Surviving On My Own Terms | Sequel to Stay By My Side

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

       I hated not being able to sleep. I was always so tired at nights, but nothing could make me fall asleep. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to get even one hour of sleep, but it was no use. Those words were still stuck in my head and I couldn't get them out. Logan Fitzgerald. Infinity Cooper. I'm coming for you.

       I finally couldn't take it anymore and pulled myself out of bed, looking at the clock on my nightstand. One in the morning. Not too early to go for a walk, right?

       I grabbed one of Logan's old hoodies that he gave me -though it was more like me taking it without him knowing- and pulled it over my head before I went downstairs. I slowly opened the front door, hoping I wouldn't wake my mom or my brother.

       "Fin?" a quiet voice suddenly asked. I turned to the stairs, seeing Flynn standing at the top. He was standing there with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. His blond hair was sticking up all over the place and he looked like he never got any sleep yet either. "Where are you going?"

       "For a walk," I replied.

       Flynn frowned. "At one in the morning? Isn't that dangerous?"

       "No," I said. "Besides, Ryan isn't in this state." I didn't know when he would arrive in Vermont, and that was what was bothering me.

       "But...." he began to object, but I didn't let him finish.

       "I'll be fine, Flynn," I said. "I promise."

       "Can't you just walk around in the backyard?" he asked. He was really worried about me.

       "I promise I'll be fine," I repeated. "There's nothing to worry about, okay? Just go back to bed."

       Flynn stared at me for a bit before sighing and going back to his bedroom. Sometimes, I forgot he was a fourteen year old boy. Most fourteen year olds wouldn't be worrying about their seventeen year old sister if she wanted to go for a walk. 

       Making sure I had my cell phone and house keys, I walked out of the house and locked the door behind me. Only a few cars were passing by, so it was really peaceful outside. I took a deep breath of the fresh air before shoving my hands in the pocket of my hoodie before starting my walk.

       Maybe I should have done this more often. It felt nice to walk around in the dark, even though it was one in the morning. The only thing dangerous about this town was Death by Death, so I was even feeling a bit safe walking around.

       Within five minutes of my walk, my cell phone began to rang. I quickly answered it, seeing Logan's name as the caller id. "Hello?" 

       "Fin," he said, his voice cracking a bit.

       "Logan, what's wrong?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

       "He's....He was last spotted in New York," Logan said.

       "New York?" I asked. "That's...."

       "Right beside our state," Logan finished. "He was spotted in Syracuse, which is far from here, but not that far. By driving, it's five hours away. He can be here by six o'clock."

        My heart started beating faster. "How could he get there that fast? He was in California. That's....that's all the way across the country."

       "I don't know," Logan said. "He's one of the most dangerous people in America. Of course he can get around that fast."

       "We....we can die in a few hours. He's going to kill us."

       "We don't know that for sure," Logan said. 

       "He said he's coming for us," I said. "What else will he do?"

       Logan sighed. "I don't know, Fin. But the police was already informed about Ryan being close to here. There's at least two people, some not even cops, stationed at each entrance of our town. A lot of people want him caught."

       "He made it through a lot of states without getting caught," I said. "I'm pretty sure he can get in without getting caught. And what happens when he does? What happens when he finds us? What happens when...."

       "Infinity," Logan interrupted. "Stop worrying, alright? The cops are going to try their best to catch Ryan. Everyone wants to see him locked up again and when, not if, when he gets arrested again, he'll be under a better surveillance now that they know he can escape. But worrying about it, filling your mind with negative outcomes, won't help."

       I sighed. "I can't help it, Logan. I'm scared."

       "I know," Logan said. "I am too, trust me. But I can't worry about it. I have to show everyone, especially you, that I'm not letting this effect me."

       "It's hard for me," I said. "You know it is. I saw my best friend die for me and then it turned out she was alive, all because of this stupid Death by Death thing. My dad died because of it. What if we're next, Logan? My brother will lose someone else he cares about. My mom will lose yet another family member because of Death by Death. It's ruining my life."

       "Fin," Logan said, but it wasn't just over the phone. I turned around to see him standing behind me, his cell phone held up to his ear. "What are you doing out here?"

       I hung up and put my phone back into my pocket. "I needed to go for a walk. What about you?"

       "I was heading to your house," Logan said. He then held out his arms. "Come here."

       As soon as he said that, I wrapped my arms tightly around him, digging my face into his chest as I let the tears escape. I just wanted all of this to be over. I didn't want to live in fear any longer. It was hurting me. It was hurting my family and friends. We were all living in fear, wondering when Ryan would come and attack.

       "It's okay," Logan said softly. "We'll be fine."

       "You don't know that," I muttered into his chest.

       Logan sighed. "I know. I'm just trying to be positive."

       I looked up at him and he wiped my tears away. "I can't. I'm trying, but I can't. It's hard."

       "I know," Logan said. "Come on, let's go to your house." 

       He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me back to my house. My hands were too shaky to unlock the door, so he did it for me. After walking inside, he locked the door behind him before taking my hand in his and leading me to my room.

       Logan was about to take a blanket and pillow off my bed to sleep on the floor, but I stopped him. "Can you lay down with me?" I asked quietly.

       "Yeah, of course," Logan said.

       We both got onto my bed and I rested my head on his chest, hoping his heart beat would be soothing enough to help me fall asleep. It was.

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I'm so sorry for the long wait for an update. However, I kind of have an idea where this story is going now, so there might be an update once a week. There might be.