Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: Speechless

The sound of yelling brought Amy out of her coma-like slumber. She struggled to open her eyes and for a moment had no idea where she even was. Her vision cleared and she recognized the items of her bedroom. Her neighbor’s marital dispute could be heard on the other side of the wall (as usual). The real question was how did she even get here?

Rolling over in bed, she flung her feet over the edge to the floor and forced herself upright. Her head swam and she felt faint.

Was I drinking last night? Amy wondered. She was still wearing work clothes so it was a possible answer. Her main concern was her memory or rather, the lack of it. Even after going out for a few too many drinks she always had a vague recollection of the previous evening’s adventures. But this time, this time her mind was blank.

Amy tried to think back to the last clear memory she had. There was something about an elevator…and onions…she was leaving work early! Right, that was it. Was she sick? Did she meet up with a co-worker and decide to hit a bar instead of going home?

The problem with this scenario was that it was completely out of character. Amy could count on one hand the number of times she’d gotten drunk at a bar. It had never been her choice of entertainment. And if she was sick…well, shouldn’t there be other symptoms or signs? Besides the missing memory, Amy felt fine. No fever, no sniffles, nothing but a headache that seemed to be fading.

Suddenly another thought popped into her mind: the date rape drug. Amy’s heart became to race and she could feel her body erupt into a cold sweat. What if that was what happened? Frantic, Amy raced to the bathroom and tore off her clothes, feverishly inspecting her body for any signs she might have been violated.

On the surface, there didn’t appear to be any sign of rape. No bruising or scrapes or violation of her vaginal area. With a sense of relief she collapsed on the edge of the tub and rested her chin in her hands.

“Dear God, what happened?” she whispered. The phone brought her out of her contemplation and she ran to grab it before it went to voicemail. Perhaps whoever was calling knew what had happened last night and was checking on her.

“Hello?”

“Amy? It’s Charlotte. Are you alright?” Amy’s boss had never called her at home and Amy could hear the emotion in her voice.

“Charlotte, hi. Yes, I’m okay…I think. I just woke up actually. What’s wrong? You sound upset.”

“Oh thank God!” Charlotte cried. “When you didn’t come to work today I asked the team if you had called any of them to say you were sick or taking a vacation day or something. Joan said she had seen you taking an elevator just before lunch on Friday and then she realized it was the same elevator that got stuck and that was where they had found…found…oh my God, this is so horrifying.” Amy could hear Charlotte take a deep breath. “When the elevator was finally opened they found Abigail inside. She had been viciously attacked. She was taken to the hospital and the doctors said she was in a coma. This morning…this morning we received word she was dead.”

Amy felt her knees give way and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. The phone slipped from her hand, clattering on the tile floor. Amy could hear Charlotte screaming into the phone asking what happened. Amy’s mind began to whirl and flashes of a confrontation with Abigail in an elevator flickered around the edges. She scrambled to grab the phone and reassure Charlotte she was okay. Her mouth opened to speak and…nothing. In a panic, she hit the button to hang up.

I’m sorry Charlotte. Better you call back than wait for me to say something when I can’t.

The phone instantly began to ring again. Amy took a couple of deep breaths and cleared her throat before answering.

“Hi, Charlotte. Sorry I scared you. The news took me by surprise.”

This post is part of Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. I realized I hadn’t done much with Amy and her tale for some time so I thought I’d use one of the prompts as my starting point for inspiration. This week I chose prompt #1 Write about a time a friend left you speechless.