Monster
Arnold never expected Helga to show up at his doorstep, confused and injured, one snowy night. She had been missing for six months. Now she's back, but has no memory of where she was, who had her, or what he did to her. As she struggles to move on, her monster watches. He wasn't ready to let her go and he certainly isn't ready for someone else to have her.
Warnings: Bad language, violence, references sexual assault, and other adult themes.
Monster Part One
She was cold. This confused her. It was July. Why was it this cold in July? She looked up as she walked, snowflakes were falling softly around her. She lifted a shivering hand, swiping her nose with the back. It was dark, only the soft of streetlights guided her way. It must have been late. Or really early, depending on the way one looked at it. The streets were completely deserted as it snowed. She was alone. Her mind was frazzled and jumbled. She was so confused. It was July. Why on earth was it snowing?
But she kept walking. Where, she wasn't sure. She just knew she had to get away from...Her eyes shut tightly as she struggled to concentrate. She didn't know who or what she needed to get away from, she just knew she needed to get to safety. She just wished she knew where that was.
Her body was throbbing. She knew why her knees were aching. She landed on them pretty roughly when she fell. She was running when she tripped. She was running before too...Before…
Before.
….Before. Before what, she couldn't remember.
Her head was swimming. She was so, so, so tired. But she needed to keep walking. She knew she'd die if she didn't. She didn't know it was possible to freeze to death in July, but that's what would happen.
She stopped once she reached an old red brick building. This was it. Even though she didn't know why it was, she knew this was the place she needed to be. She stared up at the building for a moment. There was a faded spot near the door. A spot where there was once a sign.
No kids, pets ok.
She blinked, unsure why that came to mind. The building was dark, if there was anyone inside they were surely asleep. Her eyes closed as she leaned her forehead on the front door. She felt weak. She needed help. Weakly, she raised a fist, pounding at the door. "Please…" The word croaked out of her mouth faintly. "Help…" She continued to pound on the door with all the energy she could muster.
Arnold Shortman was torn from a deep sleep from the sound of a loud bang. He jumped awake, sitting up, panting slightly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone was at the door. He grabbed his cellphone off his night stand, checking the time as he made his way down stairs. It was 1:48. He frowned. Who the hell would banging at the door like that at nearly two in the morning? For moment, Arnold debated on just going back to bed. Maybe call the police. But he couldn't do that. What if whoever was at the door was in trouble? Even as an adult his instinct to help others was stronger than others. It was one of the reasons why he was a doctor now.
Taking a deep breath, Arnold had his phone all ready to call 911 if needed before swinging the door open. He almost didn't recognize her when he first laid eyes on her. Her blonde hair was messy and wind blown, but he didn't notice that. It was the middle of January, it was well below freezing, and she was just wearing a over sized T-Shirt. No coat, hat, or gloves. No shoes even, she was barefoot.
"Helga?"
She looked so disheveled he wasn't even sure if it was her. She had disappeared six months ago. Recently divorced, her ex husband had been quickly dismissed as a suspect. He had been extremely cooperative with the authorities and was doing everything he could to find her. Her editor was thought to be the last person to see her before her disappearance. The speculations of what happened to her had been awful. Many thought she had been murdered, probably killed by some crazed fan, her body dumped in Elk Lake. Others thought she had been sexually assaulted then murdered. Then there was the theory that she left on her own free will, that she wanted to start a new life with a fresh slate. She had just ended her marriage, after all.
"You know me?" She blinked up at him. Her once vibrant blue eyes looked dull and cloudy.
"Oh my God, Helga. Are you okay?" It was a stupid question. She was so obviously not okay. "Where have you been? Everyone has been worried sick about you!"
"I'm cold."
"Of course you are….I'm sorry." He quickly ushered her inside, she flinched at his touch. "I'm going to get you a blanket and call an ambulance." He sat her down on the cushioned bench that was in the entry way. "I'll be back in a second, okay?" He was on the phone before even leaving her side. She watched him as he disappeared around the corner. He reappeared moments later, a blanket in hand. "They're sending out an ambulance. The police too. They'll be here soon."
Helga said nothing, instead she stared blankly at the space in front of her.
For the first time, under the light of the entry way, Arnold got a good look at her. He visibly gasped as he took in her appearance. There was bruising around her left eye and throughout the majority of her hairline. Blood had dried underneath her nose. Her knees were bleeding and swollen. Perhaps, most disturbingly, was a large partially dried blood stain on her shirt and neck. "Were you hit by a car?" He asked, he took a step towards her to wrap the blanket around her. She visually shaking.
