Kids in the Dark

Chapter 2

Ryder's P.O.V

I slept badly that night, my dreams haunted by the bloody mangled figure of the dead man.

It was cold and dark, I could see my breath rising in small clouds in front of me. The headlights of the Challenger were illuminating a horrible scene at my feet. There he lay, the hiker, in a pool of his own blood. I knelt by his side, his wounds clearly visible. He was obviously dead, the starry sky reflecting clearly in his glassy eyes. I was ready to get up and turn away when the dead hiker grabbed me by the front of my shirt dragging me down. His voice came in rasps, harsh and jarring against the crushing silence of the surroundings.

"It's your fault. You killed me. It's your fault I'm dead." Then the man reached for something from inside his jacket. The dark shadow of a gun was made visible by the headlights, it glinted menacingly in my direction. I tried to pull away from the dead man's grip but he held fast. "Now it's your turn!" The cold barrel of the gun was pressed to my head. I closed my eyes as my heartbeat kicked into overdrive, but I was glued to the spot in fear. I heard the click of the gun being loaded and squeezed my eyes even tighter preparing myself for what was to come. Then BANG.

I woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily, heart still racing as it had in my dream. Sitting up I untangled my legs from sheets, took a few seconds to gather my thoughts, and then reached for my phone. I felt around in the dark for a few seconds before I felt the sleek curves of the Samsung. I turned it on and was momentarily blinded by the bright screen as it flashed into life; my eyes slowly adjusted, allowing me to read the time. I groaned as I saw it was only 2 hours until my brother would be forcing me out of bed so that we could go meet up with the others. I shot to my feet and yawned, stretching, my back clicking in the process. I grabbed a hoodie from the back of my door to cover my bare torso and set out onto the cold second-floor landing. I tiptoed softly across the carpet, being sure to avoid the squeaky floor board.

I shivered as I reached for the handle of Theo's highly decorated bedroom door. It slid open and I darted inside. I let out a snort of laughter as I caught sight of Theo sprawled out on the floor his duvet lying forgotten on the bed. Typical, I thought rolling my eyes in amusement. Then, excited by the opportunity before me, I grabbed his Skull Candys off his desk before carefully placing them over his ears. I then took the connected iPod and turned the volume up to it's maximum and clicked 'play'. I could hear the music blasting clearly from where stood, as Theo jerked awake.

"Bloody Hell." he cursed, pulling the headphones off, and following the wire up to The iPod in my hands. Theo narrowed his eyes into a glare. "So help me, Ryder Hunt. I will get you back for this. Mark my words." I smirked at him, shutting the music off and collecting the headphones and depositing them back on my brother's desk. "Are you going to explain why you woke me up at, Wait what time is it?"

I glanced at my watch before giving my reply, "Um, 'bout 4ish." Theo groaned again snatching his pillow off his bed and hiding his head under it. "Just meet me in the kitchen in half an hour." I laughed turning to leave.

"Close the door," Theo called chucking his pillow at my back. I picked it up and lobbed it back at him hitting him squarely in the face. His hand appeared from where it had been under his stomach and he raised his middle finger. I rolled my eyes and left, returning to my dark bedroom. I pulled my hoodie off and threw it onto my bed, shifting on my heels and staring blankly at my closet.

Eventually, I had changed my boxers and slipped into a pair of tight-fitting black jeans with rips over the knees, then slid my cold feet into a pair of socks given to me by Theo for my last birthday. The vibrant pattern of rainbows and unicorns always managed to make me smile. I then hurried down the stairs pulling a shirt over my head, skipping the bottom step, which I knew creaked. I entered the kitchen to find Theo munching on an apple. He gave me the 'sup' nod before continuing to devour his food.