It's In the Dark

Chapter 4: We Have A Problem: Courtney

I lay on the couch in the den, staring at the ceiling. I couldn't bring myself to get back into bed, and as tired as I was, I couldn't will myself to go back to sleep. Morning had finally begun to peek through the curtains, and I couldn't move. I tried my best to process the events of last night as best I could, but nothing made sense to me. What was that? A monster? Why couldn't I see it when I did the bed checks, and why wasn't it still there when I checked after my parents showed up? Was it all in my head? "No." I whispered to myself, those wounds weren't fake, and I know I didn't make them, so what did? I tried calling Riley a few times after it happened, but it kept going straight to voicemail. What was I even gonna say? Yes, maybe she had a scary experience the other day, but she hadn't seen anything, and if it's Riley, she would definitely be able to tell if someone was following her. So, if I call her and say I saw some kind of monster, under my bed no less, would she just think I was a psycho? "Ughh" I groaned, my mind flashed back to the way my sister screamed as she cried out in pain, and then before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. I don't think I'm going to make it to school today.

My parents and sister were still at the hospital. They had been calling my brother with updates every few hours. On the way to the hospital Ciara had lost consciousness due to so much blood loss. Her body was cold and clammy and began to turn a light shade of blue. My mother cried as she told us about it over the phone. Luckily the hospital wasn't far from our house, her breathing was shallow, and her pulse was faint, but they were able to get her there fast enough for the doctors to counteract the blood loss and save her life. I was so glad to know that she was safe, but I couldn't stop myself from crying. After the worst had passed and Ciara seemed as though she had been released from the jaws of death, my dad called me and apologized for the way he acted when he burst into our room. He let me know that he wasn't yelling at me, and he wasn't blaming me for what had happened. He admitted that when he saw all the blood, he lost his composure for a bit and didn't mean to direct his anger in my direction. He assured me that Ciara would be fine and that we would discuss it more when we got home. He then mentioned that he and my mother would get Ciara and I new beds, because according to him, "the springs and frames of the ones you have are a death trap." So... he had decided to blame the injuries on a raggedy bed frame? I guess I should be happy that he's not blaming me, but that conclusion makes me extremely sad. How could I get them to know the truth without them blaming me, or sending me off to a psych ward? *SIGH* I laid on my back staring at the ceiling.

My older brother decided to stay home from school too. Yes, I guess he was keeping an eye on me, but I'm sure he was torn up inside about it as well. After resting in the den for a few hours, I decided that it'd be nice to go out and get some fresh air, so I decided to sit on the porch. It was about noon now, and my phone began to ring, it was Riley, it must be lunchtime.

"Hey sorry, I took something to help me sleep and I was knocked out last night," she laughed, "what's up?" So, she took something to help her sleep? Did that mean she was still afraid too?

At the sound of her voice, I broke down into tears. "Rileeey."

"Wha- what's wrong Court, are you ok?!" she asked in a panic. I cried and tried my best to tell her through muffled tones, what I felt happened last night. She stayed silent as she listened.

"Ciara's in the hospital? I'm' so, so, so, sorry to hear that Court, me and the guys are totally gonna come over after school, need anything? We can all go to the hospital together." Her kindness warmed my heart. I loved how close my friends were. Even though my family was already there, they wanted to be there too, they all considered Ciara like another little sister and wanted her to be ok just as I had.

"Riley," I paused. "I saw something.

"Something?" she asked, I noticed a tremble in her voice.

"Promise you won't tell me I'm crazy" I warned. Over the phone I could hear a long silence. I'm sure Riley had already known what I was going to say. She still hadn't responded, but I took her silence as a nod to continue my story.