Ambrose Returns
Ambrose Returns is a multi-part story, written "on the fly", as an exercise. I add a new part whenever the fancy takes me, and I give each part absolutely no thought before I write it. I write it directly into the HTML editor, and then post it without any rewriting or real editing. The only editing I do is to correct spelling mistakes and anything else that is obviously wrong. And I may even miss a few of those. Writing this way won't produce my greatest work, but that's not the point. The point is to exercise the creative muscles, and to practise. And to always remind myself to not be afraid to "get things out there". :)
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7
Part 2

I woke up in the hospital five days later. My head was banging, my throat was dry and scratchy, and my eyes itched like crazy. What happened? I was having trouble remembering. There was a guy. Anthony something? And a house. Vee was there. Yeah, I remembered now. Vee took me to see this medium she knew. We drank a lot of wine beforehand. I'd been foggy. Not thinking straight. How did I end up in the hospital though? Ahhh, I winced, my head throbbed more and more. I reached up to rub my temples and felt bandages. I banged my head? Someone hit me over the head? It was all fuzzy. I remembered the guy saying something to me. Something about tall, pale, bald men. And my Grandfather in his mismatched outfits. Uncle Gerry and the meat slicer. Brian, my ex. Ambrose.

The throbbing ache in my head turned to sharp stabbing pains as my heart raced. I gasped for breath. Oh shit. I remembered everything now. The guy had mentioned Ambrose. But that was all he'd done. No, wait. He'd said Ambrose remembered everything. Oh Christ. I could barely even think straight now. Could that be true? Could Ambrose really remember? Remember it all? How could he? I'd been told he'd never get out of that place we'd put him. Never ever ever, the words of reassurance had been. NEVER, I'd been told again after insisting.

I had to get out of this place. I couldn't stay here a minute longer. If Ambrose was back then there were things that needed doing. I need to speak to people. I needed supplies. I needed a way out. I needed new papers. I needed a one way ticket to some place well hidden. I needed...a new life. I laughed to myself, half seriously, half deliriously. Ha! A new life? Sure, that was what I had always wanted. Had tried to find many times before. But he'd always found me. Time and time again. Ambrose. I was crying now. But not with laughter. With fear and anguish and despair. When would it be over? It would never be over. I knew that.

I swung my feet off the bed onto the cold floor. I ripped out the drip line, and pulled off the heart rate monitors. The beep beep beep turned into one long beep. I was dead. At least according to someone's screen somewhere. They'd be here any minute to check on me. I had to move fast. Because I knew, that they would not be coming alone. Not now. Not if everything was true. The doctors would be following their orders. And one of their orders would surely be to sedate me, ready for easy and immediate transport, as soon as I woke from the coma. Well that wasn't going to happen. I started to frantically search the room for my clothes. I spotted them, folded neatly on a chair in the corner, but before I could even grab them, the door opened.

"Miss Lowdon," a voice said sternly, "Up and about I see. How nice."

And I knew this was going to be a lot harder than I had hoped.

Copyright © 2015 Daniel Lee Peach