The Safety Dance - Nick Clark

6 - There's A Devil In Your Smile

A Mall just east of L.A. was found this morning burnt to the ground. As far as we know now nobody was hu-

I switched off the radio and pulled my legs up to my chest. First the Hotel and now the Mall? Was I going crazy? Maybe they're just not talking about it, the people and bow they're all getting sick. Why are Nick and I not turning into one of those things, is it air born?

"Stop worrying yourself sick Amy. We're going to be just fine." He said running his hand through his hair.

"We should go home."

"Home?" He scoffed "there's nothing there for us anymore. If we're lucky, they were smart enough to leave when we did."

"You become heartless when you're angry." I pushed at his shoulder.

"You're right." He replied sarcastically "Lets just go back home! The place where no one gave me a second thought, yes Amy, please can't we just go back?" He looked at me quick and back to the road.

"Its not my fault that happens. You're the one whose always gone. You left me for your stupid, druggie friends so don't et upset with me for being the only one there for you."

"I never asked you to be there for me! from the start you've always pushed yourself into my life. You've been obsessed with me for forever."

"How dare you," I hit his arm "how dare you say such a thing to me. Has the drugs finally fried your useless brain!?" his hands tightened around the wheel. his knuckles were white and his jaw was clenched "I'm the only one here with you now because you begged me too so don't you say I pushed this. Do you think your family would have taken you seriously when you claimed what you did?" He didn't answer and I was fed up with him at the moment.

"I wish I'd never had met you." I regretted it. All of it. Everything I had just said to him and now this. I hated myself in this moment I wanted to take it all back but I couldn't and I didn't know if I could fix it.

Out of nowhere a truck hit us head on. The horrible sound of the metal crunching and the smell of whatever was burning already filled the air. I tried to shield my face from anything I thought in the moment that would hit me but to no help something snacked my jaw and another hit just above my eye and I was out.

-

I awoke with a jolt and the seatbelt snapped at the buckle, I tried to grab onto something but I flipped around and slammed against the windshield. It quickly shattered and I slid down the hood of the car making the glass dig into my back with every move. I let out a scream and rolled onto my stomach, slowly I pushed myself up onto my knees. I squinted as I barely saw through the dark and only could find trees.

Cars simply puttered along the road passing us by like we weren't here. We. Nick. I stood up and whimpered at the pain. I reached up and grabbed the safety handle next to Nick and pulled myself into the car

I moved the hair out of his face, his lip was bleeding and he had blood on his shirt around his stomach. I looked around not knowing how to get him out. If I pulled him out now we'll both hit the glass so I took the spare blanket from a duffle in the backseat and awkwardly jumped down letting the glass crunch under my feet.

I lay the blanket down and got back up to him. I put a hand firmly on his chest and adjusted my feet on the console and I pulled hard on his belt making him fall. I grabbed his shirt and put an arm around his chest and held him as I let him down to the blanket. With all the things he takes he's rather small so holding him was no problem but the wound on his stomach started to bleed even more than it already was.

I held his face in my hands "Nick, Honey, Wake up." I patted his face and checked to see if his heart was still beating. I held my shaky breath as I heard him slowly breathe and his heart beat normally. I went back to being face to face with him "Please, wake up." I got scared that he wouldn't wake up he spit blood out and it covered my face. I smiled and helped him sit up as he coughed through the blood.

"What happened?" He asked spitting the blood from his mouth.

"A truck hit us." I replied happily, awkwardly checking him for more wounds.

"Did they stay to see if we're all right?"

"Well. It's dark now so, no." He sighed and rested his head on the car. I checked his head and his legs but no sign to a wound but the blood on his shirt made me remember. I lifted his shirt and he moaned pushing me away. "Leave it, it hurts." he said basically breathless.

"Just let me see it." I sat closer to him and found a piece of metal just to the side of him. "I have to get you to the hospital."

"I'll be fine. Amy." I sat next to him and we stayed quiet for moments on end. Nether of us had a clue as to what to do, it was dark and we were both bleeding uncontrollably to the point I was getting light headed. Nick had a hand over his stomach and his eyes were hooded. "Sorry I yelled at you, I didn't mean those things I said." He didn't attempt to look at me. I'd expect he wasn't feeling up to it.

"It's OK. I didn't mean what I said too."

"You know I really am in love with you, right?" He finally looked up at me from a slouch. I didn't know what to tell him right now because honestly, I couldn't get those words he said to me out of my mind. It was just makes things for us more complicated. He went back to slouching and he tried covering his stomach with the blanket.

I wish I wasn't in the picture. He'd probably be somewhere safe and warm right now if I just stayed to myself that Christmas Eve. I hated to think like that but it's the truth, he'd be home with his family and I'd be... somewhere. Anger makes people say things the don't mean, I get that but it also makes them say things they never had the courage to say in a calm discussion so excuse me for being a little confused.

"I just want to go home."

We stayed silent and I let him fall asleep on my shoulder. The night was colder than usual and I was scared being by the tree line alone after seeing the things I've seen in the last four days. I held onto his cold hand and rested my head on his as I listened to the traffic. Nick nor I were in the right state to climb up the hill to get help so we stayed there. I closed my eyes and eventually fell asleep.

-

I kicked at the bugs at my feet trying to get them to go away. I rolled over and tried to find Nick with my eyes closed but he wasn't there. My eyes shot open and there was an empty place where Nick used to be and I kicked harder as I saw that it wasn't bugs at my feet but a man.

He wasn't like the people from the Hotel or the Mall but he was dirty like he'd been living in the woods. His hair matted and half of his face was covered in dried blood. He smiled once he noticed I was awake and he smiled widely, showing the blood and the flesh stuck in his teeth. "Look whose up." he gargled while speaking and blood ran down his chin.

I kicked his face and he grabbed my ankle dragging me to the tree line. "Nick!" I clawed at the ground pulling up dirt and grass, cutting my fingers on small rocks. I held onto the first tree I could grab and the man stopped pulling out a bat.

"You know, you're boyfriend wasn't so hard to take." He swung at my face and everything went black.

-

A|N: The next chapter for this is going to be the last for this book but if you'd like you can read The Hanging Tree (If you already aren't) and see things put together :)