Afflicted

by Susanne Valenti

  "I don't even know how we're related," I muttered as I stood up.

  I considered rejecting his jacket but changed my mind as a cool breeze rushed through the courtyard. Ryan smiled as I slipped my arms into it and took my hand.

  We headed out of the school gates and made our way back to my house. Ryan was always easy to talk to and he filled the silence happily, reminding me why I'd started dating him in the first place. I wondered if I'd been harsh in thinking that I should break up with him. I gave his hand a little squeeze, willing a spark of excitement to blossom in my chest.

  As we neared my house, Ryan looked at me, his perfect white-toothed smile forcing me to smile back. I nudged him playfully as his smile widened and he pulled on my hand, forcing me to stop.

  "Do you feel better?" he murmured as he leant close, his free hand cupping my cheek.

  "I told you, you don't have to worry about me." I rolled my eyes as he pulled me closer.

  "I like worrying about you, thinking about you, being with you.."

  His kiss landed gently on my lips as I closed my eyes. I took half a step closer to him and kissed him again, leaning into him. His grip tightened on my hand and his kisses grew less hesitant as I responded to him.

  "Katy?"

  I spun away from Ryan so quickly that he practically stumbled. Only one person called me Katy.

  "Linc?" I gasped.

  He'd pulled his truck onto his mom's drive and was looking around at me from beneath the hood. I hadn't even noticed that he was there in the shadows. He was taller and broader than I remembered. Though I don't know what I'd been expecting - he was hardly still going to be the seventeen year old who'd left six years ago.

  I took a step towards him excitedly then paused as I realised I wasn't sure if he sounded happy to see me or not.

  "Didn't pick you for the cheerleading type," he said as he stood upright and moved into the light of the street lamp.

  "Doesn't sound like you know her very well," Ryan said as he took a step forward, positioning himself almost between us. "And she likes to be called Kaitlyn not Katy."

  Lincoln gave Ryan a sweeping glance and smiled lazily as he leant against his truck. "You a cheerleader too?" he asked.

  "I'm the Quarterback," Ryan replied coolly.

  Lincoln let out a snort of laughter. "Of course you are." He turned his dark gaze back to me. "You been doing anything other than living up to cliches the last few years?" he asked me casually.

  "I... just school and... Linc, I tried to get in contact with you-"

  "I don't imagine they liked us to receive letters from little girls," he replied. "Probably for the best anyway."

  I couldn't tell if he was joking or not and I paused, unsure how to phrase the apology I'd waited so long to make. I opened my mouth and closed it, feeling like an idiot as the seconds stretched.

  "It's getting late babe, we should get inside." Ryan reclaimed my hand and tugged me towards my house.

  I wanted to pull out of his grip, to stay and tell Lincoln every thought that had passed through my mind since that night six years ago. Make my apologies and beg him to forgive me but I didn't know where to begin. My mind was reeling from everything that had happened with Devlin and I couldn't get my thoughts in order. Ryan was leading me away and the distance between me and Linc was widening again.

  I made it to my front door and pulled my key from my pocket on autopilot. Ryan stayed close with his hand on the small of my back and his breath warming my neck.

  I fumbled the lock and had to turn the key twice before the door finally swung open. Before I took another step, I glanced over my shoulder.

  Lincoln was watching me, a wrench resting against his bicep as he folded his arms. "Night Katy," he called and blood rushed to my face.

  I stepped inside and turned back to block Ryan's way before he could follow. "See you tomorrow," I said as I started to close the door.

  Ryan's face dropped and he ran a hand through his sandy hair. "I thought I could come-"

  "Goodnight." I smiled brightly and shut the door in his face before he could finish his sentence.

  I leant against the heavy wood and took a deep breath as I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I had no idea if Lincoln was angry at me for what I'd done and I wanted more than anything to go back outside and tell him that I was sorry. It had haunted me for six years and I could finally tell him exactly how I felt, yet suddenly, opening that door seemed like the most difficult thing in the world.

