I'll love you forever (unfinished)

         The call woke her out of a sound sleep. The words whispered in her ear made no sense at first, then with a horrible clarity they did.

         "Maggie, you said it would be forever. Why did you lie to me? Why did you run away and try to hide?" The whispered voice trailed off, then suddenly came back strong. "You should have known I would find you eventually."

         Margaret's heart leaped into her throat, her blood freezing in her veins. "Who are you?" She spoke her voice barely audible.

         A sigh was the only response. A sigh that sent shivers through her body. Her fingers clutched the phone painfully. "What do you want from me?"

         A loud burst of static caused her heart to skip a beat or two and then the line went dead with a click. Margaret sat for long moments holding the phone, staring into the darkness of the room.

         This had to be some cruel kind of joke, she thought trying to convince herself. Some teenagers looking through the phone book made up some practical joke. But even as the thought came to her, she knew different. It might have been 5 years since she'd heard that voice, but even whispered she knew it. It was impossible, but unless she was losing her mind, the call was real.

         Shuddering, she glanced at the clock which was glowing with it's reassuring green numbers. 3 am, of course she thought wryly, why is it always 3 am? She slowly replaced the receiver and swung her legs over the side. No more sleep for me tonight, she thought morosely.

         With little sleep, the day seemed to drag on for an eternity. Her eyes burned with a fatigue that cup after cup of coffee couldn't chase away. Margaret felt like a zombie, just going through the motions of her life.

         When 5 pm rolled around Margaret sighed with relief. All she wanted to do was hit the bed. Dinner didn't even sound appealing, though a long hot bath sounded wonderful. As she pulled her purse out of the desk drawer, the phone rang. Groaning inside, Margaret reached for the phone.

         "Maggie." The whispered voice drove the fatigue from her foggy brain with a rush. "I told you I would love you forever." The voice sounded as if it were coming across untold miles, static crackled on the line.

         Margaret's stomach clenched, a sick feeling spreading through her. "Jason?' She croaked, her voice raspy from her bone dry throat.

         "Soon, Maggie, soon." The voice sighed, fading in and out. "Soon, we will be together forever, like you promised." Just when she thought the voice was gone it came again. "Do you remember the quarry?" The line clicked and the voice was gone.

         The room went black as Margaret clutched the desk, terror flashing through her body. The phone fell from her nerveless hand with a clatter. She heard Rachel's voice as if from a great distance.

         "Miss Dunham? Are you all right?" the secretary asked concerned.

         Margaret swallowed and tried to speak, to no avail. Licking her lips, she tried again. "I'm all right, Rachel. I just got a bit dizzy for a second there. I haven't been feeling myself lately, I think I might be getting the flu." Taking a deep breath she fought to get her fear under control as she replaced the phone receiver.

         "Do want me to stay late with you tonight?" Rachel asked stepping into the inner office.

         "No!" Margaret said forcefully, then turned and forced a smile to her lips. "I'm fine really and I am just finishing up here. Five more minutes and I'll be out of here myself."

         Confusion playing over her face, Rachel studied her bosses face. "Ok, if you're sure you don't need me. I'll be heading home now then. See you tomorrow."

         "Thank you Rachel," Margaret chuckled with false merriment. "I guess I should warn you I can be a bear when I am sick."

         Rachel laughed with her, relief washing over her face. "Well I hope you are wrong and you just have a 24 hour bug. Goodnight Miss Dunham."

         Margaret waited until Rachel pulled the outer door closed, then dropped her head into her hands. This couldn't be happening to her. It was all supposed to be over. This part of her life that seemed like a horrible nightmare she wanted to forget. Why was it coming back to haunt her? Sobs shook her body then as the fear overwhelmed her.

         The hard gut wrenching sobs slowly faded, then died away as Margaret got herself under control. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she sat back in her chair and looked around the room. This was supposed to be her new life, away from the terror and pain of the past. Despair flooded through her. Who could she turn to? No one from her past knew where she was and no one from her present knew a thing.

         Her thoughts turned to Frank then. Sweet, kind Frank. She had been holding him at arms length for months now. He didn't understand why and neither did she until now. It's as if somehow, she had known this moment was coming.

