. She will be asleep for a few hours if you want to grab yourself some breakfast."

He sighed. "Damn, I had thought she was a goner. But thank you, I think I will do just that. Call me if she wakes up before I am back, I have a lot to ask her." It was a statement, but his body language turned it into a question."

"Will do, officer." Clara responded.

She watched as Clint walked down the hallway and exited the building. They were located on the bottom floor, next to the ER. She peered back into the room.

Her patient was sound asleep. Clara smiled. Leaving Danielle in the bright, white hospital room all alone, the nurse slammed the door shut.

Danni's eyes struck open, alarmed by the bang. "Do you really have to close the door that hard?!

"What?" A lady responded.

Danni's head ached.

Mom?

"Mom!" She screamed.

Quickly, Danni sat up. She was in the backseat of a SUV. In the front passenger seat, sat her mom. The driver, her dad. Behind her, wood and metal scraps. They were soaring down the highway.

"You guys are alive!" Danni wanted to hop into the front and hug them both.

"Of course, we are?" Her mom answered, confused.

"Are you okay back there?" Her father mocked.

"Yeah," Danni rubbed her forehead. "Just a weird dream, I guess."

Reaching forward and above her, Danni pressed a button, causing the moonroof to slide open. The car filled with the cool summer breeze. She slumped back into her seat and gazed out the window.

The car continued to shoot down the highway. Her father does not usually speed, as he is a stickler for rules, but today he felt free, going 4 miles over the speed limit. His fingers tapped the wheel, his ring making a soft sound each time he played a new finger chord.

"Dad," Danni scooted over to the middle seat. "Where are we going?"

"You're too young to be forgetting things," he answered. "We are going to grandma's house."

Danni broke into a chuckle. "Yeah, you're probably right." She smiled and turned back to the window, watching as they quickly passed the massive green fields and corn stalks. It was relaxing. Something she had not experience in a while.

She had been preoccupied with school, and her part time job at the lab. Her father would not dare allow her GPA to dip below a 3.9. Regardless of how many hours she put in working custodial, school came first, and it made sense. Her dad was a Bio-Scientist, centered around biotechnology and innovation. Her mom was a Nurse Practitioner, and head of the Emergency Room. There definitely were high expectations Danni was expected to meet.

Danni noticed the familiar large green sign as they drove past it. "Dad, wasn't that the exit to Nana's, exit 205?"

Her dad sternly responded. "Danni, I know where I am going. Please do not backseat drive me."

She sighed and tilted her head back onto the window.

"Elijah, you don't have to be like that." Her mom whispered.

He scoffed but did not respond. They had been having more than their usual share of issues lately. Things were tense, to say the least. It was getting harder and harder for them to put up with each other. They had been married just about 16 years. Though, it was not a marriage out of just love. Danni's mother had gotten pregnant, and shortly after, they were newlyweds.

He sped up, clocking in at almost 110MPH. It was definitely unusual of Elijah to drive this fast. He really wanted to get to their destination, and out of their current situation.

"Elijah, slow down." His wife ordered.

He glared at her, with a look she had not saw in years. It instilled fear into her. He began to raise his hand, and just as he was about to swing, the phone rang.

Sighing, he lowered his hand, lifted his foot off the gas, and grabbed the phone. "It's work. I'm going to answer, so be quiet." His finger swiped the green icon to the right. He put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello. Yes, this is. No, I am not doing that. Yes, I am on my way. I am dropping the assignment after this. No. Is that a threat? It does not matter. Project Verity is dead. It is over. Do not call me again." He ended the call and tossed the phone in the middle console.

"Is everything okay?" His wife asked, worried.

"What's Project Verity?" Danni chimed in. "Another cool invention you're working on?"

He flashed the right blinker and headed towards the exit. Merging onto a dirt, pebble covered road, he snapped back at them. "Danielle, it is none of your business and I advise you do not bring it up again. Yes Olivia, everything is peachy."

Danni widened her eyes in a mocking fashion. "Okay." She hated it when they used her full name. Danielle is such an ugly, ridiculous name. I despise it.

Elijah sped up again. The car shook as it topped 120MPH. Olivia turned her body away from him. You have nothing to prove. She thought. The equipment in the back began to rattle, catching Danni's attention. She turned back and watched as the pipes moved back and forth, one side hitting the trunk door, and the other piercing a hole into her seat's fabric. She adjusted the pipe so it would slide under her seat, rather through it. She turned back around and looked out the front window.

Elijah's phone went off again. He opened the middle console and sighed at the number displayed on the phone's screen. "I said not to call me again." He whispered.

"Dad!" Danni screamed, pointing towards the windshield. "Watch out!"

There was a man standing in the middle of the road.

Danni and Olivia quickly braced themselves. The wheel was turned to the left. The brake pedal pressed against the ground. The tires screeched as they attempted to come to a halt. The car swerved off the road, flipping into the side ditch. The SUV landed on its passenger side, trapping Danni and Olivia. The road was littered with glass, metal, and debris. With the moonroof still wide open, the man peered inside from the distance.

He chuckled. Resting a bat on his back, he swiftly walked towards the vehicle. He wore what looked like a children's animal mask. It was a bright pink pig mask, with a twirly thin nose, the kind kids would wear at a party. It was too small on him, only covering his eyes and cheekbones. The Man in the Mask was dressed in a black hoodie, and blue jeans with holes in them, exposing his pale white skin. He skipped closer to the car and disappeared from sight.

"Mom?" Danni gasped from the back seat. Her head throbbed. She tried to massage it but was met with a wet substance. Looking at her hand, it was blood. Concussion? "Mom, are you okay?" She asked, a bit louder. Danni tried to move, but instantly pain shot through her leg. What the hell? She glanced down. A metal pipe had impaled her lower calf. She gulped. That could have gone through my stomach.

