by Unknown
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. What was that?” Looking, at him, I noticed that he had put his jacket on.
“I said that I’m going to go and figure some stuff out and that I would be back later. I’m going to put my cell number in your phone so you can reach me anytime if you need me for anything.”
I nodded and he picked up my phone from the counter top and entered his information.
Handing my phone back to me, he leaned in, and stared deeply into my eyes like he was searching for something, and whispered, “don’t worry, I will keep you safe.”
I stopped breathing and my eyes closed involuntarily. He was so close. Then he stepped back and straightened himself. He turned and walked out the door. That was it. He just left. I realized then that I’d been waiting for him to make a move, hoping he would cross the short distance and press his lips to mine.
Angie was in shock. She sat there, staring out the window and sipping her coffee. I hoped she would be okay. She had to be thinking the same thing I was; it could’ve been her. Navigating my way across the room, I sat down next to her, hoping we could find some peace in each other’s company. Somehow, I had to find a way to shut my mind off. Too much had happened, and for whatever reason, the issues that were pressing most on my mind were those involving Rhys. I wasn’t sure how long we sat there in companionable silence but the stiffness that set in told me it had been a long while.
My thoughts kept straying to him. He made me comfortable and that was hard to accept. Men complicated things and I tried to go to great lengths to avoid those types of complications. My ex- boyfriend, Mike, had been with me for almost a year before he dropped his bombshell that he was moving to Miami for work. I’d thought at the time that we were going somewhere and both of us were serious about the relationship, but I had been mistaken. Long distance relationships just didn’t work. My old roommate, Megan, had been sneaking around with Mike, much to my astonishment. They had been texting for months, seeing each other when I wasn’t home. Megan had been a friend, albeit not a close one. We’d been comfortable with each other and I thought we had a sort of unspoken pact. I was wrong, very, very wrong. It wasn’t even that he wanted to move to Miami alone, it was that he just didn’t want it to be with me. I lost my boyfriend and my roommate all at the same time. At least Angie had been there to help pick up the pieces. She stayed over for an entire week nursing me with wine and Ben and Jerry’s. Honestly, I was better off without him. He was the kind of guy that you had to walk on eggshells around. I couldn’t ever just hang out in yoga pants and a worn out t-shirt. He wanted me dressed appropriately and to have my makeup just right. In retrospect, I think I stayed with him despite the unhealthy relationship, because he was there when I’d lost my parents. I had clung to him when the rest of my world had crashed down around me and I wasn’t ready to let go of someone else. Fate had other plans and I was finally at peace with all of that. That didn’t necessarily mean I wanted to or was ready to, for that matter, jump head first into another relationship. They were just too painful and someone always got hurt, changed even beyond repair.
Who was I kidding? Rhys hadn’t once given me any indication that he was thinking anything along those lines. He probably felt sorry for me after what happened and that was likely the extent of his feelings. There was a hunger there, the longing for flesh. I had seen it in his eyes both last night and again this morning. I knew nothing would ever happen there though. I wasn’t one of those girls who casually slept around. The ability to emotionally detach from sex like some people wasn’t a trait I possessed. I just didn’t have it in me and that was something I was okay with. None of that could stop me from the endless fantasies that had started flitting through my mind about Rhys and his damn kissable lips. Those eyes, they could see straight into your soul and burn you from the inside. There wasn’t any harm in fantasies. They couldn’t hurt you, so I let myself indulge in them while I could.
The hours passed in the blink of an eye and there we still sat, lost within our own minds. The shadows had changed direction and grew longer so I knew it was well after noon. This pity party had run its course and I knew we both needed to get up and do something. What that was exactly was what we needed to figure out.
Looking over at Angie, I noticed she had at some point fallen asleep. No doubt completely exhausted by taking care of me last night and then finding out that her very recent former lover was a deeply disturbed murderer. I think that would suck the life out of even the most energetic of people. My stomach began to protest loudly and I decided it was time to get up.
