I saw a huge truck speeding towards me, its headlights searing themselves painfully into my eyes.
I tried to run. I did. But my feet weren’t moving right, like they were planted into drying cement. There was nothing I could do but scream. So I screamed until my throat was raw. Until I coughed up blood, which spewed into the inky blackness below. The truck was still in the distance, somehow. Not much closer at all. But I knew it was coming.
And then it was there. Massive. It towered over me, its vastness too expansive for me to comprehend, inches away from my face. The truck bellowed so powerfully it shook the ground I was suddenly on. It looked like a road in a peaceful suburban neighborhood. Somehow, I realized this the same time I realized I was about to die. And then a pair of firm hands planted themselves on my shoulders, and I was shoved out of the cemented ground. I landed on the sidewalk, relatively unhurt.
Looking up, all I could see was a tall, dark figure, almost staring into me. Someone close to me. He stood in the same spot I was just in. I looked a little further, and I saw a girl, who seemed to be in the middle of a horrified shriek. The truck bellowed again as if trying to remind me of its presence, before slamming into the person who had just saved my life.
***
I was jarred awake by the sound of an alarm clock. Its infuriatingly repetitive beeping made my ears ache. I rolled over and turned it off like I’d done a million times before. Yet, when I looked around to observe my surroundings, I realized I had no clue where I was. It seemed so familiar yet… simultaneously unknown. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, pulling me out of my trance.
The door opened and a young woman walked in, holding a tray of breakfast food. She seemed about my age. There was this heaviness around her as if she was dragging something. Her shoulders sagged a little more than normal, and her brown eyes struggled to remain bright. Yet, she fought, giving me a wide smile. I didn’t know her and yet I felt like I had known her for years. I trusted her.
“Good morning, sunshine!” she exclaimed chipperly, “Hope you had a good night’s sleep? Last night got a little crazy.”
“Good morning… I’m sorry, but I’m a little confused-”
“Yes yes, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m Sasha, your best friend.”
“My best friend?” I questioned, “I don’t even know you.”
“Well, Veronica, there was… an accident. You were diagnosed with repetitive retrograde amnesia. The doctors said it was incredibly rare, and we know very little about it. You wake up, every day, with no memory of anything before today,” she explained, her smile faltering a little as she said the word “accident.” Am uneasy sadness descended upon her face for a flicker of an instant, before she quickly recovered.
I felt my heart rate quicken. This couldn’t be right, could it? This didn’t happen in real life. It was too far-fetched. But I also knew it was true. I took a deep shuddering breath. As I exhaled, I felt a sharp pang in my chest. In fact, I noticed that I was sore all over, with several bruises peppered over my entire body.
“How long ago was this accident?” I asked. “And do you know what exactly happened?”
“Look, Veronica… it wasn’t long ago. Maybe a few weeks. You were very recently allowed to return home, and they just took off your casts,” she replied, placing the tray of food beside me. She squeezed my hand reassuringly. “You must be in pain, and I know you want answers. But… I think it’s best if we just move on. And I don’t really know much about the accident. I wasn’t there. I’m sorry.”
“No, no don’t be. I understand,” I reassured her. The pain in her eyes was striking, and I couldn’t bear to see her that way. I figured that I had probably asked her all this before and that must not be pleasant.
“Ok good. But enough lying in bed! C’mon, finish your breakfast and get ready quickly. I have a fun day planned for us!”
“Ok, ok,” I laughed. “I’m getting up.”
***
The day was, indeed, fun. We spent it mostly at the local mall, and Sasha kept on giving me nuggets about our lives. We had been living together for upwards of 6 years now. Sasha had a boyfriend named Ricardo, who had recently moved to the United States from Mexico. I, of course, was very single and always had been, apparently.
We made a stop at the arcade, where Sasha destroyed me at Dance Dance Revolution. While we danced, I kept glancing at her. As the day went by, as we continued to have fun at the mall, she began to seem freer. Like that weight on her back had lessened. And at that moment, dancing with me to her heart’s content, she looked happy for the first time that day. We exited the mall late in the evening, holding hands and cups of iced coffees. Sasha had an amazing sense of humor, I discovered.
“My God, we have to work on your dancing skills! I felt embarrassed for you, Veronica!” she laughed. “And no offense, but your taste in fashion could use work too.”
That last comment stung a little, but I laughed along. I thought the clothes I bought were nice.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I questioned, curious.
“Oh well, you really seemed to like them. And I didn’t want to see you unhappy.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t have been unhappy. Don’t worry,” I replied with a grin.
“Oh. I’m always unhappy.”
There was a strange pause. For the first time that day, it was awkward between us. There was silence the rest of the way home. Even with my feeble attempts to break the ice, Sasha remained completely unresponsive.
“What’s wrong?” I kept asking.
“Nothing,” she kept replying.
Finally, we arrived home. It was almost 9 at night, and the quiet neighborhood seemed deserted. Like a ghost town.
“Sasha, please! What did I do wrong!” I protested, raising my voice a little. “I’m sorry!”
Again, I was met with silence. Then, she smiled. A strange, twisted smile that I didn’t know what to make of.
“What did you do wrong? What did you do wrong?! Ohhh yes Veronica you have done wrong! The great Veronica, so stubborn! So arrogant! So charming! Well, you FUCKED UP!”
Now she was almost screaming. I stood there, stunned. She hadn’t cursed once today.
“Every day, I have to deal with your ungrateful, hideous, face! I’ve been doing this for 4 years! Four fucking years of my life wasted! Looking at you nauseates me, you understand that?”
She began to move closer to me.
“And you wanna know what you did wrong? You killed him! You killed Steven! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! He loved you! He always sang your praises! He thought you were his sister, when, really, you were the biggest mistake of his life, you worthless piece of shit!”
She began shoving me. I remained frozen, unable to respond, unable to breathe. Sasha began to laugh. A strange, guttural laugh that sent shivers down my spine. She was shrieking and laughing and shoving. She had pushed me into the garage at this point.
“Steven was mine! He was mine! And now he’s gone! And it’s because of you, you absolute-”
Instead of finishing her sentence, she punched me square in the face. I couldn’t even defend myself. I fell backward onto the floor, landing on my backside. I sat there stupefied, as realization slowly dawned on me. Sasha kicked me in the chest, making me double over in pain. My vision was beginning to fade. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her grabbing some sort of metal rod.
“No. No, please…” I mumbled in protest. In response, she smiled again. That horrid, evil grin. I realized I was wrong before. She wasn’t getting happier because we were having fun together. She was getting happier because she was getting closer to being able to do this.
“God, I wish that truck had hit you,” she whispered, her voice oozing with malice.
She lifted the rod high above her head and slammed it into my ribs. She kicked me. She punched me. Tears began to escape my eyes, blurring my vision even further. I began to sob, trying to hold in my screams of pain. I couldn’t let her have that satisfaction. The already dark garage was beginning to fade completely now. Eventually, I just closed my eyes, giving in to it, letting the repetitive sound of the metal rod banging against my body take me away.
***
The next morning, I was jarred awake by the sound of an alarm clock.