Day 7 and time to see what happens to Emily next. After losing consciousness from the blow to the head from Nurse Annie, yesterday, what could possibly be in store for her? Thanks to everyone who has sent messages saying they are enjoying the story. I’m so glad and this was my reason for sharing it.

Stolen Identity Part 7

I woke to banging inside my skull. My face tender to the touch was purple, a bruise the size of my fist. I struggled to remember what might have caused it, but my mind was fuzzy. I remembered being in the rose garden and the strange man but that was all.

Annie marched into my room startling me. I looked up at her and my entire body trembled.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“I…um…I’m not sure. I can’t remember anything.”

She smiled or at least what looked like a smile. “I found you in the rose garden. I fear Simon may have attacked you. He was seen leaving the garden.”

“I do remember a man, but…” I shook my head trying to piece together the fragmented images that tormented me.

“It’s okay. He won’t harm you again.”

I didn’t like the sound of her voice or what she implied might have happened to this Simon person. Somehow it didn’t feel right that he had attacked me.

“You’ll feel better in a day or two. It’s probably shock. It can do terrible things, Clara.”

Her use of that false name caused my head to jerk up. The way she said it. She knew. I don’t know how, but something inside told me she knew exactly who I was. “My name is Emily and you know it,” I snapped.

“Is that so?” She moved into my room and closed the door behind her.

I stood, my heart threatening to break through my rib cage. My head throbbed. “You know who I am.”

She leaned into me, nose almost touching mine, and bared her yellowed teeth. “I’d be careful what you’re saying. I hold the power in Barrow Haven, and I can make your worst nightmares come true.”

I sucked in a deep breath and stepped back. “You do know!”

“Oh, I know a lot about you, Emily.” Annie spat my name out as her fingers wrapped around my forearms and pinched the skin underneath. “More than you can imagine and I think it’s about time you learned who controls you.”

I pulled my arms from her grip. I felt dizzy, disorientated. The soft bed offered no comfort as she towered over me. “Dr Marsh will find your behaviour interesting, especially when I tell him you’ve been fabricating attacks.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you arguing with yourself in the rose garden, Clara, right before you smashed your face into a tree. You did that…” She pointed to my bruised cheek, “to yourself.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Oh, but you did.”

“I did not,” I shouted.

“You’re getting quite hysterical, Lady Brunsworth. I shall have to report this immediately.”

Annie was gone from my room before I could say anything. I sat, numb and in shock. Before I could decipher my thoughts, make some sense of what was going on, my door opened again, and two male orderlies entered. Annie stood at the entrance grinning.

“You need to come with us,” the larger of the two said. Muscles bulged from his biceps and I shuffled back on the bed.

“No need for that,” the other man said as they both stepped forward. “Treatments are for your own good. You want to get better, don’t you?”

Treatments? Oh, God, what has she done?

“No,” I screamed, glaring at Annie. “It’s all lies. I don’t need a treatment. I just need to get home to my mother and brothers. They need me.”

“Take her now,” Annie said, and the two men dragged me from my bed and out the door.

I struggled and fought against them as we passed through endless corridors and down a flight of stairs.

“Keep her quiet,” Annie instructed.

A large, calloused hand covered my mouth, muffling my screams. No one was coming to rescue me.

We reached the end of the another dark, damp, stone-walled corridor. The large wooden door hid whatever horrors awaited. Annie leaned in close. “This is what you get for causing trouble, now be a good patient and do as your told. There’s a lot worse than what you’re about to experience.”

Her fist thumped the door three times before it creaked open and I was shoved inside. The room was cold, like ice hitting my bare feet.

“Annie, who have you brought for me today?”

 

A short, bald man in his early fifties, stepped out from behind the screen to my right. His white coat opened to reveal a rounded stomach and red pullover. A stethoscope hung around his neck. He retrieved a pair of glasses from his pocket and secured them before stepping towards me. “Nice and healthy, I see. You’ll do marvellously.”

I flinched as his fingers traced the outline of my face before resting under my chin. “Bright eyes, good skin tone. Yes, you’ll do nicely.” He moved back behind the screen and called out instructions. “Cubicle one please, David, and make sure the restraints are tight this time. I don’t want another incident.”

“Of course, doctor,” the male attendant holding my left arm said, as he nudged me forward. My feet slid along the floor as I tried with all my might to remain firm. “Enough,” he hissed in my ear as he pinched my arm.

I complied and walked with him to the other side of the screen. It was dark and all I could make out was the doctor standing beside a small table moving different metal instruments around. My pulse quickened. What were they going to do to me? “There’s been a mistake. I’m not who you think I am. I’m just an ordinary girl. I’m not Clara. I’m not meant to be here. Please, you have to listen to me.”

“My dear, girl,” the doctor said, turning towards me. “Everyone says that, but they soon come around to my way of thinking. Isn’t that right, Annie?”

“Yes, Doctor Darcy,” Annie said from behind me.

“Strap her to the wall, David. Let’s get started.”

David pushed me further into the room and shoved me against a damp wall. He gripped my wrists, stretching them above my head where he secured them in place with some sort of cuffs. No matter how much I struggled it did no good. The cuffs chafed, my skin rubbing and tearing as I tried to slip my hands free. “You can’t do this. There’s nothing wrong with me.” My feet slipped on the wet floor and I struggled to remain standing. Tears seeped out and my breath caught. “You can’t do this.”

#

Who is this Dr Darcy and what has he got planned for Emily? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Below are the links to the previous instalments and if you don’t want to wait until tomorrow, you can pop over to Amazon where you can purchase the complete story on Kindle for 99c/77p.

Stolen Identity Part 1
Stolen Identity Part 2
Stolen Identity Part 3
Stolen Identity Part 4
Stolen Identity Part 5
Stolen Identity Part 6

Buy Stolen Identity on Kindle: 
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NXMW6CX
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NXMW6CX

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda