Girl in the Fire (Final Chapter)
Read 1-3 first.
Jason looked up. On his way to the park, he had noticed a blockade preventing him from getting there. There were about three soldiers guarding the area. "Um...excuse me but, why is this part of the city sealed off?"
"Quarantine," a soldier answered. Jason was taken by surprise; why hadn't he heard about any of this elsewhere?
"Really? I can't even go to the park?"
"I'm afraid not; you'll have to turn back around."
Sarah narrowly dodged the tree as it collided with the ground, branches snapping and leaves showering the park. "Give up!" Julia screamed. "I don't want to hurt to hurt you!" Good luck trying to convince me, Sarah thought, watching the tree slide across the ground and head straight for her. She planted her feet in the ground and braced for impact, clenching her teeth and holding her arms out. It smashed into her, sending her skidding off the grass and onto the street, crashing into a car parked near an apartment building. Her entire body was stained in blood, viewing everything around her as a blurry mess, squinting to see the dark figure approaching her. "Just like...old times," she said quietly.
-
"Hey! New kid!" Sarah turned around to see a group of kids standing before her. "We heard you were strong; Stan said he saw you lift a car all by yourself - but I think you're both liars. You're not so tough." She backed away to find herself surrounded by them, entrapped in a circle of hate. Two of them who were placed behind her grabbed both of her arms, preventing her from moving.
"Let go of me! I haven't done anything to you!" She lashed out with her foot as one of them approached her but missed by a hair's breadth.
"Ooh!" The kid taunted. "Scary now, aren't we? Hey; hold her tight - make sure she can't move." By now, Sarah had already given up struggling; only the look of defeat was plastered onto her face. "Alright," the leader of the group said, cracking his knuckles, "We'll see how tough you are!" Her eyes widened as he drove his fist into her stomach. Before she could even recover, he landed another blow to the side of her face, bruising it severely. "Ha; that looked like it hurt!" One of the other kids in the group tapped his shoulder.
"I think she's had enough; maybe we should just let her go-" The leader responded by hitting him across the face.
"What; are you going soft on her already? What's wrong with you?"
A single drop of blood dripped onto the leader's sneaker. "Aw look at that! These are new shoes. Are you going to pay for them? Huh?" He shoved her multiple times. Someone else had entered the room.
She gasped, a scene like this obviously being unfamiliar to her. "I'm telling the teacher!"
The moment she ran out of the room, the leader gestured to one of the other kids. "Hey; lock the door and block it up." He nodded, walking over to the door. He locked it and wedged a chair between the floor and the knob. He turned back to the girl. "So; do you have anything else to say before we get started?" Nothing happened for a heartbeat, maybe two. Then she looked up.
"I hate you." She wrenched herself from the grip of the two people behind her, flinging them forward. She picked up a desk and used it smash the head of a nearby child. The entire room was in chaos and things were being broken left and right. Amidst the confusion Sarah was doing her own thing.
A few hours later, she found herself stumbling across the empty streets, looking for a place to stay for the time being. She walked to a nearby house, knocking on the door. Moments later, a young lady answered. She breathed sharply, staring at what appeared to be a blood-stained girl. She crouched down to her level. "What...what happened to you?"
Sarah grabbed the side of her head and bashed it against the door,shoving her aside afterward, her lifeless body laying spread-eagled across the carpet. She closed the door behind her, heading for the bathroom. She entered the shower, letting the hot water rain down on her. When she stepped out, she snatched a nearby bathrobe and walked towards the living room, a towel over her head.
-
"C'mon, twelve," Sarah coughed. "Don't tell me...that was your best shot..." With difficulty, she stood up, completely soaked in her own blood. "This fight isn't..." she finally collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily as she lay on the pavement. Julia walked over and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the ground.
"You're coming home with me." With the remnant of her fading strength, Sarah yanked her down, making her fall. "Ouch!" she said, landing on her back. She got back up slowly, dusting herself off. "This is the first time I've worn a dress like this; first it gets all bloody and now you have to get dirt on it!" She kicked her in the stomach as hard as she could. "Freak!" she yelled at her. Sarah curled into a ball from the pain.
"It...hurts...I don't want this...help me...Jason!"
