The Midnight Train [DISCONTINUED]

Just A Hallucination?

CHAPTER 5

Just a Hallucination?

Carrie

“My name is Aaron, and I want my letter back.”

Blink. Breath in, breath out. What?

How on Earth did he find out? Calm down, Carrie, calm down. You can lie through this.

“Uh, w-what?” Curse you stuttering! Why do you have to sound so wobbly!

His eyes were reading my expression; analysing ever flinch and wince. His nostrils flared when he obviously read past my weak attempt of ignorance. He narrowed his eyes, “Why did you steal it?”

“Uh, steal it? Why would I steal it?” Yep, hear my voice go pitchy. I bit my lip in guilt and found my eyes wandering over to the lantern in the corner. Anywhere but his icy glare, which freezes me on the spot.

“Did you read it?” His questions were very lenient but I decided to play nice, since I’m probably already on his Death Note.*

“Pfft. Read?”

He got up in a sitting position, despite his clearly displayed injuries. His hair was also matt with blood; I didn’t think it was his own, and his hair looked like a tornado had swept by; messier than the usual. “Did. You. Read. It?” He emphasised every word slowly as he leaned in closer; his jaw set and his eyes slicing through me.

The urge to scream was high and I couldn’t help the guiltiness I felt, turning my stomach into the knots and drops of sweat beading down as I bit harder into my lips to block off all of my emotions which made me ear-splittingly scream inside. I could taste something metallic on my tongue but the only thing I could think of was that that was going to make me look guiltier.

He continued to probe me with his cat-like eyes which seemed to glow. I couldn’t take it anymore. I screamed in frustration. “Fine! I took your stupid letter!”

I thrust the letter in his face, crossed my arms and lay back down on the hard bed. “I’m sorry! Okay?” I felt prickling tears dampen my flat pillow and sniffled. “I was just so curious but I didn’t even read it,” my voice was getting wobblier; “I was too guilty!” And then I started embarrassingly sobbing.  It wasn’t a quiet affair, either.

I’m not one for randomly crying, I’m stronger than that. After all, if I was, then I would’ve been having snot coming out of my nose every single day. You know me.

I was crying because realisation finally kicked in. Realisation that I really was alone in this. Aaron had a reason to be on that train. His letter was only a piece of evidence that someone would look out for him. Me? All I had were the shattered remains of reality, considering the shadow beast-man I saw earlier. What use was useless jewellery? What use was a random reference to some old hag, who lives in some big city? Who lives in a huge city. How did I even find hope?

I was so foolish. And now I’m lost in some stranger’s room in the middle of some gloomy forest, which probably isn’t supposed to even exist on earth, with another random stranger who happens to look like my dead best friend. Who I used to ‘kind-of’ like.

Aaron started awkwardly patting my shoulder, leaning over to my bed and muttering things like ‘at least you didn’t read it’ and ‘it’s still in one frickin’ piece’. They weren’t that reassuring. But at least he was trying to show even a hint of concern. He shouldn’t have even bothered. I was such a burden.

When I finally calmed down, and there wasn’t any snot trailing out of my nose, he sighed, like he was surrendering into something, and proposed, “How about we start over?”