I wake up in the middle of a faintly lit room, glowing a low red as I feel the throb of my pounding head. My arms were tied, bound to poles that resemble coiled snakes wrapped around a branch. "This is way above my paycheck." I scour the room for any information I can get as to where I was right now, looking for something that could get me down. My legs were unbound and flat on the ground, which means I at least have available options for movement if someone comes in. I can't die here.
"You're finally awake?" A woman speaks from the shadows, her voice condescending, as if she was mocking me. "You're a pretty one, aren't you?" A thick cloud of dark crimson smoke appears in front of me as a shape of a woman can be made out from within it. The smoke dissipates, leaving a young girl with bright red hair standing in front of me. She approaches with one hand reaching out, grasping my face once she got close enough. "Too bad Mother has other plans with you. If it weren't for that���" I wince as I feel her nails dig into skin, a trickle of blood now running down my cheek. "I would've made you mine."
"Where's Michael?" I speak, coming off as barely a whisper as I feel my throat scream for water. "Where am I?" Fear crawls its way from the pit of my stomach as I force myself to control the urge to panic. Remember to breathe. "What is it that you want?"
A finger is put up against my lips as she shushes me, a grin plastered of her porcelain-like face. "You know I can't answer that." She turns around, walking towards the shadows of the room once more as she raises a hand in farewell.
A sudden pain suddenly overwhelms my entire being as I lose my grip on reality. It's maddening, as if every fiber of my being is being ripped apart all at once, with no signs of stopping. I desperately try to catch my breath as my lungs scream for air, finding none as I choke from the pain. Fuck! My vision blurs, the darkness seemingly growing in size as I lose all of the strength I had left. In one swift moment, I am surrounded by silence; my eyes feel like they've been finally laid to rest after centuries of not being able to.
"Anthony, honey." Sherly? I open my eyes and find myself back at my own home, Sherly sitting at the other end of our small round dinner table as she eyes me with a worried smile. "You've been staring at your food as if it was gonna gnaw at you or something." She reaches out her hand to clasp mine. "Talk to me darling."
My eyes brim with tears as I forget what I had been thinking about, as if I had just witnessed a nightmare that's become too hazy for me to recall. "I was scared…" I couldn't help but cry, my heart tightening for an unknown cause that I feel like is on the tip of my tongue.
Sherly clenches my hand tighter, her other hand on her swollen belly as she arrives her ninth month of pregnancy. "Scared of what darling?"
"That I would never be able to see you again." My throat almost chokes as I try to force a smile on my face, knowing that she would only worry if this goes on. "This is probably nothing love."
"Well, if you say so." She doesn't let go of my hand as she looks down on her stomach, her eyes glowing with happiness and contentment as she seems to shine underneath the hanging light of our kitchen. "But remember to always leave your worries at home. I wouldn't want you to take it with you on the job at the office and get you into trouble with Michael. How is he by the way? Ever since, you know…"
I shrug my head, knowing that I too have the same questions. "I just hope he's doing alright and not blaming himself for what happened." The flames from that night spark brightly in all of our heads, a catastrophe averted by the sacrifice Michael made, the sacrifice that Evelynn made. "That was such a long time ago, before we were even sent to the office. But I still feel the effects it had on everybody, especially Michael."
Sherly sighs, now leaving her hold onto me as she grabs her fork, spinning a bundle of pasta around it as she eyes me worriedly. "I've thought about it."
"About what?" I ask, visibly confused by her sudden statement.
"Quitting. What happened that night, I just don't want to risk it." She smiles, a beautiful smile I could never get enough of. "I don't think I want our little one to go through the burden of having Watchmen as parents." Sherly doesn't break eye contact, a silent resolve fills the frame of her eyes. Strength, my strength. "I won't stop you if you continue in this endeavor of yours to become a Watchman, because I know that this has always been your goal. I'm proud of you for that." She steps up and stands behind me, I feel her warmth enveloping my entire body as she holds me in her arms, her chin resting on my shoulder as her breathing lands on my skin. "All I ask of you, Anthony Collins, is that you never forget about your wife and child waiting for you at home. Promise me that you'll always come back to us, no matter how many bruises of cuts you may have, come back to me alive." I feel tears running down my neck as she softly sobs, her hold much tighter than ever before. "Promise me that, please."
I put my arm over her head as I smile, my fear now replaced with determination. My lips part to mouth the words I wish to uphold, no matter what the cost. "I promise you." I won't leave you alone.