The Night Orchid

by M. G. Hernandez

  I shake my head. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. You two make a cute couple. No offense to Bianca, but homegirl’s a piece of work.”

  “For real.”

  “C’mon, I’ll help you clean up. You finished your first shift! Congratulations!”

  I look at the clock. And so I did.

  Chapter 36

  Josephine

  Ping!

  Fartface: I unlocked the front door. Meet me in the kitchen.

  I’m standing on Julian’s porch in my Dragon Ball Z matching jammies. I exhale to get rid of this nervous energy. How is he so calm while here I am, ready to bolt out of pure nervousness?

  I enter his home, and the delicious smell of butter and popped kernels tickle my nose. I lick my lips as I make my way to the kitchen. Julian is standing with his back towards me, pouring a fresh bag of popcorn into a large bowl. He’s clothed this time and wearing a muscle shirt and sweatpants. His bulging biceps gleam under the glow of the hanging lamp, and now I’m licking my lips for another reason. I shake my head. Get a grip.

  “You hungry for some popcorn?” he asks, as he walks over to the fridge.

  “Yeah.” I walk over to him as he grabs a soda and a bottled water. “I can help you. Let me carry that.”

  He faces me and then stops as he eyes my pajamas. “Dragon Ball Z?”

  “Got a problem with that?”

  “Nope. I was Gohan for Halloween, remember?”

  I laugh. “Yup. I was Goku.”

  We smile until we realize we’ve been grinning at each other for far longer than necessary.

  He clears his throat, then points to the bowl of popcorn. “You want to get that for me?”

  I nod and grab the snack. My stomach growls suddenly, and I place my hand on my belly to suppress the sound.

  Julian hears it. “Damn, Jo. Did you eat or what? "

  “I told you I was hungry. "

  He cups my chin and gently lifts it towards his face. He stares straight into my eyes and said, “You’re hungry hungry or munchies hungry?”

  I feign ignorance. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re high as a kite. Quit playin’.”

  I clutch the bowl of popcorn tighter to my chest. “I’m nervous, ok? You don’t have to witness someone get murdered tonight.”

  Julian places his arm around my shoulders while holding the beverages in the other. “I got you. Come on, let’s head upstairs, because I have a surprise for you.”

  I wrinkle my nose as I let him lead me to his bedroom. Are we friends now? Because this interaction is friendly. When we enter his room, a familiar soundtrack plays on his TV.

  “To calm your ass down and since I have to be awake for a few hours, I took it upon myself to buy the 6 hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. You in?”

  I smile. He remembers my love for Jane Austen and my obsession with this adaptation. “Hell yeah, bring it.” I sit on his bed and scoot to the wall to lean against it.

  “I told you, I got you.” He presses play as he sits next to me. He passes me a bottle of water, adding, “The soda is for me because I have to remain awake. But you can’t have caffeine.”

  “I took a low dose of Ambien. I figured, I’ll fight sleep if I don’t.”

  He turns to me and leans closer. “Listen, Jo, I’ll be right by your side. I’ll talk to you while you’re dreaming. It’s a long shot, but maybe you’ll hear me comforting you.”

  I study him and smile. More and more I’m seeing the Julian I know. The caring, thoughtful friend that I adored. “Thanks, Jules. That means a lot.”

  Again, we’re grinning at each other like idiots until his phone rings, making us glance at the screen in unison.

  “Shit, it’s Bianca.” He turns off the volume. “Not dealing with that tonight.”

  I bite my lip, feeling guilty for being here. “Jules, listen. I’m sorry if I’m getting in between you guys’ relationship. I promise it’ll only be tonight — regardless of whether this works.”

  He shakes his head. “We’ve had our issues way before you returned. This has nothing to do with you.”

  I nod, wondering if he’ll elaborate. He doesn’t. Instead, he turns his attention to the movie. “Hey, it’s your favorite scene—when Darcy goes and takes a bath while watching Jane play with his dog.”

  “That’s so not my favorite scene. And you just made that sound sleazy.”

  “Because you have a dirty mind. Get your mind off the gutter.”

  We both chuckle. Not long after, we ease into the film as good friends, sharing popcorn and reciting the famous lines. I lament on the wasted years being apart, because this night made me remember that I deserve happiness and a healthy relationship. I wonder if he thinks the same way, but I decide not to ask him tonight.

  An hour into the flick, I yawn. The medication is working.

  “You want to lie down, Jo?”

  “No, not yet.” I lean against the wall. I’m not ready to face Alexa, but my lids droop, giving me no choice. A few minutes later, Julian leans my head onto his shoulder, and I allow him. I give in to another yawn and let my eyes close. It’s getting more difficult to fight it. The last thing I remember is Julian’s warm fingers intertwining with mine as sleep wins.

