Partners In Crime

Chapter 33

As the sun descended below the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape, the evening sky transformed into a breathtaking tableau of crimson and gold. The once-vibrant blue of the daytime heavens gave way to a rich, velvety red, reminiscent of the smoldering embers of a dying fire. The first stars of the night began to twinkle, each one a tiny beacon in the darkening firmament. Yet very faint... Horrifically faint.

Above, the clouds bore witness to the celestial drama, their edges painted with a fiery hue that seemed to sear the very heavens. These red clouds, like diaphanous veils, billowed and curled, casting eerie and surreal shadows on the earth below. They appeared to be drenched in the molten remnants of a sunset, creating a surreal and otherworldly atmosphere that sent distressed, as opposed to enraptured, shivers down the spine.

Amidst this celestial spectacle, two figures stood facing each other. The eerie ambiance of the evening sky heightened the drama of their encounter. Their silhouettes were stark and imposing against the fiery backdrop, and their faces remained shrouded in shadow, adding an air of mystery and tension to the moment.

The red clouds seemed to echo the emotions in the air as if nature itself conspired to intensify the encounter. It was a moment suspended in time, where the beauty of the evening sky and the eerie atmosphere added an extra layer of complexity to the meeting of these two individuals, leaving a sense of anticipation and foreboding in the very air they breathed. 

A specter presence to which my cognizance seemed to have linked itself by an imperceptible thread, so fine it could rival a spider's silk, was floating near the outlines of the two. I recognized the faces of both persons — William and myself. 

I swam in the air like a dust particle, at some point acknowledging that neither he nor the person resembling my very own appearance could sense my presence. It took a few failed attempts of physically touching my lover, calling out to him, and positioning myself right before his eyes, to notice that although he gazed in my direction... his blood-colored eyes were piercing right through me. 

Defeated, I observed their faces, hoping to at least grasp the meaning behind this aberration. The gestures of their lips, a silent symphony of emotion and expression, painted a vivid yet soundless narrative. My ears picked up on the melodies emitting from the surrounding environment; the cries of the wind and the creaking of the old, weathering wood, laying flat on steel ledges of the structure akin to a construction zone, but the tones of words stayed hushed, hiding from my sense of hearing. I closed my eyes, trying to shift my focus from the hums of nature to any slightest bit of distinguishable words of human speech... no use. The disconnect between their animated mouths and the absence of words left me wondering what unspoken thoughts and secrets were concealed behind the moving lips. 

My eyes wandered to my lookalike, witnessing a gleam of light calling out for my attention. What was left of the sunlight reflected from a streak of tears falling down her face. Though I was powerless in deciphering the speech exchanged between the two, it was evident that nothing good was said — for she was crying. In that instant, the intense feeling of foresight caused an overwhelming urge within me to revert my vigilance onto William, and as I did so, his body leaned backward, falling off the edge of the foreign location and blending in with the red background.

Simultaneously, the two versions of myself rushed toward him, extending both arms with the sole goal of gripping onto him before his figure fully disintegrated into nothingness. Once I was mere inches away from him, I jumped from my previously supine position into reality. 

The unforgiving rays of dawn filtered through the curtains, puzzling my already blurry eyesight. With my chest heaving and skin clammy in a cold sweat, a stark contrast to the muggy grip of the dream that had just released me, my fingers massaged both temples in a rather aggressive manner; hastily seeking to bring me back to a rested state. Momentarily, my psyche obscured the lines between my nocturnal terror and reality. The soft, silky-smooth bedding hugging my body never felt so sharp and unpleasant to the touch of my skin. With squinted eyes, my nerves gradually calmed, allowing me to take a look around my bedroom and notice William sitting behind his office desk, engulfed in paperwork. 

Sitting in silence, other than his racing thoughts, for assumingly quite some time - my alarmed awakening didn't take much to gain his attention. What started off as a smile visibly swiveled into a pressed-together, tightened, downward curve of his lips. His eyes, typically clear and calm, took on a different demeanor, becoming wide and attentive. 

On the other hand, my eyes were hardly opened, still so heavy with sleep. Mornings truly were my least favorite, especially after a night of terror leaving me more drowsy than usual. At last, after a prolonged minute - during which my panting steadily restored to normal - I was able to see William's expression. 

"Bad dream," I said, clutching the bed sheets to cover my exposed chest from last night. 

"Have you been troubled by a surfeit of nocturnal phantoms?" He asked, his stare softening following the clarification. 

"Regrettably, none have proven to be as dire as the one I've only just weathered." 

Suddenly, he shifted his body in my direction, inducing his office chair to do the same as he sat on it. He placed the finished paperwork, formerly resting on his lap, onto the table before ascending from his chair and approaching our bed. Each step he took was imbued with a resplendent poise — as if orchestrating a nocturne of solace in the dim chambers of my unrest. I had long admired the exquisite fluidity of his movements, but on this night, they bore an ethereal significance.

Extending a hand, he graced mine with his warmth, a lifeline leading me from the abyss of fear to the sanctuary of his presence. As he assumed his place beside me, his arms enveloped my trembling form, and the phantoms of my nightmares gradually waned. His presence, saturated with love and protectiveness, became the prism through which the terrors of the night surrendered to a world of safety and adoration. 

This simple act meant more to me at the moment than ever before with remembrances of the dream itself and the participants lingering in my head, restricting me from shutting them out as I would usually do concerning odd dreams. This one in particular, however, was so peculiar... I could not simply avert my interest onto whatever else. 

"Say, William... last night you seemed more troubled than I can recall ever seeing you," I withdrew from his embrace, capturing his eyes with mine, "Has a mission unveiled to be different from the ordinary ones?"

His eyes rapidly jumped from viewing my left eye to my right one, repeating the minuscule action before they fell to the ground. "How are you feeling?" Instead, he asked. 

"Pardon?" 

"After last night."

Taken aback, my head jerked backward before I felt a familiar warmth grow on my cheeks, "I... a bit sore, I suppose." I replied. The perplexity of his avoidance of my question displayed plainly within my tone, dripping with uncertainty despite answering truthfully.

"I did not hurt you, did I?"

"No."

He closed his eyes, his lips rising a smile. "Good." 

Before I could manage to separate my lips for another endeavor to receive my desired answer from him, William rose from the bed and began walking toward the doors, "Breakfasts must be ready." 

I felt a wave of anger rush through my body. Has he forgotten the promise that he made to me? To cease the lies and secrecy in order to ensure a harmonious partnership? 

"William. Stop." I exclaimed in fury, causing his motion to halt. "There is an inquiry drifting in the air that will not go unanswered. Is this how our relationship is to be? Enigmatic?"

He eyed my vulnerable state, undressed beneath the cloth. If he were to leave the room, it would take quite some time for me to organize myself before following him in pursuit. Concurrently, he would be a fool to think that an effortless escape such as that, would save him from the bigger trouble I were to give him in the event that he did walk out of that door. And so he broke the silence.