by I N Foggarty
Another bombsite she thought, setting her collection of items down beside an old notebook. It contained multiple songs in varying degrees of completeness that she had written. She never had the time to write these days she lamented as her eyes caught sight of the cover. Hell if it weren’t for the fact that she took music at school she probably wouldn’t even have time to play.
Absentmindedly she picked up the book and began flicking through. It actually contained some decent stuff she thought, one particular piece catching her eye. A soft acoustic country track she had written not long after her uncle had passed. The tune filled her head and she could recall wanting to add a short bluesy guitar solo onto the end but never being able to find the right tone.
There was no time to start experimenting with the guitar right now she reminded herself, wrenching her eyes away from the pages and closing the book. Instead, she would have to make do with listening to some tried and tested tunes while she finished her report. Who knew, perhaps she would find some inspiration amongst the work of the masters. Selecting a CD from the cabinet she put it on and turned the volume up loud. It might have been late but she didn’t care. The apartment building had an accepted rule of you did what you wanted and everyone else had to put up with it; for the landlord didn’t care about anything except the rent being paid on time.
Settling down in the armchair Anna opened her notepad and looked over what she had written last. As she reviewed her line of argument she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Yuck! Her face contorted into a look that would probably have brought about rapturous laughter if there had been an audience present. Jason the rat had mixed the small remainder of sweet popcorn in with the much more substantial leftover salted. Anna had never been the biggest fan of popcorn before she started working at Lunar DVD Rental but the sickly sweet stuff they sold was just nasty. It looked like she would have to feel every bit for the slight stickiness that distinguished the sweet from the salted; lest she be poisoned.
CD upon CD came and went and Anna’s neat penmanship slowly began to smudge. Eventually after four and a half hours, three near poisonings and two glasses of water she stood up from the armchair and yawned loudly; she was finished. Her conclusion may have been slightly rushed but she no longer cared.
Exhausted Anna staggered from the room and across the hall into her bedroom. It had just gone three in the morning. Wasting no time she dressed down to her t-shirt and pulled on a pair of pale blue poly-cotton pyjama trousers. Where the jacket had ended up she did not know and she had no want to go and search for it. Though in honesty the soft cotton of her t-shirt didn’t chafe her skin while she slept.
Climbing in under a thin duvet Anna lay back onto what must surely have been the world’s lumpiest mattress. Turning over she set her alarm clock and groaned at the prospect of yet another night where she would get, at best, three hours sleep. Her neck also joined in with the complaints from various parts of her body as her head came to rest on the mattress. You only have to make it to Sunday she tried to tell it. Come Sunday and a trip to Walmart, $2.43 on the bus and she would have new pillows at $5.00, making the cost for today $28.68. It was now Tuesday morning, that left her $11.32 for the rest of the week. She lay feeling her heart rate increase slightly at the thought of money. She swallowed, her throat dry and aching. Though exhausted sleep did not come immediately. She stared at the hanging light bulb above her… waiting. The room had a slightly rosy glow before the cracked plaster on the roof blurred and sleep finally took her.
##
From here to infinity, the only thing that could be seen was a sea of black. It stretched out from the centre and did not lessen at any point in any direction. It had no source either, rather it just…was. An endless expanse of dark nothingness. Yet to say that within this nothingness existed nothing and that nothing could be seen would be grossly incorrect.
On some sort of surface that could conceivably be the ground, it was hard to tell, lay a girl. However, the term lay may not have been the most appropriate. People typically don’t lie eagle spread. Manacled to the ‘ground’ by a set of unimaginably heavy steel shackles the blonde haired girl could have mistakenly been called motionless. Although her body barely moved, the girl’s fists were clenched and she yanked on her impossibly tight restraints with all her might. They would not budge an inch. How long she fought for she had no idea. Time did not seem to exist here. At least not in the same manner as in the outside world.