Jason looked about, hearing his name. "What the hell was that?" The soldiers in front of him said nothing. He wasn't sure if he could make up his mind. He ran for the park, shoving the guards aside.
"Hey; wait! Come back! You can't go there!" He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the park coming into view. Then he noticed the two girls. "What the hell happened here?" He shouted, looking at the bloody girl lying on the floor. He rushed over to her but the other girl tackled him from the side, pinning him to a wall. "What are you doing? Get off me!"
"Don't go near her!" The girl cried. "She'll kill you!" Jason struggled with her, trying to get her off him.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sarah opened her eyes, finding Julia in conflict with a young man. "Who...?" Then she finally realized who it was. "Jason!" She clumsily got back up, managing to walk over to where the other two were fighting. She shoved Julia off him, immediately embracing him as soon as he was freed.
"Hey!" he said, trying to back further up the wall. "Who are you?" The bloodied girl hugged him even tighter and looked into his face. "Don't you remember me?" she said, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you know who I am, Jason?"
He blinked once. "...Sarah? What happened to you? Did she do that?"
"It doesn't matter anymore! I've finally found you after all these years and that's the only thing that matters; we can live happily together and no one will ever bother us again!"
"Slow down; what's going on here? You need to stop talking so I can take you to a hospital." She wept even harder, pressing her face into his chest.
"I've done terrible, terrible things...the only reason I kept myself alive for this long was to wait for the day where I would see you again...I even-" She coughed, backing away from him.
"Sarah!" She'd been shot three times by the snipers on the rooftops, thinking that she was going to try to harm him. She lay convulsing on the floor until she finally settled down a few seconds later. Julia watched him kneel to her level and pick her off the ground.
"I don't understand..."
He headed for the nearest hospital with her in his arms. He looked down at Sarah, who was now unconscious. "So...it is you."
3 Years later -
Entry 159; 3/12/58
I remember when Sarah had lost all of her memory after the incident in 2055 but we've finally taught her to speak again. I decided to take her in and she's still recovering but hopefully-
Jason put down his pen, finding a girl in the doorway. "Sarah. You're awake." She walked over to him and sat on the floor, looking up to him.
"I've remembered everything now."
"Sarah..." Jason stood out of his chair and she stood with him. She embraced him tightly, letting tears fall freely. "Remember that promise you made...when we were kids?"
"What promise?"
"Think harder. You only made one."
-
Sarah and Jason sat next to each other on the bench, waiting for the bus to arrive. She turned to him and held his hand.
"Something wrong?"
"I...I need you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"If I were to ever hurt you in any way...I want you to..." She turned away from him, distorted thoughts entering her mind.
"You want me to what?"
"I want you to...I want you to kill me."
"...What do you mean?"
"I would never be able to live with myself if I were to ever hurt you. I wouldn't be able to trust myself not to do it again."
"But-"
"Promise!"
"Okay, okay, but you're still confusing me here; why would you ever hurt me?"
"Because...I'm different. I'm different from everyone else."
"How so?"
"It's...kind of hard to explain..."
-
Jason pushed her away, shaking his head. "What are you thinking? There's no way I'll do that! No way!"
"I know I'll hurt you again, I know-"
"I trust you not to hurt me. There's no need to do anything extreme."
"But I don't trust myself! Things happen when I get mad..." She opened Jason's palm and placed a knife in it.
He stepped back, shaking his head again. "I won't do it. This isn't the girl in the rain I met all those years ago."
"You promised!" He bit his lip, feeling the knife loosen in his hand. Frustrated, she walked over to him and grabbed the knife from his hand.
"Wait!" Before he could say anything else, she stabbed herself repeatedly.
"Sarah!" he rushed over to her fallen form and ripped the bloody knife from her grasp. "Why..."
"I won't let anyone else get hurt again...that promise, at least...I will keep." Her eyes were now vacant, staring upwards. "I understand..." he said, soaking her with his tears. "I understand; so wake up! Wake up!"
"Wake up! Wake up!" Jason's eyes opened to see his family standing in front of him as he lay on his deathbed. He saw his mother wipe tears from her eyes. "For a second...I thought you were going to have an early departure."
