Chapter dedicated to EriiTurd for giving me part of the idea :)
Chapter Thirty Seven
Premonitions
Waking up knowing something bad was going to happen was an ominous, dreading, sinking feeling. The feeling was started with a dream; as most premonitions began of her infinite danger.
Orange light, like a hell born fire and a thousand million volcanoes erupting, was burning through her eyes. Smoke was rising all around. Swooshing sounds of the wind bawling around her and whipping her hair into a frenzy. Howls of distant wolves and heavy, panting laughs from hyenas. Heat penetrating from the ground below her feet, steams rising above in swirling puff, and the sky above her head spitting to her. Yet she was sinking. Sinking into the squelching sand she had woken from a daze into and being pushed further into it. Screaming silently, begging for help as a serpent slithered its way over to her; sparkles falling from it's tail and venom dripping from it's fangs.
Hissing and lashing its forked tongue at her, she couldn't make out sounds. Only as it lashed out at her and bit her face. Blood pouring from gashes and wounds it had just suffered upon her. The purple venom sloshing its way into her veins and poisoning her blood stream. The pain burning through her, like the ever brightening orange light. Yellow; it was becoming as bright as the sun and as much and as hard as she tried to look away, close her eyes and prevent herself from being blinded by such a lightening force, she couldn't. Her eyes were forced open. All liquid dried up within her eyes and she could feel the harsh cracking of her white eyeballs.
As the pain and venom dripped it's way into her core, she cried out, loudly this time and arching her back, trying to pull away from the sand she was continuously sinking into. At this point, she only just realised the reason why she had not been able to get herself out of the sinking sand. It wasn't the sand that was pushing her down, sucking her further and further into the deathly earth below, but it was the restraints that were holding her; tied like her almost forgotten Lord on the cross and victim to her captor.
Snapping her cracking eyes into focus, she saw the snake again, only instead of seeing tiny, black poppyseed eyes shining at her with a viscous hunger to attack, brought on by animal instinct, she saw her own demon: her father. He was grinning at her; teeth showing in a menacing, grinning and devouring way. Spit was dripping, like the previous people venom of the snake before, from his lips. His eyes bore into hers. Only these were not the eyes of her father. The father she once knew had kind, blue eyes as deep as the ocean and as bright as the summer sky. The father she was familiar with had fiery eyes, filed with a constant rage that burned with flames of dying stars and pupils as dark as the black whole they evolved into.
Frightened, now she stared into the eyes of the creature before her, who was just a shell of the man she used to fondly, and lovingly called 'Daddy'. The deep lifeless eyes stared her down, the saliva from his lips dripped onto her face and burned her like acid and from that very same mouth came a voice she had never heard before in all her life; a deep, low yet squashed voice. It was a demon and she was sure it was the Devil himself. Where she once wished to have the Heavenly Father call out to her in a dream, she now knew that this was not the voice she longed to hear. The voice speaking to her like a possessed creature from a Hollywood movie, was without a doubt the source of all evil; Lucifer himself, the man she was named after.
Drenched in sweat and panting like a dehydrated dog in the height of a tropical summer, Quinn awoke from her nightmare; fearing for her life and her love.
As she lay on her back, too afraid to sit up, she allowed her heart to thump in her ears. Loudly and almost deafeningly, the sound would accompany her though the night. Although her room was grey and black due to the ungodly time of night, she could still see the flames surrounding her, the devilish lava pouring from the volcanoes and the bright light that made her unable to close her eyes. She still couldn't make it out. What was it? What was this beaming light that, although she wanted to close her eyes and turn her back to it, still drew her to it. Like a moth, she was powerless to its forces.
A part of her hoped that the light was symbolising the hope she was still holding onto. The hope she wished was Rachel; waiting for her at the end of her dark, seemingly endless tunnel. Her girl promised her just hours ago on the phone that she would be there for her at the end of it; arms open ready for an embrace, and a gracious smile on her face, sending light to shine from her and brighten up the world. Normally this was a task for her voice, but her eyes could do the same, if not more powerfully. One look from her could melt Quinn's heart and make her lips curve up into a beam no amount of pain or suffering could remove.
"Rachel." Whispering her name in the dark sent the tears flowing from her eyes and fall down the sides of her face and trickling to her ears. The girl was her life, soul and saviour. She had thought back to all the times in the, unfortunately not so distant, past to when she would insult her, embarrass her and make her cry. The amount of times she had promised herself she wouldn't make her cry again, even if it was for joy, was becoming unable to work out. It pained her to know that her girl could make her cry, without her even knowing. Just by thinking about her – everything about her – made her cry, and she was completely oblivious. She was going to marry that girl someday and she was going to love her beyond the end of time.
