Grey: A Life Unraveled (Tapestry of Life Book 1)

by Lee Miller

  November

  The first couple weeks of November flew by with scarcely enough time to think, much less do anything else. Sara was on to Beth’s tricks, but didn’t seem to mind it so much. She realized even before the busted Halloween Party that Beth was trying to fill her days with enough busy stuff to keep her from focusing on the upcoming anniversary or any of the crazy crap that had happen since this year began. All in all Sara would never say this was a good year in her life. If anything, it was probably the single worst year ever. The only thing that made it tolerable was having Beth and Jackie here with her.

  Sara got up one morning before Beth and she decided to let Beth sleep in a bit. The only plans they had for this Tuesday was to go walk the track around the park, so Sara decided to forgo her morning run on the treadmill, instead she thought she get caught up on the current news, something she hadn’t done in a while. She made a pot of coffee and took a glance out the window; the city below was blanketed in white. “Guess the street department gave up on the losing battle.” She thought. Even the streets were blanketed in a thick layer of the frozen white stuff. She still considered it very odd that there were no cars on the road at this time of the morning. She left the winter wonderland outside of her window and turned the TV on to a local station. They were going on about the usual, the Presidents dropping approval ratings, the candidates cawing at each other for the upcoming Presidential election, the sports and so on. Then the weather report. Sara tuned into it, she was curious to see what was coming. The city couldn’t handle much more of this crazy winter weather. She was floored by what she saw. “Today the fog will creep further inland and blanket most of the east and west sides of the city, its grip to the north and south will stay steady. So for those of you with business beyond that, you may want to cancel it. The fog will be too dense to see much more than a foot in front of you. The icy precipitation we’ve been getting hit with will take a break and allow you to get out and shovel yourself out a bit, but it will return by Saturday, so keep the snow shovels handy!”

  Sara couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She turned the TV off as she heard Beth moving around upstairs. When she came down in her Peter Pan footed PJs, she gave Sara a sleepy “Good morning” and yawned. “Mmmm coffee!” she sang out. “Beth? Where does the city end?” Sara asked, almost absentmindedly. That stopped Beth in her tracks. Sara looked to where she last heard her and Beth was giving her a look of mixed confusion and irritation. Sara forgot Beth didn’t like questions that made her think before she had her first cup. “Where is has always ended silly.” She said. “And for the sake of argument, that is?” Sara prodded. Beth began pouring her first cup, she loaded it with creamer and sugar. “You almost can’t call that coffee anymore.” Sara thought to herself. “East and west end at 91st street. North and south end at Columbus Blvd.” she said as if asked by an 8 year old. “City is half the size that it use to be. What the hell?” Sara thought. Confusion and amazement weighing in equal measures. “How do you lose half a damn city?” “Thanksgiving is in two weeks, do we have everything we need or do we need to brave the roads and make a run to the store?” Beth asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Huh? Oh. I think we have everything we need, but we will need to make a run to the store before Saturday. The weather is supposed to hold off till then.” Sara took a look out the window. The clouds were a darker shade of gray than she had ever seen before, they seem to hang lower and lower in the sky each day. She knew not to stare into the swirling clouds, when she did a creeping fear began to wash over her, she had done some research a few times that indicated that she was suffering from a phobia. Yet she couldn’t find one that pertained to really dark and dangerous looking clouds. Sara thought she heard a low rumbling noise come from outside. “What? Thunder?” Beth looked up from stirring her coffee “what did you hear?” Sara thought about it for a minute. Thunder was harmless. It’s just a noise. “Well, I thought I heard thunder outside.” she said. Beth looked up and seemed to think about that to while she listened to see if the noise came a second time. They both stood there silently, yet nothing was moving outside but a gentle breeze. “Huh, guess not.” Sara said after a few minutes. “Want to head to the park when you’re done caffeinating yourself?” Sara moved to get a second cup herself. It wouldn’t take her long to get ready; she knew what she was going to wear and hung it up last night in the bathroom. “Sure. Have you had breakfast? If not I’ll throw on some eggs and toast.” Beth offered. “Sounds good. A hot breakfast on a cold day.”