  ***

  My skin sticks to something cool and smooth while the scents of leather and pine air freshener attacks my nostrils. I stretch my legs until I hit a hard surface, keeping my body curled in a fetal position. My eyes flutter and open, revealing a dark and cramped space. The realization brings me in a state of panic and I sit up, feeling my skin peel off from where I’ve been sleeping. It takes awhile for my brain to register my location, but in a few seconds, I realize where I am. In the backseat of a car.

  My chest heaves. I’m having a hard time breathing.

  “Joy, can you hear me?”

  I pick up Julian’s voice echoing in the air.

  “Breathe. You’re dreaming.”

  I sit up straighter at his words, and my body relaxes. In my calmer state, I’m able to adjust my eyesight and take in my surroundings. Tinted windows, leather seats and sleek interiors. We’re driving past acres and acres of farmland. I gaze forward and see Alexa in the front seat. She’s talking to the driver, and she looks more animated than usual with her eyes wide and her hands gesturing to emphasize a point. But I can’t understand her. Her voice reminds me of the wah wah speech of the teacher in Charlie Brown. It’s unintelligible.

  But as if we’re sharing one body, her anxiety, frustrations and nervousness link up to me. Her heart is beating fast, and her palms are clammy. I’m overcome with dread, as if I’ve landed in a slasher movie, and the axe murderer is right around the corner. I crane my neck to identify the driver’s face, but I see nothing but a shapeless shadow.

  Without warning, Alexa’s unidentified companion strikes her, the side of her head hitting the window. Simultaneously, I cry out from the sting on my cheek and pain on my head.

  Alexa was just hit.

  I watch her eyes widen with shock and fear, but her assailant continues the battery. It’s as if the dam has broken, causing Alexa’s hands to cover her face. It doesn’t take a lip reader to know that she’s begging this person to stop. Meanwhile, my arms are feeling every slap, every fist — each punch heavier than the last. A fist breaks Alexa’s barrier and lands on her mouth. My own fingers touch mine, as it goes numb from the impact.

  The car comes to a screeching halt. The beating stops, too. I lean against the window, my breathing ragged from the exhaustion caused by the brutality that had just erupted. Alexa is sobbing, and whatever entity is around her has relaxed — its sole focus to comfort her from the same violence it gave her. My head throbs, and I place my hand on my temple to calm the ache. Then a shocking burst of energy hits Alexa, giving her power to bolt out of the vehicle. I gather my strength and do the same. In a few seconds, I’m out in the open air.

  I run behind Alexa and wat
ch as her purse drops when she loses her grip. It lands next to a fence, telling me I’m in the farmlands of Rentown.

  The dark swallows Alexa’s gorgeous black hair, save for what’s touched by the moonlight. The parts I see sways under the night sky as she runs. A strange observation during a time when we’re both running for our lives. My eyes water as the realization hits me that someone’s inhumanity will snuff out her vibrant life tonight.

  I sense her tiredness and hear her ragged breathing. She’s decelerating, and although I know the ending of this tragic tale, I yell words of encouragement. I figure that even though I can’t change the outcome, I can, at least, be her companion during this nightmare.

  But her luck runs out as her captor catches up and envelops her. We fall to the ground with a painful thud, and then my vision blurs and fades to black.

  ***

  I awaken with a searing pain in my rib cage. The smell of damp earth engulfs my senses, and I groan upon realizing that I’m still in Alexa’s world instead of Julian’s comfortable bed. I’m lying on the ground, surrounded by giant trees. Now this part looks familiar. This setting terrorizes me every night. As if on cue, my body reacts to my panic, and my chest heaves, my sweat pours, and my overwhelming sense of fight-or-flight gains control.

  “Joy, I hope you’re doing ok. I got you.”

  Julian’s voice echoes in the forest, comforting me, and I relax. When I forced myself to sit up, I see someone running towards me. The darkness and the sliver of moonlight reduces everything to shadows. But I know this runner is Alexa. As her figure hits the light of the moon, I catch a glimpse of her face. It’s covered in bruises and has a gash of blood traveling from her temple to her jaw. Then, her body falls to my side as she trips on a tree bark. I stand up to help her, but my hand goes right through her, allowing the shadow to engulf her. It forces her to turn and face it, and she screams. I run to this shapeless evil that’s trapping her.

  “Get off of her! Get the fuck away from her!”

  Nothing happens, and the scene continues to unfold. But I can’t move and I’m transfixed at the picture before me, as if this time, Alexa just wants me to watch.

