I was left for dead. The scavengers
fed upon my ridicule. I had to get out of this place before they came again.
This time they would leave nothing behind. I wouldn’t have time to shed one
tear before they got me.
I lifted my head. The hallway
was empty except for abandoned loose-leaf paper and miscellaneous articles of
trash. The bell had rung.
I slowly got to my feet, aching
from the pain.
What
just happened? I looked around, expecting a tumbleweed to skip across
the solace hallway. I brushed my jeans off and tugged at my t-shirt a bit.
There,
good as new. I strode down the hall, peering into the void rooms.
Gone. Everyone, gone. They had left long ago. Cowards.
I slid my hand along the
lockers, leaving strokes of dustless streams flowing across the doors. A
critter scurried past me, making me jump back for a second.
“Run little guy. Get out of here while you still have the
chance.” My voice was like a stranger’s, unfamiliar and awkward. It had been
weeks, maybe even months, since I had heard it. It used to comfort me, but now
I saw no point in talking out loud; my head was just fine for conversation.
Flashes of the past kept
flickering in my mind. The dreams came in the day and at night. I couldn’t hide
from them. They frightened me. They were all too real, making me feel like I
was reliving them again. My mind was mysterious; it created such illusions to
frazzle me, to frighten me, to remind me. The past was a nightmare, destined to
haunt my mind until the day I die.
These halls were like a ghost
town, barren and eerie. I was alone.
I didn’t mind being alone much anymore. That phase had
already passed. Plus, I knew that there were others just like me still out
there, hiding. I would find them and together we could avenge our world. We
would fight like others before us. Maybe this time we would win. The invaders
were strong and merciless. Well, almost merciless. They had spared me, hadn’t
they? But then again, I was alone, not in an army or militia. I had no weapons,
nothing but myself to defend me. That’s why they had taken out the others.
Annihilated them all. Everyone, gone.
I never
wanted to fight; I saw no point of it. They were much stronger and smarter than
our human race, more tactful and skilled. That’s why it was so easy to
obliterate us. We tend to flock together rather than go off on our own. We make
ourselves an easy target. We are sheep in a universe of lions. But there are
some lone wolves living among the sheep, myself being one of them. I never id
do what society elected as “normal.” I guess that’s why they spared me. I was
unique, one of a kind. Just like the invaders.
However,
I was flawed. My constant hallucinations separated me from them. Like the runt
of the litter, too small to keep up, to impaired to be cared for. No choice but
to be alone. Which is why they didn’t keep me to be one of them. But if I found
the others again, I’m sure that I would not be spared a second time. They would
see that I needed other people to survive in this post-apocalyptic world and
kill me on the spot. No second thoughts to be given at all. So I debated
whether I really wanted to find them or not. On one hand, we could train and
fight and possibly win our world
back; on the other hand, definite and immediate death for all of us.
I turned a corner and stopped
dead in my tracks. The smell hit me first. The aroma was so thick, I was
suffocating. I’d only seen a dead body a couple of times before, and for the
most part that was after the mortician had done his job. Now, piled up before
me, lay hundreds upon hundreds of my own kind. A holocaust. What reporters had
predicted, it was true. This was another holocaust. Genocide of the human race.
The sight in front of me reminded me of pictures I
had seen from the Holocaust. Nazis
would pile Jews up, building massive walls with their limp and rotting
corpses. It terrified me and gave
me goose bumps. I used to think,
“How can humanity be that cruel?
What could possess someone to exterminate an entire race?” Now I realized that these conflicts go
beyond Hitler’s Germany, and Darfur.
However,
this went way beyond Hitler’s cruelty. This frightened me more than the
invasion. More than anything I’ve ever seen or heard before. Terrified faces of friends stared back
at me blankly. Emerald. Aiden. Kaine. Zara. Probably more.
My
eyes swelled with tears. Disbelief and fear were all that I could muster up. I
stood there, paralyzed. One thought was on my mind.