If anything, her dream was telling her something. Her dream was showing her the future she could live if she didn't change her present. The fact her father was there, was all the proof she needed. It was her job, not just for Rachel's sake but for her own as well, to make sure that man was out of their lives so they could begin living again.
Living without fear. Was it such an impossible wish?
School Monday morning – mere hours after she had woken up from her nightmare and unable to fall asleep afterwards (Because really, how was anyone suppose to fall back asleep after that?) - was a nerve-racking. Feeling sick and dizzy, it felt more like she had some sort of hang over or flu, she walked the halls to her locker. She dressed the same, but facially she didn't appear the same. Deep greying purple bags hung low under her dimmed hazel green eyes, and her skin was pale as snow, no matter how much blusher she put on her cheeks. Her mouth was dry, no matter how much water she guzzled down her throat. Her steps were slow and steady, feeling like she would fall any minute. It wasn't just lack of sleep she was suffering from, it was the lack of feeling safe and for the first time she really understood how Rachel must have felt.
"Hey beautiful!" Came the cheery, wonderful voice behind her, startling her and causing Quinn to slam her locker door shut on her fingers. She cursed loudly, gasping, but from the throbbing pain of having cold metal crash on her cold fingers and not that it was Rachel who accidentally made her do it. Immediately, Rachel took hold of her fingers and began to kiss them and rub them between her own small fingers. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you!" She apologised and then brought Quinn into a hug, crushing their entwined hands between their bodies. Hearts beating against the limbs. As Quinn was held against Rachel, she couldn't help but see a flash of her dream. Probably caused by the sound of the locker closing, she could hear the snake hissing at her. At the cheerful laughing and excited talking around them, she heard the hyenas and the football players howling to each other down the halls, like the wolves she had heard. Any minute now, she would see the creature every Christian feared but would see the man she feared more. Shaking her head, knowing that snake was calling back to her, she gripped tighter onto her girl and moved them so that Rachel was against the cool metal and was being pushed into her own body, and not the other way around. She didn't need protecting, if her dream was anything to go by, Rachel had to always be the one to look out for. Yes, her dream described her fate, but she was no longer alone. She had Rachel. They stuck together; forever no matter what.
Upon feeling Quinn's breath on her head, Rachel tried to push Quinn away to see what was wrong. It was normal for them to hug in the mornings and in school but not like this. There was something wrong this morning. It didn't take Rachel's sixth sense to kick in to know this. Quinn still held Rachel to her, holding her torso to her tightly. "What's wrong?" Rachel asked quietly, into Quinn's breasts, as that's where he head had been place, listening to her heart beat and seeing that Quinn wasn't going to let up any time soon. Gently, Rachel felt herself be swayed from side to side as Quinn mumbled into her ear, having lowered her lips to her; "Do you think dreams can predict the future? And, if they can, do you think it is up to us to change that future?" The questions caught Rachel off guard. Numerous times she had had dreams that depicted, what she hoped, was a very real future. Not just the dreams of her imminent fame and fortune as a singing sensational Broadway leading lady, but of the dreams that really matter: the dream of falling in love and having a family, spending the rest of her life with that one person she loved more than music and the calling of the stage and be a wife and mother. Secretly, to herself at least, she knew she had accomplished phase one of this girly fairy tale dream. She had fallen in love with Quinn, and it was clear that nothing was going to stop that feeling of love form growing, expanding, but mostly never stopping.
Lifting her head up slightly, Rachel looked up into the eyes of her girlfriend – and future wife, she was sure – and frowned slightly. Thinking. A selfish part of her wanted to say yes. Yes that dreams absolutely did tell the future and they were God's way of giving humans a preview of what was to come; as she was sure that all of her Broadway dreams were going to come true. But then, why was Quinn asking this? If she was sure that her dreams were going to come true, she wouldn't have sounded so serious. Lightly, she took her free hand, that wasn't pressed against Quinn's heart, and brought it up to cup Quinn's cheek. "What did you dream?" In a light whisper she asked. It was the best question to ask; straight to the point and clear that she was going to help. Expecting Quinn to smile, shake her head and then proceed to give her a morning kiss and then ask about her own night sleep, Rachel was rather taken back to see Quinn sigh and lower her head.