Rising from the couch, I grabbed the throw blanket from the back and covered her. She was my rock and had taken care of me so many times I’d lost count, but it was her turn to be taken care of and I was grateful to be able to return the favor. I checked my phone. There was an unread message from Rhys Devereux. My stomach was swarmed by butterflies, but before I opened it, I noticed it was ten after four in the afternoon. Thank God I didn’t have to work on Tuesdays. I walked into the kitchen opening the refrigerator while I tapped the screen to read what Rhys had said,
“Picking up pizza. Be there at five. Please be ready to go out afterwards.”
If Rhys was bringing food, then at least that dilemma was solved, but it created an entirely different one. I might not have any machinations to win Rhys, over but I at least wanted him to notice me. It was an ego boost, if nothing else, to have a man look at me with wanton desire. The quick peek at the clock told me that I had very little time to put myself together into at least a semi presentable fashion. As I walked back to my room, I wondered where he would take us. Did he think going out was going to be the right thing to do after a day like that? I made up my mind that he probably just thought it would help take our minds off of everything.
I began rummaging through my closet. I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. Angie had put together an outfit for me once, as a go to outfit. I grabbed my favorite pair of dark skinny jeans and the pale blouse hanging in the back of my closet. Tossing a white camisole in the bed, I grabbed for my black flats. I knew I had enough time to take a quick shower and still be able to be ready in time. It was a skill I had honed in college when I woke up late and had to rush to make it to class on time.
I grabbed my towel off of the hook on the back of my door and stepped across the hall into the bathroom. Starting the shower, I quickly undressed and slipped under the hot stream. Immediately, I began shampooing and washing everything I could. Everything was washed away, the used soap and the grime from my brief time laying on the ground the previous night. Quickly, I began conditioning my hair and throwing shaving cream on my legs. I wasn’t going to take the chance that Rhys might press his suit and I would be unprepared. I knew if he tried, I would have a hard time resisting. My self control felt like it was nonexistent around him. I wasn’t that type of girl. Truthfully, I didn’t give it up without some serious effort on the man’s part. Finally, the necessities were done and the tension released from my shoulders and was washed away down the drain with the suds from my hair. I had several minutes of blissful relaxation until I heard something unusual.
The unexpected thud against the wall shook me from my reverie. Something crashed and it sounded heavy. I snapped off the water and, as fast as I was able, grabbed the towel from the counter throwing it around myself. I didn’t bother drying off. I started for the door, hoping it was only Moonbeam jumping on things she shouldn’t be on and knocking things over. The alternative wasn’t appealing. I knew it in my core that I was expecting something else, but what that was exactly escaped me. My skin started feeling tingly and almost electric as I grasped the doorknob; something wasn’t right and I could feel it.
Swinging the door open, I shouted, “Angie?”
There was no answer, there wasn’t anything. It was dead silent. For an apartment in the French Quarter that much quiet was nonexistent. The hair on the back of my neck started to rise as I walked into the hallway. There was something differe
nt in the air. It was enough to tell me I wasn’t alone.
It was the scene before me that had me reeling. The living room was destroyed. The couch was tipped over and everything else that wasn’t nailed down was strewn about. Angie was nowhere to be found.
“Angie? Are you here?” I shouted frantically. My heart hammered hard inside my chest. I heard movement in the bedroom and turned slightly. Praying it was Angie in the bedroom, I crossed the short distance and set my hand on the door. The door was closed, but not latched.
“Please be, Angie, please be, Angie,” I said in a hushed toned as my shaky hand gave the door a light shove opening it completely. The next minute or two seemed like they dragged on for far longer than they really did. That happens in tense situations, time just seems to stop and you process things in hyper speed. It’s very surreal. Angie was laying on my bed. She looked like she was asleep until I noticed the harsh gash across her temple. The extent of the damage was hidden under her hair. A shrill cry escaped my lips as I started forwards. I had only taken two steps when the bedroom door slammed shut behind me. The man I recognized as Brad filled the spot in front of the door.
