Man In Uniform

Police!

“Police!” shouts a voice from within the crowd. Immediately all hell breaks loose. People stat running in multiple directions as more officers enter the building. I lose my grip on Kate and she’s dragged away with the crowd. I look around frantically, trying to find her, but she disappeared. I look up to find Austin staring down at me, his eyebrows are knitted together. Almost like he’s confused.

“What’s going on?” I shout to him feeling confused. Why are police rampaging this house? It’s a college house party, no big deal. Austin doesn’t reply, he simply grabs my forearm and forces e through the crowd. I’ve no idea where he’s taking me or why. But honestly, I don’t care. I’m drunk.

I’m even more confused when I realise that he’s leading me out of the building. “You’re not arresting me, are you?” I slur. Austin shakes his head and continues to lead me out the front door. When we’re outside, the cold air hits me hard. I begin to shiver, but Austin chooses to ignore this. He keeps walking.

Austin leads me to the police car, at which point I decide to freak out. “Let go of me! I did nothing wrong! You can’t arrest me for having some fun with my friends! I’m legally allowed to drink alcohol, meanie!” I shout at him, trashing around in the attempt to free myself from his grip. With no luck, this guy is strong. “Austin please!” I plead. “I don’t want to spend another minute in that stupid cell!” I shout as we reach the car.

Two men run past us, taking Austin’s attention from me for a quick second. I take this opportunity and kick him in the shins, as hard as a drunk, short girl can. This seems to take him by surprise and he lets me go. “Dammit Jasmine Keyes, I’m only trying to…” he begins, but I can’t hear him anymore. The adrenaline has kicked in and I’m running as fast as I can. Good things I took my shoes off earlier because they would have slowed me down. I have no idea where I’m going. I have never been here before. But I keep running. I want to get as far away from that police officer as I can.

I run as far as my legs will carry me. The more I run, the darker it gets. The darker it gets, the more I panic. Why hasn’t Austin followed me? Why was he even at the party? And most importantly, out of all the people at that party, why me?

I finally come to a halt. Not because I want to, but because my lungs feel like they’re going to explode. I bend over and place my hands on my knees, in the attempt to catch my breath. When that doesn’t work, I stand up straight with my hands on the back of my head. It takes a few minutes for me to be able to breathe normally again. So, I take this opportunity to look around to see if I recognise this area.

I have come to some unlit, quiet road. There’s not much in sight, just a few fields. A house dotted here and there, but other than that it’s completely empty. The house party was clearly located outside of the town which has led me to the country side. My feet begin to burn from the cold, hard ground. I sit down on the wet ground to get a closer look of my feet. They’re both bleeding and very dirty. I begin to panic even more. I need to wash my wounds before they get infected. So I take all my remaining strength and begin to make my way back towards the party. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Kates number. No answer. Kate! I lost her at the party.

I really hope she’s okay. She got dragged away by the panicked crowd and that must be terrifying for a small drunk girl like her. I look around to see if I recognise the way back to the house, but I come across a house I haven’t seen before. I curse under my breath. I must have taken the wrong turn somewhere and now I’m lost. I scream up to the heavens feeling frustrated with myself. I’m cursed! Why can’t I have something good happen to me! Just once in my life!

I pull out my phone again, hoping to call someone who could come find me. But of course, it’s never as easy as that. With my luck, my phone has died, leaving me stranded in the wild with no contact with anybody. Damn you iPhone batteries. I throw my phone ahead of me out of anger. I hate my life. Life hates me. I’m lost, I’m cold, I’m wet and I’m bleeding. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how I die. Alone. Just how I’ve spent my entire life.

I sit down on the cold, muddy ground again Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Once I’m somewhat calm, I begin to asses the situation. I have two options really. I can continue walking, in the hopes of finding my way back to the house. Or I can sit here and wait for the sun to come up. That way someone driving past might be able to find me and give me a lift back to the city. There is a third option, I could go into one of the nearby houses, but I’m sure they would just call the police, who I’m currently trying to avoid.

So, I go with option number two. I sit on the ground, making myself as comfortable as I can. I lie against the tree and let my thoughts wander. Why did Austin even try arrest me in the first place? Did they find evidence that I spray painted that wall? If so, how did he know I was at that party? Is he stalking me? I feel sleep take over me. I always get tired after drinking alcohol. Although I have mainly sobered up. I let the sleep take over my body. I can’t fight it.

My dreams are filled with tragedy. Death, loneliness, blood, hatred. I feel the anxiety in my chest grow. It’s hard to breathe. My head is fuzzy, and I’m confused. I want this to stop. I want to take back time. I want to lead a normal life. I want to be loved. I want my parents to live. I don’t want to be a disappointment to them. I stir in my dream. I need to wake up. I need to wake up.

I NEED TO WAKE UP!

And then I do… And I expect to be all alone again. But I’m not. I blink a few times, allowing my eyes to focus on the face staring down at me.

“Hello Jasmine Keyes, I’ve been looking for you.”