         With a weary sigh, Margaret tidied up and left her office. Double checking that the door was locked behind her, she walked quickly to the elevator going to the parking garage.

         Hearing a noise behind her, Margaret jumped and whirled around. The parking garage was fairly well lit, the shadows mainly stayed in the corners. At that moment as though to mock her, a flourescent light started to flicker. Her heart leaped into her throat and she stared transfixed, waiting for the light to go out.

         After several minutes the light steadied and Margaret broke her trance with a shake of her head. She had to get a hold of herself. Jumping at shadows was not going to help the situation at all. Fumbling with her purse, she rushed to her car. Her shaking hands refused to cooperate for several long seconds, then found her keys.

         Finally inside her locked car, Margaret leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Deliberately breathing slowly and evenly, she struggled to get her nerves under control. She couldn't afford to fall apart. She had to figure out what was going on and what to do about it.

         Anger suddenly replaced her fear. Damn Jason, damn him to hell. Why didn't he stay dead and buried in her past? It wasn't fair, she just wanted to live a quiet life. Find some small piece of happiness. Tears threatened to start again and she angrily shook her head. Don't start crying again, she raged at herself. Get your shit together and stop acting like a baby. She suddenly leaned forward and pounded on the steering wheel.

         The dull pain in her hand was the final action that cleared her mind. With a last shake of her head, she started her car and headed for home. She had some calls to make. Hard calls, to people who would or wouldn't be happy to hear from her.

         Safely locked inside her apartment, Magaret Ignored the blinking light on the answering machine. She knew it was either Jason or Frank and she couldn't listen to either one now, or she might break down again. She went to the bar and poured a stiff drink, cranberry and vodka, just the one she promised herself. Just to calm down.

         Resisting the temptation to get another drink after the first one was gone, Margaret stared at her address book. She felt the wound opening up again, the wound that she'd thought was healed or at least scabbed over. She wanted nothing to do with the past, but the past had other ideas, it wouldn't leave her alone. Was this her kharma? To relive the horror and pain over and over again?

         Margaret sighed, she was starting to feel sorry for herself, to sink into a poor me mentality. She couldn't afford to let herself do that, her survival depended on being alert.

         Deliberately she turned her thoughts away from Jason and the past. She thought of Frank. He had no idea what he was trying to get himself into, she thought with a frown. If her past had caught up to her, it might very well drag them both down. Pain swept through her at that thought. She had to keep Frank out of this somehow.

         Fear for Frank finally gave her the push she needed and she picked up the phone. Flipping open the address book, she dialed the first number she came to. Her hand trembled and her stomach clenched painfully.

         "Mom?" Margaret said, her voice a whisper. Silence stretched, but no click followed. Margaret continued her voice gaining strength as she talked. "I'm sorry I haven't let you know where I was. I had to go, I just needed to start a new life." She swallowed painfully. "How is dad?"

         "It's been 10 years, Maggie." Her mother scolded, her voice raising in anger as she spoke. "10 years! We didn't know if you were alive or dead. How is your dad? He keeps busy. He spends hour after hour in the workshop, keeping busy so the pain is only a dull ache. That's how your father is." She paused and let out a sarcastic laugh. "And I am fine, thank you for asking. My only daughter disappears under suspicious circumstances and I hear nothing from her for 10 years. Why wouldn't I be fine?" Her voice ran out of steam and trailed off.

         Margaret gripped the phone painfully. Nothing ever changes, she thought. Nothing I ever do will be good enough, or right. No, thank god you're alive. No, I miss you, I love you. "I see you are fine, as always." She said gritting her teeth to keep from screaming. "Just the same as when I left." She laughed derisively. "They say time heals all wounds. They were wrong. Whoever "they" are. Tell dad that I'm sorry. That I had to go, had to cut all ties." She was suddenly so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. "I'll leave you alone now. I see that this was a mistake. Goodbye mom." Margaret hung up the phone before her mother could say anything more.

         Shadows lengthened on the walls as Margaret sat staring at nothing. Silently, tears rolled down her cheeks as despair settled over her, smothering her like a thick wool blanket. Her hand holding the phone sat weightless in her lap, forgotten.

