The Ghost Face Murders in Fall River

Ch. 9

Danny awoke to find himself alone. He sat up and glanced around the room before getting up to go locate Autumn. It wasn't that he minded her roaming the house without him present, he just needed to make sure that she was alright. "Auty?" he called out into the hallway. There wasn't a response, but he could faintly hear the familiar piano chords as Michael Myers stalked Laurie Strode. Danny made his way down the hallway and into the living room where he found the TV on, but didn't see Autumn until he walked around to the side of the couch. There she was curled up on the cushions under the blanket with the plush bunnies he had gotten her wrapped up in her arms. She appeared to be asleep. Danny glanced at the clock, it was a little after 9 AM. If she was still sleepy, why had she left? Had he made her feel uncomfortable?

"Auty," Danny said crouching down as he gently tugged on her sleeve. "Auty..."

Autumn's eyes cracked open, and she looked at him for a moment then sat up. "Jed... I-I'm sorry..." she murmured groggily as she rubbed her eye.

"For what? I should be owing you an apology..." he said sitting down as far from her as he could.

"For falling a-s-sleep on you last night... then falling a-a-asleep on your couch just now..." she replied. "Wh-Why do y-you have to a-a-ap-p-pologize for?"

"Ah, I'm not worried about any of that, you sleep when and wherever you need to," Danny told her. "And I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to get up... I didn't think you'd care if I... hugged ya up."

Autumn looked at him with more alertness. She knew she should've just stayed put. "N-No, you didn't, you didn't ma-make me feel u-u-uncomfortable at all," she told him. "I-I-I didn't want to get up... I... I just felt really anxious... I got up before I had a panic attack."

"Did I make you anxious?" Danny asked.

She shook her head. "No..." she answered in a quivery whisper. "I... just... I f-feel really sad..." Her voice cracked and she began to weep.

"Is it your bunnies?" he asked because she had the plush rabbits with her.

Autumn sniveled. "Y-Yes, an-and just everything that's ha-ha-happened... I-I think it's f-f-f... finally h-hit me... My bunnies are g-gone an-and I-I won't f-f-feel the s-same w-w-way about an-anything... Ma-Maybe I-I w-w-woulda b-b-been better off d-d-dead..."

"Autumn, it hasn't even been a week yet, of course you're gonna feel this way, and probably for awhile," Danny told her. He could see that her hands were shaky. "It's true that you probably won't feel the same ever again, you've had your sense of security taken from you and your peace, but as time goes on, you'll adapt to these new feelings... and probably develop a sick sense of humor as a way to cope with shit like I do."

"Y-You've got tr-trauma?" she asked

"Sure, plenty, but that's been years ago, we're talking about you."

Autumn wiped her nose on her sleeve. "D-D-Did you ta-talk t-to someone a-a-about it?"

"No, I didn't."

"D-Do y-y-you wanna t-talk ab-b-b-bout it?"

Danny chuckled softly. "No, I don't need to talk about it. I'm as over it as I can be, no point in discussing it," he said. "You, on the other hand – I think you should tell me when you're feeling this way. Keeping it to yourself will only make you feel worse."

"B-But I-I don't want t-to a-annoy you..."

"Autumn – you're not going to annoy me... I'm not whoever made you feel like you're a nuisance," Danny told her. "Will you please give me a chance to prove that I'm not like those other people?" With friends like Hannah, he understood why Autumn felt the way she did. Hannah couldn't hurt her anymore though, just like Skylar couldn't.