Chin resting on her chest and eyes closed Quinn thought. Mostly thinking back to the dream and thinking of the darn symbolism. The light was Rachel, that was clear. At first, it could have been God, but no. God wasn't in her dream. She hadn't seen or heard God in her dreams for a long time and was sure she wouldn't see him there for a long time to come. No. It was Rachel and that meant it was safe for her to tell the real Rachel about her dream. She wasn't going to scare her. Rachel needed to know what she was thinking. They had promised to each other that there were going to be no secrets and they were going to be large print open books; nothing was going to be hidden from one another.
"My future." She told Rachel, opening her eyes and looking in to Rachel's. He girl waited for her to continue, as really, there wasn't much she could do to help with just those two words. As much as she wanted to believe 'My future' was similar to her own 'my future' where they would hold hands at the end of an alter and kiss in front of their friends and family on their wedding day, dance in their New York apartment in the moonlight and spend summers vacation with their adorable children on hot sandy beaches and running into cool waves, licking ice cream, laughing and smiling, telling each other repeatedly how much they love one another until the unfortunate time of their deaths. However, seeing the deep bags under Quinn's eyes, Rachel was sure that this time Quinn hadn't dreamt of that future but a different one.
Taking a quick breath to stabilise her fluttering heart, Quinn held onto Rachel's hand a little tighter and pressing it against her heart again. She wanted to feel the connection of Rachel on her muscle. Wanted to see Rachel literally hold her heart in her hand, as she knew that's where it was. Permanently. "I was in hell." She told her seriously, "I was in hell; fire and pain and laughing...all of it. Everything I was told as a child about hell, it was there. It was my future." Stopping to swallow so she could continue, she saw Rachel nod her head slowly, encouraging her to continue but in her own time. "My dad was there," she growled lightly, not wanting to but every time she thought of him, she couldn't help it. "He was in front of me as I was sinking into the ground and he...he was looking at me. I..I don't know if he was talking to me, or if he was about to talk to me but, the way he looked at me I just knew it wasn't going to end well." She blinked and relaxed her stiff position slightly. "I know it was just a dream but I know also that it was telling me if I didn't do something then he would hurt me. He would keep me these restraints forever and keep forcing me lower and lower until I can't breathe and..." She shook her head and bit her lip. "And I won't let him. I won't let him to this to us any more. I won't let him live our lives in fear any more. I won't let him make us keep looking over our shoulders all the time, making sure he's not there and I won't let him take over our lives-"
"So what are we going to do?" Cutting her off Rachel asked, standing straighter and pushing her shoulders back.
Quinn blinked at her momentarily. She had planned for so much more to say but with Rachel stopping her and addressing the main issue, she knew that what she had to say was pointless. Rachel was right, once again. A small smile crept onto her face and Quinn took Rachel's hand off her cheek and brought it to her lips, copying the action previously made by Rachel herself. Kissing the back of her hand she smiled. "You were there too." She whispered and saw her girl was trying hard not to blush at the comment. "You were there as a blinding beam of white light and you gave me hope. You gave me hope and the strength that, there is nothing he can do that won't harm us. As long as we have each other," Quinn brought Rachel back to her body and lowered her head to her girl's forehead, "He can't hurt us and we will fight him."
Smiling at the new found bravery her girlfriend was showing her, Rachel pressed her forehead harder to Quinn's and whispered strongly, "So what are we going to do?" Quinn beamed a smile at her and kissed her nose. "We are going to call the police and tell them to hurry up with their investigation. They have to have some leads on him by now, he hasn't got a car, he can't be far!"
"Do you think he's still in Ohio?" Rachel asked, frowning slightly in thought as to where he could be hiding. Shrugging her shoulders Quinn replied; "I don't know. But what I do know, is that when they find him, I want them to put him straight on trial so the whole world can see what a viscous monster he is, and then lock him up-"
"And throw away the key?" Rachel asked excitedly and began bouncing on her toes slightly, causing Quinn to giggle a little and hold her girl in place. "Yes!" She exclaimed quietly, "Lock 'em up and throw away the key!" She growled in a pirate voice that made Rachel laugh whole heartedly. Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her impossibly closer. "And then when he is rotting in jail, you and I will finally stop living that life in flames and danger and live in a world-"
"Full of love and happiness?" Rachel asked, smiling brightly and biting her lip to stop her from squealing. "Well I was going to say in a world full of sugary rainbows and chocolate covered unicorns but...sure love and happiness can work too!" She giggled, and Rachel pressed her lips to Quinn's. There plan was simple: stop worrying so much and let the police finally find him.
