The Hunter and The Butterfly

Chapter 37

The day of Lorna's discharge had finally come to the relief of her and her loved ones. After about another two weeks in the hospital because of the trauma and the night terrors she had experienced, her progress had skyrocketed in the past couple of days. She felt more at ease when she was by herself, she was getting along better with her parents. George, Helga, and Godfrey had made frequent visits to her room, where they would be greeted with warm hugs and short conversations. At first, she would dismiss them the minute they walked through the door, but now Lorna started to realize they had nothing to do with the situation she was in. As she changed into normal clothes, she felt the fabric of the warm red turtleneck sweater and leggings that clung to her frame. It felt almost foreign when she had gotten used to the gown, but she quickly adjusted to the change and hugged herself tightly. Grabbing the faux leather flats next to her hospital slippers, she sighed heavily before heading towards the door, where James awaited her outside.

"You ready, my love?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"As ready as I can be," Lorna nodded lightly before they headed down the hallway hand-in-hand. James pressed the button on the elevator and they walked inside, Lorna anxiously watching the doors close as it carried them to the lobby where his BMW awaited them.

James helped Lorna from the vehicle as they entered the parking lot to the apartment complex. Exiting the car, the curly haired beauty came face-to-face with her home for the first time in three weeks. The sky was a bright blue, with white clouds swirling around the sun that almost blinded her green vision. Closing her eyes, Lorna tried to block the light with her hand, but grew shocked when visions of the night when she was kidnapped came into motion: from the two men breaking into her home to carrying her towards their vehicle, her muscles tensed from the memories. Albeit the sudden rush of images, her body relaxed as quickly as they came. James stared at her for a few moments before she gave him the nod to lead her towards her apartment.

Lorna came to the second door down the first floor hallway and immediately recognized the address numbers. She took her keys from her wallet and opened the door, shuffling in front of James until she was inside the living room. It was just as she left it: everything was in place, pictures of her family hung on the wall, the DVD cabinet still overflowed with hundreds of discs, and nothing had been taken out of her bedroom. Lorna walked towards the couch and flattened her legs against the cushions, allowing herself to relax into a laying position. The feeling still felt foreign, but her legs curled against her stomach as she hissed breath into her lungs, her voice hoarse as soft cries escaped her throat. James walked over and sat on the opposite cushion next to her, watching her as she acclimated to her surroundings. She grabbed a pillow next to her and hugged it to her chest, inhaling the scent of the gift her mother had given her when she moved out of the house. Next she took the blanket hanging over the back of the couch and flung it over herself, recognizing it as the blanket belonging to her grandmother, handcrafted designs that she would use every night sleeping in the living room during her visits. Before long, she insisted that her granddaughter keep it, and it had been the blanket she refused to get rid of.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

"This feels...unreal," Lorna wiped her eyes with her sleeve and sat up. "I never thought I'd be home again after...everything."

"Think of it as a start of the healing process," James patted her knee as she got up off the couch.

"I want to see my bedroom now," Lorna requested. She walked towards the door, slowly reaching for the knob before walking inside. The moderate-sized room had been taken care of by her parents during her hospital stay, and everything looked like the way she normally kept it: clothes hung on hangers in the closet, the bathroom door was open, and the bed's covers had been changed out. Shoes were smashed together in a rack, as for everything else, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Frowning, Lorna sat on the side where she normally lay, hands balling into fists. James, on the other hand, was anxiously eyeing her every step. How would she react? How would she feel? Would she even want to sleep in here after being attacked by two men? His mind shifted when he saw her body relax against the pillows and blankets. Unfortunately, when her back hit the mattress, she immediately shot up when she felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine.

"Ms. Bow, are you all right?" James hurried to her side.

"Yes. It's just...still unnerving," Lorna jumped off the bed and hurried past James out of the room. Turning around, he saw her chest heave with heavy breaths and she had to open a window to calm herself down.

"I'm still not ready yet," Lorna heaved. "I can't do this."

"Lorna, it's only been a few weeks," James reminded her. "You're still recovering."

"I can't face him, James," Lorna gritted her teeth. "This therapist...he's the same one who visited Pearl. He...he knows what I went through. The last thing I need is to be reminded of those horrible evenings. Don't make me go through with this!"

James shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around and looking at her straight in the eye. "Ms. Bow...you can't give up. If you want me to help you, you have to trust me. Dr. Gritter has been a family friend for years, and he's one of the most well-known therapists here in London."

