by Allen Dark
“Look.” He said. He paused for a second watching Aubri’s eyes widen so curiously. Not sure what to expect to come out of his mouth but she was all ears. She thought if she could figure out what the issue was she could resolve it.
“You were number 12 on the waiting list.” He said but his words were slow like he was hesitating at the same time.
“Okay?” She didn’t understand what he was getting at but she was starting to the fill a bad vibe coming from Arthur. “But I was moved up right?”
“No. They didn’t move you up.” He sighed.
“So why did they give me the heart if I was still number 12?” Arthur was slow getting up out the chair. His body still ached but his brain wanted him to move around. He rubbed his head compulsively and realized he had been sweating a little bit when he felt his moist fingers.
“The heart.” Arthur Paused. He heard footsteps trampling down the stairs. He looked over his shoulder and saw Bexley walking to the front door. She was home, but where’s her car? He thought. He didn’t hear any footsteps walking around upstairs which made him wonder if she was waiting at the top of the steps this whole time. It was a strange thing to do but he couldn’t resist because the house was so thin and old you could pretty much your anything going on in the house. Not even a mouse could get around without being heard by someone.
“Bexley, I thought you were out, I didn’t see her car out front.” He said.
“No, I was sleeping.” She said grabbing her jacket from the coat rack. “I parked out back.” She said grabbing her keys out of the jacket.
She’s never done that before at least that’s what he thought. Arthur was in that stage in life where he would start to miss place everything and forget about little things, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Bexley looked at Aubri. “You want to get some fresh air?” She asked.
“Hell no! She can’t! She just had surgery are you crazy?” Aubri felt buried by the tension she knew was circulating between them.
“Chill. She’s obviously recovering way faster than you expected. She can’t to stay cooped up in his house for the rest of her life.” She protested. “Aubri?” She waited for her response.
“I don’t know. I just made lunch.” Although she was glad to finally be out that bed she was nervous about leaving the house. It was fine walking around the home but something about the outside world made her feel a vulnerable.
“I’ll let you drive?” She said dangling the keys. She tossed them to Aubri and watch Aubri face light up.
“Just let me get my jacket.” Bexley eyed her uncle with victory and walked to the back door. He wasn’t happy with Aubri’s decision, but it was ultimately up to her. He could advise what was best for her all he wanted but it wouldn’t do much with these girls. Once they made up their mind to do something that’s what they were going to do. That was one of the good things they got from their father though situations like this one was a time he thought of it as a bad trait. Aubri headed to the back door.
“Aubri!” She turned around before walking out the back door. “Please be safe and don’t let you sister get you into any trouble.” He said.
“What do you have to worry about? I’m the older sister here.” She said closing the door behind her.
Chapter 7
Nepolai had been sitting in the bar for hours. One of the longest he’s been in for a while. Here and there he considered if he might have had a drinking problem but the sure part of himself knew that that wasn’t the case. He only drunk a lot when one something was eating at him or if he couldn’t figure something out. Other than that, he was your occasional drinker.
He had just been finishing his last drink when he decided that it was time for him to go. Of course he wouldn’t be able to drive so he thought about the quickest way he could get home. He could call an Uber but he thought that probably wouldn’t end well for the driver. He sighed. I’ll just walk he thought.
Nepolai turned around from the bar bumping into someone who had been standing behind him for short period of time. It was unlike him to miss something like that.
“Dammit! Why the hell you so close?” He yelled at a man not too much taller than him. He was slim but had a fair amount of build to him. He had a short fade with the tapered sides. He looked young. He didn’t say anything to Nepolai. He just stared at Nepolai waiting for him to do something that would justify him taking a few blows to his face. Nepolai pushed himself past him. He knew he was drunk and maybe just maybe that guy wasn’t the ass he was perceiving him to be at the moment.
“You need to watch where you’re going.” The man said. Nepolai stopped and turned around. He chuckled a bit.
“What did you say?” Nepolai asked inching closer to the man.
“You heard exactly what I said. Watch where you going or next time I’ll bash your face into the floor.”
Nepolai looked around the bar. He wasn’t sure if this guy was for real. Why is he being so hostile to someone he never met. Nepolai wanted to shake it off. He was drunk and he knew that if he didn’t leave then things could end up bad. Not for him but for the man who was so persistent in egging him on like he had a bone to pick with him. Nepolai started to wonder if that was the case. Did he know this guy?
Bexley and Aubri walked into Moutons Bar and Grill and seen Nepolai neck and neck with Aric. She started to get a bad feeling. Not only did she want Aubri to know nothing about Nepolai but Aric and meeting Nepolai would not end well for her secret. She knew exactly where that road would lead to. Instead of leaving she walked up to Nepolai and Aric.
“You talk to me like that again you won’t have a face.” Nepolai’s jaw tightened. Bexley interrupts their glaring contest.
“Hey! Was going on?” She said adding space in between the two but they ignored her.
“I know who you are, Nepolai. I’m only going to say this once so pay attention. I will get you for what you did to my mom and my father. If anything else, kill you.” Aric said.