I backed up as far as the bed would allow, standing between Brad and Angie.
Looking directly at Brad, I asked, “What do you want?”
I tried to appear as unafraid as possible. There was something that just wasn’t right about him. I don’t think he was all there. He regarded me intently and that was when I noticed it. His eyes were entirely black. Entirely not human. He cocked his head and started speaking in a loud whisper in some strange language. I was sure I’d never heard it before, but somewhere deep down, it struck a chord. Brad then took a determined step towards me, stopping when I held up my hand, but only for a second. I faked a lunge left before going right. He fell for it with a powerful leap, he ended up behind me and I took that opportunity to make a run for it. I bolted into the living room and rushed for the door. I was stopped dead in my tracks. The shadow was there. A solid black mass with iridescent violet eyes stood between me and any chance of escape.
A loud crash of glass breaking sounded from the bedroom, filling the small apartment with sound. The shadow started its slow approach towards me, blocking my path to freedom in the process. I was fucked. I backed away as much as I could, my chest constricted in fear. The creature reached out. His cold fingers wrapped around my throat and tightened. I kicked and slapped but I couldn’t make solid contact with anything. As my hand passed through the shadow, I felt nothing but damp and cold. My death was approaching and no matter how hard I fought, in that moment, there was nothing I could do to stop it. A choked gurgle escaped my lips and blackness started creeping in around the edges of my vision. My lungs burned for air. The life was slowly leaving me and all I could think of was my family. Had my parent’s experienced this when they had their accident or was it instant. Memories of us at the beach and birthday parties filled my mind. The blackness just kept growing until there was nothing else. I felt nothing. My senses shut off and I was floating.
Just as suddenly as the entire ordeal had begun, the creature was gone and I was laying on the floor gasping for as much air as I could force into my being. Was it over? Rhys was bent over me and holding my head up, whispering in the same language that Brad had used, but he wasn’t looking at me. I rolled my head to the side and watched as the shadow slipped out of the now broken window. I rolled off of him and started crawling towards the bedroom. Angie was in there with Brad! I couldn’t get my legs and feet to work properly and my lack of energy had me fighting to keep moving.
The front door had been kicked open, splintered wood and pieces of my door frame were scattered and there was even more destruction than there had been before. I knew then that I had lost consciousness for a few moments and Rhys had managed to fight off the creatures. None of that mattered because in this moment Angie was my sole focus. I was almost to the bedroom doorway by the time I could get my legs under me and stand with the help of the door frame.
The scene that lay before me will always haunt my dreams. The window was broken leaving nothing within the frame. The spot where Angie had lain was replaced by a small puddle of blood now staining the disheveled bed covers. Taking a few steps into the small bedroom, and I looked around frantically. My worst fears were coming true. I ran to the window looking down at the road below. It was a twenty foot drop to the street below. Jumping it wouldn’t kill someone but it would definitely break something. Glass littered the concrete below, but it was absent of life. They were all gone, the shadow creature and Brad had taken Angie. My best friend was gone and in the hands of a deranged psychopath and something that shouldn’t exist.
Chapter FOUR
Oh the Places You’ll Go
Tears were slipping down my cheeks in streams as an agonized scream tore from my throat. The only person I had in the world was gone. Rhys walked up silently behind me, and touched my shoulder. I turned into him and sank and he wrapped his arms about me and clutched me to his chest. He held me there while I cried, making soothing noises and stroking my hair. We stayed that way a long time, until I couldn’t cry anymore and everything became numb. Rhys tipped my chin up to peer into my eyes.
“We will get Angie back. I hope you know that,” he said softly, just barely whispering.
After another moment of standing there holding each other, I felt that I could trust Rhys with my life. He walked me back into the living room and sat me down in the chair. It was the only piece of furniture left upright. Rhys glanced at me for a moment and began to speak.
“We need to get you out of here and to some place safe. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal and you need some time to process everything. I’m sure you’ll have questions and we can figure out how we’ll get Angie back.”
