Salvation Lies Within You

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She never quite knew what was expected of her, nor did she care. After high school, she did not even attempt college, it seemed too pretentious and cliché, paying to “learn” more about the world instead of actually living it. She longed for other ways to expand her mind. As the windowpane rattled under the soft torrents of rain through the streets of the Manhattan village, Veazey sat, knees bent to her chest, wondering what was to become of her. “Waitressing, is such bullshit” she thought. It could hardly pay her rent, not to mention provide a meager meal once a week. She could not even afford a taxi to take her home from each shift; so today she walked home through the forty-degree pouring rain. Sometimes she felt like one of those after-school specials. Her few friends with whom she worked with also lived a poor life, consisting of work and recovering drug addictions. But self-pity, being not in nature, taught her not to dwell on the burdens which life threw her way.

Her mother had died, saving Veazey’s life from an apartment fire when Veazey was only five; her life would never be the same. From that night onward, she spent most of her life jumping from one foster home to another. But that was not the reason. Almost every night she would suffer through these strange dreams. Psychologists that the social workers provided for her claimed her nightmares of catastrophe were obvious signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome, and put her on heavy medication immediately. Although, it was only when the social workers had decided that it was time Veazey stop consumption of the pills, around 8 years old, that the terror returned ten times fold. She remembers watching the nightly news on TV when she was 8 and becoming overwhelmed with a...

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...that day to find you before they did, because I knew they would find you inevitably. Please run my darling. I do not want to lose another child! Remember salvation lies in you!”

At that moment, Veazey’s grandmother gave her the signal to dash off into the night. Veazey ran so far and so fast until streams of tears were running down her face due to the wind, adding onto the streams of tears flowing from her torn emotions. Her fingers began to tingle, she knew something was about to happen but did not know where to turn. Images of the fire that engulfed her mother flashed through her head. As she turned around a corner, in deep despair, she bumped into a tall, suited figure. She looked up at him when he said:

“Veazey. Finally nice to meet you. It was a mistake to run away, Veazey. Now you’re mine…ours. I’m Doctor Stanley Krippner. You can call me God.”

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