"I...I just went to sleep for a moment...I was having...a pleasant dream." Among the crowd was a little girl aged around eight wearing a gold necklace. She walked over to him and placed a cherry lollipop in his hand. "Tell Brandon I'm sorry."
"Quarantine," a soldier answered. Jason was taken by surprise; why hadn't he heard about any of this elsewhere?
"Really? I can't even go to the park?"
"I'm afraid not; you'll have to turn back around."
Sarah narrowly dodged the tree as it collided with the ground, branches snapping and leaves showering the park. "Give up!" Julia screamed. "I don't want to hurt to hurt you!" Good luck trying to convince me, Sarah thought, watching the tree slide across the ground and head straight for her. She planted her feet in the ground and braced for impact, clenching her teeth and holding her arms out. It smashed into her, sending her skidding off the grass and onto the street, crashing into a car parked near an apartment building. Her entire body was stained in blood, viewing everything around her as a blurry mess, squinting to see the dark figure approaching her. "Just like...old times," she said quietly.
-
"Hey! New kid!" Sarah turned around to see a group of kids standing before her. "We heard you were strong; Stan said he saw you lift a car all by yourself - but I think you're both liars. You're not so tough." She backed away to find herself surrounded by them, entrapped in a circle of hate. Two of them who were placed behind her grabbed both of her arms, preventing her from moving.
"Let go of me! I haven't done anything to you!" She lashed out with her foot as one of them approached her but missed by a hair's breadth.
"Ooh!" The kid taunted. "Scary now, aren't we? Hey; hold her tight - make sure she can't move." By now, Sarah had already given up struggling; only the look of defeat was plastered onto her face. "Alright," the leader of the group said, cracking his knuckles, "We'll see how tough you are!" Her eyes widened as he drove his fist into her stomach. Before she could even recover, he landed another blow to the side of her face, bruising it severely. "Ha; that looked like it hurt!" One of the other kids in the group tapped his shoulder.
"I think she's had enough; maybe we should just let her go-" The leader responded by hitting him across the face.
"What; are you going soft on her already? What's wrong with you?"
A single drop of blood dripped onto the leader's sneaker. "Aw look at that! These are new shoes. Are you going to pay for them? Huh?" He shoved her multiple times. Someone else had entered the room.
She gasped, a scene like this obviously being unfamiliar to her. "I'm telling the teacher!"
The moment she ran out of the room, the leader gestured to one of the other kids. "Hey; lock the door and block it up." He nodded, walking over to the door. He locked it and wedged a chair between the floor and the knob. He turned back to the girl. "So; do you have anything else to say before we get started?" Nothing happened for a heartbeat, maybe two. Then she looked up.
"I hate you." She wrenched herself from the grip of the two people behind her, flinging them forward. She picked up a desk and used it smash the head of a nearby child. The entire room was in chaos and things were being broken left and right. Amidst the confusion Sarah was doing her own thing.
A few hours later, she found herself stumbling across the empty streets, looking for a place to stay for the time being. She walked to a nearby house, knocking on the door. Moments later, a young lady answered. She breathed sharply, staring at what appeared to be a blood-stained girl. She crouched down to her level. "What...what happened to you?"
Sarah grabbed the side of her head and bashed it against the door,shoving her aside afterward, her lifeless body laying spread-eagled across the carpet. She closed the door behind her, heading for the bathroom. She entered the shower, letting the hot water rain down on her. When she stepped out, she snatched a nearby bathrobe and walked towards the living room, a towel over her head.
-
"C'mon, twelve," Sarah coughed. "Don't tell me...that was your best shot..." With difficulty, she stood up, completely soaked in her own blood. "This fight isn't..." she finally collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily as she lay on the pavement. Julia walked over and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the ground.
"You're coming home with me." With the remnant of her fading strength, Sarah yanked her down, making her fall. "Ouch!" she said, landing on her back. She got back up slowly, dusting herself off. "This is the first time I've worn a dress like this; first it gets all bloody and now you have to get dirt on it!" She kicked her in the stomach as hard as she could. "Freak!" she yelled at her. Sarah curled into a ball from the pain.
"It...hurts...I don't want this...help me...Jason!"
Jason looked about, hearing his name. "What the hell was that?" The soldiers in front of him said nothing. He wasn't sure if he could make up his mind. He ran for the park, shoving the guards aside.
