This is a very short chapter, I know, but the proverbial poo will hit the fan in the next. Of that I promise!
Detta could hear voices around her, murmurs that she couldn't quite make out. She cracked her eyelids slightly, her vision hazy. She rolled her head over and a moan fought from her throat but it remained there. Her voice didn't want to work and she had a lot of pain in her neck. Something was tickling her nose and she reached for it, trying to wrench it away.
"No girl. You want to keep that in. No. Put your hands down. Stop. Someone help."
She felt a set of hands holding down her own and another set readjusting whatever was in her nose. She tugged at her arms but they were held firm.
"Stop it."
There were two different people in the room, one boy, one girl. They were the ones on top of her. But she thought she heard more voices. She opened her eyes wider this time, fighting the film that glazed over them. She could see fuzzy outlines of people, her room wasn't that bright, but she wanted her hand to rub her eyes.
"Le-let go. My eyes. Gi-give me my hand."
Her voice was weak, hoarse, and she felt pressure when she talked, found it difficult to swallow. She rubbed her eyes when her hand was released. She rubbed away the haze, the lack of clarity that surrounded her. When her sight came into focus, Maria and Marko's faces were hanging over her. She looked towards the foot of the bed and Dwayne and Paul were sitting in chairs. She didn't see David.
"Am I alive?" Detta croaked.
"Wouldn't be talkin' to us if you weren't. You gave us a scare. If it weren't for Max—" It was Maria.
"Max?"
"Yeah, he found you."
"I'm in the hospital."
"She's disoriented," Dwayne spoke from the shadows. "Give her a minute."
"What happened?" She sounded tired, with a horrible case of strep throat.
"We were hopin' you'd tell us," Maria began. "Max stopped by to drop off some work, found your door open and you unconscious and turning blue."
Detta closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember what happened…when?
"When did this happen?"
"Last night," Marko replied.
"I came home from the store. My house was dark. I tried to turn on the light and then something was around my neck."
Detta reached her hand up, feeling the rope burn on her skin. It was sensitive to the touch.
"You didn't see who?" Maria asked.
Detta shook her head.
"Marko," Paul called to him and motioned for the door.
Marko placed his hand on Detta's forehead, looking at her, reassuring her with his eyes, and was gone.
"How did they know?" Detta stretched her voice towards Maria.
"They were near the store when Max called. The blonde one…"
"Paul?"
"No, the other one."
"David."
"That's it. He looked, I don't know, satisfied and angry all at the same time. He rode off without the rest of them. He left again tonight too they said."
"Someone's trying to kill me, Maria."
"You don't think maybe it was a robber—"
"Maybe without the truck…is anything missing from my house?"
"Max said it looked pristine, like nothing else was touched."
"Whoever it was was waiting for me in the dark. They knew exactly what they were doing."
"Do you know who could be doing it? Who would want you dead?"
"Maybe. But I have an idea who the devil's right hand man is."
Reviews are always appreciated.