You Killed Him

Again and Again

“Colin! Hey, Colin”, I shouted across the hall. He looked like he was in a hurry. Well, everyone else was also rushing from their lockers to the next class. I was supposed to be doing the same but I really had to talk to Colin. When he finally spotted me after the hallway started to clear, he waved as he walked my way.

 “’Sup, Kayla?” he casually said with one hand clutching the strap of his backpack. “Okay. I really need your advice on something but you have to promise not to laugh.” I told him. Colin nodded, raising a brow.  “Here’s the deal. Nate asked if--- I mean, Nathan. Nathan Sharpe? The new dude in school? Yeah. He asked if I would like to hang out later, after school. What should I say? What would you say?” I asked.

The whole time I was talking, Colin stared at me, trying to hold in his laughter. “Come on, Colin. Class is about to start and I still haven’t answered him.” I cried out.

“Kayla Carson, the question is simple. Do you or do you not want to go out with Nathan?” asked Colin with a smirk. I gave it some thought and replied with, “Well if you put it that way, it sounds like a date and that would be a total no. But what if he just wants to hang out as friends? I mean he’s new here.” I replied. “Oh, I know! You can come too! Then, it can’t be a date. Besides, I can introduce you to him. It’s a win-win situation.”

I felt so proud of myself for coming up with a plan that cannot be refused. “Ah, fine. Where do we meet?” Colin sighed with defeat. “I’ll tell you later after I talk to Nate. Let’s go to class”, I said gladly.

Colin and I walked to the fountain at the main entrance of the school to meet Nathan. He was leaning against a tree with his head up, probably looking at the clouds. The ominous dark clouds told me that we had limited time outdoors. “So this is the infamous Colin Holt?” Nate said as he extended his hand towards Colin. “Indeed. And you are Nathan, right?” Colin replied, shaking Nathan’s hand firmly.

“Great. Now that you both have met, let’s go grab something to eat. I’m starving”, I interrupted. Nathan brought us to a pizzeria. It was roughly a ten minute walk away from school.

“So, Nate.” Colin said with a slice of pizza in his hand.

“Yeah?” Nathan answered, looking at Colin.

“Why did you transfer to Jefferson High? I heard an incident happened in your old school.”

“Colin!” I shouted while giving him ‘the look’. Why did he have to bring up such a personal question?

“It’s okay, Kayla. My uh… My parents thought it would be best for me to be in a better school, with better students, y’know? I mean, I know it’s close to summer but they thought I could make some friends to hang out with during the break.” Nathan replied calmly.

“See? It isn’t that bad. I’m sure Nate doesn’t mind me asking”, Colin said with a short laugh.

Colin wasn’t usually like this. He would be more reserved and find out more about something before jumping to conclusions and making rash decisions. He would be more like Vincent, observing from a distance, doing some research on backgrounds. Why was Colin acting out all of a sudden? Maybe he just had a bad day.

Outside the pizzeria, rain started pouring heavily. Nate suggested that all of us stayed until the rain abated. We talked about our plans for the upcoming holiday but I didn’t mention anything about my father to Nate. He didn’t have to know about my family, at least not yet.

It was almost dusk when Nate walked me home. Colin wasn’t with us because he said he had to meet another friend. The walk home was very quiet. Nathan wasn’t exactly next to me but he seemed to be walking behind me, like a bodyguard. It was awkward but I felt safe. It was like he created a protective aura around me.

He walked me right up to my doorstep. “So this is it?” he said. “Is it really that bad?” I asked, trying to look horrified. His facial expression changed. “No, no, no. That’s not what I meant”, he said apologetically. “Relax, Nate. I was just joking” I laughed. “Ahh, okay. I better get going now. Nice hanging out with you today. We should do it again”, he said with much relief.

After we said our goodbyes, I watched him walk off into the sunset. It wasn’t as cliché as it sounds because, believe me; he literally walked towards the sunset.

Later that night, I was chatting with Colin online. He asked about Nate and what we did without him. I told him nothing happened but he thought I was hiding something. It was getting really late and I was feeling very sleepy. I hit the sack without even turning off my laptop.

I was on my way to the grocery store with Colin. We weren’t talking. There was no breeze, no rustling of leaves. It was total silence. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. As the footsteps approached me, I started to panic. I looked to my left to make sure Colin heard the same but there was no one there.

I didn’t look back. I broke out into a run. I didn’t know where I was going but I didn’t stop running until I couldn’t catch my breath. I glanced over my shoulder but there was no one in sight. “Phew! I wonder who was chasing me”, I thought to myself. But more importantly, where did Colin go? It was like he just vanished.

I put my hands on my hips, bent my upper body lower until I was facing the ground and took deep breaths. I was feeling very exhausted. I was running from something that might not have been chasing me. As I turned round the corner, I saw a shadow of a man. I looked up to see who it belonged to but instead, everything was a blur. I felt dizzy and I stumbled, the world around me was spinning and finally, total darkness.

When I regained consciousness, I realized I was sitting on a hard surface. I blinked hard a few times to adjust to the bright surroundings. I didn’t know where I was. I couldn’t remember how I got there. Then, my head started throbbing but I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t move my hands and legs. It was like I was paralyzed.

In front of me, 3 silhouettes of men emerged. The light was too blinding for me to see their faces. “Who’s there? What am I doing here? What are you going to do with me? Release me from whatever this is”, I cried. The people who stood before me showed no response. They stood there like statues.

“Didn’t you hear me? I need to know why I’m here. How did I get here? Who are you? I want some answers” I demanded with frustration. Did they not understand me? Before I could shout at them again, one of them spoke.

“Welcome home, Kayla.”