Danni maneuvered around the backseat as much as the pipe allowed her. Luckily, the adrenaline took care of most of the pain, but it was still excruciating. She pushed against Olivia's seat. "Mom, wake up!"

Olivia's head began to move. "Wh-What happened?" She stuttered.

"Mom!" Danni yelled in relief. "Thank God. We crashed. We need to get out of here. I think the car is smoking."

Olivia looked around. Grayish white smoke was coming from the front of the SUV. "Elijah," she shook him. He did not move. She put her hand to his nose. "He's breathing but knocked out cold."

"Can you climb over him, to the top of the car, and try to pull me out?" Danni asked.

Her mom nodded. "Yeah, I can do that." She looked back at Danni. "Danni, your head is bleeding!"

"I know mom, but there's another issue..." Danni looks down at her leg.

Olivia gasps. "Okay, stay calm. We will have to remove the rod before I can pull you out."

Danni swallowed. Shit.

Her mother reached around the middle console and made her way to the back seat. "I'm going to grab your leg, lift it up and pull the pipe out from behind. It is going to hurt. Bite your shirt."

Danni pulled her sleeve down and stuffed it into her mouth. Her body stiffened as she prepared for what would probably be an immense amount of pain. Olivia grabbed Danni's leg. Danni took deep breaths as shots of pain raced through her body. She clenched the shirt harder; her jaw began to ache. Blood squirted out of her leg, like juice out of a straw. Danni screams were muffled, but still apparent. With a couple yanks, Olivia successfully removed the pipe.

"That's it baby, it's done. Rip off a piece of your shirt and tie it around the wound. It'll have to work as a makeshift tourniquet for now." Danni did as directed. "I'm going to climb through Elijah's door, and open the other side for you."

Danni watched as Olivia climbed over Elijah to open the door. She re-positioned herself and suddenly remembered the moon-roof.

"Mom! Meet me at the moon roof. I can just crawl out through this, but I'll still need a hand."

Olivia quickly agreed. "That'll work." She made her way to the top of the car, then dropped to the ground. She met her daughter on the other side.

"I'm going to help you out, then we both need to get dad out of here, as soon as possible." The smoke was getting darker. "We can't take any chances; we need to move fast."

Danni nodded in agreement. Together, they began to clear out the glass and debris surrounding the window.

"Not the mother daughter time I was promised, huh?" Danni joked.

"Funny, you know I've been busy at this hospital, but this isn't the time for that, Danni."

Danni rolled her eyes. "I'm scared, I'm just trying to calm my nerves."

"I know, honey." Olivia looked into Danni's eyes. "I'm sorry for not being there lately. But I do care for you, and I do love you. If anything, this near-death experience will bring all three of us closer."

"I hope so," Danni smiled.

The Man's bat dragged against the dirt road, as he approached the car. Just feet away, he lifted it and prepared a swing.

"Alright, Danni. It should be good enough for you to get through safely. Put your good leg through first."

As Danni put one leg out, she looked up. Her eyes met the Man in the Mask, just behind her mom.

"Mom! Danni yelled. Behind you!"

Olivia turned around, but it was too late. With the swing of his silver metal bat, she was knocked to the ground.

"Mom, no!" Danni screamed, as she quickly retreated back into the vehicle.

He grabbed Olivia by her feet and dragged her away from the car, which was now spewing black smoke. Her head was covered in blood, a piece already missed from where the bat first hit. She remained conscious and her eyes wandered while her body panicked. He turned and looked at Danni, motioning for her attention. He pointed the bat at Olivia and smiled. Repetitively, he bashed the bat into her face, over and over again. The sounds were inhumane. Bits and pieces of her mother's skin and bone flew across the dirt road. Her hand reached out, at a last attempt to stop the next swing, but to no avail. Again, the bat dropped like cinder blocks into her face, torso, and neck, beating her to a pulp. Danni was frozen in place, her jaw wide open, as she watched her mom get beat to death. He kept going until he was out of breath. All that was left of Olivia was battered skin, an eyeball, an arm reaching out towards Danni. He huffed and puffed, like the big bad wolf. Staring at Danni, he cleaned off the bat using his hoodie's sleeve. He adjusted the pig mask. It was colored with streaks of Olivia's blood.

Whatever his goal was, it seemed personal.

The Man in the Mask began to walk towards the car again. Danni scurried as far back as she could, but there was no where else for her to go.

"Dad!!" Danni cried in pure fear and agony. "Wake up!"

The man approached the car and used the bat to break and open the front windshield.

"What do you want?!" Danni screeched. "Leave us alone!"

He crawled in and opened the glove box, reached for a bag, and pulled a pistol out of it.

What the fuck?

He pressed the gun against Elijah's temple, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger.

The Man in the Mask then smiled and pointed the gun at Danni.

"Please just stop, I don't want to die!" She sobbed.

"Under Elijah's seat. There is a briefcase. Hand it to me." The man spoke.

Danni was frozen. She did not know how to react.

He dangled the gun in front of her. "Now, I said!"

She flinched. "Okay, okay." She reached down and over. Just like the man said, there was a black briefcase. Danni grabbed it.

"What is this?" She asked.

The man yanked the briefcase from her and began to leave the vehicle.

"Why... why did you do this?!" Danni screamed. Adrenaline and anger fueling her body.

The Man in the Mask looked back to her. "For Project Verity, Danni." He held the case up, smiling.

She fell to her knees.

He turned around, pointed the gun at the car's engine, and fired.

Danni screamed.

The vehicle engulfed in flames.