Nepolai laughed. Not only was alcohol making it hard for him to know who in the hell he was talking about, but he thought it was funny that someone had the balls to threaten him. It rarely happened but when it did it was hard for him to not find it funny.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Nepolai asked. “I don’t even know you. Do I?” He asked still open to the possibility that he might have.
Aubri felt a tightness under her bandage. She massaged it a little but didn’t think much of it.
“Guys please. Just relax.” Bexley said.
They didn’t didn’t answer.
“Just know that I’ll be watching your every step and waiting for you to make a mistake.” He said before walking to the back of the bar.
“Can you tell me who that was?” Nepolai asked curiously. “And what the hell is his problem?” They watched Aric glared at them from his booth.
“His name is Aric.” Bexley said.
“Aric who?” His words started to slur.
“Don’t worry about it I tell you later.” She said.
Aubri set up in a stool.
“Anyway, this is my sister, Aubri.” She introduced him hoping that his intoxication wouldn’t make him say anything about how they actually knew each other. Nepolai took Aubri’s hand and shook it before sitting back at the bar with Bexley.
Aubri started to feel uneasy being near Nepolai. She felt a sharp tightness under her bandage again and knew something wasn’t right. It felt like a pinching of a muscle but she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. She watched as Bexley and Nepolai talk about how wasted he was. She couldn’t understand what they were saying and it was not too long after where their voices started to drown out into nothingness. Everything was noticeably quiet like her hearing had been taken from her. A woman’s neck being strangled flashed across her eyes. The women tried grabbing anything she could around her whatever she could use to free herself but there was nothing. Her mouth hung open trying to gasp for all the air she could. Her hands scratch
and pushed against the arms that had been choking the life out of her.
She couldn’t recognize the woman but she looked older maybe in her mid to late 40s. She blinked her eyes a couple times and then the women was gone. She was confused on what was happening. Who was this lady she was seeing. As far as she’s concerned she doesn’t recognize the woman and never seen her before but there’s something familiar about her. Something she can’t quite put her hands on. She saw the ladt again but this time being dragged down a dark wet hall by her neck. She was helpless.
Aubri began hyperventilating. She felt an evil and darkness she felt in the nightmare she had before waking up. There was no difference in the amount of fear she had been expecting. She could feel every ounce of fear the woman is feeling. Terrified and clinching on to the hope that someone would help her and save her from this beast roaming through her home.
Aubri tried but could barely make out the lady’s face, but she has a sense that the it wasn’t her. She was much older, so it couldn’t have been. Screams raged in terror from the woman, piercing her ears. She held onto her head covering her ears but it did nothing to stop the cry of this woman. It was coming from the inside of her. She could feel her heart throbbing and knew something was terribly wrong. Bexley turned around to Aubri and caught her cold expression. She could tell Aubri was in trouble. Her face clenched in on itself.
“Aubri! What’s wrong?” She asked but Aubri couldn’t hear anything. All she saw was her sister mouth moving but nothing came out of it. Her vision grew fuzzy and eventually Bexley faded into darkness. Aubri fell like a rock smashing into the ground. Bexley rushed down to her. She lifted her up but she was out cold.
Chapter 8
The night had grown late. Bexley pulled into her front yard and parked over a dead patch of grass. She turned off the ignition and looked at her rearview mirror, watching Aubri rest the back seat. She didn’t know what to think about what happened at the bar. What was all that? She thought to herself. She wondered if it had something to do with her transplant but that didn’t makes sense to her. It didn’t look like her body was in pain and she didn’t show any signs of her heart being the problem.
She thought if she had some type of pain coming from her chest she would have clench it or held it rub it. Not hold her hands against her ears. Was it the noise in the bar? She didn’t know. As far as it being loud it was quiet for a bar. You had your usual groups of people talking but there was nothing that would cause her to shield her ears. Weird. She thought. I hope she’s ok. She wondered if she should go the straight to the hospital but that would just backfire on her. What if the doctors question her about her surgery that had no medical record and by some miracle they didn’t what if they found nothing wrong with her. That was even more scary for her.
Nepolai checked her pulse bar in the bar and told her that Aubri would be fine she just needs to rest so she brought her right home.
Nepolai popped the passenger door open and grunted as he got out.
“Shit!” He stumbled over a thick root that grew out the grass and then back into the dirt. He caught himself on the passenger door.
“Yeah, your drunk.” She said getting out of the car and slammed her door.
“Listen even if I wasn’t you got a damn hazard sticking from the ground. Anybody would’ve tripped over it.” He said pushing himself off the door and slamming it. Nepolai opened the back door and pulled Aubri out from the back seat and kicked the door shut.
“You got her?” Bexley asked. “Please don’t drop her.”
Nepolai followed Bexley up the old wooden creaky porch and waited for her to unlock the door. He had never been inside and thought it was weird that he was following her and to her home.
“You can layer on the sofa.” Bexley said pointing to the living room. She closed the door locking it behind them. She tossed her keys into the bowl next to the coat rack.
The sofa was one of those long L-shaped couches so he placed her in the corner because it looked like it had more space no matter what direction he laid her.
