Welcome to New Haven (73 page)

“Nobody’s coming to help.” She said through her tears. Alex looked up as the sky turned darker. Why was it getting dark already?
 

They were trapped.

Nobody was coming, it was getting darker by the second and they didn’t know how to get out.
 
Stacey was on the loose with a gun and if they tried to run for it, they could be killed.
 

Alex and Holly made a move for the English Mulberry plant. They peaked through, between the leaves, to find Stacey.

“I’ve got you trapped!” She shouted. “There’s no way you’re getting away from me. You’re only pissing me off!” screamed Stacey.
 

Both Holly and Alex were shaking in terror. Soaking wet from the rain, and almost blind because of the dark.

“I love you Holly…forever.” He whispered.

“I love you too, Alex. Always.”

“Oh how fucking sweet.” Stacey growled from above them.

Somehow, she’d managed to change from her jeans and T-shirt, into the clothes she wore when she’d wrecked Holly’s car.

Holly screamed and jumped in front of Alex as Stacey pointed the gun at his chest.
 

“No, no, no!” Holly screamed. “No Stacey, don’t. Please!” She begged as hot tears fell freely down her face.

“I told you, you would pay. I told you, and you wouldn’t listen.” Stacey was squealing, high pitched, shaking her head. Her straggly blonde hair flying about.
 
Eyes wild with madness. “You will pay! You will pay!” Stacey lifted the gun higher.
 

Holly’s eyes widened in horror.

Her heart thrumming with terrifying realisation that they weren’t getting away.
 

“Goodbye.” Stacey said coldly, and Holly screamed as she lunged forwards.

 
A shot rang out before Holly reached her. She turned quickly and threw herself to Alex.
 
He was lying still on the floor, blood coming from a hole in his forehead.
 

Eyes closed, and mouth open.

Stacey had shot him.

Alex was dead.

Alex was dead!
 

“
No, No, No!
” Holly screamed in pain as she held him.

“Please don’t be gone! Please don’t be gone!
 
Alex I love you, please don’t be gone.”

Holly was still screaming when she heard a voice.
 

“Holly, Holly!” It sounded like her Mum.
 
“Holly, baby girl, open your eyes.”
 

Holly eyes flew open.
 
She was no longer in the garden.
 

“Alex is dead!” She screamed. “Stacey killed him. He’s dead!” Holly was panicking. Her chest growing tighter, hear rate increasing, and gasping for air.
 

“Holly, it’s ok! Baby it’s ok!”

“No! She killed him!” Holly screamed as loud and as much as she could.
 

She couldn’t breathe.

Her Mum’s hands cupped her face as she struggled.

“Holly, breathe, honey.” It was her Dad’s voice.

How did they get there? Where am I?

She was crying hard, howling between the small breaths she could take.

Fighting and kicking the hands trying to hold her.
 

“Holly, he’s fine!” Oli said.

“No…she…shot…him!” She gasped. “He’s…dead!”

Holly couldn’t breathe as her throat closed over. She was thrashing about wildly.
 

I need to hold him.
 
I’m going to kill her.

Her eyes fluttered as the room began to spin as she became dizzy.

“Oli, get a bag!” she heard her Mum shout. “Holly, honey breathe baby girl.”

Holly heard her Mums tearful words before the room went black.

Alex couldn’t sleep.
 
He nodded off a few times but kept waking up, thinking of what had happened that day.

What had Stacey had done to
his
Holly.

He couldn’t get it out of his mind.

He was about to get out of bed when his phone started to vibrate.

It was Holly!

“Hey babe. Can’t sleep?” He asked.

“Alex, it’s Kim. Holly’s in a state.”

Alex’s stomach plummeted, and he felt sick. He sat upright as Kim continued.
 

“She woke up, screaming violently, that you were dead and that Stacey had shot you. She had a massive panic attack… We couldn’t get her to calm down, and she passed out. Emily said that, last time, you’d gotten through to her. Alex, she needs to know you’re ok…”

“I’m on my way.” He said as he didn’t let Kim finish her sentence.

