Please don't let it get me again

The police station was its usual busy and Det. Brighton was sitting by his desk; trying to work but with his mind constantly wandering off thinking about Molly. His heart was aching at how he let her down and he was lost in thought as to where she was, if she was o.k. and if she was even alive. He couldn't focus; he kept on thinking of how vulnerable like a child she was when she was crying scared to death in his arms and how she calmed her with them. She calmed down because she believed in him and in what he said and he totally let her down.

Yes he told her not to go anywhere and she left anyway but he still felt responsible for her death. He kept on thinking about what more he could have done to keep her safe. Maybe he should have taken a few days off to just stay with her or he should have assigned one of the officers to watch her. Whatever it was he could have done it was too late for it now, Molly had been killed and he had no idea where she was.

"Eric?" someone walked up to his desk and said and Det. Brighton pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked up.

"Yes," he responded. There was young woman with maroon hair standing before him and looking down at him tears immediately flooded her eyes as a sense of relief came over her, like a cold breeze on a hot day. "Molly?" he then said with his voice soft; weakened at the possibility of her being the woman his heart had been blue over for the past couple of days.

"Yes."

"What?"

"It's me," Molly said.

"Oh my gosh." Det. Brighton got from his chair like it was on fire and pulled Molly into his arms. Hugging her so close and giving out the hugest sigh of relief as she broke down; she was back in the arms that became her home away from home, her safe place, and not only having them strongly wrapped around her but warmed by the feel of his skin against hers, Molly not only felt alive again but right where she was supposed to her. With him. In his assuring arms. There was just something about Det. Brighton that made her feel like everything was going to be o.k. He spoke the words to her and even promised on them and she believed them. His voice was rugged but gentle and his words easily found a home within her because of the honesty they carried. He didn't know what was going on with her or how it was even happening but he knew he wanted to protect her and keep her safe and that was where the strength in the words came from. Words that filled her with hope that despite the crazy trip her life or rather lives were on everything was going to be o.k.

Det. Brighton was on his emotions too. He was hopeful to see her again but couldn't believe he was actually holding her in his arms; he wasn't sure if he was ever going to see her again and there she was. Not either of the hers he knew but alive and well and that was all that mattered. His heart was darkened and in such a short moment it wasn't anymore. It lit up with a bright light like the sun at dawn and brought within him a warmth he couldn't even put into words. He wasn't only over the moon with relief to have her back but he saw it as a second chance to do things better this time. To watch over her and protect her and stay true to his promise of not letting what had been getting her get her again.

"I'm so sorry, I was supposed to keep you safe and I failed," he said.

"No you didn't. It was my fault. You told me not to leave and I left," Molly said. "I was so scared I thought I was never going to see you again," she then said and they hugged again; both of them already so strangely attached to each other.

"I'm here Molly. I'm here." They went on hugging as his fellow officers and detectives looked at them wondering what the touching moment was all about; it was like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Minutes later they were at the eating place they were at the other day. A diner by the corner that had the best food in town and pulled in a decent crowd.

Det. Brighton always ate there and even had a spot; the very table they sat at the first time they were there and were sitting at again. They were both sipping on coffee with Molly patting away at her tears with the tissue she had in her hand as she took Det. Brighton through what happened to her.

"Oh my goodness Molly I am so sorry," he said.

"And then I just got into the car and came here," she said.

"I really did think I was never going to see you again."

"Me too."

"Goodness Molly, how is this happening to you?" Det. Brighton asked.

"I don't know."

"And what were you doing in 35th street. I told you to stay at the apartment."

"I know but it was important," Molly said.

"No Molly, I tell you to stay indoors and you stay indoors, no two ways about it."

"I know but . . ."

"No buts. Molly there is something out there that is after you," he said.

"I know."

"So we need to be smart about this. We don't know where it is or what it is so the best we can do is keep you safely indoors until we figure something out."

"I saw it," she said.

"What?"

"The thing . . . I saw what it is."

"What is it?" Det. Brighton asked, leaning a little forward even, and Molly just cried to herself for a moment. "Molly what is it?"

"I don't know."

"But you just said you saw it."

"I did but I don't know what is it. It's this huge thing, a whole lot bigger than I thought it was and it just appeared out of nowhere," Molly said.

"Appeared out of nowhere?"

"Yes. One second it wasn't there and the next it was. Standing there and staring at me."

"What did it look like?" he asked.

"Its body was like a robot or a machine whatever and it's face was oh my gosh." She broke down; consumed by the exact same cold feeling that came over her when she saw it.

"What did its face look like Molly?"

"Like a monster. I was standing there and I was staring at a monster. I have never seen anything more scary in my entire life. Its eyes, the way it was looking at me, it was so angry, it just wanted to hurt me. And when I tried to run away and it grabbed me, I got so scared I died even before it killed me. I got so scared," Molly said and burst into tears and Det. Brighton got up from the other end of the table and went to sit down next to her; holding her close in comfort.

"It's o.k. Molly. You're still here which means there's still time for us to do something about this. Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

"I don't want it to get me again . . . Please don't let it get me again," Molly said and cried on.