Somewhere out in the darkness, she heard a faint click and she froze. Seconds, minutes or hours later, she heard another. A soft unmistakable click, similar to a penny being tapped against a window. Click….click…click. The noise drew closer. Out in the distant dark, she could slowly begin to make out the outline of a figure. Anxiously she intensified the struggle against her chains but they gave no more liberty than before.
No light source existed but somehow she could see perfectly in the blackness. Out of the shadows, the thing came. A hulking shape that could not possibly be humanoid. Nothing human could have a form like that. Raised up on clawed feet the beast was a remarkable sight, its talons glistening in the non-existent light.
As the continual clicking noise filled her ears, the thing began to circle her. A hunter stalking prey. From out in the dark depths, other figures had leaked into existence, almost pouring themselves towards her like waves of tar forming and melting. They surged upwards to form more shadowy, faceless shapes in a ring around her and the creature pressing in, ogling. Tearing her eyes away from her tormentor the girl called out to the crowd for help but none responded. Faces slowly began to form amidst the ranks and she could see clearly that some held sympathy in their eyes but alongside it, there also existed trepidation… fear. Meanwhile, others acted like they had gone temporarily deaf, apathy. However, worst of all were the few that looked to be enjoying the spectacle, they revelled in her predicament. Indeed, she could hear a few whistles and jeers when she looked upon their faces for comfort. Her gaze then fell upon a solitary figure at the back of the crowd. Though partly immersed in shadow there was no mistaking it. Forcing air into her lungs she cried out “Help me… Please.” She received no response. Instead, the figure simply smiled at her softly before the darkness consumed it, pulled it down and causing it to dissolve back into nothingness. “NO!!!” She felt wetness on her cheeks and her voice broke in the middle of the scream.
The beast stopped directly in front of her and let out a cruel high-pitched laugh. Drawing itself up to its full height the thing extended its bright steel talons and descended upon her. Hurriedly she tried to close her eyes in the hope that not looking at it would make it disappear. However, her eyes would not respond. With one final effort, she yanked at the chains that held her. They did not budge an inch. As maniacal laughter echoed out around her, the beast sunk its claws into her left shoulder. A scraping noise filled her ears when talon clawed through flesh and struck bone. Blood splattered everywhere and pain like nothing she had ever felt before coursed through her body like an electric pulse up her spine. There were no words in existence to describe the agony. Her body convulsed and she vomited repeatedly until she was wrung dry. Only then did she really start to scream. She screamed until her voice cracked, ended, and kept screaming silently while the faceless shapes watched on and her blood mingled with their shadowy forms. The creature hauled her up like an old rag doll, bringing her closer to its snarling face. Eye to eye, it bared its teeth and…
##
Anna sat bolt upright as she was hauled from the nightmare. From head to toe, a cold sweat covered her body. Instinctively she brought a hand up to her left shoulder and slid it beneath her t-shirt. Slowly she rubbed her fingers over the spot where the creature’s claws had impaled her; it had all felt so real she mused panting for breath. She rotated her arm stiffly, the joint let out a crack.
From somewhere off to her left a piercing beeping began to impale her skull with enough drive that made her want to vomit again. It took her a moment to
remember she had not actually been sick, it had just been a dream. She quickly checked the bed to confirm this, it would not have been the first time she had thrown up because of that nightmare. The noise deepened and began to bleep more urgently causing her to scrunch her face up against it; her alarm clock. Deftly she stretched her right hand across her body and hit the infernal device until it stopped. It appeared that last night’s headache had not ebbed any. Nor had the pain in her neck it seemed.
Letting out a deflated moan Anna threw the duvet to the bottom of the bed and swung her legs over the edge. She would have liked nothing more than to have snuggled back down beneath it for an extra ten minutes but she knew that if she did she would not likely rise before midday. Wearily Anna made her way across the blue-carpeted floor and out onto the cold floorboards of her hallway. On route to the bathroom, she made a quick detour to pop on an album.
