The Road to Maine is Bloody Part 27

Ashley was covered in sweat and the soft pink tank top and matching shorts were damp. Ashley felt her neck, touching the bandage, held on with paper tape and panic started to rise inside her, much like the feeling you get before you have to throw up and wondered if her dream had been real and she really had been attacked by Pennywise.

Throwing back the comforter that was now damp in her sweat, she started to stand when she saw her ankles and uttered a loud gasp when she saw they were bruised. Gingerly she touched them and her skin felt hot where the black and blue marks were and she thought they resembled handprints. As she put her feet on the floor and stood, briefly feeling dizzy and had to press her hand on the bed to steady herself. Her legs felt as if they were on fire and when she tried to walk, every muscle in her legs screamed in agony.

The door opened and Ashley uttered a whimper and when she saw Stephen standing there dressed in blue jeans and a dark blue t shirt smiling at her, for a second she felt afraid of him. “Hey Ashley, how are you feeling? We’ve been worried about you. You’ve been in bed for twelve hours but I guess you needed the rest after what you’ve been through.” He said softly and grabbed her elbow when it looked as if she were going to fall.

Ashley couldn’t help but cringe when he touched her. Sensing her fear, Stephen let go of her elbow and dropped his arm to his side and clapped his hand on his hip. “What have I been through Stephen? I had an awful dream that Pennywise was attacking me and you were helping him hold me.” She said, feeling a bit angry with him because she felt betrayed but it was only a dream right?

Stephen sat next to her on the bed, sitting on the folded back comforter and folded his fingers together, resting them on his right knee that was crossed over his other leg. “I believe you were attacked by Pennywise Ashley. I just told you cut your neck on a broken piece of glass so you wouldn’t be scared but while you were in the hospital, someone else was attacked. They claimed Pennywise was in this field where they were riding horses. The woman attacked, was riding there with her friend when she thought she saw Pennywise.”