Our New World 6

6

            Molly did not wake for several hours. By the time she sat up from the floor it was full dark. The only light in the room was the small blue ON light from her satellite TV receiver box, and the small blinking yellow light of her computer tower. Molly sat on the floor in the dark for a moment, looking at the light. There was a terrible smell in the room. A rancid, spoiled smell. Her left arm was numb from laying on it. She slowly opened and closed her left hand to get her blood circulating again. Her only thought while sitting there in the dark was to wonder just how she had gotten there.

            The memory hit Molly like a slap to the face. Her eyes grew wide and all at once the terror she had felt while talking to Shells returned. She jumped to her feet and fumbled in the dark for the computer mouse. She found it and moved it around furiously to wake the desktop from its Sleep Mode. Shells! SHELLS! Her mind cried as the computer slowly came to life.  It must have been a dream!? It must have! She couldn’t have seen what she thought she saw. And what exactly had she seen? Molly couldn’t answer that. Now the memory of the blood running down Shells neck returned, horribly clear and real. “NO!” She cried to her computer. It was a dream. It HAD to be! What else was there? The monitor came on and the Skype page was still up. It showed the last call that it had made. The call was from Shells.

            Now Molly could see the tears rolling down Shells’ scared face. They turned pink as they met the blood and then continued. The blood seeping from between her pale fingers. Molly began to cry. Snot ran from her nose, she wiped at it and put a call in to Shells. Skype then informed her that a connection could not be made. She tried again. The same message came up. She brought her fist down hard on the keyboard. There was a plastic crack sound as it broke down the middle and several small plastic buttons flew back. She went for her phone. Molly had left it charging on the kitchen counter.

The room was now lit by the soft glow of the computer screen. She grabbed the phone and ripped the phone charger from the outlet. The cord dangled as molly turned the phone on and dialed 911. Her stomach felt cold and knotted. She was still crying.

I have to help her! I have to help Shells! B-because she would help! Molly’s thoughts were an incoherent and jumbled mess. She was right on the edge of hysteria and about to go over.

“911. Where is your emergency?” A calm and rehearsed female voice asked. “My-my friend Shells! She was attacked! Her name is-is Shelly Mitchell, you have to help her!” Molly was almost screaming through her tears. “Try to remain calm, miss. Is your friend there with you now?” Molly was confused for a moment.

 Here? “No no! She lives in…” When she tried to remember the name of Shells’ town, she drew a blank.

“She lives in England. I can’t remember… England, Shelly Mitchell!” Her tears were now choking her voice. She waited for the voice to help her. To tell her that her friend, her only friend, was alright, was going to be fine. “…Miss, you are not making any sense. If you could please try to calm yourself down and I will-” Molly screamed into her phone then tore it in half. She threw the pieces across the room cord and all. She ran for her car keys. They were in a small ceramic bowl on the coffee table.

I’ll drive there! Molly thought as she grabbed the keys and headed for the door. I’ll drive to her house, and I’ll save her! She’ll be fine because I helped her. Because she asked (screamed) for me to help her. And after all that’s what friends do. They help each other. And everything thing will be alright. It’ll be just okeydokey.

She walked out her front door. We’ll be playing online in no time! Not seriously of course, but just for fun. Just so we can talk and laugh and make fun of our bosses. Like always! Her tears had stopped. There was an overly bright, overly wide smile on her face. Molly got to her car, opened the door and jumped in. She will be fine. Shells will be just fine because I will save her. I’ll see her on the computer. She will be all smiles with her curly brown hair and her big green eyes. And there will be no blood on her neck and no people at the door. Just us, laughing…