Death Alley

Chapter twenty

I washed my face in the bathroom sink and combed out my hair which no longer had the volume of curls. Brian slept soundly, and I remained alone for the early part of the morning. It was about 7:30, all I could do was reflect on how much my life has changed in such a short period of time.

I thought firstly of Harper, missing my closest friend agonizingly. Could we find her? Would we die in the process? No one knew what to expect when it came to the elements of the paranormal.

Harper was like a guardian to me, taking me in and treating me like a human being unlike everyone else. She taught me how to calm myself and lay low from all the shit in the world, and she always stood up for me. Having Harper gone is like a punch in the face and a stab in the neck. A tear rolled down my cheek.

The thoughts of Harper subsided, and Brian took their place. I stood there in disbelief, my mind fuzzy with emotions. A soft blush spread across my face as I thought of the mischievous doings that were performed last night. I could still feel the chills tumbling down my spine.

I was curious as well. Did Brian feel the same way? Was he awake now, wondering about the events prior to now? Was he happy, guilty? Who knows?

When I had left him, Brian was asleep in a sound slumber. I dressed quickly and slipped away to attend to myself, but part of me didn't want to. I still wanted to lie with him, press up against him until we absolutely had to arise. However, I knew that we would have to clear out of here as soon as possible, so i reluctantly left my lover to himself. Oh, how I would give anything to stay with him just a little while longer.

As the thoughts of lust and affection stayed within my mind, dread accompanied them. If I had had a crystal ball of some sort, if I would have seen that this was happening, I wouldn't have killed Chelsea or Shae in the first place. Granted, I followed Harper's head start in the violent tiff, which is what more specifically caused the fight, but would've I gone through with it if I didn't have a dark past with the caddy, promiscuous bitches?

Tired of being isolated with just me and my thoughts, i dabbed my face dry and returned to the bedroom. There I found Brian, his back turned to the door as he buttoned and zipped up his jeans. He was still shirtless, but he paused his dressing for a minute, his eyes not meeting mine.

"I'm sorry," Brian apologized simply.

"Sorry?" I questioned, stepping closer and quietly shutting the door behind me. "What is there to be sorry for?"

"Last night...you know." Brian's back was still turned to me, but he continued to pull his shirt over his head.

"It wasn't bad..." I said awkwardly. "I don't understand."

Once Brian was entirely dressed, he turned to me, a hand on his hip. "Look," Brian began. "I didn't do what I did out of affection for you. I do care about you... A lot. But, I last night was a distraction almost, something to channel my bad memories."

I hesitated before replying. "That's ok I guess..." I said. "At least you still care about me. It wasn't like you had sex with a complete stranger."

Brian crossed his arms and looked at me. "You might as well be a complete stranger. I don't even know you're full name." His blue eyes were hard as they stared into me.

"Oh," I said slowly, hurt. "Well then how do you care about me so much?"

Brian sat down on his bed, his hands on his knees. "I honestly don't know."

"How do you not know?" I asked, starting to get offended. I sat down next to him, my face concentrated on him.

Brian sighed. "I have some empathy with you. Like, we get each other I guess. I don't know, it's hard to explain."