The Lost

Casey:

I open my eyes. I dreamt of a corn field. I start to move my head. Tom… he was being pulled under. My whole head pounds. I start to stand up. Garret walks up to me and hugs me tight. Tears roll down his cheeks. I feel tears of confusion drop onto his shoulder. He pushes me back but holds tightly onto my shoulders. He sighs and starts to open his mouth.

"I ca…m…e over a…and you had hit your head" He mumbles over sobs. I shake my head in puzzlement.

"But you… you hit me. You did! Didn't you?" I start to shout glaring into his eyes. He pulls me into a tighter hug.

"It was all a bad dream" He says rubbing my back. I nod. Realisation floods suddenly to me. The dream in the field… on the beach. Tom dieing. That was all a dream. This could be. But my head still pounds. The gashes still in the same place. I wrap my arms around his waist slowly. I lay my hands on his back. Suddenly Garret jumps. I turn around quickly. I look out of my living room window. I lay my palm to the glass. Flames dance in the air. Tom's house is consumed. I run into the street. An open window but no-one beneath. Garret pulls out his phone and starts to dial 999. I see a smile on his face but I dismiss it. I walk up to the gate. I sit down on the concrete. I rock back and forth. The heat bounces of my head. Tom? I feel tears run down my cheeks. He couldn't of survived. The fall or the flames. I don't think. I cry into my palms. I want to run but for a second time Garret keeps a firm hand on my shoulder keeping me by his side.

Tom:1 week later:

I sit in the warehouse. I hold onto the torn pictures of Casey. I hold them tight. I look down at her face. Her smile. Every time the wind blows I swear I hear her laugh. I hug my knees. I hold out my left arm. I pull up the sleeve and inject the drug. I feel the warmth run through my body. I run out of the building. The whole world swings. I place my feet on the pavement. I can't walk in straight lines. I hold my head. Tears are running down my cheeks. I run to Casey's house. I look in the window. Her face so perfect. I reach out and stroke the glass where Casey's cheek is. I pull my hand back. I want to run in and see her smile again. To hear her laugh and to save her. But then I die. Her eyes are just so sad. Small red marks are over her face and arms. Garret stands behind her. They think I'm dead. My house is gone. The whole building burnt to the ground. The only things I saved was Casey. Her smile and beauty. I grab a pencil and turn over a photograph. I draw her face. Tears roll onto the surface. The features are ruined. I cry out as I look at the pain captured in my drawing. Garret starts to move to the window. I drop the image in her garden. I run with the wind running through my hair. I feel the pounding of my feet on the concrete. I reach the wood. I run to the clearing and lie in the dieing leaves. I stare up at the remaining pictures. Tears run down my face. I drop the photos to the ground. I turn to my side and curl up. I lie on the forest bed for hours. I see the sun creep over the horizon. I gather my pictures and run to the warehouse. I huddle in a corner. The world still swings. I'm ghost running from the grip of death. But my whole body calls me to Casey.

Casey:

Garret storms to the window. I stand up quickly. I wring my hands waiting for him to announce if anyone is there. I step out of the front door to check for myself. A picture lays in the garden. A picture of me. I drop it muttering 'creep'. As it lies on the other side I see a picture of me. It's drawn on. I delicately pick it up. I pull out the other picture of me. The same. The same handwriting. I hear Garret walk through the door and as he does so I push the pictures in my pocket. He loops his hands around me from behind.

"What's wrong?" He whispers in my ear. I shake.

"Nothing…. absolutely nothing." I reply looking up and smiling at him.

"Good. Hey listen seeing as your mum is at ANOTHER work thing… I think I should stay over" He says kissing my lips.

 I shake and nod at the same time. I don't have a choice. I don't want to get him angry. He smiles and drags me into the living room. I run to the toilet. I pull out the pictures and stare down at them. I look at my real face for a moment but then quickly turn the image. They were both defiantly done by Tom. It's probably just a sick joke. I stare up into the mirror. My face is so pale. I look so thin. I turn to my side and look back into the glass. I'm so… so thin. Garret wants me to be pretty. I haven't eaten for two days now. Not properly. He doesn't want a fat girlfriend. I stare up. Tom stands behind me. I spin. Nothing is there. The whole room spins around me. I turn on the spot. Tears run down my face. I feel my legs collapse. The world turns black even before my head hits the floor.

Tom:

I huddle in the warehouse. I lay my head slowly onto the floor. A single tear runs down my face. I feel my head being pulled down into a dream...

 I'm standing in Casey's bathroom. She sees me in the mirror. I take a sharp breath and close my eyes tightly. I open them and I stand in a street. Someone is screaming. I turn a corner. I feel water drip from a pipe above onto my face. I stare down at my feet. Do I really want to look. I stare up. James stands by a women. He has a knife. It's in her stomach. I feel sick. I try to wake up I can't. I start to run. James runs after me. He's calling. I can't run. My legs become to heavy. I fall onto the ground. My face hits the concrete. A shark pain runs through my head. James bends over with a sad smile on his face.

"Tom…. don't save Casey. I know you want to… but…" He bends down close to my ear and whispers the next part so I can barely hear "I'll kill lots of people" He kisses my cheek and runs off laughing. The world starts to fade….

I wake up. But not in the warehouse. I lie on the street. I move my feet and feel with relief they can move. I stand up shaking. The women lays dead on the ground. I start to run down the street. I reach the hospital. A policeman is standing by the main desk. James is missing. I burst through the doors and run to Casey's house. I peer through the window. Casey is huddled on the sofa. Her arms are around her knees. Garret comes in carrying a tape measure. My Casey stands up quickly avoiding eye contact. He loops the tape around her waist. His eyes start to bulge. He raises a fist. I close my eyes resting my hand on the wall. I breathe deeply. I imagine her smile but her scream penetrates my ears instead. I shake. James can't kill people. But Garret can't kill my Casey. I hug my shoulders. I look down into the gravel. The picture I dropped is gone. She was holding it last night. She knows I'm alive. I need to run. I flick my grey hoodie over my head so my black hair is covering one eye. I look down at my converse. And I run.