10 years ago

Thunder roars from the sky above as two teens make their way through the muddy shallows of the Luisiana swamps. Trekking through the New Orleans bayou is not a small feat, especially for an eloping couple.

“The cottage should be just across this patch of marsh,” Daniel said as he grabbed Lucy’s hand. “Fuck, I didn’t think the storm would move in this fast.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine; we just have to make it inside before the downpour,” Lucy starts to say before a lightning bolt clash into a tree 50 feet away. One sharp scream from lucy makes Daniel yank her hand towards him, and protectively cover her as she starts sobbing into his chest.

Looking out into the distance he sees a small human like figure standing amongst the trees on top of the hill. Not knowing what to say he blinks a few times, and in a flash the figure is gone. Not thinking anything of it he turns to face his girlfriend.

“It’s okay babe. I’ve got you,” Daniel says drying her tears with his sleeve and supporting her as they walk the last few yards to the mossy cement steps leading up to the old worn-out house.

Looking up, the cottage Lucy’s grandfather built when her mother was just a child, she noticed how time has treated it while no one has come to visit and take care of the small space. At one point in time, it used to be the cherished vacation home that her parents would bring her every summer. Though now with the overgrown weeds, the tattered shingles, and what looked like a large bird’s nest in the crook of the attic window; the house hasn’t seen better days in at least a decade.

“At least it will provide us shelter,” Daniel remarks before what feels like a bucket of water washed down onto the both of them. “SHIT! We’ve got to get inside now!”

“Yeah, I know!” lucy yelled back over the sound of the down pour. Thumbling with her parents’ keys, she opened the door, but not before the rain had soaked every part of them. “Here let me find the light switch.” As lucy feels around she finds what feels like a plastic nose on the wall. One flip, two flip, three flip, but no brightness fills the room. “It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?” She flips the switch repeatedly, but still nothing happens.

“Maybe the circuit breaker needs to be reset. Do you know where it is?

“Yeah, should be in the kitchen. Just watch your step, I can’t see much in this darkness.” Lucy says leading Daniel back to the kitchen. Finding the panel, Daniel flips the main switch twice before the whole house comes to life. In the next second a flash of light illuminates the kitchen window. Lucy shrieks causing Daniel to do a full 180 trying to discern what she’s looking at. A large branch outside the kitchen window casted a shadow to make it appear as if someone was peering in at them.

Crying Lucy goes straight to Daniels arms, and he wraps his arms around her in type grip not wanting to let go. Though they both knew they needed to separate the feeling of being safe in each other’s arms kept them from separating for what felt like eternity. 10 minutes go by before Daniel starts to move his hands to Lucy’s shoulders. He pulls her away from him, trying to gather his thoughts, but also seeing her and how he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her.

That’s why they were there. That’s why they eloped. Daniels aunt was going to separate them. Make him move thousands of miles away, but he put a stop to it when asking Lucy to run away together. Though it was her idea to take shelter in the old vacation home. It was smart at the time, but with how the storm above and the eeriness of the house, he was unsure if sleep was on the itinerary for the evening.

Lucy, now feeling a lot calmer turned out of his grip heading towards the bathroom. She grabbed 2 large towel that had gathered a little bit of dust sitting on the shelves of the linen closet. Flicking them out Daniel draped it over her head and around her shoulders before doing the same for himself. They were still uneasy, feeling as if they were being watched, but it felt better knowing it was just them.

So much better, that Daniel started to lean into place of kiss on her lips. Though in very shy and jerkish movement, she turned so the kiss landed on her jaw instead. A little embarrassed lucy’s voice cracked as she tried to explain she’s going to look for some change of clothes in her parents’ old room. Daniel just nodded his head, as the girl of his teenage dreams left his side.

A few minutes go by before he gets a little curious as to what’s taking so long, but then Lucy comes out wearing her towel wrapped around her hair and dry clothes on. She found pair of her mother’s old boot cut jeans and layered it with a tight burgundy long sleeve henley over a white Cami that was in one of the dresser drawers. Though it didn’t reveal much for skin it didn’t leave Lucy’s curves to the imagination either. All Daniel could do was send a small thank you to the person that decided to make lucy a carbon copy of her mother.

Holding out another pair of jeans, white tee, and a checkered flannel Lucy said bashfully looking down, “Here try this on, it should fit.” Having to shut his mouth from not swallowing any more flies Daniel takes the folded clothes and goes into the bathroom to change. Though he starts to find it a little tedious when an excited member decides to show himself a little too much. Teenage hormones may just be the death of him, but he doesn’t let that stop him from changing and quickly cooling off before walking out of the bathroom.

Walking into the den, then the kitchen, and finally the bedroom, but no Lucy. He calls out her name a few times before hearing a what sounds like a clatter in one of the closets. Daniel slowly reaches for the handle pulling the door open. Just to find a tied up and gagged lucy. He says her name in confusion before a something hard thuds hard against his head. In one moment, he was standing in front of the closet in the next he was down on the floor. Everything was getting fuzzier by the second, even the shadow of someone else in the room was starting to dim out of his sight. The ringing in his ears started to soften as his mind became a dark blank slate. All was silent.

Not knowing when or how Daniel had been knocked unconscious, he awoke quite foggily tied up next to Lucy. He could feel a warmth emanating from the back of his head, and something had dried to the back and side of his neck.

“Nice to see you’re finally away,” a familiar voice called across the room. “I didn’t think I hit you that hard, but I guess 2 hours later and here we are.”

Turning his head, Daniel found his aunt sitting crossed legged with a glass of wine in one hand and a gun in the other. “How…” he started to stutter to himself before asking aloud, “How did you find us?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy at first,” Daniels aunt cackled softly, “but I have my ways. Your girlfriend for starters, she told me all about your little elopement. Guess she’s not as loyal as you thought she was.”

“NO! I don’t believe you! She’d never-”

“Never what? Never betray you. Never harm you. Never ask me to help take you away. Well, I’m sorry dear nephew, but those are all lies. In fact, she’s the one that planned this whole thing. Think about it,” she stated while taping the gun to her temple.

Daniel did think about it long and hard. Lucy was the one to introduce the idea of eloping, Lucy told him about this vacation home he’d never heard of in the last 3 years of them being together, Lucy had tried evading ever ulterior move he made on the way here, and Lucy was the one who acted like there was something out to get her from the moment they met up to escape into the swamp.

“That’s right, all of it, every last detail running through your damaged juvenile skull is right. Though there is one detail that she left out. The ultimatum. Either I kill her and take you by force or you walk away with me right now and she lives. Up to you, but the clocks ticking on this offer.”

Daniel with tears coming to his eyes looks over at his long-time girlfriend. He can’t think of what could have caused her to make this decision but knows that he still cares for her. With a vulnerable voice he looks at his aunt and says, “I still don’t fully believe that she would do this to me, but I’d rather see her live from thousands of miles away then sooner have her die because I wouldn’t agree to go with the likes of you.”

“Good answer, but I still don’t believe you will cooperate fully.” Bang. One shot, that’s all it took. Lucy, who was already unconscious during the time they were talking, was now bleeding from the heart. As his aunt began to drag him out of the house screaming and crying to help his once girlfriend all he could think of was the hearts that had filled that room, and the differences in them. One controlling heart as cold as ice, one disloyal heart bleeding out profusely, and one protective heart shattered into millions of pieces.