I
have to get out of here. NOW!
I
quickly backed out the way I came. I couldn’t stand seeing the mangled bodies
of my peers any longer. I sprinted down the halls, turning corners cautiously.
Although I knew this place like the back of my hand, it all seemed alien to me
now as I searched for an exit, any way out possible. I cleared a small set of
stairs and tried to do the same with the next set. I tripped on the third to
last stair and tumbled down the rest and into a wall.
“Aaaggghhh!!!”
I screamed out in pain. I laid there for a minute or two, trying to get the
feeling back into my legs. I eased myself up, feeling a sharp pain in my right
leg. Testing my weight on it, I decided it was ok enough to continue on.
I
took it easy on the next set of stairs, going down each one instead of jumping
them all at once. I finally
reached the ground floor. I made
myself a little more aware of my surroundings, cautious about any sound that
reached my ears. This was more
dangerous territory than upstairs.
They could be lurking around every corner down here, searching for a
good kill. They never went too far
into a building. I assume it was
for some sort of safety issue—or something like that.
I
took quick and quiet steps, darting my eyes in every direction to make sure I
wasn’t being stalked. I probably
looked ridiculous with my over dramatic, insect-like movements.
Just
as I passed by the cafeteria, I heard something.
“Errggll…”
It sounded close. Like a gurgling noise.
Then I realized where it was coming from. I looked down at my stomach just as it sounded again.
“EEERRRGGGLLL…”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had something in my belly. I was starved.
I
remember when food was a lot easier to come by. When we were a group, the men
would go out and hunt while the rest of us sat around and waited inside. We had
reverted to something we hadn’t been as a human race in a long time. Something
barbaric. After they left surviving was a bit harder, but every so often food
would just appear. Someone was still looking after me, or was at least. I hadn’t received any food for a few weeks, so I had
to take up scavenging.
I
turned my head to the cafeteria, back to my stomach, then to the cafeteria
again.
There’s gotta be something still in there,
I told myself. I peeked through
the tiny window on the door to see if any of them were lurking in there. The coast was clear. I tugged on the heavy oak door. It wouldn’t budge. I tried the other one. Still nothing. I didn’t want to make too much noise,
so kicking it down was out of the question. Trying one last tug at the doors, I finally threw my hands
up in defeat—food wasn’t worth getting caught for.
I
continued down the hall, still presenting my jerky, cautionary movements. Just as I was about to give up finding
a way out of this hell hole, I came across a set of doors that had sunlight
streaking through they windows. A
desperate smile spread across my face as I slammed through one of the doors.
Sunlight
blanketed every inch of my body.
My dirt splattered face soaked up the great warmth. I had forgotten how amazing the outside
world was. However, there wasn’t
the same feeling of bliss that I once had when dancing in the sun. All around me showed evidence of a
dying world. Grass was brown and
brittle with age. Trees, leafless
and dead, stood like twigs in wet sand.
The air had a bite to it, unusual for the middle of July.
The
invasion did not do this. We were
ending our existence before the invasion even came. The irony struck me as morbidly humorous.
I
made my way to the curb to rest for a bit. I eased myself down, stretching my right let out in front of
me. I pulled up my pant leg to see
what damaged had been done. A
large gash had been the culprit of the dark stain on my jeans. The gore brought back the terrible
visions.
I
couldn’t believe they had been caught.
Aiden was always the smart one.
I just knew he would get them out of here safely. I guess he proved me wrong—like he
always did.
One
wet tear ran down my cheek. My
friends were gone. I was
alone. It’s funny how a person can
go on through life, living as if everything was fine even if they knew it
wasn’t, and then something happens, the truth is shed upon them abruptly, and
then they finally break down. They
finally see how cruel and morbid and disturbing their world is. I was having one of these moments.
I
buried my face in the palms of my hands and broke down. A wave of depression and guilt and
sorrow crashed over me.
