Out of the Darkness

81

 I noticed that Sam was yawning, and rubbing his eyes after a while. Every time he yawned, I would yawn and wipe my own watery eyes. "Okay, this is enough for tonight," I said, standing up, and holding up the notebook that was in my hand. "We've literally got 2 entire pages, front and back of information that we can try out. Let's start fresh tomorrow." He bookmarked the site we were on, and closed the tabs. "Yeah, you're right. My eyes are getting so blurry, that I can barely even read anymore." He stood up and we walked over to my bedroom door. "Thanks again Sam. I appreciate you so much brother," I said, watching as he turned the knob and stepped out of my room. "Anytime Colby. You would do the same for me." I gave him a small grin and nodded. "G'night," he said, pulling my door closed behind him. "Night Sam," I whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear me. I sighed and grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of my drawer to sleep in. After changing, I sat down on my bed and fell back against my pillow. My eyes automatically started closing. I was exhausted. I forced them open, and pulled my phone out to put it on charge. I paused, a thought crossing my mind, then shrugged. "Worth a shot," I said, grabbing my headphones and popping them into my ears. After I set the phone to a meditation video, I settled back and let my eyes close again. I thought of Anna. Her emerald green eyes shining brightly inside the doll. I had left that in my car. I needed to get her in the morning. Put her back in here where she was safe. I rolled my eyes behind my eyelids at myself. It was just a fucking doll. Anna wasn't in there and I knew it. Not this time. I remembered the way she would look at me, her eyes sparkling, then duck her head in embarrassment when she caught me staring. The way her laughter lit up my entire day, the sound rushing through me like pure joy. I thought about how the girls just readily accepted her. They were always accepting of everyone but I could tell that they instantly liked Anna. When I brought certain girls over in the past, I could tell that they were just being nice, pasting on a fake smile and attitude. Not with Anna. They had laughed at her innocence. Then suddenly she was next to me, walking on the beach hand in hand, laughing when I tried to splash her with water. "I missed you," I said quietly, taking her into my arms. She smiled shyly, and looked up at me. "I missed you too Colby. I'm here now. Let's enjoy the time we have together. I'll need to leave again." She pulled away from me and ran down the shore. "Wait! Anna!" I cried out, running after her. Her laughter sounded behind her as her dark hair blew in the salty wind. I caught up to her, grabbed her around the waist from the front and swung her around. She laughed again, and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. I tripped and fell back onto the sand, Anna falling with me. My breath huffed out of from the force, but I just laughed as soon as I got it back. "Oops," I said, running my hands up her back. Wasn't she supposed to be a ghost? The thought flitted through my mind, but disappeared just as quickly when she leaned up to press her lips to mine. "That's okay. I like it here," she murmured against my lips. "Mmhmm," I replied, and deepened the kiss. That's how we were for a few moments, lying on the sand, her on top of me, my arms around her as our lips and tongues moved together. I felt at peace. 'How did we get here?' I groaned against her mouth as that thought hit me. I started to feel out of place, like something wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out what. I broke the kiss and let my head fall back. "Anna," I said softly, running my fingers lazily through her hair. "Mmm?" she responded glancing up at me. "What did you mean when you said that you had to leave again? Where are you going?" She sighed and leaned up on my chest to look at me. I lifted my head to meet her gaze. "This, all of this. It isn't real Colby. You're dreaming. I'm not real. You'll wake soon and all of this will be over." I knew it. In my heart, I knew it but I didn't want to accept the truth. "Were you ever real, or was it all a dream?" I asked. "I was real, but I wasn't real. I'm neither here, nor there," she replied. "What does that mean?!" I asked, frustrated that she wasn't giving me an answer that I could understand. I sat up, and she rolled off of me to sit down on the sand. She shrugged and gave me a beautiful smile that seemed to almost twinkle in the setting sunlight. "It means that I'm here. I'm in your mind for now. You may remember this, you may not, but it doesn't matter. Enjoy the time we have, because nothing ever really lasts, when you think about it." I sighed heavily, and rested my arms on my knees. "That doesn't really help me. This feels real. You feel real!" I exclaimed, placing my hand on her leg. She smiled again and placed her hand on top of mine. With that same smile, she replied, "It hurts so much Colby!" "What?" I asked, confused at her words and the smile on her face. "What hurts?" "The pain. It's too much! I thought you were going to save me, Colby!" "Anna, I-" She cut me off with a high pitched scream. I watched as her face turned ashen and white. "I trusted you!" She exclaimed again, then squeezed her eyes shut. I watched as blood started to drip from beneath her closed lids. "What the fuck?" I muttered, frozen in shock. "Anna! What can I do to help you?" I asked, grabbing her arms. "What do I do?!"