Every Last Breath - Jessica Gaffney Page 0,3

hear Eli but not too wide where she could be caught by surprise. She disliked it shut for the same reason. Then there was the pocket door leading to the bathroom. The light from her electric toothbrush bounced off the mirror and shone in her eyes. She needed that door closed enough that the light would be blocked but not too far because the heat would rattle the door in the jam every time it turned on or off.

Doors, they were another nemesis to her sleep. She slid her arm under her pillow and found one of many foam ear plugs she used to secure sleep. They blocked out any noise that startled her. She inserted just one and tipped her head to the side, leaving the other side pressed into her pillow. After a brief prayer of thanks, she slid into her first sleep of the night.

The dream came forth like a face in the mist. This time Maggie was running on a dirt road in the middle of the forest. There were no sounds, just an eerie fog that rose up from the ground. She looked around for the dog. She called for Vala, but no panic had set in. She wondered where the dog had gone, when the shot of a rifle rang through the air. As she turned to look, the ground began to shake and rumble, to her surprise a bulldozer stormed up the dirt road. Maggie jumped into a ditch and watched as it drove by. She couldn’t make out the driver. She could only hear the evil laugh that pierced the still air. It wasn’t human.

Her feet slid down the wet, gravel embankment as the bulldozer tapered off into the mist. “Eemp. Eeeemp eeeeemp,” came a quiet whimper. “Vala! Vala!” Maggie cried out. She ran toward the whimper, but it kept moving ahead. The faster she ran, the faster it moved. There was no hiding her position, the snap of twigs and the crunch of gravel beneath her swift feet broke through the silent night. “Vala,” she panted. Her got more and more labored with every step. Maggie realized she was alone.

The whine continued as she searched for the dog. “Vala. Vala is that you?”

The broken limbs and pine cones littered the ground and her tired legs trudged on. A second shot boomed in the distance. Maggie realized Eli was missing. Where was her boy? Her heart raced as fear griped her.

Again, she heard the rumbled of a truck roaring up the road and Maggie turned to see who was approaching. Behind her, at the top of the embankment was a figure. Her heart dropped.

Maggie woke up to the touch of Vala’s tongue licking her hand.

Rustling out of bed, she clutched her wet shirt. She looked at the time and tossed her wet clothes into the already full hamper. With her pulse already racing she ran a hot shower.

As the steam gathered, Maggie let the water drench her hair. The curtain squeaked along the rod as she stared down at Eli’s bath toys. She smiled at the wonder of her child, and recalled how she once wished she had more.

Maggie stayed in the shower until the bathroom was filled with steam. The heat from the fireplace never reached this part of the house and the warm air was essential to drying off. She wrapped the towel around her and leaned over the counter. She was careful not to look herself in the eye; instead she stared at the scar below her breast. She twisted to the side hoping one day it would not repulse another man. But that day was a long way off, or so she thought.

Maggie felt a sense of dread whenever she thought of being with a man. She ran a comb through her thick, curly, black hair and pulled out the knots. She clutched the framed scripture Claire had bought her for her 33rd birthday. “For I know the plans I have for,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The Bible verse gave her a sense of hope. Perhaps if she prayed more the guilt over her past would go away. Then again God hates sin, and she was a sinner.

She read the verse a few times and breathed out. Just a few more minutes and her nervous system would be back to normal. And if she timed it right, she could go back to