I listened to each tick of the clock. Each second passed slower than the one before it.
One more hour.
Forty-five more minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Fifteen.
Ten.
Three.
One.
Thirty seconds.
2:19.
It's time.
Pushing myself off the couch, I grabbed my bag and opened the front door silently. Please don't wake him up. Please. Please. Please. There was click, signaling that I was finally out. No tripping, no knocking anything onto the floor, and no cursing.
Mission accomplished.
So far.
I let myself relax as I made my way to the car. My feet crunched on the gravel and I listened to the wind rustling through the trees. The jeep got closer and closer until I was standing in front of the trunk.
I went to open it but it was locked.
Leigh, you idiot. You need to unlock it. Duh.
My bag fell onto the ground with a loud band and a regrettable sigh from me. I reached into my pocket to pull out the keys. But they weren't there.
I checked all my pockets and looked through my bag when I remembered.
They're sitting on the table by the couch.
My heart dropped and I threw my head back in annoyance. Nice.
Idiot.
Whatever. This will be easy. Just sneak in, grab the keys, sneak out. Don't touch anything. Don't breath. Don't make a sound. Don't numb into anything. Don't drop anything.
Okay. I've got this.
I think.
As quietly as I could I got to the front door and held my breath. The handle turned slowly and I pushed it open at the same speed. I tiptoed in and bit my lip as if it would help me be silent.
There's the keys.
Each step was carefully placed and thought through. It felt as though it was one hundred feet away. The second I was close enough, I grabbed them. I gripped onto them tightly so I wouldn't loose them.
And I didn't loose them.
But of course I dropped them.
They didn't do that thing where they fell in slow motion and I screamed "no!" And it came out all deep and stupid sounding. All the key chains clattered on the floor and I froze.
Idiot.
I just stood there. Waiting for myself to get caught in this and now be forced to explain why I was leaving. I waited for the sound of Seth sprinting down the stairs, bat in one hand and knife or gun in the other. Then realizing it's not a demon, but something much worse. His best friend leaving right after his brother died.
But that never came.
After about three solid minutes of torture, I let out a breath. The imaginary wight slightly blowing off my shoulders. I continued carefully and quietly before making it to the front door. It made a slight squeaking noise but it wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up.
I was a few steps away from the car when everything turned downhill.
"Leigh?" His voice was hoarse and fragile. I could hear the pain in it as I tried to leave him behind. "What're you doing?"
I didn't even turn to face him before squaring my shoulders and responding.
"Leaving."
"Wha- why?"
"You know why."
I could hear our breaths, his was loud and breathy while I held mine in my lungs. We stayed there for a few moments. My back to him, ready to jump in the car and never return.
"Just wait- just. Just wait a second okay." I expected him to try to talk me into staying but instead he turned and sprinted quietly back in the house. I spun around, confused and bit my lips. Yanking the door open, I jumped inside but couldn't even manage to turn the key.
Leave Leigh.
Why wasn't I driving away?
I couldn't seem to just...leave.
So I waited a few moments.
I rested my head on the steering wheel and just sat there. Waiting for something. Suddenly the car door was thrust open and I snapped up. Seth through his bag into the back seat and gave me a sad smile.
"Where are we going?" He asked quietly.