Det. Brighton had his mind fogged. How on earth was he going to get to the bottom of this peculiar case? He had no idea what they were up against but according to what Molly said it wasn't good. A robot machine monster, what in the heck could that be? Whatever it was he knew that he had his work cut out for him and that he was going to have to pull out all the stops if he really wanted to find out what was going on and keep Molly safe.

"Can you take me to your place please?" Molly lifted her head off his chest and asked.

"Uh . . . Maybe that's not such a good idea," he said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"There's someone there."

"Who?" she asked.

"Sharon."

"Who's Sharon?"

"She's my . . . Sharon is . . . We broke up but we're giving what we had another try," Det. Brighton answered.

"Oh."

"Yeah so she's at my place right now."

"So where am I supposed to go?" Molly asked.

"You can go home."

"But I feel safest at your apartment."

"I know but Sharon is there," he said. "And you showing up might not be such a good idea." Molly threw her head down. "But don't worry I'm still going to keep you safe. I'll assign officers to watch over you during the day and at night I'll come and stay with you, is that o.k.?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry we're going to get through this," Det. Brighton said and she nodded her head and hugged him and he hugged her back.

A half and hour later, Molly was supposed to be heading home so that she could reach and send a location pin to Det. Brighton who would then pass it on to the officers he had assigned to watch her but she decided to take a detour.

Molly went back to Madam Vera's shop hoping to find it open but found herself being given a huge slap of bad news. It wasn't just closed Vera had shut up shop. All the things she saw inside the first time through the window were gone; the furniture, the curtains, the ornaments on the shelves, everything was gone.

"What?" Molly said and leaned into the window to take a closer look. The shop looked like it had been robbed. "Ugh you have got to be kidding me?"

There was a barber shop next door and sitting out front was one of the barbers having himself a smoke.

"Excuse me?" Molly called out to him and he turned to her.

"Yes little lady," the barber responded.

"This shop, what happened?"

"Madam Vera closed up."

"Why?" she asked.

"She said it was about high time she retired."

"Retired?"

"Yep. She's been reading people's lives for so long she's finally decided to go and have one of her own," he said.

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Do I know where she lives?"

"Yeah."

"No sorry I don't. She wasn't very social, given her job I guess that's why, so we don't know much about her. All I know is that she had been running her shop for twenty plus years."

"So you don't know anywhere where I can hopefully find her?" Molly asked.

"Sorry darling no. Did she give you a false reading and you were here to get a refund?"

"No, she just . . . I think she has the answers to the questions that are going to save my life."

"Man, that's deep," the barber said and went on smoking his cigarette.

"Yeah. Thanks anyway."

"No problem darling." Molly got back into her car and drove off. "Damn . . . That's a sweet ride."

Minutes later, Molly arrived at her home. Not knowing where she was going but knowing exactly where she was going.

Her car pulled up in front of the gate and she was in awe.

"Oh my gosh," Molly said, slightly breathless. In front of her was a two story mansion bound by a high wall and a fancy gate; a mansion that looked like a member of the royal family lived there.

Just then the guard in the guard room by the gate pressed the button that opened the gate and she drove in; with him giving her a soft wave and her giving one right back.

Molly drove down the long driveway to the house and grabbing her small designer hand bag from the front passenger seat, she then got out of the car and made her way inside.

She swung the door open and her jaw dropped. It was like she just walked into a palace. Was this where she really lived? It couldn't be.

"Miss Filbert," a voice said to her and she turned to the direction from which it came. It was the butler walking up to her.

"Simon," she said. A name that like the others came out of her mouth with no knowledge of where they were coming from.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

"You're back. I thought you said you wouldn't be back here until after the month end," he said.

"Oh yes I uh . . . I missed being home I guess," Molly said.

"Well it's always lovely to have you here."

"Thank you Simon. I'm just gonna go up to my room and rest for a little bit."

"Sure no problem, if there's anything you need at all please let me know," Simon said.

"Sure thing Simon, thank you."

"You're welcome," he said and Molly made her way up the stairs to her room; again looking around the house in awe. The house was just as fancy as Dr. Darlton's house, the man whose house party Molly Gray and Richard attended the night she was killed.

Molly reached her room and walked in, blown away by how neatly put together it was. It didn't look like a student's bedroom at all. Her dorm room at Ullman was typical of someone her age but this room wasn't. The walls were clean and empty and it look like it was a room belonging to a forty year old with quite the taste.

There was a door leading out onto the balcony, a bathroom fit for a queen and a long slender table on the side of the wall where framed photos of her and her family sat; photos that she went to look at and immediately brought tears to her eyes. Molly Filbert had a beautiful family. A father, a mother and two older brothers who according to the pictures looked like she had a good relationship with. Molly smiled; looking at the photos was like watching a touching movie. How perfect they looked together and how real their smiles were, it was a moment that cut her up and made her feel all fuzzy inside at the same time.

It was a beautiful life but it wasn't hers. And no matter how hard she would try to fit into it it would never be hers because she wasn't Molly Filbert, she was Molly Gray and Molly Gray was dead. What did that mean for her now? If she wasn't who she was then who was she? And if she didn't know who she was how would she know what her path was? Her path was the one Molly Gray was taking but Molly Gray was gone, so what was her path now? Who was she and where was she going?