         The phone range for several minutes before she realized it. She looked down at the phone in puzzlement, unable for long moments to identify it. Slowly the fog in her brain lifted, fear like a sharp needle pierced through her. Warily she raised it to her ear. "Hello?' Her voice didn't sound like her own, it rasped harshly, sounding 90 years old.

         "I saw you today, Maggie. In the garage, but you couldn't see me." An evil laugh, echoed through her head sending an icy finger up her spine. "I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't. I'm not ready yet, I'm not strong enough." The voice faded out and Margaret thought the call was over. Then it came back stronger. "I will be strong enough soon, my love. And then we will be together forever."

         Margaret lay in her bed fully clothed, cocooned in her blankets. Her eyes burned, her eyelids felt like lead. Every time her eyes started to drift closed, fear lanced through her and they snapped open again. She was so tired, all she wanted was to close her eyes forever. But fear made closing her eyes impossible. The bedside lamp chased away the shadows in the room, but did nothing about the shadows in her soul. Images and memories that rose in her mind to haunt her, turning her reality into a dream.

         For hours she lay there, her mind a trap. Thoughts racing around and around, exhausting her with their relentless persuit of meaning, answers. Finally even fear had to take a backseat to exhaustion. Her eyes shut and this time stayed closed as she drifted into a troubled sleep. Nightmares battered at her psyche, but her body demanded it's sleep. She moaned softly time after time, but slept on.

         Margaret stood on the edge of a cliff. She moaned as she recognized this place. The quarry, she was back at the quarry. Wildly she looked around, seeing no one. She turned back to the abyss before her. The water in the bottom was black, no moonlight sparkled upon these depths. It seemed as if she heard a voice and she strained to make it out.

         With a shudder she realized that it was a siren song calling to her. Telling her how easy it would be to step forward, to walk off the edge. All her troubles would be over, no more fear and pain. She took a step and then another, then a sound cut through the song of death. Startled, she looked up, the spell broken. What was that sound, she thought, it seems so familiar. The quarry faded around her, the sound becoming more urgent. Her brain finally put a name to the sound, the phone. Her eyes snapped open once again as the terror rushed through her body.

         She stared at the phone, her mind jumped through the small list of people who knew her number. She started to shiver, clutching her blankets as she sat up. The phone continued ringing, whoever was on the other end was not going to give up. Cold sweat trickled down her back as she slowly reached for the phone. Her mind protesting her decision even as her hand picked up the receiver.

         "Mags?" Relief washed through her as she recognized Frank's voice. "What is going on? I just got the most horrible feeling. Something is wrong, I just know it." he stopped confusion coloring his voice. "I don't know how or why, but I woke up with this feeling that I needed to call you right away. Does that make any sense?"

         Margaret felt the tears welling up in her throat and swallowed noisily. "Frank," She started with a croak, then stopped to swallow again. "Frank, I'm so happy to hear your voice. I," She hesitated as she struggled to find something to say. Something that would satisfy his curiousity and not bring him racing over. "I, just had this terrible nightmare. It seemed so real." She laughed quickly. "It seems so silly now that I am fully awake." She prayed that her voice sounded sincere. "It's wierd that you woke up and felt the need to call me though. Do you have a history of psychics in your family?" She laughed again, this time it came more easily to her.

         "I don't know why I woke up and felt this way." Frank said in puzzlement. "I've never done this before. Maybe I am tapping a new hidden talent." He laughed along with Margaret.

         Margaret covered a sudden spike of fear that his words caused with a laugh. What if he was being drawn into this after all, by forces she couldn't control? The calm she had been starting to feel peeled away giving her fears full reign again. "Well Mr. Psychic, I am going to go back to sleep. What time is it anyway?" She glanced at the clock and saw that is was 3:15 with no surprise. "Wow, yeah I need to get some more sleep." She laughed, hoping it sounded natural.