This morning her shower was quick and uneventful. She got in, washed her hair and body then got out. Simple. No relaxation, no arguments with the shampoo bottle and most importantly, no delays. Back in the bedroom, she had time to properly dry and dress. Her outfit consisted of a pair of black jeans, a clean smelling red tee and a lightweight hoodie featuring the Woodlake wolf on the front and the text ‘Taylor 18’ on the back. It belonged to Matt, who had given it to her in a manner reminiscent of how the football players gave their girlfriends their jackets. While a stereotypical ‘Jock’ thing to do, it showed he cared and had the added bonus that it would infuriate Natalie. That bitch had been jealous for three years now and Anna knew she peddled the tale of how Matt was stolen from her.
When finished, she casually made her way to the kitchen where she hovered over the toaster to ensure the damn thing did not make cinders of her breakfast two days running. Golden brown and buttered toast in hand Anna then paid a visit to the refrigerator and extracted a can of Pepsi. The sole pleasure she allowed herself to indulge in without compromise; at least in terms of quality. Even though large plastic bottles were more cost-effective they came with the obligation that you had to consume the entire contents within a day or two of opening or risk the remainder becoming undrinkable. When you had to ration your favourite drink, it was better to buy less but be able to enjoy every serving at the points when you felt you either needed or deserved it.
Concerning the whole need/deserved concept today was most unquestionably a need day for Anna. Nonetheless, she had certainly done enough work the previous night to have earned it. Taking her breakfast to the living room she sat down in the armchair. At the first bite of the golden coloured bread and butter, her stomach rejoiced at the presence of actual, unpoisoned food. Toast had never tasted so good. She took the first swig from the can and savoured it for a second letting the bubbles burst on her tongue.
As the icy cold liquid hit the back of her throat, she relaxed slightly. The memory of the nightmare slowly began to recede into the depths of her mind, where it would stay until next time. But that would be a little later on. For now, at least she could concentrate on the week ahead. Tonight she had to catch up with schoolwork. She still had a few other pieces of homework due for later in the week but once they were done she could leave anything that got handed out this week until the weekend. That would hopefully leave her with Thursday night to clean and sort laundry. Then after work on Friday, she would hopefully have enough time to do any last-minute tidying and get changed before Matt arrived. She could then catch up with sleep on Saturday and start some homework before work at eleven. Finally, she could spend Sunday morning finishing homework before work in the afternoon after which she would take her biweekly trip to Walmart. Sorted.
Her week planned Anna finished her toast, drained the last drop of Pepsi from the can and turned off the stereo. As the music ceased she turned her attention to the alcove. Casually she picked up the eight-ball black electric and gave it a strum. Maybe today would be the day she thought, packing it away into its case and slotting her notebook of songs into the front pouch. Slinging the guitar over a shoulder she collected her Frankenstein essay from the coffee table and went to find her rucksack and other effects.
It did not take long. The fortunate thing about mess is that, contrary to popular belief, the last things added to the mound are the easiest to find. From yesterday’s jeans, she withdrew her cell phone, change and… She sighed upon procuring the mp3 player and now defunct earbuds; walking without music sucked. Electing to leave the useless device behind Anna made her way from her room and out of the apartment.
Descending the cool concrete stairwell and opening the front door the heat from this morning’s blazing sun hit her. Perhaps black attire today had been a serious miscalculation. She had no time to run upstairs and change into something lighter though as the Frankenstein report had to be on Steven’s desk by eight. Unzipping her hoodie she made her way down the stone steps to street level and into the cooling breeze she knew would dissipate the moment she made her way out of the neighbourhood.
Meandering along at a lethargic pace Anna made her way to school. Though she had no music to accompany this morning’s walk it was still an improvement on the previous day, owing to the fact that she had encountered neither Mrs Vandabedian on her doorstep nor Dylan at the halfway point. By the time she reached the tree-lined avenue upon which Woodlake Academy resided, the clock that hung above the main entrance declared it to be twenty to eight. Her timing this morning had been impeccable. She would head up to the English hallway, drop off her report and then make it to homeroom in time for the first bell.