Of course, even the most simple plans can become complicated.
Due to the fact that Rachel had startled her so suddenly, Quinn had forgotten her American History textbook. She wasn't one to share with people she didn't know, or even like to share with people she was friends with. Still, if Rachel was in her class, she would have opted to share with er her, but as she was in the other American History class, she couldn't. Politely, she put her hand up and asked if she could be excused to go and get her textbook. She had five minutes. It wouldn't take that long. Three if she walked quickly, two if she broke the rules and ran. As American History was one of her favourite classes,l she decided to take the risk and run. She got out of her chair and sprinted down the hall to get to her locker.
Seconds had passed. The teacher would probably not even have started yet, so she didn't need to worry about missing anything, or much at least. Still, this was where her mistake was as she slowed down her running to a gentle walk, as if she were strolling through a park or a Disney meadow. As she was about to turn the corner to get to her classroom, she stopped. Being mere seconds away, there wasn't really a reason for her to stop. On any other day, at least there would be no reason for her stop. Today, just as her dream had predicted, there was a reason.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, making her voice strong. Standing before her by the water fountain of her classroom and the wall where a poster for the up and coming senior prom, was her father. Dressed black dress pants, a white shirt and buttoned up pilot jacket, topped with a cap. He looked shabby – mostly because of the stubble he had grown – and his eyes were dim, but still filled with an uncomfortable sparkle. "I came for you, Lucy." He answered, pushing himself away from the fountain and standing away from the door of the full classroom. "Don't call me that." Quinn spat, circling away from him and trying to see if there was anyway she could escape from his gaze and make it into the classroom. He smiled at her. "It's your name and you're my daughter-"
"I don't care." I don't care, she snapped calmly, snarling; "To me you're nothing. I'm calling the police." She began to fumble in her cardigan pocket for her phone. Worrying for a moment that she had left it in the classroom mere milliseconds away from her. Her father stepped closer, faster now and backing her up around the corner and into the lockers somehow. He stared her down and asked; "You would call the police on your own father?"
"You could have killed Rachel!" Quinn told him, gripping onto the phone and ready to press the call button. "You nearly killed our relationship!" She widened her eyes at him and lowered her voice until it was nothing more than a near silent whisper. "I want to kill you!"
"Thou shall not murder, Lucy." He growled, lifting his hand, out of sight, and to her own arm.
"Thou shall not be a murderer!" She growled back. It was beginning to be a battle of tigers. Growling for the right to be dominant. "Thou shall not bare false witness." He scoffed, knowing he had the upper hand. "You deserve to die!" Quinn snarled, widening her eyes once more and pressing her face close to him and almost stepping on his foot. "And you deserve to be saved," he grumbled, tuning his head to the side and smirking; "Lucy."
Suddenly, before Quinn had a chance to retaliate back with a remark, her arm was griped by his large muscular hand. She dropped the phone to the floor as his fingers pressed onto her pressure point. "Get off me! Get off of me!" She begged, the pain making her hand numb and unable to feel her arm. He was slowly twisting it and bringing her down to the ground. Turning her around, he was able to take out his cloth and press it firmly to her mouth and nose. As the panic increased, her breaths increased and she breathed in the chemical. The sweet smell going straight to her brain and making her dizzy instantly.
Holding out for as long as she could, the last word she said before crumbling into darkness was the word she woke up saying; "Rachel."
Russell somehow managed to drag her out of the building, using the same chemical in his handkerchief as he had the night he drugged his wife with, and took her out to his car. Stuffing her in the front and strapping her in, making sure to tie her hands and feet together on the off chance that she would wake up and try to get out. He made it look like she was ill and he had been called to collect her. Dressing as a chauffeur, he had somehow fooled the secretary staff, used his left hand to sign the Absence Book with a fake name – Chuck Wilks – and got her out of the campus as quickly as he could.
He knew where he was going. It was the only way. He wasn't going far, but just far enough so he could carry out his plan. He didn't want to do it, but having had another long talk with Roger, he knew it was time. He had to complete this task of his now, otherwise it would never get done. He would never get the courage or strength to do and he felt over the course of the weeks he had been in hiding, he had managed to gain enough power to do it. It wouldn't take long; a few hours, a day tops and then everything would be back to normal. However, if it took longer than a day, he would have to go to the second phase of his plan; the phase he didn't want to do. The part he wouldn't do unless absolutely necessary. The part that was his cyanide, would all else fail. No matter what, he would cure his daughter, no matter what.