Turned By Him

Chapter 3

Eliza didn’t rise from where she hid until she had seen the man walk up the stairs toward Columbus Plaza. When he was completely out of sight, Eliza exhaled and dropped her knees into the snow. After a few moments, Eliza realized the snow was not cold. Though she had been outside and kneeling for several minutes, the frost did not affect her. When she touched her face, her fingers felt cool but not cold. Eliza thought back to George. He had warned her to be careful, told her that she needed medical attention. Yet something in her was hesitant, defeated and convinced nothing could be done.

When she began her walk home, Eliza contemplated the identity of the stranger. She gripped the knife in her purse, wresting her hand on its hilt as she walked. She wondered if he could be the same man, Tom, who had tried to help her earlier that morning. The idea alarmed Eliza as she considered the possibility that she was being followed. Yet, as she neared her apartment building, the streets were empty and there was no sign that someone was pursuing her. As the wind blew sharply, Eliza noticed again that the cold was negligible. Though her hot chocolate had long since grown cold, Eliza felt fine outside.

Once she had made it into her apartment, Eliza let out a sigh of relief. Though she hadn’t been particularly productive, the day had been exhausting. She had been attacked, her best friend had died and she was again alone in her home with nothing but her own thoughts and fear. Despite her fatigue, Eliza was not tired. She turned on her television and skipped through channels aimlessly. Eliza didn’t want to do anything. If she could, she’d sleep. If her heart didn’t swell to her throat, she’d call George. She felt stronger than before but still very ill. Amid all her suffering, Eliza rocked back and forth on the couch as she begged to wake from the horrible nightmare that had been the last twenty-four hours.

After giving up on sleep or T.V., Eliza began to pace around her apartment. Something was nagging at the back of her brain. It felt like a pressure which kept building within her skull. She didn’t feel pain but the agony of her mind and this growing tension escalated in a hyperbolic fashion until her depression, fear and fatigue reduced Eliza to a small mass on the floor. Curled up on the floor, Eliza cried into the cheap carpet. Her best friend was dead, likely murdered by sadistic ravers like the one which attacked her. Eliza’s overwhelming sense of loneliness grew and grew. She lied on the floor until the first shreds of light broke through the New York City skyline and flooded her apartment. As the sun’s light became more prevalent, Eliza gave up on trying to sleep. Eliza gave up on feeling guilty and sad. She was exhausted.

Eliza rose from the floor and made her way to her bedroom. Her clothes from the previous day were still strewn across the floor. She searched for the invitation which the man, supposedly named Tom, wrote his information upon. She found the piece of stationary, the words NuBlood still boldly stamped across the front. Her first instinct was to tear the invitation into pieces but that wasn’t why she was searching for it. Dialing Tom’s number into her phone, Eliza had a plan.

“Hello,” the voice said. “This is Tom.”

“Hello,” Eliza said curtly “I would like to talk to you.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “About what you saw.”

Tom seemed to understand. “Whenever you’re ready. But perhaps it would be best if we met in person.”

Eliza, too fatigued to façade courtesy horsed laughed. “I think not,” she said boldly. “You’ll answer my questions now or I’ll give your information to the police.”

Tom laughed in return, “It wouldn’t do you any good.” There was a long pause over the call and then Tom said, “Neither will seeking medical attention. If you go to officials, they will take you and destroy you.” Eliza felt the same horror which had gripped her in the park. She had no idea what he meant by ‘destroy you’ but she didn’t like the confident way he said it. He seemed so sure. Though what he said seemed like a threat, there was still an air of concern in his voice.

“Listen,” Tom said firmly. “If you meet me and let me explain I promise…” He stopped, seemingly unsure what he could guarantee. “I promise I’ll explain what’s happening to you.”

Eliza’s fear was obliterated by a sudden surge of fury. “My attacker,” she questioned indignantly. “For all I know you are my attacker. You will tell me, right now, who puts on the NuBlood parties or I’m going to the police right away.”

“That’s not a very good threat,” Tom said candidly. “I already told you that the police will not be your ally. Besides, you’ve already tipped your hand. I know you don’t know anything. The only lead you have is my phone number and I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Eliza’s exhaustion and sadness had completely morphed into anger. “Fu*k you!” she screamed into her cell phone. “Fu*k you and all you stupid kids. You killed my best friend. You freaks are predators and murderers and drugged out bas*ards. I swear if I ever see you again I’ll fu*king kill you.”

Tom remained silent on his end of the phone. Eliza considered that he had hung up but then he said, “Your friend was killed?”

Eliza took a deep breath. She had accused this man whom she didn’t know, of killing her friend. It was also the first time she had spoken of Heather aloud since she learned of her death. “She’s dead,” Eliza confirmed, her anger subsiding as quick as it flared. “Who organizes the parties? How do they extend their invitations?” Eliza asked in a defeated tone. Eliza wasn’t even sure what she was asking for. The information about the raver group would likely lead nowhere. She also, though Eliza hadn’t admitted it to herself, believed Tom’s warning about the police. She wouldn’t go to someone else to solve this.

Eliza’s eyes panned around the apartment. All the sadness, fear and anger left her in an instant. “Tom, if you’d like to meet me I’ll be in Central Park, where you stalked me last night, at 1 o’clock this afternoon.” She didn’t wait for a response before hanging up. If he knew anything, she would get the information from him. First however, she had to make a drive to Yonkers; her father’s things were kept in a storage unit in Yonkers. She needed something of her father’s from the storage there. Without hesitation, and with a renewed strength and purpose, Eliza changed and scribbled a note to leave for George in case he came looking for her. The note said:

Dear George
My heart is broken for your loss. Please know that I would do anything to go back in time and keep us from that party. Please know that I could never expect you to love me as you once may have. I failed you and your daughter. I failed my best friend and myself. I am not dead yet however and I swear that I will rip this city into rubble in hopes of finding Heather’s killer. Please don’t hate me. Regardless, I love you and thank you for all you have done.
Eliza

Though Eliza’s eyes welled with tears as she scribbled the note on a piece of paper, the sadness had not returned. Overcome by shame and fury she vowed to find her friends murderer. The moment was powerfully moving, if brief. She donned her sunglasses and prepared herself to brave the day. Swallowing hard, Eliza took one final look at her apartment. Despite its location, despite the amazing view, she knew that it would never be home again. Just as when her father passed, Eliza couldn’t bear to look at the couch or the walls or the cheap carpet for it all reminded her insurmountable pain. Eliza knew heartache; she knew how the pain would linger and haunt her thoughts.

Eliza spent the next 2 hours waiting in traffic. It was 10 a.m. when she finally made it back to Manhattan from Yonkers. She knew exactly what she was looking for so her time outside the city was brief. Eliza didn’t care to spend much time in the storage unit. The memories attached to the boxes and heirlooms were too much for her to dwell on. Her purse was heavy with her inheritance. Eliza parked her car in a garage off Columbus Plaza.