From Fantasy to Reality (on hold)

chapter 8: Playing with Pain

After I stomped out of my house I took a long walk up my road as far as I could. As I walked I made a mental bread path, remembering signs, houses, and a weird looking tree that had a deep brown root that formed something that looked like a dog house. As I made my way up the, what seemed like the everlasting street, I thought about my brother and how he doubted finding mom alive. I was so angry; my rage got the best of me. I picked up a small rock and threw it. I was lucky because it was inches away from hitting someone's window. Before someone came outside to see what had hit their house I took off running. I ran until my thighs burned as if they were on fire, luckily when I couldn't bare the burning sensation anymore there was a rock that seemed to be calling my name, saying sit on me, sit on me. Unable to stand any longer I finally sat on the rock.
I rested for about half an hour, I caught my breath, rested my aching thighs, and drank the water bottle I grabbed from the fridge. A memory intruded on me; my mom and I after a jog in the early fall morning of September, nine days before my birthday. It was rare that I went for a jog with her but that day was an exception. By the ten minute mark I was already exhausted. "You can rest if you want to." my mother had said.
soon enough I felt something warm and wet create a small stream down my cheek. I wiped the tear of with the back of my hand pushing the memory to the back of my mind. I continued down the road for another hour. Several memories tried to intrude on me, but by the 5th one I pulled out my iPod and played a couple of songs on shuffle, a few artists include; Three Days Grace, Halestorm, Avenge Sevenfold, and even a song of slipknot.
I listened to darker music and always have. It scares my friends but it relaxes. I especially listen to it when I'm down because it pumps me up and I forget about my surroundings. It's never permanent, but it pushes them away long enough for me to come to my senses.
I ran for a while. I reached the thirty minute mark of continuous running. I was again exhausted but I continues to run. I ran faster and further than I ever have before. And more exhausted than ever before. Like I said, I may be fit but I'm not that athletic. I guess that going to change here soon though.
Though I felt as if I was going to pass out, it did not keep so many painful memories from intruding on my mind. I turned my iPod to maximum volume, singing along trying to get my mind off things. By the time I couldn't run anymore it was already eight o'clock. Remembering what happened last time I was out around this time, I started back for home. As I turned and took my first step my knees buckled. I decided to call Ethan to come pick me up and take me home. I did not want to call William because we might have started going off at each other about mom, so I took out my phone. As I dialed Ethan I saw a glimpse of something. I turned my head to look to the spot where I caught an extraordinary brief glimpse of something. As I looked up I saw it again, this time heading west. I began to worry. "Pick up, pick up." As the phone started to dial the 'something' I saw appeared, closer, but still blurry. "Hello?" Ethan said over the phone. "Ethan."
"Ashton?"
"Yes it's me can you come pick me up and take me home?"
"Yeah where you at?"
"I'm at south Crawford Street, and make it quick I think I'm being followed." I said as calmly as I could, knowing if I sounded scared he would panic. "Followed? At night?," I failed miserably, "Ashton get out of there as quickly as you can and hide." He sounded as if someone was going to kill me and as the way my life was heading, why not? With the phone still to my ear I heard a small click, indicating that he had hung up. After I slid my phone back into my back pocket I started back home. It was only a few minutes before Ethan found me.
"Climb in." Ethan commanded me. Though I didn't like is commanding tone I did as I was told and climbed in. Before I could buckle my seatbelt Ethan was speeding down the road. We sat in silence for several minutes before I broke it. "Thanks for taking me home." I said politely.
"Who said I was taking you home." Ethan said sternly.
"Umm you did. Do you not remember our conversation on the phone? 'Hey Ethan can you come pick me up and take me home, yeah where you at', you know that conversation." I said with an extremely ignorant tone. Ethan did his thinking hum and then said "Nope, not at all" crossed I looked at him and said
"I should sucker punch you right now, but I don't feel like dying tonight." I said as I popped each and every knuckle on both my right and left hands. Clearly not getting my seriousness Ethan said "You're going to get arthritis if you keep popping your knuckles like that." It took me a second to get over how he just bypassed my threat as if I threatened to throw marshmallows at him and think of a comeback. After several comebacks being rejected I finally settled on, "Well if I get arthritis when I'm older, you're going to get 'P.I.T.F. syndrome'" He looked confused with his wrinkle forehead and raised eyebrows. "What, syndrome?"
"Oh I'm sorry I did not know you were that out dated. P.I.T.F syndrome is punched in the face' syndrome. I gave him a sarcastic smile then sat back I'm my seat with more force than I needed to, but I did it anyway. I looked out the front windshield for nearly five minutes, staring at the blackness of the night. something small and oval shaped flew past the window. "What was that?" I jerked from my seat and put my hands on the dash board. That was not a shooting star "What was what?" Before I could reply a small, bright light exploded, turning into something outrageously huge. Before I could scream heat was engulfing me and soon enough I could see nothing but orange, white, and a little bit of red and blue. The noise was so loud I thought it busted my eardrums because after a few seconds everything went silent. I glanced over at Ethan to see if he was ok. To my surprise he was yelling something at me but I could not here a word. After I shouted 'I can't here you' he unbuckled his seat belt and did the same to mine, he then pointed to the door handle. He looked forward then back at me before he jumped out of the car. I looked forward and realized why Ethan jumped out of the car; there was a power line and I was about to hit it. Scared I pulled on the door handle, but it wouldn't budge I tried it again, still no movement on its side, I glanced at the windshield, I gave the door my all and finally it opened. Inches before impact I jumped. As I jumped Ethan's truck collided with the power line. I thought it would just cause a small power outage in the city and then the wood would break in half but it turns out it was the city's main power line and it caused another explosion- not that the current explosion needed help. As I jumped it seemed that time seemed to slow down, it felt like one of those dramatic, slowed down, explosions in action movies. I hit the ground when time decided to speed up. When I hit, all the air remaining in my lungs was pushed out. I slid on the ground easily as if I was sliding on an eternal floor of wet soap. Before I came to a stop my head hit a large rock knocking me unconscious.