Page 136 of Dissolving Prejudice

An image of a ceiling flashed before me, and shaken, I clutched the car’s door for support. Unsure of what I’d just seen, I blinked my eyes a couple of times when suddenly, the odd image returned. Only this time, it didn’t last a second, and instead, I kept seeing those weird visions until they turned clearer and I could see myself lying on a… a bed. Yes. I was on my stomach, and my hands were somehow tied behind my back, while the bed was… stained with blood?

“S-shit,” I hissed before dropping to my knees. I think that someone was calling to ask if I was okay from afar, but at that point, I could hardly focus on what was going on around me. My mind kept going to that weird image of bloodstained sheets. Only it wasn’t just an image but a memory. A memory that became clearer by the second, as now, I also saw Orson’s body half tossed on the bed, half on the floor with a bullet in his head. That was right—just a second ago, I heard the wheezing sound of air piercing before Orson dropped dead. Someone shot him, and that someone was right behind me.

“Sir, are you okay?” some stranger asked as he bent down to assist me, but he only got in the way.

No. No. No. The image was slipping away from me.

“Don’t touch me!” I yelled and pushed whoever was trying to help me while the same words echoed in my brain. Only in my head, they were aimed at someone else. They were aimed at—

I didn’t know. The memory ended abruptly. Desperate to know more, to remember more, from that night, I pressed my forehead to the ground and squeezed my eyes shut. I tried forcing my head to remember when finally—

A hand touched my shoulder, and I froze before someone turned me around. The whole room spun, and it wasn’t until I blinked several times that I saw who it was. The second our eyes met and I saw the darkness lurking in his stare, I knew it was the end.

“S-Shay-Lee, it’s me,” Jordan said with a nervous smile and wild eyes.

Shocked, I stared at him with my mouth open. My throat felt dry and my eyes sore. He gave me one more smile that I almost fell for when my attention wandered back to Orson’s dead body. My heart beat so fast I felt like I was about to die as fear struck me. Fear so intense I didn’t know what to do other than—

“C-Camilo. W-where is he?” I cried.

Jordan’s brows pulled close before he placed the gun on the mattress right beside me. I attempted to pull away, but the unbearable pain in my ankles forbade me from moving.

“Shay-Lee, calm down.”

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed when he attempted to grab my body. “Camilo! I need Camilo!” I demanded while he ignored my request and instead released my hands. “Where is he? Please, I need him.” My eyes welled with tears. “Camilo, please, just please—”

“He isn’t here!” Jordan shouted before dropping the ropes I was tied with beside me. “He’s not here, Shay-Lee. It’s just me, Jordan.”

“I don’t want you!” I roared, unable to understand why he was even here to begin with. How did he know to find me here?

“Shay-Lee—”

“Leave me alone.” I covered my eyes with my palms. “Fuck! Leave me alone! Just leave me the fuck alone!”

“W-what?”

“I said, leave me alone!” I screamed and attempted to move when he, once again, laid his hands on me.

“Shay-Lee, you’re hurt—”

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed and sent my hand forward until it collided with his face, and he dropped his hands from around me.

I didn’t want to be touched. Not again. Not after what Orson had just done to me.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me.” Tears rolled down my cheeks while my body hurt all over. “Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me.” Scared and cold, I lay on my side and grabbed the blanket, not caring that it was stained with blood. I hugged it close to my chest, all while muttering the same words until they all blended together with my crying and turned unrecognizable. But at least Jordan finally got up, and I heard him stepping away until the door shut behind him. I had no idea how long I lay there, but it felt long—too long—until the door opened again.

I glanced at the doorway, hoping Camilo had finally come to rescue me as he’d promised, only to see my dad’s intimidating posture filling the doorway. Our eyes crossed as full dread threatened to break me apart before I looked down at his hand to see he was holding on to Jordan’s crutch.

I swallowed hard, my eyes going up to meet my father’s one last time before I accepted my fate. Laying my head back on the mattress and closing my eyes, I began mumbling the same rhythm.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me—”

Diesel

A pounding headache jolted me awake, and aching, I struggled to open my eyes. “F-fuck,” I grunted while sending one hand to rub my face before I attempted to get up. The second I did, my head spun, forcing me to lie back down.

Half opening my eyes, I stared at my crappy ceiling, wishing it would just fall on top of me and crush me alive. I bet even that wouldn’t hurt as much as I was hurting right now. Glancing at the window, it looked like it was around noon, which meant I’d slept for… I had no idea for how long, and quite frankly, I was surprised I’d even survived the gallons of alcohol I swallowed last night.

The sound of a door opening made my heart drop, and hopeful it was Shay-Lee, I got my ass moving. My body hurt like a motherfucker as I did, but I’d take it if it meant Shay-Lee came home—