Striding through the double doors and into the wide entrance hall, she headed for the main stairs. The oldest part of the building, the entrance hall in fact dated back to the original structure that had been built at the turn of last century. Crossing the central mosaic that depicted three fish swimming in a circular pond of water Anna did not fail to notice that the crowds parted slightly more than they normally did for her. She smiled to herself. Apparently, word had circulated the wider student body of her expert dismantling of Raymond’s psyche at lunch yesterday.
Making her way up the stairs and through a series of interconnected hallways, Anna reached the English department. The hallway lay deserted. No one ever seemed to linger in this part of the building before homeroom and Anna had a fair idea why; Stevens. Drawing up in front of his classroom she caught sight of a notice on his door; ‘Assignments are only considered handed in on time if they are placed on my desk before the deadline!’ a smile started to tug the corners of her mouth, no problem. She could feel the sense of relief that this one thing could be crossed off her to-do list, extended a hand and twisted the handle. “You Bastard.” Her smile faded, the door was locked.
Cursing again Anna gave the door a mild kick; it shook slightly and the notice slid on its pin but did not fall. What were the odds that the man would stride up to his door at one minute past eight to open it, then hand her a second detention for the assignment not having been on his desk at exactly eight o’clock… extremely likely she deduced. She could easily kick in the door but that would make too much noise and probably land her in far more trouble than three extra hours’ worth of detention. Shit, what was she going to do?
In all the time she had spent in that classroom never once had the man locked his door, or even closed it for that matter. Just another way in which he tortured his students. Show them an open gateway to the outside world and freedom but never let them have it until he decided. Still, his window seats were…
The smile returned to Anna’s lips as the thought of Steven’s ever-open windows crossed her mind. Heart hammering she scanned the hallway then raced the short distance between Steven’s classroom and the one next to it belonging to Ms Cameron. Reaching the door, she yanked on the handle and let out a, “yes,” when it opened onto an empty room. Crossing the floor in only a handful of strides Anna placed her guitar and rucksack down and withdrew her essay. In one swift motion, she vaulted onto the top of the built-in cupboards that lay beneath th
e windows. Opening the one closest to the wall that separated this room from Stevens’ she poked her head out and saw that the windows to the man’s room were in their ever-open position.
“Ha. Nice try asshole,” she declared, rolling the report up and clutching it firmly in her hand. Now came the tricky part. She had no other choice… desperate times called for desperate measures.
The window ledge was only about half the length of her foot but still had more than enough room for her to work with. Carefully Anna climbed out of the window and turned her body to face the building. The gap between the ledges may only have been about two foot but at two levels up it felt a lot wider. Slowly she took a breath and closed her eyes for a second. She had come this far. Briefly, she considered if going to her guidance counsellor and explaining the situation would be a better option. She sighed, she needed to do that about the detention, and two things would make it into an ‘incident’ she could not face the pity, the sighing, or the probing questions. Shimmying her body to the edge Anna planted her right foot and then stretched her left leg out across it…
…Piece of cake, she thought as her foot touched concrete and her hand reached out to curl around the window frame. Taking a firm hold, she released her grip on the opposite side and pulled the rest of her body across the divide. It was child’s play from there to duck her head down and climb into Stevens’ classroom. Still, she let out a breath when her feet touched down on the carpet.
Striding between the desks in a similar fashion to the teacher himself Anna stopped at his desk, unrolled her report and placed it neatly and directly in the centre. She would dearly love to see his face when he entered his room first period and discovered it there. What happened after that she would deal with later. She had no intention of doing the first detention he had given her and a quick chat with her guidance counsellor would make it vanish; much to the man’s displeasure. A traumatic life at least came with a few minor perks.