  I stood still for long enough that my heart finally slowed again then took a deep breath. I was probably a coward but it was too late now, going back outside would just be weird.

  I headed into the kitchen to grab myself something to eat. I sighed as I opened the fridge and found it empty. Mom had mentioned something about not getting any groceries because of a stock problem at the store. I headed to the cupboard to find one big bag of chips left and snagged it.

  Reese's voice reached me from outside and I dashed to the stairs, bringing my bag of chips with me as I hurried into my room.

  I locked my door just as I heard the front door slam and laughed as I heard him cursing the lack of food in the kitchen. I shrugged out of Ryan's jacket and let it fall to the floor, hoping I'd remember it in the morning. I flicked my light on and moved to close my curtains.

  I couldn't help but look over at Lincoln's truck.

  I flinched as I spotted him staring up at me. His dark hair looked black in the moonlight and the street lamp cast shadows over his features. I couldn't tell if he was smiling or not.

  I gave him a quick wave and threw the curtains closed before hurrying away from the window. My heart started pounding again and I lay down on my bed, wondering what the hell I'd say to Lincoln if he was still there in the morning.

  Chapter Five

  Lincoln

  I watched in amusement as Katy shut the door in the Quarterback’s face. He raised a fist to knock, hesitated, then dropped it again, turning away.

  He caught my eye and I smirked at him as he flushed red.

  He stomped down the drive towards me, pulling his collar up as he passed, avoiding my gaze. I couldn't quite disguise my snort of laughter and he upped his pace, making a clear effort to put some distance between us. He headed away down the street and I turned back to the house next door.

  I leant back against the hood of my truck, twisting the wrench between my fingers and I let the warm feeling from the house’s windows seep into my bones.

  I'd spent so long trying to forget my childhood home and the man who'd made it hell for me that I'd almost forgotten the Lewises too. Katy and her family had been the one bright spark in my past. Their door was always open for me, offering food, comfort and even a little of something I'd never gotten at home: love. Family. They had made me feel welcome and worthwhile when my own parents hadn't.

  Shame rolled through me as I realised I'd turned my back on them just as thoroughly as I had on my parents. It wasn't a choice I'd even realised I'd made. But when I finally got away from this place I’d had to take what I was offered with both hands.

  A fresh start. A new life. It was a trade I'd willingly made and the best choice I'd ever been faced with. But I shouldn't have left everything behind so easily.

  Voices sounded behind me but I stayed where I was, shielded from view of the road by the open hood of my truck.

  “If Kaitlyn wasn't always so lame we could have had everyone round tonight,” Reese complained as he stomped up the drive to his house. His voice was deeper than I remembered but I recognised it all the same. I smiled as I saw him, tempted to call out and greet him but something held me back.

  “Maybe she was just upset about Devlin,” his friend replied, following him.

  “Yeah right. That would require her to care about anyone other than herself.” Reese pulled the front door open and the two of them headed inside.

  A smile tugged at my lips; some things never changed. It sounded like Katy and Reese still fough
t like cat and dog. My heart warmed a little at the thought. Maybe something good could come out of this visit after all. If I could reconnect with them then it would be worth the discomfort my childhood home offered.

  A light flicked on upstairs and my gaze was drawn to Katy’s window. I'd thrown pebbles at it enough times to know which was hers. I'd even climbed in and out of it once or twice before her dad had taken down the trellis to stop us from breaking our necks. Their house was our playground, freedom in its sweetest form. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it.

  Katy appeared at the window, looking down at me in surprise. She'd changed so much, I barely recognised her. The skinny eleven year old who'd loved to make mud pies and climb trees with me had been replaced by a girl the same age as I'd been when I left. Our relationship had been childish, I'd known that I was too old to be playing with them but it hadn't mattered. I'd never had anyone to play with when I was younger, never had a sibling or even any real friends my age. No one wanted their kids coming over to play at the old drunk’s house. So I made up for the childhood I'd missed with the kids next door, pretending that they were my family. Wishing it could be true.

