Disclaimer: “The Pretender” and its characters do not belong to me they belong to TNT and NBC and are being used without permission. Please don’t sue because I have no money.

Sacrifice

Nightmares

By: 24

Jarod sat on the couch looking around while Miss Parker got the first aid kit out and took it into the living room. Thomas had left the groceries on the table wanting to help Parker with Jarod. He owed Jarod for what he had given up for them and he wanted to help.

Miss Parker sat beside Jarod and looked into his eyes.

“Tell me what happened. I mean after I took you to the Centre.”

He let her dab a little ointment on his face and he never told her about his back.

“I don’t want to talk about it”

At dinnertime Jarod asked about their life there and what they were doing. Miss Parker was working as a lawyer and Thomas was working as a carpenter. Jarod helped with the dishes after they had eaten. They had given him the extra room and had already put the Halliburton case in it and duffel bag.

Miss Parker and Thomas awoke to screaming coming from the extra room. They both raced into the room turning on the light and watched as Jarod tossed, turned and yelled out in his sleep. A part of his shirt slipped up and they saw whip marks on his back. They both gasped and looked at each other.

“Jarod, wake up.”

“No, please no more.”

“Jarod, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Jarod woke up squinting into the light. He put his hand up in front of his eyes.

“Sorry Jarod.” Miss Parker said as she shut off the light.

“I woke you up didn’t I?”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s okay Jarod.” Miss Parker looked at Thomas and then back at Jarod. “Jarod, tell us what happened.”

“I can’t.”

“Jarod we saw your back. It needs to be tended to. What happened?”

Jarod sighed and got out of the bed. The two followed him as they went into the living room. He sat down on the couch and the rest of them sat in the chairs.

“When you took me back to the Centre they threw me into the same cell that they had thrown me into when you got shot. I didn’t have any contact for a while. I don’t know how much time passed because you can’t see the sun or moon. Then Lyle, Sam and another sweeper came in named Alex. Lyle asked me if I wanted to do a sim and I said no. He had Sam and Alex hang me from the chains and he electro shocked me like he did when you were shot. They dropped me and then left me there. I would guess it would have been the next day that they came back. This time after Lyle asked me if I wanted to do a sim and of course I said no again. This time they got out a whip and whipped me. Every time Lyle would ask me if I wanted to do a sim and I said no they would either whip me or beat me sometimes they would even do both. I don’t know how much time I was inside, but then Sam and Alex left that one time and the door didn’t latch and I escaped. I got a ride from these two nice people and they took me to the bus station. I looked at the schedule where I should go and then suddenly saw Dallas, Texas and I knew I should go there.”

“That was strange that you decided to go to the same place where we are living at.”

“I know it was strange.”