"Hey; wait! Come back! You can't go there!" He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the park coming into view. Then he noticed the two girls. "What the hell happened here?" He shouted, looking at the bloody girl lying on the floor. He rushed over to her but the other girl tackled him from the side, pinning him to a wall. "What are you doing? Get off me!"
"Don't go near her!" The girl cried. "She'll kill you!" Jason struggled with her, trying to get her off him.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sarah opened her eyes, finding Julia in conflict with a young man. "Who...?" Then she finally realized who it was. "Jason!" She clumsily got back up, managing to walk over to where the other two were fighting. She shoved Julia off him, immediately embracing him as soon as he was freed.
"Hey!" he said, trying to back further up the wall. "Who are you?" The bloodied girl hugged him even tighter and looked into his face. "Don't you remember me?" she said, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you know who I am, Jason?"
He blinked once. "...Sarah? What happened to you? Did she do that?"
"It doesn't matter anymore! I've finally found you after all these years and that's the only thing that matters; we can live happily together and no one will ever bother us again!"
"Slow down; what's going on here? You need to stop talking so I can take you to a hospital." She wept even harder, pressing her face into his chest.
"I've done terrible, terrible things...the only reason I kept myself alive for this long was to wait for the day where I would see you again...I even-" She coughed, backing away from him.
"Sarah!" She'd been shot three times by the snipers on the rooftops, thinking that she was going to try to harm him. She lay convulsing on the floor until she finally settled down a few seconds later. Julia watched him kneel to her level and pick her off the ground.
"I don't understand..."
He headed for the nearest hospital with her in his arms. He looked down at Sarah, who was now unconscious. "So...it is you."
3 Years later -
Entry 159; 3/12/58
I remember when Sarah had lost all of her memory after the incident in 2055 but we've finally taught her to speak again. I decided to take her in and she's still recovering but hopefully-
Jason put down his pen, finding a girl in the doorway. "Sarah. You're awake." She walked over to him and sat on the floor, looking up to him.
"I've remembered everything now."
"Sarah..." Jason stood out of his chair and she stood with him. She embraced him tightly, letting tears fall freely. "Remember that promise you made...when we were kids?"
"What promise?"
"Think harder. You only made one."
-
Sarah and Jason sat next to each other on the bench, waiting for the bus to arrive. She turned to him and held his hand.
"Something wrong?"
"I...I need you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"If I were to ever hurt you in any way...I want you to..." She turned away from him, distorted thoughts entering her mind.
"You want me to what?"
"I want you to...I want you to kill me."
"...What do you mean?"
"I would never be able to live with myself if I were to ever hurt you. I wouldn't be able to trust myself not to do it again."
"But-"
"Promise!"
"Okay, okay, but you're still confusing me here; why would you ever hurt me?"
"Because...I'm different. I'm different from everyone else."
"How so?"
"It's...kind of hard to explain..."
-
Jason pushed her away, shaking his head. "What are you thinking? There's no way I'll do that! No way!"
"I know I'll hurt you again, I know-"
"I trust you not to hurt me. There's no need to do anything extreme."
"But I don't trust myself! Things happen when I get mad..." She opened Jason's palm and placed a knife in it.
He stepped back, shaking his head again. "I won't do it. This isn't the girl in the rain I met all those years ago."
"You promised!" He bit his lip, feeling the knife loosen in his hand. Frustrated, she walked over to him and grabbed the knife from his hand.
"Wait!" Before he could say anything else, she stabbed herself repeatedly.
"Sarah!" he rushed over to her fallen form and ripped the bloody knife from her grasp. "Why..."
"I won't let anyone else get hurt again...that promise, at least...I will keep." Her eyes were now vacant, staring upwards. "I understand..." he said, soaking her with his tears. "I understand; so wake up! Wake up!"
"Wake up! Wake up!" Jason's eyes opened to see his family standing in front of him as he lay on his deathbed. He saw his mother wipe tears from her eyes. "For a second...I thought you were going to have an early departure."
"I...I just went to sleep for a moment...I was having...a pleasant dream." Among the crowd was a little girl aged around eight wearing a gold necklace. She walked over to him and placed a cherry lollipop in his hand. "Tell Brandon I'm sorry."
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