  They finished breakfast and their third cup of coffee each about an hour later. Beth made a thermos of coffee to take with them then they both went to get ready. As they descended in the elevator to the lobby of the building, they were giddy with the prospects of the upcoming holiday season. “Okay. So, for Christmas” Beth began. “We need to put a price limit on gifts for each other.” Sara looked at her perplexed, there was no gift to big that her friend couldn’t ask for that Sara wouldn’t give her, but she knew what she meant. Beth didn’t want to the gift exchange to be to lopsided. “Agreed. No going out and getting me a $10,000 tennis bracelet Beth. I know that’s what you’re thinking, but don’t do it!” Beth looked grim but finally acquiesced. “Fine. So, should we put a $200 limit on gift exchange? We have to tell mom too, you know she’s going to want go overboard. Like she did at our birthdays this year.” “Well, to be fair.” Sara said as the elevator doors opened. “You did ask for a Barney and Friends Birthday theme. How was she to know that actually bringing in Barney and his friends was too much? You’re the one with a thing for big purple Dinosaurs. Beth laughed at the memory of answering the door and being hit with Barney’s signature song about loving each other. She about wet herself she was so happy. “Yes, and to be fair, you were the one who jokingly asked for a new Mercedes AMG GT S. Sara had to laugh as well. That was priceless.” “No.” Beth sad after a few seconds “That was about $130,000” she stared at her friend with a wide eyed expression. “And you haven’t let me drive it yet.” Her expression to one that resembled more of a scowl. “Do you remember what she said when I realized what she had done? She threw me the keys and said “It’s about time you be seen around town in something classier than that Dodge Truck.” I was floored. Still am actually. Can’t believe it’s still sitting in the parking Garage.” Sara noticed her friend was still quiet and looked to seethe scowl hadn’t left her face. “Fine!” she said, more humored than exasperated. “Next nice day well take it for a drive out into the country. Promise.” That brought a smile back to Beth’s face “Pinkie swear?” and produced her pinkie for the official swearing ceremony. Sara laughed again “Yes, pinkie swear.” And finished the ceremony. They exited the building and made the left turn towards the park. It was on the opposite corner of the street from the building and diagonally situated. It was a short walk, but the mid November day was cold. Sara was regretting the choice of wearing a dress and boots, even with stockings on, it was still chilly on her legs. They crossed the two streets and arrived at the outer boundary of the park, nobody else was here. One of the creepiest things in the world to Sara is an empty park that still had the sound of kids playing. That idea has always creeped her out. She told Beth and they both laughed with a hint of nervousness. “I hate clowns. Clowns scare me.” She said in return. “Well I don’t hear the sound of kids playing or see any clowns about. Shall we?” Sara opened the gate to the city park and began walking towards their normal seat. The only sound the day made was the light breeze and the crunching of dead grass under her foot after each step. As they neared their normal bench, Sara thought she heard the sound of Thunder again, this time off in the distance. Towards the fog covered part of the city that didn’t seem to exist anymore. This time she didn’t pay it any attention and took her seat next to Beth. A light mist slowly slithered into the park from the other side. Sara, knowing what happens when a part of the city gets covered by the fog, began to get a little apprehensive. She tried her best to not show the growing turmoil tha
t was boiling inside of her. “Play it cool Sara.” She told herself. “Okay, so what are you thinking we get mom?” Beth’s soothing the growing storm inside her. “Um…I don’t know. What do you get a woman who has pretty much everything she wants?” Sara worked to keep her own voice calm “Ah. The age old question.” Beth mused. Still seemingly oblivious to the anxiety rising in Sara. Suddenly Sara heard the crack of thunder, except this time it was right over head. She just about jumped out of her skin as the loud crack rippled through the air above the city. “Whoa! You okay Sara?” Beth’s voice went from calm to curious to alarm all in one sentence. “Oh, yeah, the thunder caught me off guard. That’s all.” Her explanation was weak and she knew it. “Uh. What thunder?” Beth asked. Sara looked taken aback. “You honestly didn’t hear that loud.” Before she could finish the question, a second crack banged overhead. This one louder than the last. Again, Sara listen to it as it shot through the open spaces above the buildings. “Let me guess, you didn’t hear that either?” she asked, her voice filled with aggravation. No pretense of playing it cool any more. At this point, she didn’t care. “Sara, there’s no thunder. There’s no noise at all. Just the quietness of the park.” Beth lamented. Sara looked into the sky to see if the thunder was preceded by the bolt of lightning that should go before it. As she watched, the clouds churned and roiled. The sky looked angry and agitated. She kept staring as the clouds finally morphed into something resembling a face. A third crack of thunder burned out through the air. “No lightning.” Sara thought. She listened even harder, it wasn’t lightning, it was a shout and she could finally make out he words. “You won’t escape me this time!” Sara felt her blood turn to ice. She looked back to the face in the clouds and it opened its mouth. A column of the dark gray clouds shout out and was hurdled to the grown. She looked at Beth and asked hysterically “You don’t see that either?!” Beth’s face was contorted into a mixture of anguish and sadness. Tears streamed down her face. Sara knew in the back of her mind that the tears were because Beth felt helpless to help her friend. She knew it, but shoved the thought away as a feeling of impending doom filled her from the crown of her head, to the tip of her toes.