Depression, because I knew their fate would soon be mine; guilt, because
I should’ve been dead instead of them; sorrow, for both theirs and my
loss. I never thought I could feel
this much pain. Everyone around me
was being murdered. My life was a
massacre.
After
about ten minutes or so, I slowly lifted my head. First, my hands started to shake, then up through my arms,
down to my legs, and then my whole body.
It was happening again. My
head tilted back, my eyes rolled back into my skull; my breathing became quick,
short gasps for air. I gritted my
teeth and let the fit take its course.
After all, I could do a thing about it, so no point or reason to hold it
back. I fell backward onto the
concrete, my whole body spazing out. And then—blackout. Goodnight—that’s all folks.
My vision was fuzzy. This room was oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d
seen it before. I stood there, in
the middle of the room, nothing but chairs and me. The chairs lined the walls. There was no door and no windows. I looked up and saw the night sky, hazy and only a few
stars. Then…they arrived.
One
after another, they leaped from the outside into my little room. My eyes were wide with fear. I tried to run to the other side of the
room, but one of them grabbed me by m y hair. I jerked back and shrieked. He pulled me close to him, so close I could smell his sweet
odor. I tried to keep from showing
fear, which was how they chose first kill. My breathing steadied and I held my fists tight at my
sides. He whispered something
incomprehensible into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He barked an order at the three others,
and then they left. It was just he
and I. He threw me to the floor and
took a menacing step towards me.
His eyes were red with fiery anger. I crawled backwards to one of the chairs by a nearby wall. I climbed into the sear and watched him
casually make his way closer to me.
“I’m
not afraid of you.” I told
him—keeping my voice monotone. I
had to keep from showing how terrified I truly was. He stopped in front of the chair, towering over me. He clasped one hand on my face, four
fingers on one side and his thumb on the other. He pulled up, making me stand up at his pace. He was only about a head taller than
me, which wasn’t new to me at all; I had always been pretty small. He looked me in the eye so intensely,
as if searching for something beyond my eyes. Then he spoke in a tongue I could understand.
“You
are not one of them.” His voice
sounded like an angel’s, soothing yet not from modern times. “You
are…unique. Different from them-
in mysterious ways. You have a name?”
“Ye…yes.” I quickly nodded. “It’s Armedia. My
name is Armedia.” No one ever called me by my full name though. My friends just called me Dia—for
short.
“Armedia?
Well, Armedia, it will be a shame to have to kill you.” He was sincere. “Such a beautiful name.” He cocked his head a bit to the side
and smirked, the anger never leaving his eyes. Then, he jumped at me.
I woke up screaming. I had broken a sweat and my heart was racing. Instinctually I felt my face, as if
searching for damage. I was
fine. I steadied my pulse and
examined my surroundings. I
must’ve been out for hours; the sky was already a deep plum shade.
I
rose up, taking a deep breath. A
quick shiver ran through my body.
It had gotten colder since I got out here. I looked around; trying to determine which way would be the
best path to take.
I
couldn’t stay inside the school anymore, not with death lingering inside its
halls. But I did need to stay
close by. I was using some of the
lockers to keep supplies in. If I
wanted to survive, I had to find some place nearby so I could come and go as
needed. To the left of me was a
wooded area. They would expect to
find humans hiding there. I shook my head at the option and turned to my right.
More trees, but not dense like the woods on the other side. These trees were
only thick enough to separate the school grounds from the neighborhood next
door. I decided to take this
route. The houses were empty and
maybe even stocked up. If
anything, I’d at least have a bed to sleep in. Maybe even working lights and running water.
I
quickly made my way across the empty parking lot, through the brush, and into a
backyard. I still hadn’t gotten
used to seeing neighborhoods not lit up.
Back before the invasion people would leave lights on almost all night
long, or sometimes the blue from a TV screen would illuminate entire
rooms. Even after the light sin
houses were put out, the streets would always be bright with street lamps and
walkway lights. Now, the only
light I used to guide my way was from the night sky. It was a full moon tonight, which was great for me, given my
situation. However, it was also my
enemy. I would be much easier
spotted than on a night with less illumination. So I had to be quick and unseen choosing my new
hideout.
