Lead Me Out of the Dark

The Intruder

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We half walked, half ran all the way to the parking lot. Deck didn’t stop until we were sat safely inside of the cab of his truck, the doors locked. I tucked my knees into my chest, leaning my head back against the seat. My mind was reeling.

“Say something,” Deck pleaded. I opened my mouth, but my mind seemed incapable of forming words. There was a long moment of tight silence. What if that man was dead? Would I go to jail for killing him? A couple hours ago, I didn’t even know Deck’s name, and he had just saved my life. I owed him so much more than I could convey with words.

“Deck… thank you so much. You just saved my life,” I breathed. Deck’s eyes bulged.

“That’s what you have to say to me?” He gawked. I nodded. What did he mean? Was that too inadequate for an apology? What did he want me to do, get on my knees and sing because I was so grateful? He suddenly let out a laugh, his entire body relaxing. He pulled out of the parking lot, shaking his head disbelievingly.

“I just beat a guy until he was unconscious and you’re fucking thanking me?” He questioned. He was smirking, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. I could tell he was fazed by what just happened, despite his attempts to hide his feelings.

“Of course I am. If you hadn’t done that, I don’t know what he would’ve done to me.” I said. He looked at me dubiously, as if I was insane for thinking that way. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I stared back at the Ghost Carnival wistfully.

“Can you take me back here again one day? That was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” I exclaimed, watching as we pulled away from the huge archway.

“What!?” Deck screeched. “You want me to take you back there after you got scared shitless on the Tortured Soul, you were almost kidnapped or raped or who knows what, and I beat a grown man until he was unconscious?”

“You did tell me it was dangerous. And the place was…fantastic, other than the Tortured Soul. I should have expected that there would be blood. I should have told you beforehand,” I shrugged. Deck gawked at me for a long moment, and I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The tone of my voice felt a little false, and he had no trouble picking up on it.

“How can you be so okay with this? I almost got you killed,” he said. I turned sharply towards him.

“Don’t you dare even say that. You are the only reason I’m alive right now. You saved my life,” I declared. Deck swallowed, a muscle in his jaw tightening.

“It sure doesn’t feel like it,” was all he said.

He pulled into the school parking lot, and I slung my bag over my shoulder. Deck remained stiff as a statue, even when I practically bolted out of the cab. I walked slowly across the parking lot, trying to figure out why I was crying. I climbed into my own truck, looking over to say one last goodbye to Deck, but his truck was already gone.

Driving home gave me ten minutes to think, which is exactly what I didn’t want. I plugged my iPod into the jack in the car, and I blasted one of my favorite Pierce the Veil songs. And it's good enough to make me wanna fall in love/ So move a little bit closer/ Hear the sound of your voice/ We're screaming, "Why can't we just be friends?"/ It's not that easy, but it's half of the fun/To see you throw the first punch now. I plugged my earbuds into my ears, taking my iPod and my backpack out of the car with me. I waved at Linda, who was sitting at the island in the center of the kitchen. She looked at me curiously, opening her mouth to ask me questions, but I pointed to my earbuds and hastily exited the kitchen. I only relaxed once I was safely in my room. There were two beds in my room, but the second bed hadn’t been occupied since Natalie went off to college three months ago. I discarded my clothes and my bra, throwing them into the hamper near the door. I changed into some sweatpants and a tank top.

 I collapsed onto my bed, keeping my headphones safely in my ears. Despite how much I loved Pierce the Veil, I couldn’t fall asleep with Vic Fuentes screaming in my ears. I changed the playlist to another favorite band of mine. When the familiar Icelandic sounds of Of Monsters and Men flooded my ears, the tension flooded from my body. I was just about to fall asleep when the door opened. Linda walked in, carrying a cup of water and a small white pill. I nearly groaned aloud. I’d completely forgotten about taking my meds.

Thank you, I mouthed, taking the pill and swallowing it quickly. I’d learned a long time ago not to fight taking the medication. In the end, it didn’t help as much as I’d liked it to, but it did help prevent some of the more serious symptoms. Linda lingered near my bed like she wanted to say something, but I didn’t remove my headphones. I knew she wanted to ask me where I’d been and if I wanted something to eat, but I didn’t feel like divulging anything at the moment. Linda was just so easy to talk to. If I started telling her about Deck, I wouldn’t stop until I was in tears and I’d told her every detail. Then she would call the police about the man that tried to kidnap me and there would be a huge disaster. Everyone in our home would be awoken.

I gave Linda a reassuring smile before closing my eyes and leaning back against my pillow. When she left, I leaped across the room and grabbed my book from underneath the pillow on Natalie’s old bed. I quickly jotted down what was necessary before returning the book to its hiding place. I scrambled back into bed and it wasn’t long before my breathing grew labored and I was officially dead to the world.

*

I woke up to a violent shaking of the bed. What the… I blinked until my vision cleared. Why was my bed shaking? Oh, I realized, one hand flying to my stomach. The bed wasn’t shaking- my stomach was rumbling. I’m starving, I groaned internally, swinging my legs over the edge of my bed. I opened my door quietly and made my way to the kitchen. I perused the contents of the fridge, trying to find something suitable to eat. There was a little container labeled Leftovers for Skye. I smiled hugely. Linda was just too sweet. I lifted the container, slamming the fridge door shut. Someone was standing just behind the fridge door. I jumped ten feet in the air. It was the man from the Ghost Carnival. My vision cleared, and I had to work to calm myself down. It wasn’t him. It was… Deck.