Page 4 of Crew
No. This scene didn't bother me one bit.
I loved the silence. I welcomed the silence, and it wasn't interrupted until the shrill ambulance sirens cut through the air.
I let out a sigh, knowing the dark calm would go away now, and looked out over the hill. From the top, I could see the lights of the ambulance coming from miles away.
I'd have to move. They couldn't find me with him, but for now I waited.
The road wound all the way around the hill on its way up. Once the ambulance was just around the bend, I patted the guy on the leg.
"Okay, I'm off." I glanced back to him as I stood. "You're going to be fine." I dusted off my jeans. Some of the dirt seemed to land in his eye, and he blinked a few times, still watching me steadily. It seemed like he was asking me not to leave, but I shook my head.
"I can't stay. Just don't mess with another girl. Okay?"
I waited a beat. The ambulance was almost to us. I needed to go. Yet I bent down over him. I took out my knife and placed it against his throat. He went completely still.
"If I hear that you've touched another girl against her will..." I pressed the knife against his skin. "I'll come alone next time, and I won't leave you awake. Got it?"
He blinked. That's all he could do.
The lights began to turn toward where we were, so I moved into the darkness, slipping my knife back into my pocket.
The ambulance lit up the street where he lay, and as they parked, I stepped back into the trees. They hid me, even as I heard one of the paramedics curse.
"Fuck. Who did this?"
The other paramedic didn't answer, and as instructed, the guy didn't either. As one EMT began to talk to him, taking his vitals, the other opened the back to pull out a stretcher. It was only a few minutes later when they were gone again.
I stepped out and walked back to where he'd lain as the ambulance moved down the hill. Its lights disappeared into the darkness, and I was all alone.
There were shortcuts all through the woods, but I was content to walk down the middle of the road.
I just followed the white dashes.
I walked past the motorcycles on the front lawn, knowing the house would be unlocked.
What I didn't know was whether my brother would be home. It was Sunday night, his night off from the bar, but that didn't always mean he'd be here. He kept a random schedule, coming in and leaving at odd hours. I was usually okay if he was gone, but not because he was a bad guy. He was just an absent guy, had been most my life.
I stepped inside and quietly shut the door. I held my breath, waiting, listening. No lights were on, but I smelled smoke as it wafted past me on a breeze. The back patio door stood open. I crossed to the kitchen and stood at the sink. They weren't on the patio, but I saw the fire pit lit up, and a second later, Heather's voice drifted to me on another breeze.
"...can't blame her. She's a senior this year."
My brother's girlfriend, or his on-again-off-again-whatever-the-fuck-they-were-doing-childhood-sweethearts-girlfriend, sat forward in her lawn chair.
My brother, Channing, sat next to her, tipping his beer back as he spoke. "Give me a break. She should be home and you know it."
It was just the two of them.
They were talking about me. Even now, knowing that, I let some of the darkness sneak back in. When I felt it, it pushed all the other emotions away. I felt some peace, but I knew it'd come at a cost. There was always a cost. The darkness was there for a reason. I wasn't an idiot. I knew I was messed up, but I couldn't help it sometimes. Or like now, I welcomed it. The firefly had left me on the walk home. I loved feeling the buzz of its wing next to me again.
I turned and sat, my back against the cupboard beneath the kitchen sink.
Eyes closed.
Head down.
I listened to them.
A lawn chair creaked. A bottle clanked against another one. Then came the swish sound of another bottle being opened.
