Out Of The Ashes

Chapter 2

Abby felt like she had been running all night when she woke up. Sleep had not come; every noise had made her come out of her skin.  Around four, she had given up on sleep, and decided to get up and do something useful. Abby passed Jay in the halls far too often for her comfort. He never said much, just kept that evil grin on his face. It always made her skin crawl. Abby felt like Jay was always lurking somewhere. It was starting to affect her work, and Abby knew she could not let that happen. She had to somehow get a grip on this situation. Abby was deep in thought as she entered her office, not noticing anything happening around her. As she sorted the mail on her desk, a bright white sheet of paper caught her eye. Even before she unfolded it, Abby knew whom it was from. Fear gripped her heart as she read the ominous message. Jay was getting serious. “Abby, you never should have left, I’m going to make you sorry for the day you left me.” She knew he wasn’t joking; he would track her down, and make her regret leaving him. Abby sank into the chair, and stared at the note in her hand. What was she going to do? Abby would have stayed frozen, but a nurse came looking for her when she didn’t show up for her first patient. Abby knew she had to keep moving or Jay would win right now, because he would take the most important thing in her life today, her job. Abby tried to put Jay out of her mind as she locked her office and began her day, trying to act as if it were just another day at the office. Jay was not on shift that day, or the next. Abby really worried what he might be doing. Not seeing him was a relief, but a worry at the same time. Abby felt alone and scared. She had no one to turn to. She stayed wrapped up in work, which meant there was little time left for friends or romance. Most of the time, Abby wasn’t bothered by this fact, but when she really needed a friend, her commitment to work got in the way of her life. Abby unlocked her from door, and entered the house. Instantly, she could feel something wasn’t right. Dread rushed in as she realized Jay had been here. She could see nothing out of place, but the fear was overwhelming. Reaching in her purse, she pulled out the gun, and held it ready. Quietly she moved about the house, making sure he wasn’t still somewhere in the house. Abby relaxed a little when she realized she was alone in the house. Jay had once again found her home, Abby knew what she needed to do, but leaving this house would be hard, it had become home to her. He had won again, taken her home from her, as he had so many times before. As Abby went about her nightly routine, sadness began to creep in. She was losing her home again. Five years ago, when she lived in Atlanta came back in a moment. Jay had forced her to move back then as well. Had taken everything that mattered way, and she had come out seeming like the villain, because Jay had told all her friends that she had left him without a reason.