He threw on some clothes before rushing out of the room.
 

“You ok? What’s up?” Said a sleepy Dev as she opened her door.

“Holly’s had a huge panic attack. I need to go. I’ll text you later.”
 

He didn’t have time to talk to Dev, when her face changed with worry.
 

Alex pulled up outside the house and Oli opened the door even before she got out of the car.
 

“Thanks Alex.” He said as he moved to let him pass.

Alex rushed up the stairs to Holly’s room.

Kim was sitting on Holly’s bed, stroking her hair, tears in her eyes.
 
Kim saw Alex and got up.
 
He sat in her place.

“She hasn’t been this bad in years.” Said Kim, sniffling.

Holly looked asleep with her long hair fanning out behind her, lying on her left, facing the doorway.
 

“She was out for over an hour the last time she passed out. Em said
you
calmed her down
before
it got that far, last time.”

Alex had seen Holly have two panic attacks. One at the pool, which was the worst, and one at school.

”I’m sorry I called you so late, Alex, but I didn’t know what else to do. I think she needs to see you when she wakes up. She didn’t believe us that you were ok.”

“I’m glad you did.” He said, without turning away from Holly.
 
“I don’t want her worrying about anything…ever.”
 

Alex stroked her face, and she stirred a little.
 

“Holly?” He asked gently.
 

“That’s…Oh my God! She’s never come round that fast.” Kim whispered to Oli.
 

“Holly, babe.
 
Can you hear me?” He asked again.
 

“Alex” Holly whispered so quietly it was barely audible.
 
Like his name was just a breath on her lips.

Kim wept as Oli held her.
 

“Holly, can you hear me? Wake up, babe. I’m here.” He said to her.
 

“Alex?” He felt relieved as she started to come to. Her voice sounded hoarse.
 

“Yes baby, It’s me. I’m here.”

Holly slowly opened her eyes and focused on the person sitting next to her. It was Alex!

She stared at his face.

His beautiful, unmarked face.
 

“Alex!” She squeaked.
 
Her throat too sore for her to shout.

Holly quickly sat up, threw back her covers and jumped into his lap. Throwing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist, crying with relief.
 

Alex’s arms held her tight as he buried his face into her neck and shoulder.
 

“It’s ok, babe. It’s ok.” He said softly into her ear.

“I saw her…she…” Holly cried out again.

“I’m ok Holly. It was a dream. Just a dream.”

“It felt so real.” Holly whispered.

“Don’t worry, my precious girl…” He said as he pulled back to cup her face with his hands “…That’s
not
going to happen. Alex gently kissed her lips as she took shaky breaths between sobs. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She replied as she cried into his shoulder.
   

Holly cries started to slow to small hiccups.
 
Her arms still wrapped around his neck, her legs tight around his waist. Just like the day he’d rescued her from Riss’ pool.

Their bodies pressed together, all the way up.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry.” He said when Holly felt his body ‘reacting’. She felt it against her.

“Now, I have no doubt you’re real.” She said as she squeezed her legs tighter against him.
 

“Holly…love.” Kim said as she walked closer to the bed. “Are you ok baby girl?”
 

Holly turned her head to look at her Mum, without letting go of Alex.

“Yeah I’m ok, Mum.” She said, still sniffling.

“Wait…How did you…?” She said, turning back to Alex. Suddenly aware that he was in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

“You’re Mom called me when you passed out.” He said. Wiping away her tears with his thumb.

“We had to honey.” Said Oli. You wouldn’t believe us that Alex was ok.

Holly squeezed Alex tightly.

“It’s getting really late so…Alex…” Kim said and Holly pulled back to look between them. There was no way she was ready to let Alex go.

“…You should stay. In the spare room, that is.” Kim added, and Holly relaxed.
 

“Just let your parents know where you are. We have spare toothbrushes in the bathroom there too.”