I
sprinted up a slight hill and to a sliding glass door. I cupped my hands to the glass a peeked
inside. It looked clear from what
I could see, so I eased the door open slowly. An odd odor crashed over me. Death. I
swiftly closed the door, holding my breath. This house was a no.
I
ran to the next house over, staying in the shadows and low to the ground like a
predator. This one had no direct
door to the basement; I would have to use the backdoor. I was wary about
stepping foot onto the back porch, fearing that the old wood would either give
way under my foot or cause too much noise. I decided to make my way to the next house.
This
one had a door to the basement with a small window in the top half. I couldn’t see much through the window,
but I took my chances with this house anyway.
The
door opened easily, without any creaks to give me away. I stepped inside, aware of any sudden
sounds or movements. I stood there
for a movement, allowing my eyes to adjust to the bitter darkness. Soon enough, I could see the room with
no troubles.
It
was a modest room, not overdone in the least—fully finished and furnished; this
made an excellent upgrade from my shabby classrooms and teacher’s lounge. There were three doors visible from where I
stood, all to my left. I made my
way over to one of them. I put my
ear up to it to make sure nothing or no one was on the other side of it. After hearing nothing I cracked the
door open. I saw a towel hanging
on a glass door and some bottles sitting on a shelf. I opened the door the rest of the way to reveal a small
bathroom.
I
took a mental note of this room and closed the door. The next room appeared to be some kind of office space. A desktop was positioned over in the
corner, its monitor black with death.
I told myself that I'd come back later to see if it worked.
I
closed this door simultaneously as I opened the next. An enormous bed practically filled the room. My eyes lit up with joy as I ran and
jumped onto the bed. It had been
ages since I had slept in a real bed.
I
pressed my face into a pillow and inhaled a fresh linen aroma. It had been eve longer since I’d
smelled clean sheets. I layed there for a while, pretending that I was back at
home and everything was O.K. Soon,
my mom would come in and wake me up for school. I wouldn’t want to get up and I’d bury myself under my
covers. It was like my burrow, my
den. I was constantly hibernating.
Just
as I thought I was about to fall asleep, something hit me. Why were there fresh sheets on a bed no
one would sleep in? Even if they
were clean before the residents left, the smell would be this strong. I quickly got off the bed and ran out
of the room.
I
debated whether or not I should check the rest of the place out. If I did, I could very possibly run
into someone I’d rather not run into.
If I didn’t, they would run into me. Neither of which sounded very pleasing, but I’d rather be
ready for them than be found by them.
I
looked for something that could be turned into a weapon. There was a small lamp resting on an
end table. I traced its cord back
to the wall and unplugged it.
Wrapping the cord around the base of the lamp, I made my way across the
room. I found a large pool table
taking up the other half of the room with a bar area to the left of it. Beyond
the bar resided another door and a set of stairs leading up to the first floor.
I opened the door slowly,
revealing a storage closet. I made
a note to search there later for anything I could use. I turned toward the stairs and looked
up.
It
was a narrow stairway that took a sharp left turn. I started up them, gripping my lamp-turned-bat tight in my
hands. The door to the first floor
was shut. Whoever was once living
or currently living here sure didn’t want anyone to go into these rooms.
I
twisted the knob and eased the door open.
This whole house seemed to be a maze. To my right were two hallways, one leading to a living room
and the other to somewhere behind me.
On my left was the front door and another staircase leading to a balcony
on the second floor. A large
chandelier hung overhead; the moonlight danced across the diamonds and onto the
walls like a disco ball.
The
floor creaked up here, so I had to be light on my feet. I tiptoed down the hallway that snaked
behind me and ended up in the kitchen.
