Night Angel

Chapter Five (Sample)

I walked into the cafeteria and looked around, spotting Adam at once. He and Cheryl were sitting at the small folding table in the last row next to the old stage. He waved me over when he saw me.

"Hey." I greeted them both as I approached the table. "Good morning." I leaned over to kiss Adam and he pulled me into a tight hug.

"I missed you." He said.

I grinned and sat down next to him. "You just saw me yesterday." I pointed out.

"Still too long." He gave me the most handsome smile I had ever seen in my life. "Hey, you should just move in with me, then I won't have to be away from you so long."

I laughed. "Yeah, your parents would love that."

He put an arm around me and pulled me against him. "I'm serious. After graduation, let's get an apartment together."

"We could do that." I laid my head against his shoulder and sighed. "Actually, I would love to do that."

"Great, then lets start looking this weekend."

"Oh my God, you two are so cute together!" Cheryl gushed. "I hope I'm as lucky someday. There has to be some idiot out there willing to get all mushy over me."

"You'll find him." I gave her a wink. "Trust me."

"You think so?"

I nodded. "I know so. Let's just hope he's not too strong willed or the two of you will be butting heads."

Cheryl huffed. "As long as he has a huge dick, that's all I care about."

"Wow." I shook my head. "Just wow."

Cheryl waved me off, laughing then went on to another subject that I was only half paying attention too. My head was suddenly hurting. I reached up and scratched it, only making it hurt more. Strange.

"Hey, don't do that." Adam was looking at me now and he had an oddly serious look on his face.

"Why?" I asked.

"It won't heal if you keep scratching it open."

I blinked. "Heal? What are you..." I pulled my hand down to look at my fingers and my stomach lurched. My fingers were coated with dark, red blood.

"What the fuck!" I jumped up, knocking my chair over. Cheryl and Adam were both looking at me with weird expressions on their faces.

"Why are you so upset?" Cheryl asked. "It's just blood."

I just stared at her blankly.

"Calm down babe, it's not a big deal." Adam reached for me but I took a step back.

The blood was pouring down my head now, over my face and into my eyes and mouth. Frantically I wiped at it but I only succeeded in smearing it around more. "Not a big deal? My fucking head is bleeding! It's bleeding like, a lot! Don't tell me to calm down!"

Adam chuckled then turned back to Cheryl and they started talking normally as though I wasn't stranding in front of them a bloody mess and freaking out. I looked down, my shirt, vest, and pants were stained red and there was a pool of blood forming around my feet. Cheryl glanced up and rested her chin on her hand then smiled at me. "You look so adorable in your suit."

"What?" I felt hot tears sting my eyes. Had they completely lost their minds? Just what the fuck was going on? "I need help!" I whimpered. "Please."

Adam looked at me then, concern on his face. "With what?" He asked.

I pointed to my head. "Hello!" I practically screamed at him. "I'm fucking dying here!"

Adam shrugged. "Well, yeah." He laughed. "What did you think would happen?"

I didn't know what to say. I was so confused and terrified. I'd never felt so scared in all my life and the two people that I had thought would always be there to help me were acting like this were the most normal thing in the world. I felt so defeated, so helpless, that I just collapsed to my knees and started to cry.

"Oh, don't worry Dev." Cheryl walked over and knelt beside me. "It won't be like this forever. The pain won't last and well, count yourself lucky."

I looked up at her. I could barely make out her face through my blood and tears. "How am I lucky?" I cried. "I'm dying!"

"At least we found you before..." Adam stood and walked to my other side but he stopped, turning his head away from me as he looked towards the wall of windows across from the seating area. I turned to see what he was looking at but when I faced the window a bright flash of light broke through, nearly blinding me. The light not only blinded me but it burned, like a hot searing burn and I turned my head immediately, wrapping my arms around my head to shield myself from the light.

"What is that?" I screamed.

"It's morning." Cheryl answered.

I tried to raise my head but the light was too bright, it hurt. My head was throbbing, I couldn't take it anymore. I curled up on the floor, wrapping my arms around myself as I sobbed. I cried so hard that my chest hurt. Every inch of my body hurt and I tried to cry out again but suddenly my voice was stopped. My throat was raw, burning, and I realized suddenly that I was choking. I was choking on my blood or drowning in it. I could feel it filling my mouth and I tried to spit it out but something was pressed against my mouth. All I could do was swallow. God it was rancid, and cold. So, fucking cold but it burned at the same time but still I swallowed and the more I drank in the more I fought until I felt strong arms pinning me down on all sides.

"Hold him still!" Someone shouted.

"This is ridiculous." Another voice said. "Just let the little bastard die already."

"I said hold him still!"

A growl, then strong arms wrapped around me and held me so tight that I couldn't move anymore. All the fight had gone out of me and any hope I'd had of escaping this nightmare was long gone. All I could do was just give up and so I stopped fighting. I stopped caring. If I was going to die then let me die. Anything would be better than the agony I was feeling and I just wanted it to end.

"There, there." A voice whispered in my ear. It was a man's voice, low and soothing and I know I should have been frightened, hearing this strange man speaking to me, but I wasn't. "It will all be over soon." He crooned. "Just let it happen."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and relaxed. I still hurt, but it wasn't as bad as it had been as my body had begun to go numb. Soon I could feel nothing. It was as if everything around me had stopped, disappeared, and gone silent. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own blood rushing through my veins and the frenzied pounding of my heart. It sounded so loud, like drums being beaten against my skull. I whimpered then heard the voice again, the kind one.

"Shh." He said as he stroked my hair. "Concentrate on your heart."

I did. It was beating so fast, so wild I thought it might explode. Was I having a heart attack? It seemed so. But, to my surprise, the beating began to normalize and grow softer. I let it enfold me, it was hypnotic. I listened, noting each beat. Duh-duhn...duh-duhn...duh-duhn...until the beats began to slow. Duh-duhn...duh...duhn...duh...then...nothing.

The kind man continued to stroke my hair as he whispered to me. "There, you see. Rest now."

And I did, falling asleep to the sound of his voice as the rest of the world disappeared around me. I didn't know if I was dead or not, but I was exhausted, so I slept. I could have slept for an eternity and I probably would have if it hadn't been for one nagging thought in the back of my mind. Where was Adam? He needed me. I don't know how I knew it but I just did. He needed me and I had to find him. I would sleep first though and then, when I woke, I'd find Adam...and everything would be alright.