  The shadow traps her, and she flails her arms, trying to push her captor off her. Then, my breath hitches as I recognize this part from multiple reenactments in my dreams. I’ve flailed my arms the same way, and I’ve gasped for air like that. I drop to my knees as I continue to witness her horrific death, and an overwhelming sense of anger takes over at my helplessness. Tears fall as I watch her fight for her life. A few minutes later, she slackens until she goes still. She lost the battle.

  The shadow disappears, and Alexa is alone, her lifeless body on the damp earth. I kneel next to her, sobbing as I place my hand on her face. I can’t touch her, but I take a chance. No one deserves to die like this.

  Her body moves and I observe her float up as if someone’s carrying her. An invisible force carries her limp body, and I watch astonished as she floats along the forest. I stand and follow until the movement stops. Right below, where Alexa is hovering, is a hole. I gasp. I’m being shown where she’s buried. Her killer lowers her and as soon as she’s laid on the ground, clumps of earth lands on top of her, creating her shallow grave.

  I need to figure out this location. I search the forest for points of references that can aid me to locate this, but the more I look, the more frustrated I become. There’s nothing extraordinary here with the usual giant sequoia trees, moss, fallen tree trunks and dead leaves.

  My mind becomes distracted by a noise, and I turn to Alexa’s grave. She’s now buried, and a small mound replaces the hole. Alexa, herself, stands at the head of her makeshift grave, at the bottom of a sequoia tree.

  My body shivers at the sight of her. Her appearance has taken on the last moments of her life. Matted hair, limp arms from the multiple blows, bloodied face and bruised neck from the strangulation, highlighting the violence she endured before her death.

  Then she moves towards me, shuffling to where I’m standing. I shiver at the image, and I close my eyes. “Alexa, I know you won’t hurt me, but I’m a little creeped out.”

  “Don’t be.”

  My eyes pop open as I listen to a soft female voice. “Alexa? Did you just talk to me?”

  She stares at me, not uttering a word. Then she reaches out, her pale outstretched hand mere inches away from my body. An orchid rests on her palm. With trembling fingers, I take the flower from her.

  I look towards her grave, and I nod as the flower’s significance becomes explicit. Lining the bottom of the tree, where her temporary resting place lays, is an overgrowth of white orchids. No other trees harbor the same flowers.

  “We’ll find you, Alexa. I promise.”

  She stares at me, unblinking. Then her eyes widen and her mouth opens in a silent scream. Her fingers rise, pointing somewhere to her left. My heart beats, and I look away from her.

  Even in the forest’s darkness, a small gap between the trees allows a sliver of moonlight to unveil the shadow that became familiar to me. It is massive now, an avalanche, and it’s approaching fast. But my instincts tell me that this evil is no longer coming for Alexa. It’s coming for me.

  I try to move, but my fear glued my feet to the ground. As the shadow approaches, I do the only choice available to me. I scream at the top of my lungs.

  Chapter 37

  Julian

  It’s been a few hours since Jo fell asleep on my shoulder. My hand has not left hers, and it’s been useful having it tucked in mine. In this position, I can reach the inside of her wrist, and check her pulse, giving me a good hint when to communicate with her.

  Jo’s pulse has quickened on multiple occasions during her dream state, causing me to worry. When she whimpered, I brushed her hair from her face as it fell, or rubbed her back for comfort. I asked myself how long I should let her sleep, and decided that on her next distressed groan, I will wake her. We’ll find another way to locate Alexa.

  Suddenly, it happens. Jo sits up straight and screams. With an arm around her waist, I cover her mouth with my free hand to muffle her voice, so she doesn’t wake my parents. “It’s ok, Joy.” I whisper to her, putting my head on the crook of her neck. “Shh… It’s just me. You’re safe.”

  She says nothing, but her clammy skin and ragged breathing concern me. I rub her arms to soothe her, but it doesn’t help. Soon, her shoulders quiver, then she shakes, as if her entire supply of energy and adrenaline are rushing out of her, making her convulse.

  “Jules!” she cries in panic.

  I pick her up and place her on my lap so she’s straddling me. I wrap her legs around my waist while I lock mine around hers to keep her snug against my body. As if scrambling for a lifeline, she flings her arms around my neck. Our bodies stay glued to each other until our breath becomes one. I ride each shake, each convulsion and each spasm with her while I whisper words of comfort. When a few minutes have passed, Joy’s head falls onto my shoulder, and she sobs. But she stops shaking and her breathing returns to normal.

  “So sorry, baby.” I stroke her back. “I should never have suggested to finish the dream. It’s my fault.”

  Jo shakes her head while continuing to rest against my shoulders. “I had to do it. It was the only way Alexa could tell me about the murder.” She trembles. “Her killer strangled her, Jules. Beaten, then choked to death.”

  My nose flares as my body warms. As the reality of how my friend died sinks in, my hand balls into a fist. This shithead cut Alexa’s future, and who gave this person the right?