There were three large glass windows that looked over the backyard. If anyone else was here, they probably
already knew I had snuck in. There
weren’t any shades or blinds on the windows so I had to be cautious and avoid
being near them. There were more
entryways in here. One connected
to a dining room with more large windows.
One was closed. I assumed
it led to a garage of some sort. I
cautiously walked over to the third.
It led to the living room I had seen earlier. This house was one big circle!
I
turned around quickly, fearing that I was being talked. I went through the dining room and
appeared in the foyer with the stairs and the front door and the
chandelier. Then I saw it! A quick
flash of light, as if someone was quickly putting out a candle or turning off a
flashlight. I was not alone. I was
being stalked. But I was ready.
I
tiptoed across the foyer into a smaller living room. The flash had come from the large one I had seen
earlier. I inched through a door
way and into the large living room.
There were two couches, a big screen TV, and 3 more large windows
staring back at me. I saw his
reflection in the TV.
He
was crouched down behind on of the couches; waiting for me to inch closer. He turned his head toward the TV,
watching me stand there, paralyzed.
He had seen me coming, even from outside. But why was he living in here? They had camps set up in several areas, where they all slept
and ate and lived. They only come
out here to kill and that did not involve stakeouts.
Maybe
he wasn’t one of them? Maybe he
was human, hiding out here like I wanted to. There was terror in his eyes; I could see it even in the
dark. He had to be human, I just
knew it. But I had to make sure.
“Uh,
um, if anyone’s in here, I, uh, I’m one of you. I’m normal. I’m human.” I waited there patiently for him to
respond. Instead, I heard a
click. His flashlight illuminated
the room, casting eerie shadows across the walls. He stood up slowly, and I noticed something else in his
hand. A gun.
I
raised my hands up signaling I was not up for a fight. The lamp said otherwise. I looked at the lamp and chuckled
lightly.
“I
thought you could use a little more light up here.” I joked. I set the lamp on the floor beside me
and looked him in the eye. He was
familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen him before. He stared back at me,
showing no sign of fear but still signs of caution. He wasn’t convinced with my
lamp story or with my “I come in peace” crap. I took a step forward.
He stood in place, watching me intently. “So, uh, nice place you’ve,
uh, got here. Very… homey.” I took another nervous step towards him.
“This
isn’t my place.” Although he spoke in monotone, I could tell his voice had some
sort of accent to it. It was beautiful, almost like…
I
couldn’t breathe. My knees shook violently and I fell to the ground. As the
room around me faded, I could still hear his voice. Panicked and frantic it
came now.
“Miss!
Miss! Hello?! Are you ok?!” Soon, he too faded away.
A
siren sounded in the distance. He had me pinned to the cold tile floor, his
claws just centimeters from tearing my face off. He turned his head, listening
to the low rumble of the blaring siren. Then he turned back to me.
Still,
even in death’s grip, I was fearless. Or, at least I appeared fearless. I would
die appearing fearless if I had to. He lifted me to his face. Again, his sweet,
seductive odor hypnotized me, dancing around me, caressing my skin. I wondered
if anyone else had gotten this close to them without being massacred.
“There is something about you.
Something… I cannot explain it, but it is there.” His words were like music to
my ears. He scanned my face over with his eyes again, searching for his missing
answer.
Just
as I thought I could stay forever in his presence, the three he had sent off
before appeared behind him; back from their mission, I suppose.
“Play
dead,” he quickly whispered to me, dropping me to the floor. I layed there, as
still as possible, and held my breath. He turned around and spoke in their
tongue.
I
assumed he was a higher rank than the others, or maybe they were his posse. The
way he spoke to them seemed authoritative and demanding. They listened quietly
and attentively, never speaking out of turn. He pointed in a direction and they
all nodded. They took off in the given direction, and a few moments after they
left, he turned back to me.
Kneeling
down, he put one hand on my shoulder slightly.
“You
must not stay here. I will take you to where it is safe. Do you understand?”
I
nodded quickly, dumbfounded by why he wasn’t killing me.