"I don't know." She didn't look at him; instead she continued to look past him, staring at nothing in particular.
"That's okay...We'll figure out what happened to you." He slowed his movements, he didn't want to startle her. "I'm going to wrap this blanket around you, okay? We need to warm you up." He didn't ask how long she had been outside for. He doubted she knew. He waited until she nodded before gently wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. As he wrapped the blanket around her he noticed the bruises around her wrists. The bruise was darker than the rest, stretched all the way around her wrist in a perfect circle like some morbid bracelet. What could cause bruises like that?
Restraints…
His stomach sunk at the realization, but he said nothing. As he wrapped her feet into the blanket he noticed there was a similar bruise around her ankle. "The ambulance should be here in any minute. You'll get some help soon, okay?"
"It's snowing." Helga whispered, hugging the blanket around her tightly. "That's got to be first…" She mumbled, "Snow in July…"
"July?" Arnold asked, frowning deeply. Helga had disappeared July 9th, it was now the end of January. He knew she was disoriented, but she was missing the past six months? He decided not to tell her it was in fact January. He was a general physician, not a psychiatrist. The last thing he wanted to do was make things worse pointing out her lapse in memory.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of sirens. "The ambulance is here." Arnold opened the front door when he heard the sound of a few car doors opening and closing. "She's right here." He told two of the EMTs as they brought up the stretcher, "She's pretty disoriented." He looked past them to see a cop car park behind the ambulance. Two police officers quickly made their way up his stoop.
"Officers. I'm Arnold Shortman. I…" He was interrupted by a scream. He turned his head as the officers ran inside.
"No. No. No. No! Stop!" Helga was struggling to get away from the paramedics, who were trying to get her onto the gurney. "Get off me!" She started to cry, as she started taking swings at the EMTs. "Don't touch me!"
It took the two officers and one the paramedics to hold her down long enough for the second paramedic to sedate her. Arnold watched helplessly as the scene unfolded in front of him. The paramedics quickly wheeled her off to take her to the hospital. The two cops stayed behind to get his statement.
Forty five minutes later Arnold was driving to the hospital to check up on Helga. He knew most of the emergency room staff due the fact he worked at the clinic in the hospital. Though it was almost three in the morning he decided to call Gerald on the way, after all he had been one of the officers on Helga's case.
"You realize it's like three in the morning, right?" A groggy sounding Gerald asked.
"I know. I...uh...I just thought you'd want to know Helga's alive. She showed up on my doorstep about an hour ago."
"Wait. What?" Gerald sounded fully awake now. Arnold was pretty sure he could hear Phoebe in the background asking what's going on. "Did she tell you anything?"
"She was completely out of it. I don't think she knew who I was. Hell, I'm not sure if she knew who she was. She thinks it's July." Arnold explained in a rush. "She was pretty beat up. She these bruises on her wrists on one of her ankles. I don't know...But I think she was handcuffed or shackled or was in some sort of restraint…"
"Where are you know?"
"I'm on my way to the hospital. I need to check up on her. I just can't figure out how she ended up on my stoop."
"Did you talk to the police yet?"
"Of course. Officers Benson and Conners. They didn't get to speak with Helga though. The paramedics had to sedate her. I don't think she could have given them any clear answers now anyway. Like I said, she was pretty out of it."
"I'm going to meet you at the hospital." Gerald told him, hanging up before getting any sort of response from his friend.
He was sitting on the bed they had been sharing for the past six months. He was in tears as he looked down at the hand gun, debating to end it all right then and there. She left him. She had tricked him into thinking she wasn't going to run. The week before, as an experiment, he let her out of her room in the basement. He had spent so much time preparing the room for her. He ensured that it had all her favorite products and brands. He let her have a computer so she could write. Obviously she didn't have an internet connection with it, but still…
At first his little experiment was working splendidly. He had always hoped she would realize she loved him the way he loved her, he had been a little surprised it was happening so fast. She could be so stubborn sometimes. He should have known she was manipulating him when she let him make love to her in his bedroom and when she snuggled up against him as they watched a movie on his living room couch.
He didn't think anything of it when she suggested they cook a meal together. He looked down at his bandaged hand. She was chopping vegetables when she stabbed him in the hand. He was fucking moron for giving her a knife in the first place.
Now she was gone and she surly reported his crimes. His fingers stroked the gun, slightly surprised police hadn't arrived yet. Again, he debated pulling the trigger. In the end he decided against it. He couldn't bare dying without seeing her one last time. Even if it was in court. It would be worth it.
She was worth it.
So this first part was probably a bit confusing. Things will make sense. Eventually. Hope you liked it. Review if you enjoyed.