  She had wide eyes and long brunette hair which was styled perfectly rather than windswept and full of leaves as it always seemed to be in my memories. I guess I should have expected her to change but somehow I'd never expected her to grow up.

  With a jolt I realised that I was staring up at her window like some kind of creep. Before I could decide to turn away or wave or do anything at all other than stare like a weirdo, Katy waved and shut the curtains between us.

  I ran a hand over the back of my head and let out a breath as I turned away. Suddenly this place didn't seem quite so desolate anymore. There was something here worth coming back for, I just hoped that they felt the same way about me. Perhaps they never missed the outsider who used to sit on the edges of their family. But I hoped that they had.

  I spun the wrench between my fingers, looking under the hood of my truck while I decided what to do. I’d figured out a while ago that it wasn't something I'd be able to fix myself; I was just using the work as an excuse to escape the house. Diane had spent most of the day watching me clean the crap she'd allowed to build up over the last month. She only had one thing to say of any real relevance. “You missed his funeral.” I wasn't sure if it was an accusation or if she thought I didn't know. Either way I thought it best not to respond. If she couldn't understand why I wasn't there by now then she wasn't about to figure it out no matter what I said.

  With a sigh, I dropped the hood back into place and tossed my few tools back into their bag. I'd have to take it to a shop in the morning and let them fix it.

  I carried the tools around the side of the house, sparing a glance for the hedge where a gap still lingered marking the years of passage between here and next door.

  An old shed sat at the end of the backyard and I headed inside, depositing the tool bag on the cluttered workbench. Like everything else in this place, the shed had festered over the years. Rust marred the garden tools and dust lined the shelves, covering the various things that had been dumped there.

  Spiders had made the place home in the absence of humans and I watched as one of them crept along a web in front of the window. Moonlight found its way in through the dirty glass and I watched the spider quietly for a few moments.

  I was stalling again and I knew it. The house wasn't going anywhere and neither was my mother but that didn't make it any easier to head back to them. Delaying the inevitable might be pointless but I was still going to do it.

  I flinched as something brushed against my ear and fell onto my shoulder. Looking down, I spotted one of the biggest spiders I'd ever seen crawling across my shirt.

  I moved to brush it off and a sliver of pain cut into me as it buried its fangs in my skin.

  “Little bastard!” I cursed as I knocked it away, sending it flying into a dark corner.

  Something else dropped onto my head and I swatted at my hair, feeling another spider knock against my fingers as I dislodged it.

  I looked up at the ceiling, squinting in the faint light as hundreds of creeping bodies came into focus. I'd never seen so many spiders in my life, let alone in one place. My skin crawled and I hastily took a step back towards the door. I'd never been afraid of insects but I'd never seen anything like that before.

  The ceiling looked like a living thing, writhing and twisting beneath more legs than I could possibly count. I stepped back again and my foot caught on the uneven floor. I grabbed the window frame to steady myself.

  My hand sank into the thick web which covered the window and stuck hard. I yanked on it but nothing happened.

  “What the f-“ movement pulled my gaze to the top of the window where the spiders were racing towards me.

  I gritted my teeth and tensed my muscles as I yanked my hand back again. This time, it tore free and I leapt out of the shed, throwing the door shut behind me as I ran to the house.

  I vaulted the rickety stairs and stood at the top of them, shuddering as the wave of adrenaline started to dissipate from my veins. I brushed my hands together, removing the last remnants of the web from my skin and frowned back across the lawn to the shed.

  My heart pounded in my chest as if I'd just come from a combat zone. I wondered if the spider venom was making me hallucinate or if the shadows had been playing tricks on me. There was no way there could have been as many of them as it had seemed but I was reluctant to go back and check.