“Why…” He put a finger to my lips and
shook his head. Lifting me over his shoulder with incredible ease, he leaped up
into the night sky and over the wall.
These
door-less and windowless rooms
were built to protect people. We didn’t realize that the invaders were so
skilled that they could merely jump these walls like one could with a two-foot
fence. Instead of being there for protection, they made perfect holding pins
for us sheep.
He
ran with me through a wooded area. Trees and some nighttime creatures whisked
by as we made our way to my destination. He finally exited the woods and set me
on my feet.
“Here.
You will stay here.” He jutted his chin toward my old school building.
Eastpoint High School, home of the buffalo. Four years of my life wasted away
in these halls. I knew my way around this place like it was my own home, but I
definitely didn’t love it like it was.
He
ushered me forward, hinting to me that it was time we parted ways. But I had to
know before he left. Why had he spared me?
I turned to him and looked him in the
eye. His were no longer the fiery red from before but rather a soft, pale blue.
If I didn’t know better, I would’ve assumed he was human. I never knew they
were able to camouflage themselves like that. That must make it easy to hunt
any unsuspecting humans, like myself.
I
quickly shook the thought away, took a deep breath, and prepared to ask him.
The
siren was still blaring in the background, so I guess that’s why I didn’t hear
them coming.
His
eyes grew wide with fear as I pulled away from behind. The one holding me
hissed in my ear as the other grabbed my arms and legs. I thrashed wildly
about, trying to throw them off of me, but to no prevail. They were much
stronger than I.
They
tore and bit at me, laughing and shrieking from amusement. I cried out in pain
as a claw swiped my cheek. I felt blood trickle down every inch of my body.
This
was the end.
I shot up quickly, gasping for air. The room was softly
lit with candles and the smell of freshly brewed tea was in the air. I looked
around, expecting to see them crowded around me. I relaxed as I realized it was
just another dream.
I threw my feet over the bed and
felt a slight draft. I looked at my legs and saw bare skin. My pants were gone!
I shot glances around the room, scanning for the jeans, but still they were
M.I.A.
I grabbed a blanket from the end
of the bed and wrapped it around my waist like a skirt. As I tried to recall
what happened, I remembered the guy I ran into. A disturbing thought slithered
across my mind as I exited the room.
I was back in the basement
again, but this time I was able to get a better view. Candles were lit on end
tables and across the bar counter, illuminating the room and revealing the
shabby nature of the furniture.
From the bathroom, I heard water
running and splashing. I slowly crept the door open, unveiling where the sound
had come from. My host was standing at the sink, jeans in hand, holding them
under steamy water.
He quickly looked up as he noticed that I had entered the
room. He glanced down at the blanket around my waist curiously, and then
returned his gaze to me.
I gave him a suspicious look,
eyeing my pants not so subtly. My stare soon registered in his mind and
realization spread across his face.
“I was cleaning them. They had
blood on the leg. I didn’t think you’d want to be walking around smelling like
prey, that’s all.” He spoke slowly, as if talking to a child. He didn’t look
much older than me, maybe in his early or mid-twenties. His eyes were a vibrant
jade, complimenting the reddish-brown hair that fell over his face. He had hair
under his chin of a darker shade.
“I fell.” I told him, explaining
the blood.
“I figured as much.” He shyly
looked at me, then went back to the pants.
“So… what’s your name?” I wanted
to keep a conversation going; his voice was so heavenly.
“Max. Just Max. And yours?” He
glanced up at me as he spoke.
“Armedia. But you can just call
me Dia. It’s easier to pronounce.” I chuckled a little at that. “So, what kind
of name is that? Max? Maaax.” I
twirled the name around in my mouth for a moment. “It’s so… different.” He gave
me an odd look, like I had said something offbeat.
“It’s a normal name. A human
name.”
“What do you mean by that?” I
shot him a puzzled look. I was human. Did he suspect differently? If he did,
why was he helping me?
