Help Me

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Summerland or The WB, just the characters that aren't on the show!

Summary: Erika has always been a strong person. She could handle anything and everything that was thrown her way. But not this. Bradin's gone, and her new boyfriend is so much less than perfect. Will she survive the heartache of losing Bradin, and the pain of her new 'love'? No one knows…

Intro

Erika sat on the floor of the bathroom in her condo. The knife was sitting on her wrist. She bit her lip, and pressed down as hard as she could stand. It stung like hell, but she wouldn't stop. She couldn't… she wouldn't. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she took the knife and put it next to her. Blood started to pour from her wrist. She reached to the vanity and grabbed a washcloth to stop the river of blood. It fell from her wrist and hit the shaggy white bath rug.

"Damn" she said. She'd have to hurry and clean that up so Jake didn't see it. No one was allowed to hurt her, not even herself, except for him. That was the rule, only he could hurt her… and he did… a lot. She got to her knees, but froze when she heard footsteps downstairs. He was home! She started to panic. There was no way she could clean up or hide the blood stains on the rug, or stop the blood pouring from her wrist in time. She heard a male voice call her name. She collapsed back to the ground and began bracing herself for the beating she would endure. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.

She had always been a happy person. Fun-loving, and strong. But she wasn't now. She couldn't stop him, and she'd grown tired of trying. It only made it worse for her. Tears started to stream down her face as she heard someone come up the stairs in front of the bathroom. Please let him be gentle she prayed, Don't let him be in a bad mood. I don't know if my fragile body will be able to take it. She started to cry so hard it was blurring her vision. She could make out the doorknob opening. She pulled her head into her knees and just cried, hoping he wouldn't try to kill her this time.

"Erika!" she heard….