  With a shake of my head I pulled the back door open and moved inside, sliding the bolt across behind me.

  The bite throbbed on my chest and I pulled my shirt off as I headed upstairs and into the bathroom.

  One thing I could rely on my mother for was a well stocked medical cabinet. I guess it always got good use when my father was alive.

  I pulled it open, finding a tube of antiseptic cream and some antibacterial wipes between the stacks of painkillers. Self medicating was a specialty of hers.

  I shut the cabinet again and looked in the mirror at the two puncture wounds just below my collar bone. It stung and there was a bit of swelling forming around it but I'd had a lot worse.

  I scrubbed at the small wound with the wipe then placed a blob of cream over the top of it.

  I'd have to do something about the shed, I'd never seen an infestation like that and I couldn't leave Diane to deal with it. I'd just have to add googling ‘how to move spiders out of a shed’ to my list of jobs for tomorrow.

  In a way I could be grateful to her for letting the place fall apart. I'd have plenty to keep me occupied during my stay. However long that would be. Part of me wanted to just pack my bag and leave in the morning but I knew that wouldn't help. There were demons here that needed facing and I shouldn't turn my back on them again. It didn't make it any less tempting though, perhaps I should just hit the road come dawn. Leave all this behind and never look back.

  I brushed my teeth and headed back downstairs, bringing spare blankets from the airing cupboard. I made myself comfortable on the couch, using the excessive collection of scatter cushions to my advantage.

  I doubted I'd be able to sleep well within these walls but I had to try.

  As I closed my eyes, wishing sleep to manifest, I found myself thinking about the girl next door again. And whether I owed her an explanation or not.

  Chapter Six

  Kaitlyn

  Sleep didn't come easily that night. I lay awake worrying about what I would say to Linc if I saw him again. Or what I should have said the night before in case he repeated his disappearing act. I needed him to know how sorry I was, I’d been afraid and stupid and it had seemed like the right choice at the time.

  When I woke up, his truck was gone. I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or relieved.

  I hurried to get ready for school and only noticed Mom and Dad hadn't come home when I reached the kitchen. Their keys weren't on the hook and there was no sign of them. I checked my cel
lphone and found three missed calls and two texts.

  Dad 21:37 - Hey, I hope you had fun at the game tonight, sorry I missed another one. They've asked me to work late again due to another terrorist scare but I promise I'll make it up to you when I see you. X

  Mom 22:09 - Hey Sweetheart, how was the game? I'm going to stay in the city and have dinner with your dad tonight. I've put some money in your account for a takeaway. Be nice to your brother and don't have any parties x x x and let me know you got home safe x x x

  Since they'd finished construction on The Wall and sealed off all entrances apart from the cable cars, the commute into Harbour City had become a nightmare. Dad was working in the city more and more often recently and he stayed there regularly too.

  The anti-population terrorists had made his work on the city even more essential with their increased activity in the last few years. Their aim was to undo the damage caused to the Earth by the massive human population. The sad thing was that they had a point. Once the world’s population exceeded ten billion it had become near impossible to feed everyone. Huge areas of rainforest had been stripped for farmland and factory farming had gone into overdrive. Scientists were continually developing new pesticides and genetically modifying crops to combat the problem. But still there were people starving and the solutions developed by the governments were always based on finding ways to feed everyone.

  The Anti-Pop had other ideas. They released diseases with no known cures to thin the population, planted bombs in crowded areas or assassinated politicians who approved plans that would damage the environment.

  Their goal was simple and not one that any government could help them achieve. They wanted the human race to stop destroying the planet. And the only way to achieve that was to massively reduce their numbers.

  I flicked on the TV in the front room to check out what the scare had been but I was too late to catch most of the news. The piece that was playing was about the city though and the newscaster was standing outside the towering Wall as she spoke. It completely surrounded the city, cutting it off from the outside entirely. She looked like a grain of sand standing before it. Utterly insignificant.