“You don’t trust me, do you?” I
confronted him. He only glanced up, shook his head, and went back to washing my
jeans. I was getting frustrated with this Max
guy. I didn’t know if he was shaking his at the question or at me.
As I turned away, heading back
to the bedroom, he answered my question.
“I don’t trust any woman lurking
around outside at this hour.” I could hear the humor in his voice. I shook my
head and smiled softly to myself, and continued to the room.
I located where the tea smell was coming from. On the
dresser sat a small tea set; steam rose from the decorative, ceramic kettle. I
poured myself a cup and sipped it slightly. It was soothing, to say the least,
especially because it had been quite awhile since I last had something hot. I
had been living off of snacks from the vending machines for the past few weeks,
eating only when I really needed it. Occasionally I would come across old
apples in teachers’ desks, but
they were too horrible to even fathom eating. Hot tea was something I never
dreamed of tasting again. It comforted me as I went to sit on the soft bed.
About an hour passed by and I
remained in the room. Max would occasionally poke his head in, checking on me
and seeing if I needed anything. I shook my and smiled each time, thanking him
for the offer. I’m not sure what time it was, but I soon drifted off to sleep.
It’s strange about my dreams.
When I fall asleep I never dream. At least, I don’t recall any dreams I may
have had. But when the fits occur, I dream so vividly. Maybe it’s my mind’s way
of making up for the lost dreams in my sleep.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad I
don’t dream like I do when I’m unconscious. I would never want to sleep knowing
I’d return to the hallucinations.
It didn’t seem like too much
later when I awoke to Max shaking me fiercely.
“I’m up, I’m up! What’s wrong?”
Although alarmed, I was still a bit sleepy.
“You’re
a really deep sleeper, do you know
that?” He seemed to have lost the tension he was harboring before, shown by his
now playful nature.
“Yes, I realize this. But why’d
you wake me up? I was tired.” I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand.
He smiled and raised an eyebrow.
“One would assume that after
having a very long day, as I assume you’ve had, that a young lady would desire
nothing more than a nice, hot shower.” He had a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
But a shower did sound nice.
I looked down at my
dirt-splattered hands, noticing bits of dust and clay wedged under my
fingernails. I was used to rinsing off in the school bathrooms with only the
sinks and the hand dryers. A shower sounded like something fit for royalty
right now.
I bit my bottom lip and nodded
shyly as he helped me out of bed. I could only imagine what I reeked of as he
led me to the bathroom and showed me how to work the knobs. I thanked him and
shut the door behind him. I thought about locking the door, but decided against
it. He seemed to be mature and well-mannered enough. I turned the shower on
like he showed me and quickly undressed.
The water was like ecstasy as it
reached my bare skin. I ducked my head under the spray and ran my fingers
though the wet and tangled lump that was my hair. Water streamed down my back,
caressing every curve of my body. I stood there for a few minutes, just
enjoying the steamy water explore my body. A shower had never felt so good in
my life.
After I got used to the
mesmerizing touch of the liquid bliss, started to bathe. The water became
muddled with dirt as I scrubbed away the day’s reminiscence. Just as I was
rinsing the shampoo from my hair, Max knocked on the door.
“Hey, I’m going out for a bit!
I’ll be right back! Don’t leave the basement!” he shouted through the thick
door.
“O.K.!” I yelled back. I
finished rinsing and turned the shower off. I stepped out, feeling a draft as I
grabbed for my towel. I wrapped it around me, making sure I was decent, and
opened the door, stepping out into the main room. Max was on the couch tying up
his boot.
“So where are you going?” I asked, walking towards him. He
looked up after pulling his shoe strings tight and seemed a little shocked. I
guess he wasn’t used to wet, almost naked, strange women walking about. I
smirked a little and sat on the arm of the same couch.
“Uh, um, … out. I’m headed out.”
His voice was shaky. I could tell he was a little nervous, so I decided to play
with him a little bit.