He was right. I hadn’t processed any of it yet. I had a million questions, but my mind was still reeling and in my dazed state, the questions slipped through my grasp. I didn’t have the energy to fight him about leaving. This was my home and I didn’t want to abandon it, but he was right. The shadow could come back at any time and finish what it had started, but now it would be a much easier task. My windows were destroyed and my door wouldn’t latch, not that there was much of a door frame left. My home was open to anyone who wanted to come in. It wasn’t like I could stop them.
“I think we need to call the police. Angie needs to be reported missing and we have to tell them that Brad took her,” I finally spoke up, beginning to panic.
“The police aren’t going to be able to help us and they won’t be able to find Angie. I just need you to trust me. We will find her and I will explain everything in due time,” he said flatly.
I thought he was beginning to get annoyed with me, but I couldn’t be sure. One thing was for sure though, he was starting to piss me off.
“How am I supposed to trust you? I barely know you! A psycho just tried to kill me and almost succeeded and you want me to remain calm and not call the police? Yeah, that just screams trust me!” I screamed.
Rhy’s eyes narrowed. “There is a lot more going on than you know and whether you like it or not, you are smack dab in the middle of this shit storm. So, yeah, I’m going to need your trust so that way, we can both stay alive at least long enough to get your friend back safely, understand?”
I felt like the walls were closing in and there was no other way out. Rhys walked into my room and searched around until he found exactly what he wanted, a large duffle bag that was shoved under my bed. Walking back into the living room, he set it down in front of me.
“We don’t have much time, so you need to hurry and pack the essentials. We may be gone for a while. Contact whoever you need to, but we are leaving the city in an hour, tops.” His face was set in such a way that I knew he meant business. Nothing was going to save me now so I figured I would just have to step into the unknown and hope it didn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
“Can you at least tell me where we are going?” I q
uestioned.
He shook his head. “It’s not a specific place that I can tell you. I mean, I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. I know someone that can help though.”
What a wonderful time to start being cryptic! I was so angry at not being given any kind of say in the matter that I turned and stormed off to my room. There was no way that I would get the answers that I needed.
Shuffling around my room, I contemplated what I would need for an unspecified amount of time. That room held memories that I didn’t want to leave behind. All of them involved Angie. Just thinking about her lying on my bed and the situation she was in made my eyes start misting anew. Moonbeam butted her head against my leg, reassuring me that she was there for me. Forever my constant, mostly silent, companion.
I knew that something was going on. Shadows that can kill people? Guys that have completely black eyes like some kind of demon you see on TV? Not possible! It just wasn’t! If things like that were real, they would be written about in scientific journals. Scientists would study them in great detail and I knew I’d certainly never come across anything like that in my four years at Tulane.
Within a couple minutes, I’d emptied about a week and a half’s worth of under garments into my bag. At one point, my brain had just shut off and reverted to autopilot because I ended up non-discriminately throwing dozens of shirts and jeans into the bag and I was sure not many of them matched. Well, okay, I must’ve, because I had them in the bag. I just didn’t remember putting it all in there. Either way, I wasn’t going to be winning any fashion contests in the near future, however, I would be comfortable. The bathroom necessities just about filled my bag to capacity. I looked around at the shell of my home and walked out of the room to face what was to come. In the living room, I remembered two photographs that I couldn’t bear to leave behind. One was of Angie and I and the other was the last photograph that my parents and I had taken. I had to bring them with me. Quickly, I shoved the photos into my overstuffed bag and slung it over my shoulder and swooped down to gather Moonbeam into my arms. That was it, my last moments in the apartment that had been my home for the last three years, my sanctuary from the outside world and it was being ripped away. Wiping away a tear that escaped my eye, I walked back out to face what was coming. I pushed the cork as tightly as I could into the bottle that was the core holding all my feelings. Despite my earlier break down, it was a rule I had learned to live by: never let them see you cry.
