The Power Of Night

The Runner

Her voice rolled along softly, soon followed by a gentle applaud. She clutched the hoodie tight in her hands as she stared across the filled pews of the church.
The tears stained eyes and red faces from throughout the town.
All on her. Their eyes followed Delaney like starving wolves of fresh prey. They hungered for her.
To be in her place.
To spend one last night with him.

She stepped down the pedestool, off the altar.
The guided her back to the pew, but her feet stubbornly didn't budge.
Delaney would not move.

Move Delaney, you're causing a scene!

She yells at herself. Only, she knew.
It'd happened again. She'd frozen rock solid. Tensing up and freezing hold of the room's glances.
Could it all been for nothing?

The one time let loose, to come overflowing with warmth, just to have another frost freeze over?

Maybe, but not here.
It showed too much.

Delaney decided to melt only her feet, just for the purpose of getting out of that funeral.

Her neck jolted to side where Carter's coffin lay. The lid was open, exposing him. Delaney remembered the unwanted exposure, in fact she was feeling it that very moment.

But what if Carter didn't like this, the exposure? They say rest in peace after all, and in no way is half the school balling over him remotely peaceful.

What does he feel right now?

Delaney wondered, this funeral would've been hers if she would have jumped.

He doesn't feel anything, Delaney.
He's dead. Carter is dead.

This should have been her funeral.

Finally she was over heated, her flaming feet sparked through the aisle with a blazing smoke.
She lit her fire on the road outside, racing like a fuse.

She decided to curse the morning air.

"Why Carter!"

She screamed at the day she faced.
The sun had risen because of him, when her life could have ended at sunset.

"I didn't know you were sick!"

Nobody had known, but she should've been there, even noticed, there were signs.

The pills, so many pills.

He blew off his treatment to spend the night with her.

"You shouldn't have stayed for me!"

She screamed as the wind caught her smokey gasps.

"Or left for me either..."

The feet stopped, and to refresh her own heat, she used her tears to cool her down. After wiping them, she looked around the area she stood.

The bridge.

'Who would you give your last note to?'

Delaney recelects.

She notices the entire cement of the bridge is covered in print made by the writing of yellow chalk,

She reads...