Spiders

Spiders - Chapter 4

I'm sorry guys but I really hated my last two chapters, to be honest I don't know what I was thinking while I was writing it, it just had to be re-done, so I present to you, the new and improved chapter 4 :-)

But anyways.... Comment, Vote and Fan!

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He was yelling at me, screaming my name. His electric blue eyes were staring at me with tears streaming down his face. 

And I was helpless. I grabbed for his arm, but he fell to quickly for me to catch. Down through the floor, the boards that were once so strong. 

And then came the blood as one of the boards pierces through his chest. He cries out to me, helpless, alone. I can't reach him, he's just out of my reach...

****

I jolt awake, still in the warm safety of the limousine. Henry turns to look at me quickly. I simply glance at him and halfway smile, he buys it and turns away again, but pulls me closer before doing so.

We don't talk about Gavin. At least my parents don't, and I guess it's because they don't want me to think about him. But I do anyways. 

Gavin was my little brother. The electric-blue eyed boy from my nightmares. I watched him slip just out of my reach, I watched my little boy die right in front of my eyes. 

There was a fire that night. No one ever found out what started that fire. The police say it was started by an unattended lit candle. But that's what most people say. There always has to be a blame set on someone.

Gavin was born on a warm July afternoon in 2002. He was only 10 years old when he died. Gavin and I were inseparable. He always went up to Ms. Rosie's with me, I tried so hard to be a good role model for him. I taught him, raised him when both my parents had to work 20 hours a day, barely scraping by. He went on garbage hunts with me and Michael. I comforted him when he was crying, I held him in my arms not one year ago.

We were trapped on the top floor, the smoke choking us and the flames only growing closer by the second. The floor underneath us shook and cracked. I told him to jump on me, but by the time it had registered it was too late. The floor gave way and I tried to grab him, but I was just a second too late. I watched as he fell, as he hit that board. I watched the light leave his eyes.

I knew it was my fault, if I had only gotten him out two seconds sooner. I shook my head and pushed it to the back of my mind once more. That's what I had done since that day.

I lean into Henry, finding comfort in his arms. They were strong. Reliable. I turned my head and watched out the window as trees and buildings slowly came and went. Watched all the people walking on the sidewalks, carrying on with their lives.

By now Michael would be on his way down to his job. Wherever that may be. He'd never told me though, which was weird, but I didn't really mind. It kept him busy. I glance down at my hand and look at the gold band on my left ring finger, the one Henry had given me, the one that was far too flashy for me. Then I look down at my right hand and smile, seeing the silver band with the roses vining around it. I hadn't told Henry whom the ring was from, he would have made me throw it away.

I look back out the window and see a park full of little kids running around, laughing, smiling and playing. Henry leans down and whispers to me, "You know, one day that's gonna be our little kid," then he smiles and kisses my cheek.

My stomach lurches, realizing he's right. We're expected to have children. We're expected to grow old together and if I choose not to he will drop me and my parents. Leaving us in poverty. And that's far from where I want to be. For my parents. Because I was responsible for the death of their only son. I was the one who carelessly let him slip just out of reach. And I needed to repay that.

I can feel my eyes stinging and push away my tears. I can't cry; crying is a weakness. I breath in deeply and close my eyes lightly and slowly fall back asleep.

****

When I wake we are stopped and the sun is setting on the horizon. I look around and see no one in the car with me. I slowly pull the car handle and step out, and the pungent smell of gasoline fills my nose. I look around and see that we're pulled up at a Conoco gas station. The man who had been driving tips his hat at me as he pushes a button of the machine. I look and see Henry inside and walk in.

I look at him then around at the store. I quickly grab a bag of gummy worms and a large cup from the counter and fill it up to the brim with Pepsi. Then I turn walk over to Henry, "Hey," I say breathlessly.

"Oh hello love, I didn't know you'd woken up..." He trails off looking behind me. I turn and see a tall man looking straight at me, wearing all black. But even under the shadow of his hood which was pulled over his head, I couldn't help but miss his piercing green eyes. His gaze intense.

"We should go," Henry says worriedly. He walks me up quickly to the counter and hands the cashier a hundred dollar bill then turns me, his hand on the small of my back, and walks me quickly out the door and back to the car.

But before I leave the man grabs my arm and says "Don't you dare let him run your life."

Henry jerks my arm from his grasp.

"Did you know him or something?" I ask Henry, all the color drained from his face.

"No," he says slowly.

"Oh... that's weird," I say looking out the window at the man in black through the stores glass walls as he walks and grabs a cup and fills it to the brim with Pepsi, just as I had.

"Yes, very." He says simply.

Henry relaxes when the driver sits back in the car and the engine has started. But he can't help but stare when the man leaves the store and disappears down the alley, the black consuming him. I stare too.

What did that mean? I think to myself. Don't you dare let him run your life. I would assume he'd been referring to Henry... but if Henry didn't know him and I didn't know him, then how could he have known. Why would he have said something like that to a total stranger?

I relax and rest my head against a cold window, only seeing his piercing green eyes. The color so vibrant -- so unreal.

"We have about an hour left before we reach the house sweetie," Henry says looking at me so endearingly.

"Sounds good," I say back smiling, making him think that I'd already forgotten what had just happened. I was glad he couldn't read my expressions, didn't know my thoughts.

The hour dragged by. A lot of leaning into Henry, him pulling me close then kissing me slowly. All just distant feelings to me, and I choose to simply push past them.

But all the while I think about Michael and his family, sitting down to eat right about now. All talking and giggling and talking about their day, informing everyone of every detail of their lives. Piling mounds of whatever is served onto their plates then eating it all too quickly just so they can go play outside in the last rays of daylight.

And then I think, well maybe Michael had known the green eyed man. That would make a hell of a lot more sense then just a random stranger approaching eerily and then saying such a thing.

My mind slowly begins to relax itself, knowing that the man wasn't some complete stranger. Then ever so slowly I let the thought of Gavin creep back into my thoughts, but not the bad things, just me and him playing in the street on a night just like this. Laughing, dancing, singing, all as Michael and his little sister come out to play along with us. Living like we didn't have another day left.