         "Ok, Mags." A smile warming his voice and Margaret's heart. "Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

         The sad smile hovering on her lips died abruptly. "Oh, I had forgotten all about that." She rushed on to spare his feelings. "I've had so much going on the last few days, I haven't had time to think." She frowned. "I don't think I can make it Frank. I'm sorry but there is kind of an emergency going on right now. I can't really discuss it. But I will be burning the midnight oil trying to get this resolved." She could sense the disappointment over the line. "I promise that when this is all over, I will cook you a dinner that will blow your socks off." She forced a smile into her voice. "Ok?"

         Frank sighed, "Ok, but I am not going to take no for an answer next time. I am warning you now, Margaret Dunham. I am a patient man only for so long." He threat was softened by the yearning and confusion in his voice.

         Margaret slowly hung up the phone, what was going on here. Frank's call rattled her more the more she thought about it. Things she didn't understand were happening and if she didn't understand them, how could she fight what was happening?

         A dull ache in her temple magnified, the throbbing making coherent thought hard to accomplish. Questions chased themselves around her mind, never receiving answers, making the ache worse.

         She got up with a groan, maybe some tea would calm her nerves, help her got back to sleep. Sleep didn't sound at all appealing right now even though she was exhausted. But logically she knew she had to sleep or she would be in an even worse situation.

         Margaret pulled on her robe and stood. Her eyes caught something out of place on the edge of her vision. Turning towards the mirror over her vanity she felt a scream building in her throat. Red letters were painted on the mirror, the paint running down in ghastly streaks. Soon. She swallowed the scream and lurched toward the mirror. Magaret reached out towards the word, then stopped, her fingers inches from the glass. It looked like blood, she thought feeling faint. Blood just like she remembered it.

         Margaret Cooke closed her locker as a pang of excitement rushed through her. Tonight was the prom and her date was Jason Evans, a 21 year old from the next town over. She frowned a little at the thought of the lie she had told her parents. They would never let her date a 21 year old at age 16. So she told them he was a senior. She didn't like lying to them, but they were so strict, she thought with a pout.

         She still didn't know why Jason had decided to speak to her in the mall. She had seen him earlier looking at her and she felt a strange tingle at the handsome dark brooding looks of the strange man watching her. Her friends giggled and wandered away leaving her alone with him. They had talked for over an hour, exchanged phone numbers and promised to meet again the next weekend at the mall.

         Graduation day was a time of celebration, for most of the class anyway. Maggie starred into the mirror at the bruises on her ribcage. When would she learn to shut her mouth, she ranted at herself. Just shut up and agree with whatever Jason said. It was easier that way, she wouldn't make him upset like she did so often. Sighing deeply, she winced at the pain that flared through her side. She should be excited about graduation, excited about the start of the rest of her life. But lately she felt more and more unsure of herself, more worthless. She couldn't seem to do anything right. With a sigh of resignation, Maggie finished dressing.

         Maggie watched Jason leave for work, wishing he would hurry a little faster. Finally his car disappeared down the road and she rushed into the spare bedroom. Entering the closet she hurried to the corner furthest from the door. Using a nail file, she carefully pried up a floorboard, leaving as little evidence as possible. Pulling out a small cardboard box, she removed the lid. Terror rushed through her as she stared into the empty box.

         "Looking for something Maggie?" She screamed as the low threatening voice spoke behind her. "Did you really think you could outsmart me? You worthless tramp." Jason's lunged forward and grabbed a handful of her hair. Jerking her from the closet, he ignored her cries. "You're worthless as a wife and now you are worthless as a woman." Drawing back his hand, Jason slapped her across the face, making her see spots and her head ring. "How long have you been taking the birthcontrol pills?" He raged, slapping her again.

         Maggie tried to protect her head with her arms, which infuriated Jason more. "Please, Jason." Maggie begged, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm just not ready to be a mother. I tried to tell you."

         Another slap caused her to crumble slightly, supported by his handful of hair. "Did I ask you WHY you were taking the pills?" He growled. "I asked you how long you have been taking them. Don't make me ask again, or I will really make you sorry."

         Maggie struggled to control her sobs. "I've been taking them since we got married." She said softly in between sobs. "I know that I am not good at being a wife and I was afraid that I would be a terrible mother too..."

         Her voice broke off as Jason reared back his hand and doubled it into a fist. Terror rushed through her as his fist swung through the air toward her. His voice shouting in fury, calling her terrible names.