“I’m gonna go downstairs to get a drink and make some pizza. Do you want anything while I’m down there?” Kat asked, pushing herself up to rest on her elbows.
“I’ll be down in a minute. I’m gonna get changed.” I watched her jump off the bed and waltz out her door. The thumps of her footsteps rang through the walls as she jogged down the stairs, and I giggled when her melodic voice echoed as she started singing.
My gaze wandered over to the window behind Kat’s bed. It was late, probably around eleven. The streets below were just barely lit by the old street lamps, and the alleys between the houses were blanketed pitch darkness. The light outside of Kat’s house flickered off and on before going out entirely, leaving the street in inky darkness. Faint movement caught my attention, but it was difficult to see what it was. I scrunched my eyes, but it did little. It was probably just an animal.
As I started to turn away, more movement stopped me. My eyes struggled to adjust to the dark streets, but I could faintly see a man. Unrecognizable from this distance, he stumbled out of the alley, followed quickly by two others.
Their pursuer came into view, emerging from the pitch-black alleyway. He was accompanied by two others who followed close behind him, making it three-on-three. It was too dark to really make out any features, and they all wore hoods. The tallest of the pursuers walked up beside the first one I’d seen, flipping a long knife in his hand, and the others began to fan out their potential victims.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t only watch, and my attention was drawn to the pursuer standing in front. Dressed in all black, face hidden in the shadows of his hood, I couldn't see enough to figure out who it could be.
Air rushed into my lungs as one of the fleeing men lunged at him, attacking, but the hooded man shifted, clotheslining the attacker. The guy crashed onto his back, and the shortest of the hooded pursuers surged forward, pinning him down. The hooded man, who’d knocked him down, pulled something from his hip and jerked it above his head. In that instant, I could see that it was a long knife, almost like a dagger.
My heart sank as I watched him plunge it down into the guy’s chest, and I recoiled as the most horrendous screech assaulted my ears. The sound clawed its way into my mind, rattling me down to my bones. Before I could think, I was off the bed and racing down the stairs screaming for Kat to call the police.
* * *
Roughly a half an hour later, Kat and I sat on her front porch, wrapped together in a large blanket, her arm over my shoulder as she held me. The neighborhood was alight with the flashing red and blue lights cast from the cop cars parked in front of her house, and the neighbors had wandered onto their porches to see what the commotion was about. K9 units searched through the alleys between every house. Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived, there was no one in sight, no body, nothing.
I’d explained to the officers what I’d seen. However, when they searched the area, all they found was what looked like a large oil stain on the pavement, no blood or weapons. They must have thought I was insane, but the officers assured us they would keep looking and have an officer patrol the neighborhood tonight to ensure we were safe.
Had I lost my mind? Was it all a hallucination?
Kat and I moved back inside, my body still trembling, terror still rippling through me. The horrifying scream from the person they stabbed echoed through my mind. It was more like a banshee’s screech than a scream. “That sound I heard, I forgot to tell the cops about it. You heard it too, right? You had to. It was so loud.”
Kat blinked at me, a concerned look in her eyes. She rubbed my shoulders, trying to calm me. “Cas, I didn’t hear anything.”
7
The asphalt was icy under my bare feet, catching me off guard, and I found myself standing in a dark, narrow street. Cold air nipped at my exposed limbs, and a shiver ran up my spine. Familiar buildings surrounded me, as if I’d seen this street somewhere before, but my head felt foggy.
Puffs of white mist broke free from my lips with each breath. Every part of my body quivered uncontrollably, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the low night temperatures or the terror that held me captive. I turned, spying the old church clock tower peeking from above the rooftops of the nearby buildings, and I was relieved to know that I wasn’t far from home. It glowed dimly, barely visible against the foggy night sky. The city was quiet now, and all I could hear was the sound my bare feet made as they connected with the icy pavement.
Was I dreaming? How had I gotten here? What had I been doing before this? In the back of my mind, I could have sworn I’d just been with Kat, but I was unsure now. My memory felt… hazy.
The few lights nearby were so dim that darkness shrouded me. It had to have been in the early morning hours, as a thick mist had settled onto the dark streets. My teeth chattered and my feet were slow and hesitant under me as I stepped forward. A faint sound of movement reached my ears from behind me. My pulse thrummed, and I whipped around, scanning the area for the source of the sound. The street was empty, as far as I could make out. All I could hear now was the fall wind as it rustled through my hair, my heart a drum that pumped panic to every inch of my body.
“H–hello?” My words barely made it out of my throat. “Who’s there?”
Praying it was my adrenaline playing tricks on my mind, I turned back to continue walking. I choked on air as I found my path blocked by Damien.
“Oh my God!” My hands clamped over my mouth as I stumbled back. “Damien, don’t scare me like that!”
Wait a minute.I paused, brows knitting together. What was he doing here?
Shock swept over his face; his eyes widened at the sight of me. “What are you doing here?” His words were clipped, voice laced with worry, his face a combination of near terror and confusion.
My mouth opened to answer but my words caught in my throat, trying to figure that out myself. “I… I don’t know.”
“You need to get out of here, now. It’s too dangerous.” He grabbed my arm, pulling me along as he hurried down the road, and I couldn’t understand his urgency.
“What’s going on?” I asked as we began to sprint. His boots were oddly quiet as he ran, and the only sound I could hear was my bare feet smacking against the asphalt. “Why are we running?”
He lifted his hand to my face, hovering above my mouth to silence me as we turned sharply into an alley and came to a halt. He pushed me up against the brick wall, then pressed his own back against the wall beside me. He peered around the corner, his body like tightly wound cords, jaw clenched. The closest I’d seen him to this was when he’d confronted Marcus, but this was different.
His head pressed back against the wall, his eyes a reflection of calculated thoughts spinning in his head. It was almost like he was hiding from someone, something. What had Damien so freaked out? I’d never seen him so tense.
My own adrenaline was beginning to feed off the way he was acting, dread creeping over my skin. The temperature around us dropped, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Unlike Damien, I didn’t have a jacket. Then I looked down, realizing how I was dressed. I was in my night shorts and T-shirt. I’d been so disoriented I hadn’t even realized I was in my night clothes.
