Page 37 of Sugar and Skulls

He nods, offering me a little wave as he heads back inside.

I glance around the parking lot. It’s odd no one has followed or called me. Maybe Dan and the rest of them have given up on me already. I was pretty mean back at the shop. Oh, well. I’ve got so much going on it’s probably for the best.

Right now, I need to paint. I haven’t been out to the railyard in a long time. As I get closer my mind becomes a colorful swirl of lines and curves. I pull up amongst all the abandoned railcars. Some are occupied by squatters with nowhere else to go. Before I head to the cars I’ve claimed I walk around and greet the residents of rail town. Little fires pop up as the sun sets. I hand bills to those in need of food or clothing. Once I’ve made the rounds I unlock my sanctuary.

I turn the lantern on and close the door behind me. The light chases away shadows, my hopes and dreams come out to say hello. I have two railcars. This one holds my dreams. The other one…well let’s just say the other one I haven’t unlocked for a long time. It holds my nightmares.

Chapter Sixteen

Dirk

???

I’ve watched the little dot flit around on my phone all day. This girl is busy. When she went back to the trailer I moved closer to her. She must have been picking something up because she was only there for a few minutes. Now she is at the railyard and she’s been here for hours. Hours I’ve waited in the dark watching the box car for movement. She is in there alone, what the fuck is she doing? Maybe this was where she stayed when she went missing.

The door finally slides open. She emerges and locks it behind her. I watch as she stares at the car beside the one she came out of. She unlocks it and slides the door open. The light of the lantern dances across her face as she holds it in front of her to peer into the dark car. Jesse stands there, swaying slightly. She looks tired.

Her bag drops to the ground beside her and her hand goes to her throat. What the fuck is in there? Suddenly she reaches out and slams the door shut, frantically trying to lock it. I slide off my bike. She’s scared. I take a step but in the blink of an eye she has her bag and is jogging to her rod.

I stand there a few minutes before walking over to the box cars. It only takes me a few seconds before I’ve picked the lock of the first car, the one she spent so much time in. I step inside and flick my lighter. She has a lantern right beside the door. I turn it on and close the door behind me.

My gaze wanders over the vibrant colors that adorn the walls, the ceiling, the old rotted floor. Fresh paint stands out against the older faded pictures. Most of the old pictures are of a faceless man. The new one has a face. A face and a tattoo over his chest with her name. I rub my own chest as if the tattoo is on me. Christ, this girl makes me ache. Makes me…feel. Fuck!

I flip my phone to the video setting and stand in the middle of the car, slowly I spin in a circle stopping on the most recent image. I pause there. He needs to see this. Needs to know. A box car filled with him and all of the things she loves. Rainbows, roller skates and happiness.

As I’m locking the door I realize what this car contains. It’s her. The girl she was before her world crashed and burned. Under all that spunk and sass is a little girl with hopes and dreams.

When I unlock the other car, I see something entirely different. This one I understand. It’s ugly and scary. It’s her pain. Nothing looks newly painted here. No. This happened long before she came here. Demons, religious relics, skulls…death. I hold my arms out in front of me, studying my black ink then I look back to the walls. A dark story. Mine’s on my body. Hers is here.

A thud sounds behind me. I turn expecting to see her but it’s Raffe. He’s on his knees. Fucker must have followed me, following her. “No,” he whispers.

“You going to help me?” I ask, as I light up a cigarette.

His eyes frantically dart over the images in front of us. “We have to be careful here, Dirk.”

I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “I was careful with you wasn’t I?”

His eyes pull away from the darkness and come to rest on my face. The corners of his eyes soften as he takes me in. He nods. I pull him to his feet and watch as he runs his hands over the dark paint. He traces a cross with his finger before sliding over to examine the flames that start on the floor of the box car and climb up the walls engulfing the entire ceiling. Demons eyes gleam, hidden by the dark smoke between the bright orange flames.

“Shit,” he whispers, holding his hands in front of the painting as if he can feel the heat raiding off the wall of the box car.

“It hasn’t consumed her,” I say. He turns to face me. I nod towards the other car. “It’s filled with good.”

He closes his eyes. I remember dragging Raffe into the light. Holding him there, forcing him to look directly into it. I couldn’t let the darkness swallow him like it did me.

And now, together we will make sure it doesn’t swallow her.

Chapter Seventeen

Jesse

???

Dan seems surprised when I show up at his place. “You don’t have to knock, doll.”

“Yeah, well this is temporary. It’s not my space. I’ll knock.” He holds the door open for me.

“What’s mine is yours. We grilled some burgers. Saved you one in the fridge.” Dan sits down on the couch and pats the spot beside him. “He waited you know.”

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