“That would be great. Thanks, Kim.” He said.

“You’re staying?” Holly asked expectantly.

“It looks that way.” He chuckled.

“Ok, we’ll give you a few minutes, but then bed…separately.” Smiled Kim as she pointed back and forth between them. “The room is on the far right.” She said as she and Oli left the room and closed the door.
 

“You’re really ok.”
 
Holly said as she brought a hand round to gently stroke Alex’s forehead, where she’d seen a bullet hole not too long ago.

“I’m fine, baby.” He said as he stroked up her back.
 
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“It was horrible…” She said with a croaky voice as she released Alex from her stranglehold. “…You took me to Olympia as a surprise.” Holly recounted the nightmare to Alex. She sat back against the headboard and gestured for Alex to join her.

He sat back with his arm around her.

Her head on his chest and the other hand holding hers.

“You were gone.” She said, getting to the part where she’d seen him die. “There was blood…and…I screamed.”

The tears started again.

“Shh, babe. It’s ok. It was all a dream.” He brought his hand to her face to brush back some loose tendrils that had fallen across her face.

“I heard my Mum and Oli. I didn’t know what was happening. I just panicked. I couldn’t breathe, then the next thing, I woke up and you were here.” Holly buried her face in his chest.
 

“Of course. My girl needed me, so here I am.”

“I love you so much.” She cried.

“Babe, I love you so much, too.” He said.

Alex was trying to keep his cool because he didn’t want Holly to know that, inside, he was scared. Scared that Stacey may just be capable of something that evil.
 
He felt sick because Holly had been affected a
lot
more than they had both realized.
 

He quickly wiped the back of his hand over his cheek where tears had escaped. He didn’t want to make her feel any worse by seeing him like that. She wouldn’t have wanted him upset.
 
He would be
more
upset, however, if Kim hadn’t called and he’d found out the next day, what Holly had been through.
 

He was grateful that she had.

He needed to be with his girl as often as possible, especially when things like that happened.

Kim had been amazed when Alex had touched Holly’s face, and she’d started to stir.
 
Because of the times that Holly
had
passed out in the past, it was usually close to an hour before she had come around.
 

“Let’s get you into bed.” He said casually, and Holly’s eyes snapped to his I surprise. “Oh no! I meant ‘into bed’ not
into bed
. I just don’t want to upset your Mum by keeping you awake.”

He pulled the cover over her legs.

Her smooth, bare, toned legs that had been wrapped around him again.

He swallowed hard and looked away from her as he covered her up.
 

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” she asked, shyly.

“Of course, babe.
 
That’s what I was hoping for.”

Holly lay down on her side; facing Alex and he face her as he lay on top of the covers.
 
He leant towards her for a goodnight kiss.
 
Holly’s hand cupped his head as he held her tight. He stroked his tongue into her mouth and hers responded in kind. They held onto each other, close, as their lips danced and sucked.
 
Alex’s hands moved
 
up to pull Holly tighter.

His pants restricting further.

He had to stop.

Holly had just had a massive fright, and he was getting turned on!
 
He gently pulled back, much to his dismay.

“Try to sleep, my precious girl.” He said. “My Dad used to call me that.” She whispered.

“Oh shit, sorry!” Alex felt bad for calling her something that would bring back sad feelings.

“Oh no, no. I like that you call me that. It’s nice.”

“That’s good.” He said, feeling better. He loved her so much that it actually hurt him.
 
His chest ached, like it was going to explode, and his groin… enough said on that one!

Alex kissed her forehead before she closed her eyes. He lay with her, like that, for a little while until Holly’s breath evened out and her grip on him relaxed. He brushed her hair away from her face so he could see her better.
 

Oh crap!

He’d forgotten to text Dev.

A: Holly’s fine now.
 
Nightmare.
 
Kim asked me to stay because it’s late.
 
Spare room.
 
CU2moro. X

D: Ok.
 
I was worried. I’ll tell Mom & Dad. CU2moro. X