  Something was coming for them. Something dangerous. Suddenly the column of dark gray cloud hit the ground and splashed back. Sara leapt out of her seat and went to run, a wisp of the cloud shot out and caught her around the ankle, sending her to the ground ripping her stockings and ripping the skin underneath on the concrete. Beth shot out of her seat with fear etched like stone on her face. The column produced a figure and as Sara watched, the figure produced features. The features of a man. A man she hated. A man she killed almost a year ago. Tommy walked out of the column of cloud and straight toward her and Beth. “Beth!! Run!!” Sara screamed but Beth just stood there panicked and seemingly afraid. Oblivious to the threat walking up behind her. Sara tried to make it to her feet, she wanted to grab Beth and flee. But the tendril wrapped around her ankle pulled her back down, skinning her other knee. She screamed for Beth one more time, “Beth! Damnit! Run!” she demanded. Even though she was yelling at full volume, her voice sounded barley above a whisper to her own ears. She sat and watched horrified as time walked up behind a still puzzled and freighted Beth, put a gun to the back of her head and Sara had to sit there and watch as a hole appeared in Beth’s forehead, her face went slack, her eyes shifted upward and stared straight ahead, Sara watched as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, her eyes were still open, but now lifeless. Sara screamed and jerked her ankle free of the tendril holding her down and ran for all she was worth. She ran until her lungs felt like they had a fire raging inside them. She ran till her leg muscles began to cramp up from exertion. Sara ran even though the ground beneath her began to shake and each step grew more and more treacherous to take. After a really hard jolt, Sara lost her footing and was sent face first into the ground. She barely had enough time to get her arms up to prevent from smashing her face into the pavement. The shaking continued and Sara, out of breath and exhausted lifted and turned to try and get up. She realized there were hands on each of her arms, holding them down. She heard a familiar voice crying out for help. She turned her head and was face to face with a very panicked and scared Beth. She blinked her eyes like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Beth!” she said between gasp. “I saw him shoot you.” She got out. “I saw you die.” Sara looked around her and they were lying on the ground next to the park bench. The same spot where they were before the Tommy-cloud thing came down. Sara looked back at Beth who was now not just panicked and worried, she was horrified. “You saw who shoot me and kill me?” she demanded. Sara realized just how crazy all this must sound to Beth, hell it all sounded bat shit crazy to Sara and she was there for it all. “No more keeping things from her” she thought to herself. “I saw Tommy come down on a column of clouds and walk up behind you, put a gun to the back of your head and shoot you. I saw the bullet exit out of your forehead and I saw you fall. Right there.” Sara pointed to the ground only a foot or two away. She looked back towards Beth. She had tears openly streaming down her cheeks. She was crying. “Beth. I’m sorry.” She began. “No. Stop Sara. You have nothing to apologize for. Just, I don’t know what to do?! I don’t know how to help you; I’m lost, so lost.” Beth gave into the ragged breaths and tears.

  The park was silent except for the sounds of a young lady in complete distress over not being able to help someone she loved. Sara wept too. It was another hallucination, another part of her insanity coming to the forefront. The breaking of two hearts stilled the cold blustery day. Not due to malice on their part, but because neither knew where to go from here. For once, Beth’s unending optimism couldn’t overcome their current situation. “Beth? Sara?” came a voice from the gates of the park. It was a voice both of them knew well. It was Jackie. Beth glanced backwards to make sure of the identity of their guest. Then turned back towards Sarah, who was still on the ground, blood seeping out of the gash in her knee. Sara knew she probably looked like a hot mess. “We’ve got to tell her everything.” Beth said in a low whisper. “She may be able to help us.” Sara didn’t relish the idea of telling her motherly figure she was losing her mind, but she knew Beth was right. This was getting too big for them to handle on their own. Beth helped Sara stand up and they both walked to towards the gate to the park, to a puzzled looking Jackie. “What’s going on you two? And what happen to your knee Sara?” Jackie’s voice had the motherly hint of alarm in it. “Let’s get back to the apartment and we’ll explain everything.” Beth pleaded. “Sure. Sure. Need help or can you walk on your own Sara?” Her knee was sore, but nothing she hadn’t had before. “I’m good, let’s just go.” The three of them crossed back over to the other corner to the apartment building that loomed into the sky like a beacon of safety.

