Twenty-two year old Emmy was folding her laundry on the couch when the 5 o'clock news began. She stared in shock as the screen showed the eight Fox River State Penitentiary con men who escaped the night before. The news anchor announced their names, one by one. Emmy began to hyperventilate when Theodore Bagwell's mug shot stared back at her.
The painful memories began to seep into her brain. She squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could, trying to block them out. She could still smell his breath as he breathed down her neck...
"NO!" Emmy jumped up. Why is this happening, she thought, he's supposed to be locked up. Forever! This isn't happening, this isn't happening...
The phone next to her rang and Emmy snatched it up.
"Emelia! Are you watching the news?" her mother asked on the other end.
Emmy couldn't even respond. Her mother took that as a 'yes.'
"Baby girl, I'm so sorry this is happening. I've contacted the local police so they can keep an eye on you, okay? Honey?"
Emmy couldn't even understand what her mother was saying. Slowly, she hung up the phone. She looked around the room, holding herself, as if searching for a way out of her life. She felt so defenseless in her scrawny apartment. There was nothing she could do about Bagwell. There was no way he could even know where she was. And even if he did, why would he care about her now? She was no longer a minor.
Leaving the TV on, she stumbled into her bedroom and crept into her bed without even taking her clothes off. It was still light outside, but all Emmy wanted to do was sleep. Sleep and forget about the man named Theodore Bagwell.
Emelia was in line at the concessions counter of the movie theatre when she saw him. His aftershave was what caught her attention. It was very musky and woodsy. He was in the line next to her about ten feet away. He never took his eyes off of her. Having always been the average-looking girl with boys her own age never glancing twice in her direction, she was flattered. Sure, he was much too old for her, but he was still a bit attractive. She glanced into his eyes and gave him a tiny smile before looking away. She paid for her popcorn and headed towards her group of friends waiting. A hand grabbed her arm and gently spun her around. She came face to face with him.
"Hey, darlin', you forgot yer change." He held out the money she had left behind.
"Oh," Emmy chuckled. She slipped her hand in his to grab the change and he wrapped his thumb around her hand, caressing it a bit. Yanking the change away from him, she backed away, slowly. "Thank you."
She turned around, confused about how she felt. Half of her felt excited, but the other half told her something was wrong. She shrugged it off and joined her friends in the theatre.
Halfway through the movie Emmy became aware of the same scent she came upon earlier. She knew he was nearby, perhaps behind her. Was he following her? She became uneasy and couldn't concentrate on the movie anymore. When a friend was about to get up for a refill on her beverage, Emmy decided to head out with her to use the restroom.
The bathroom was empty and she was glad that she had a moment to herself. She looked upon her reflection in the mirror and began to comb her hair with her fingers. In the mirror, she could see the bathroom door opening behind her. Then she could smell him. Emmy froze where she was. If she was wrong, she didn't want to make a scene in front of a perfect stranger who just needed to use the restroom. But then he walked up next to her. She watched him in the mirror as he smiled back at her.
Emmy turned and faced him and his wicked smile. She was about to ask him what he was doing but he put a finger up to her lips and led her into a stall. Emmy knew this wasn't right. She should've ran out screaming, but she felt hypnotized by his eyes.
"Girly, I sure hope you ain't a screamer." he whispered into her ear.
Emmy woke up with her hair sticking to her face with sweat. Her jaw hurt from clenching it as she slept. Sitting up on her bed she stretched out and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It said it was 7 'o clock but the sky outside was dark and gloomy. She'd slept for about 14 hours. Remembering why she went to bed so early the night before, her heart began to pound harder. She sat and listened. Her apartment was absolutely quiet.
Heading towards her small kitchen, she stopped in front of the television.
Didn't I leave the TV on last night?
She glanced around for the remote and found it on the arm of the recliner instead of it's usual spot on the coffee table.
Emmy quickly turned towards the front door and saw that it was locked. She remembered locking it when she came home the afternoon before.
What's going on? Am I going crazy now?
Emmy lost her appetite for breakfast and decided to get ready for work. She stripped herself of her clothes which were damp from sweat and stepped into the shower. Once the water was hot enough for her to stand under, she stood under it without moving. She wanted the water to wash away her memories. Her memories and her sins. As her skin began to prune up, she turned off the shower, stepped out onto the bath mat and wrapped a towel around her body. Emmy wiped a little circle in the middle of her fogged up mirror big enough to see her reflection staring back. She examined her imperfections then stuck her tongue out at herself.
You sure as hell could be a whole lot prettier, she thought to herself.
Emmy quickly got dressed and threw her long auburn hair up into a ponytail. She was ready to head to work. All she needed was her jacket. She opened the closet door and a man jumped out and tackled her to the ground. Emmy yelped out in surprise and tried to kick her assailant away. She was able to kick him in the chin. Her attacker cried out in pain and cursed at her.
Emmy pulled herself up off the ground, ran into her bedroom and attempted to lock the door. However, the second she shut it, it flew open, throwing her onto her bed. T-Bag was heading towards her with that wicked grin Emmy had become so familiar with.
"Hey there, darlin'," he snarled. "Daddy's back."
