I hold my head, pulling on my hair, anything to stop this pain. The darkness around starts to change into a dull gray before it becomes a blinding white. A silent cry of pain forces its way out. Suddenly everything stops: the beating, the throbbing, and the blinding light. The scene changes as if someone just flipped to a new page. I’m in a small dimly lit cell, strapped onto a cold metal surface. I feel the bindings digging into my flesh. Looking down I see my feet two sizes too small. The same with my hands, my legs, everything about me is miniaturized.

"It’s time to finish what I started." A cold voice suddenly booms in the room, seemingly coming from every direction. My breath catches in my throat as a man appears out of nowhere. I stare at him, at his face. The wrinkles around his eyes, his brown eyes, and the sardonic grin on his face are what stand out the most.

He pulls out a scalpel. The one light bulb in the room dances on its surface causing it to shine. He chuckles and runs his hand down the left side of my face. It ghosts down my neck, past my collarbone, and comes to a stop over my left breast.

"Oh how I’ve missed you." He whispers. I can’t stop the tears that well up in my eyes, nor can I stop their descent.

"Don’t cry. It won’t hurt for long." He lifts the scalpel and runs the edge over my skin. He bypasses the already healed ‘S’ and pierces my flesh. I close my eyes and try my hardest not to let this sick son of a bitch hear me scream. The stinging pain stops for a second, only to continue onto fresh skin. I already know what he’s doing. What he’s spelling. I think each letter in my mind after he carves it in my skin before moving onto another one. ‘Scott.’

"There. Now your heart will always belong to me." He smiles even when I whimper. He laughs even as the tears continue to fall. "I love you, Alex." He places a kiss upon my cheek when I turn to avoid his lips. The kiss burns more than his name forever on my skin, in my mind, and in my dreams. This must be hell.