Page 10 of Echoes of Nevermore
I’m not her.”
“You sure?” he asks in a deep, throaty voice.
I shake my head. The way I see it is I have two options for tonight. I can either run toward the man in a mask I ran from or stay in the darkness with the other. Choice number two it shall be. I shrug. “I don’t think I am.”
“Maybe you aren’t who you think you are.” He released me, stepping into the darkness of the night, holding his hand out for me to grab.
His neon green eyes stand out from the inky blackness of the dark sky behind him. They cast a beam of green light over the wolf mask, almost as if warning me that he is a dangerous man.
I pause, chewing on my bottom lip before taking his hand. This should terrify me. But I’m not scared. My heart is galloping beneath my chest, but nothing that resembles fear has anything to do with it. The thrill of finally living life without constantly looking over my shoulder makes me happy. Thinking that this masked man wants me does something to me. I don’t care if he calls me by the wrong name.
One of my darkest desires is in front of me, and just thinking about the possibilities intoxicates me.
If I take his hand to join him, I could die tonight. But the way I see it is, I was already dead when I woke up this morning. Sure, I had a blood pulsating through my body, but I’d checked out of this world a long before my eyelids opened.
Tonight, I feel alive and as if anything is possible. “Ya know what? Maybe you’re right.” I say in good spirits, placing my hand into his, and go into the darkness chasing a wild dream.
Chapter 7
Nevermore
PAST
Halloween night
Sitting in the quiet waiting area, I glance down at my watch, checking the time. How long have I been here? An hour? Five? I have no clue. We both came through the Emergency room around the same time. After the initial shock of all the blood covering my skin wore off, the medical staff started cleaning my wounds and assessing the damage to my body as they went.
“How did you say this happened again?” The doctor asked as he pushed the needle through my skin for the last time.
“An accident,” I repeat the same thing I have since I arrived here. Everyone wants more details, but I can’t bring myself to explain what just happened. It’s too fresh. I can’t stop myself from thinking of things I could have done differently. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is her blood—all over her, on me, it surrounds us.
“No. I know that. I mean these cuts, son. You have scrapes and bruises all over your body, but your arms…they’re going to have nasty scars. How is the rest of your body okay, but your arms are cut so badly? I’ve never seen anything like this. Given the type of accident you were in, it doesn’t make sense.” His eyes lift to my face as he stands, removing his gloves, and tosses them into the trash can beside the hospital bed.
I don’t respond.
“It’s ok. Chicks dig scars.” He winks, bumping my foot with his knee. “I’ll get your discharge papers ready, and you should be out of here in no time. Take it easy on those, you hear me? You don’t want to rip these open again.” Since he makes the comment about chicks, I guess he takes my silence as a sign of embarrassment. I don’t care if my skin has scars. The only thing I care about is her. No one will tell me anything.
I nod. “The girl who came in with me, my girlfriend. Any word on her?”
His shoulders rise and fall as he inhales deeply. “I’m not supposed to speak with anyone who isn’t family about her.”
“I’m all she has, doc. Her parents are dead. Please?” I beg him, clutching my chest. My heart is beating so hard that it's painful. Tears streak down my cheeks, and I swallow what I can manage back, “I’m begging you. I’m going insane here. I have to know. Is she?” I can’t bring myself to say it.
“Son, I’m going to give it to you straight. She’s alive, but barely. She’s in surgery, so she’s not out of the woods yet. The doctors are doing their best to save her, and she has the best surgeons in the Tri-state area.”
Fresh tears form and fall from my eyes, and relief floods my body.
She’s alive.
She’s ok.
She’s strong. I know she’s going to make it.
She has to.
I can’t live without her.
She’s my everything.