"How can he help me?" Lorna narrowed her eyes. "He'll make me remember things I don't want to remember!"

When he saw that she was starting to tremble and her eyes widened, James scooped her into his arms and gently kissed her. Immediately, Lorna's mood relaxed and she wrapped her arms around his back before pulling apart seconds later. Staring into her eyes, James firmly reinstated that Dr. Gritter knows how to help and he promises that he would do everything he could to help her, even if she did not want it. Sometimes, he explained, you have to take steps that not a lot of people want to, but in the end, they are worth the risk of something greater. Noticing how determined he was to assist even if he had to force his hand, Lorna nodded and accepted defeat.

"Ok," she answered. "I...I will try."

"Thank you," James sighed with relief and hugged her. Lorna hugged him back before she settled in for the evening, explaining that she would try to spend the night alone. James left soon after, and for the first time, Lorna found herself the only one in her apartment. Walking into her room again, Lorna stared at the bed with wide eyes. She could still see the silhouettes of the two men carrying her unconscious frame out the door, but she did not flinch when the ghostly images dissipated. Sighing, she turned towards the dresser and pulled out a nightgown, flinging the clothes into the laundry hamper to settle for the comfort of pajamas. Once she felt satisfied, she turned back to the living room door, until she yelped and jumped back in surprise. Appearing before her was one of her abductors, one of the men that James had killed to save her life. Edgar Dumbarton's ghoulish form stared right back at her, eyes sunken in and his skin as chartreuse and grey as an actual corpse. He was devastatingly bony, collarbones and rib cage showing through a tattered black suit, glasses broken and hanging limply on the bridge of his nose. His eyes narrowed and his lips parted to show chipped and rotting teeth, some missing from rotten gums as well. Lorna's eyes widened and her breathing became heavy until she felt like she had a ton of boulders pressed against her chest.

"What's the matter, Lorna?" Edgar asked, his voice echoing off the walls. "You look as if you've seen a ghost. Oh wait..."

A devilish chuckle escaped his lips, causing Lorna to freeze in place.

"You're..." the frightened woman quivered. "You're not real. James killed you!"

"He may have taken my life," Edgar shrugged. "But the damage is done. You'll never be the same again after what happened."

"Maybe," Lorna acknowledged. "At least I'll never have to look at you again. You don't know how much you've put me through! I spent countless nights lashing out, pushing everyone I love away because you stole my sense of safety! Why? Why are you doing this to me?!"

"James was the real target, you were just part of the act," Edgar answered. "We would have released you eventually...in a body bag."

Another malicious chuckle followed.

"Go to hell, you bastard! You're not real! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Lorna screamed, closing her eyes tightly and pounding her head with her fists.

"Even if you don't want me here anymore, I'll always be apart of you, Lorna. In memory and in spirit, you can't escape me."

Lorna gritted her teeth until she looked at him in the eye, glaring at the apparition with malice and hate. Why did the trauma have to overtake her life? Shaking her head, Lorna balled one hand into a fist and took a deep breath.

"No," she declined. "The damage may be done, but you'll never have ahold of me. I know what still gets to you, Dumbarton."

"What could you possible know?" Edgar smiled mockingly.

"James..." Lorna smirked victoriously. "He still lives. You'll always live in dread and defeat, because you know that your plan didn't succeed. James is alive, he and I are stronger than ever, and...he killed your partner, and he's also killed you."

Edgar's smile soured and he frowned, infuriated by her remark. Screaming in rage, he lunged at the redhead, grabbing at her with arms that went through her body like wind. As he tried to grab her, the curtains to the bedroom windows parted wildly, but still Lorna did not move. Before long, Edgar's raging form disappeared and everything went silent. When the light returned to normal and the atmosphere in the room settled, Lorna opened her eyes to see she was the only one standing. Gasping, her frozen body suddenly felt limp and she stumbled towards her bed, falling onto the mattress with her chest heaving up and down.

"I...I did it," she thought. "He...he's gone. Or well...one of them is gone, at least."

To Be Continued

Finally, 37 is here! I'm sorry it took some time, but college has started for me which takes up most of my writing time. Because of school, this story will be put on hold from time to time until I actually can get around to work on it. But don't worry, the ending will be coming!

Thanks for your comments, etc etc! See ya next chapter! :)