  Once settled in and hot totties in hand, Jackie started by making small talk, catching the two haggard looking woman up on events in her life, avoiding the elephant in the room till they were ready to talk about it. She regaled them with her shopping escapades and the near accident she was almost in a few days ago. They had drank the entirety of their first round of drinks and went to wine. “So. Do either of you want to tell me exactly what that was outside earlier?” Jackie asked abruptly. Sensing that neither one of the women wanted to fill her in on the most peculiar sight she stumbled on. Both Beth and Sara looked at each other, seemingly trying to convey that each should start off. Sara looked at Jackie then back to Beth, then to Jackie again. She turned her gaze to the toe of her boot as she began. She told Jackie all about each of the episodes she had had since Jackie moved out and back into her own place. She told her about the Doctor she thought she went and saw every Tuesday but apparently there was no doctor to begin with. She relayed the entire incident in the cab and her conversation with Beth afterwards. Jackie interrupted her here and asked about the Doctor. “Well, so. The night shift doctor who took care of me at the hospital had a friend who worked in psychiatry, after a few
of the earlier episodes I thought I had nothing to lose so I called my doctor up and got the name and number. The next day I called the number and sent an appointment for later that day. We, Beth and I, started going every Tuesday afternoon. The doctor had given me a journal to write everything down in that happen, but since that Tuesday with the cab driver, I haven’t been able to find the journal. Calls placed to the number come back with the same recording every time about the number was disconnected or no longer in use. After a while, I finally began to think I had dreamed the whole thing up, especially since Beth has no recollection of any of it.” Sara concluded. Jackie seemed to pounder this for a bit. “Sara, can you describe to me in detail this Doctor’s office?” Sara closed her eyes and searched her memory. It was there, clear as day. She told Jackie everything she could remember in as vivid detail as possible. When she was done, she opened her eyes and looked at Jackie. Jackie took all of it in and gave a few more minutes to thinking about everything she had heard. “Where was the office located?” She finally asked. “At the hospital office complex on the corner of NW 128th and Calumet.” Sara recited. Jackie looked confused. “Sweetie, there is no NW 128th and no Calumet.” “I know, Beth told me.” Sara replied a little exasperated. Jackie was quite a few moments longer then asked “Can you give me directions?” She turned her puzzled and a little worried face to Sara. Sara gave her explicit directions to the non-existing address. “Sara, so you think this Doctor Morgan stuff is part of an episode you had? Several months seems like a long time to have a single episode. Especially since you can remember so many vivid details and even recite directions to get there. So, logically speaking, either you really are bat shit crazy, or a part of town has utterly disappeared and no one else but you has any memory of it ever existing. You have a beautifully vivid imagination my dear, but I don’t think it’s so powerful to conjure up that much detail and sustain it for so long.” Jackie took a sip of her wine and Sara and Beth exchanged a look of bewilderment between themselves. “Actually,” Sara began “A large part of town has disappeared. Under the fog.” She said quietly. This time Beth and Jackie exchanged a similar look Beth and Sara had shared. “So you say that under the massive fog bank lies a part of the city no one else knows about but you?” Jackie asked. “Well, ya. I guess that’s what I’m saying.” Sara wasn’t so sure any more of the growing idea that had taken root over the last several weeks. “Well!” Jackie exclaimed, “Why don’t we simply take a drive out there and see what if what you think is true!” Sara couldn’t believe that neither she nor Beth had ever thought of that themselves. It would have saved Sara a lot of stress and worry. Sara looked over at Beth who gave a gentle nod and it was unanimous. “Good! Right then, we shall leave at first light. Until then, if the world is going to slowly disappear under some malicious fog, I say tonight we drink ourselves into a stupor!” With that Jackie refilled all three wine glasses.