Demon Soul (1)

VII

Everything was black.

I sat in the water, feeling it soak up to my waist. My head was resting on my knees while I just breathed. I'd been crying so much that it almost seemed that I had run out, and I couldn't find anymore to shed. So instead I swirled my finger around in the water, disrupting the stars while I sat there and attempted to take my mind off of everything. It didn't work for long though.

I saw creatures lining the cliffs. Shadows. All of their eyes glowed red, staring at me with judgement and hatred. I didn't feel scared this time around, I felt angry. I stood up, splashing water around me as I did, and began shouting.

"What are you looking at?!" I screamed, snarling at the monsters. "What do you want with me?!"

"Miss?"

***

My alarm went off the next morning, pulling me out of a deep sleep. I sat up and pushed my blankets off of me, feeling the cold creep up my legs when I placed my feet down on the ground. I didn't smile or get irritated, instead, I just breathed.

Blake had fought for a good hour to hold on during surgery. He was trying to hard to stay here, but willpower just wasn't enough in his situation. He died at 3:19 this morning, and I'd cried so hard I passed out. Even now I was fighting the urge to cry again, my heart making erratic spasms in my chest while I whimpered. I gripped the edge of my bed and let out a sigh. I needed to get ready for school.

I grabbed my favorite sweater and a thick pair of socks, blue and gray striped. Wearing a skirt in this weather was idiotic, but I did it anyway. All of my jeans and leggings were in the wash so I had no other choice. The moment I walked out of my room, my eyes met with Ronin's. Before he could even open his mouth I snapped at him.

"Say one word, I fucking dare you." I snarled. He held his hands up and backed off, allowing me to pass around him and out into the main part of the house.

I grabbed my keys off of the hook and walked outside, finding my truck sitting in my driveway. Ryker had asked for my keys and managed to get my truck running the night prior, bringing it back to me in little to no time at all. I jumped inside and listened to the engine start, letting out a sigh of relief. I was already on the road before Ronin even got into his car.

The moment I stepped out in the school parking lot, all eyes were on me. I skipped on coffee today, deciding that I didn't want to hear the pity party I knew I'd get from Tara. Instead I just walked towards the door, feeling my shoulders slump more and more as I climbed the stairs. When I walked inside though I realized why everyone had been staring at me. Ryker was here, talking to one of the staff members before he laid eyes on me.

"Oh, there you are." He smiled. "I was just talking to your teachers, it looks like you've got an empty slot today since you had electives without finals. Is it alright if you come down to the station so we can get an actual statement about what happened?"

"Uh, yeah I guess that would be fine." I said softly, and I saw his sparkling eyes dull for a moment.

"Come on." He escorted me out the door, right back into the cold. I saw Ronin walking up the steps beside us, and his expression said it all. But he still opened his mouth.

"What the hell did you do, murder the guy?" He snorted. My eyes flickered to the gun sitting on Ryker's belt.

"No," My fingers twitched. "You're just lucky there's a cop standing next to me, or I'd rip your brain out through your balls."

"Whoa!" Ryker, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started guiding me down the steps again. "Let's have no mention of that activity from here on out."

"I swear to god...!" I balled up my fists, feeling myself shake as I walked. "I'm going to kill my brother if he says one more stupid thing to me!"

"So that guy's your brother? The one that hits on you?" He asked as I took a seat in the passenger side of his cop car. The truck must not have been his.

"Yes." My snarl surprised me. "And I think you might end up hauling me off to jail sooner or later for disemboweling him."

"Don't worry, I'd just let you run out the side door in the middle of the night." He chuckled. "Oh, and we're not actually going to the station by the way."

"Huh? Where are we going then?"

"Well, I thought we'd go and try that sandwich and soup place you were talking about." He smiled. "The key to healing a broken heart is always food."

"You...have a very relatable train of thought." I nodded to myself, hearing my stomach growl. "Food sounds very essential to the healing process."

"See, I knew you'd agree with me." Ryker smirked, an action that made me keep my eyes on him. He had one of those bad boy smirks, like he knew he was getting under your skin. Suddenly I felt very...ashamed.

"You know, I feel...horrible." I said quietly. "I'm not sad he's gone."

"You aren't?"

"No, I'm just...sad that the only person who ever cared about me that much is gone." I laced my fingers together and bit my lip. "I don't have a lot of people. I've got maybe three left. Three people who I can talk to."

"You really don't socialize much, do you?" He asked.

"I hate talking to people. I wish I could live in my own little world where I didn't have to talk to anyone I didn't want to, and everyone else would just ignore me and let me pretend I was a ghost."

The car was silent. I didn't feel a tension, but an understanding instead. A touch on my hand distracted me and I felt Ryker squeeze it tightly. He wasn't trying to flirt or be grabby, he was being supportive. I appreciated it more than I could ever voice.

"Come on, here we are." He smiled, finally letting go of my hand. It felt incredibly cold without his there to keep my fingers warm.

The moment we walked inside, my nostrils were hit with a smell of fresh cut bread and mouthwatering soups. I was already scanning the menu the second I found it, and I was satisfied with everything I found. It was a hard choice, but I ended up going with the tomato soup and a turkey and cheddar sandwich. To my shock, I found Ryker to be the one ordering a salad.

"Isn't that like, against all masculinity?" I laughed as we looked for a seat.

"What? I can't eat a salad just because I'm a guy?"

"I mean, I'm surprised, but it's a good surprise." I snickered, sitting across from him in a small booth. "So, is there anything to be done about the thing I caught on camera?"

"We're putting out a news report tonight, there's not much else we can do besides that." He sighed. "Trust me, if I could I'd be out there with a rifle hunting that thing down. I don't like knowing that something out there could start picking us off one by one."

"Do you think there's more?"

"No." Ryker said after a short pause. "I wouldn't count on it at least."

"Alright." I nodded. "I'm just...scared, you know? I live not even two blocks away from where Blake...its just not a pleasant thought."

"I know." His eyes softened, but our conversation was interrupted as our food was set in front of us. I had to hold back a noise of pleasure when I took a whiff of it, I was already in heaven. Ryker seemed to be in the same state I was as he dug into his salad mercilessly, acting like a starving bovine. I couldn't help but giggle a little, catching his attention. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." I smiled. "Just keep eating."