Nepolai stood up from bending over and felt lightheaded almost falling backwards. He caught his balance and rubbed the sides of his head trying to ease the headache that was rushing in.
“You need some coffee for that headache?” Bexley asked walking past him into the kitchen. It was the least she could do for him helping her get Aubri into the house. She knew she didn’t have to and he probably didn’t want to. She was curious to why? She felt as though their relationship was getting kind of weird but in a way she was unable to explain.
They were first at each other’s neck. One being because she was trying to blackmail him and her needing help to save Aubri. Now she had invited him into her home and she’s about to make him coffee. She chuckled as she pulled out a black mug from the cupboard.
“What’s funny?” Nepolai asked.
“Nothing’s funny, just weird”. She said putting the coffee cup under the coffee maker. Nepolai stared at her with his eyebrows arched waiting for her to explain what used to be funny but now weird.
“It’s just you being in my house and me offering you some coffee is pretty weird. Don’t you think?” She asked closing the coffee maker lid and hitting start on the machine.
“Definitely.” He said leaning back against a countertop. Nepolai cleared his throat followed by awkward silence. He didn’t really know what to say or at least didn’t have much to say. His plan was to drink some of her coffee enough to sober up and head home.
Bexley stared into the living room. She was worried about Aubri. She was considering how she would explain it to her uncle. His car was gone so he probably be out another night which was weird for him. Where was he going? Was he so ashamed that he couldn’t even sleep in the same house as his niece? As far she knew that was a valid for reason for him leaving and being away for the third night in a row.
She sighed with guilt fluttering through her nervous system. She loved her uncle and didn’t want to cause him any pain, so it was hard for her to see how he’s been distancing himself. She could understand if he wanted to be alone but she would have felt better if he was home.
The coffee maker beeped three times before turning off. She took another coffee cup and replace it with a full mug. She had one of those coffee makers that tend to drip even after the coffee had finished. She wished she had one of those ones where you could cut off the circulation that way she wouldn’t have to waste clean cups.
“What you think happened to her? I mean you seen what happened right? That couldn’t have been a weird reaction to surgery.” She asked handing him the hot coffee mug. Nepolai took the mug.
“To be honest with you I have no idea.” He took a sip from the mug and scolded his top lip but quietly played it off. It was hard for Nepolai to think about anything so whatever he said would probably end up being a guess. “I guess something could have stressed her out causing her to faint?” He said unsure of his statement.
“Maybe.” She said quietly under her breath. Whatever it was she really hoped it wasn’t something that would happen on regular basis. When she seen Aubri hit for she felt the same fear she felt when Aubri was dying. The feeling of being lost and losing a part of yourself. She had a rotten feeling in her gut that told her she wasn’t strong enough to deal with that again.
Bexley watched Nepolai from the corner of her eye. She was thinking about telling him about her uncle. It was worrying her, and she didn’t know who else to talk to besides the person who helped her get a heart.
“So, earlier today I overheard my uncle and Aubri talking.” She said crossing her arms. Nepolai dropped the cup from his mouth.
“And?” He said.
“He was about to tell her.” Her eyebrows moved to her for head.
“Tell her what exactly?” He asked knowing damn well what she was talking about. Were hoping she wasn’t talking about the heart.[DAB5]
“What do you think?” She whispered lifting her shoulders up to her neck
. Nepolai dropped his coffee mug on to countertop.
“You told your uncle!” He said trying to keep his voice down.
“No! I didn’t. I think he figured it out or at the very lease figured something out.” She said roaming around kitchen.
“Well, how would he know if you didn’t tell him?” He asked massaging both sides of his forehead. The headache that was growing smaller had crept back on him.
“I don’t know. He probably assumed everything or at least imagined every possibility and stock with the worst one. You should’ve seen him after he did to transplant.” She said. She never seen her uncle look at her with so much disgust. “I mean what would you think if somebody just brought you a heart? She asked.
“Do you really want me to answer that?” He asked before drinking more of his coffee. It reminded him of Leah and what she said about the heart being a delicacy. She was right and it started to make him hungry.
“No, please don’t” She said covering her eyes. She looked at him for second and leaned one arm against the counter. “What should I do?” She asked.
Nepolai waited for the coffee to cool down in his mouth before he swallowed.
“I’m not sure I’m the right one to be giving out advice. In fact I’m the last person you should be getting advice from.” He was right in a sense, but the fact was he didn’t know at least not at that exact moment. “But if I had to I would say you have two choices. Either you tell your sister the truth and explain the reason behind the truth or talk with your uncle and find a way to keep his mouth shut. Whatever decision you make I don’t really care.”
Bexley thought about it and was still a bit lost on what she was going to do. She would have to sleep on it.
“And now since were given out advice I have a question for you. If you found out that there was a community of people out there who shared the core desire and ideology would you meet them?”
Bexley new that the question coming from him couldn’t have be a good thing. “I guess it would depend on what those ideals were. Some ideals of groupthink could be dangerous not only for the individual but for a society collectively.”