“Well, why are you going out?
It’s dangerous out there you know. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.” I batted
my eyes, faking concern.
“Um, I, uh… to hunt. For food,
why aren’t you wearing any clothes?” He shook his head and finished up with his
boot. I laughed a bit at both him and his question.
“What? You want me to put dirty
clothes back on?” I gave him a sly look.
“Well, uh, no. But I do want you
to put some clothes on.” He shielded
his eyes with his hand.
“Well, what do you expect me to
do? Pull some clean ones out of my –”
“We’ll find you some clothes.
Here, come with me.” He got up and walked over to the stairs. I followed,
staying close behind. He led me up the second flight of stairs and into another
bedroom. The room was a mess, I’m surprised if anyone actually lived in here.
He
opened the closet and turned towards me.
“I hope it fits.” He seemed
tense again. He pushed past me and back downstairs, knocking over a small
picture frame a nightstand and muttering something as he left. I ignored his
rude gesture and went for the closet. I found a simple pair of jeans only a
size too big, a belt, and a long sleeve shirt. I also grabbed a long t-shirt
and a pair of sweatpants to sleep in. Might as well take advantage of it all
while I’ve got it.
I immediately changed into the sweats and t-shirt. As I
was leaving, I thought I’d take a look at the picture on the nightstand. I went
over to it curiously and picked it up. In it was a young girl, probably about
my age, and a golden retriever. The girl wasn’t bad looking. She had wavy,
brown, shoulder-length hair that blew over her face. She had a beautiful white
smile and glistening green eyes. She swept her hair away with ivory toned
hands. She looked athletic with her well-developed arms and legs. Her high
cheekbones hinted at some Cherokee in her blood. She obviously went to school
with me because she dawned an Eastpoint t-shirt like the many I owned. I
wondered if she was there with Emerald, Aiden, and the rest?
I set the picture neatly back on
the nightstand and headed back to the basement. From what I could tell, it was
still rather dark outside. I was thankful Max still had the cover of the night
to protect him.
I reached the basement and
returned to my little room. I found it kind of funny that I thought of it as my room even though I had only been here
for a few hours. I threw my clothes for tomorrow onto the dresser, blew out the
candles that remained lit, and crawled into my new, nice, warm bed. I was
exhausted, and soon found myself in a deep slumber.
Morning came all too soon. I
awoke to a delicious smell, like bacon or honey ham, wafting through the air. I
got out of bed and followed the smell upstairs to the kitchen. There I saw Max
cooking away at the stove. He turned around and smiled as I entered the room.
“Morning. I hope you’re not a
veghead.” A huge grin spread across his face as he turned back to the stove.
“No, that smells incredible. What is it? Bacon?” I lifted
my nose to the air to inhale as much of the aroma as possible.
“You don’t want to know. Trust
me. I kind of hate myself for killing the poor thing.” He shook his head in
despair. I took his word for it and sat down at the small table by the windows.
His head shot up at me.
“Don’t sit there! They’ll see you.”
He hissed, eyes wild. I shot up and swiftly walked over to the other side of
the room. He gave me a stern look as I pulled a chair from the dining room into
the kitchen. I gave him an apologetic look as I sat back down. He kept his
stare a moment more, and then continued cooking.
We sat in silence in the
basement as we ate the mysterious but delicious meal. I could hear each bite he
took. They were tedious and small, like he was ashamed of eating in front of
me. I, however, ate as if I hadn’t seen food in years. It tasted just as good
as it smelled, but I didn’t dare think about what it was; I was afraid I’d soon
see breakfast again if it was anything too disturbing.
We finished eating, and he
offered to take my plate back upstairs. I handed it to him and picked myself up
off the floor. I figured I should probably go ahead and get dressed for the
day.
I made my way to the bedroom and
closed the door behind me. Grabbing the clothes that I had set out off the
dresser, I stripped down and stepped in front of the mirror that hung off the
back of the door.
