Ink Blooded (On Hold)

Chapter 2

After the kids ran away I became aware of police sirens and John shaking my shoulder.

“Savanna! Savanna answer me!”

“What,” I said looking around confused what happened? Then it came back to me the man from my dream, the strange girl, and the object that the girl gave to me. I look down its still clutched in my hand I slip it into my pocket.

“Thank goodness, the police will be here soon. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said lying for the second time in so many minutes. John helped me to my feet as the cop cars pull up.

“Is everyone alright?” an officer asked us.

“Yes,” John replied

“Then can you tell me up happened here,”

“I was at the desk, and Miss Waller came down then she went out the front door, there was a man out there and I think he attacked her, but I couldn’t quite make out what happened through the cloudy glass, but I froze. Then the man seemed to disappear and a small person ran up, and three or four other followed them, by the time I got out there they were gone and Miss Waller was sitting here on the pavement.” John told the police officer as he scribbled it down.

“And I presume your Miss Waller,” he said I nodded

“Alright, what’s your side of the story?”

“I was heading out for the morning when this man attacked me and then the man disappeared and a girl asked me if I was alright, but she then ran off with some other kids,” I decided to not tell him about the man being creepy looking and the phone.

“And what did these kids look like?” the police man asked

“Um… I only really got a glance, but from what I can remember the girl had black hair and was wearing the worst outfit, it was like all black and no accessories.” I replied the police office looked at me weird and asked

“Is that all you noticed?”

“Yes,”

“Anyway, did the kids look anything that this?” the officer asked showing me a sketched picture of five kids.

“Yes, that’s them,” I answer “Why do you have a sketch of them?”

“That is none of your concern mame,” the officer said curtly.

“I think it is, if you’re asking me if I’ve seen them, I think it is of my concern.” I say back.

“Please excuse Savanna, she’s just been attack, quite a big thing, so if you have no more questions I’ll take her back to her room.” John said stepping in front of me. I tried to protest, but he just started dragging me back to the apartment building. When we got inside I pull my arm free.

“What was that about?” I asked in a furious whisper.

“They can still hear you,” John answered, his voice barely above a whisper. But I can clearly hear it, like it’s been whispered in my ear. I follow him in the elevator, and we ride awkwardly together while cheesy music plays in the background. We get off at my floor and I notice that the out of order sign has been taken down. That not weird I think sarcastically as we go into my flat. I shut the door and go to bolt it, but then think about how weird John’s acting, I might need a quick getaway so I leave it unlocked.

“Alright spill it,” I demand to John who’s sitting at my table holding my cat. John sat there silently. Then said

“You saw him to, what he really looked like,” It took me a second to figure out that he’s talking about the man who attacked me.

“You mean the dead skin,” I said not wanting to give too much away in case he’s talking about something else and I come out sounding crazy. He looks up from the cat.

“And the blood,” he said back, I can tell he’s doing the same as I was. He stared into my eyes and I stared into his, no words are really spoken, but we come to an agreement that nothing we say will leave this room.

“It was horrible,” I said “up close I mean, and did you hear what he said,” my voice holds almost no emotion.

“Yes, ‘Ambrosia has returned’, what do you think it means?” he asked. We sat in silence for several minutes before I ventered to ask,

“Have you seen-” I search for a word to describe him “monsters, like him before.”

“Once,” he said talking to my cat more than to me. “When I was really little I saw one just like the one from earlier, it attacked the little village where I lived with my grandparents, I was in bed when I heard screams from down stairs, I hid under the bed, it came up the stairs, and… and that’s all I can remember, the next thing I can is the police telling me I was the only survivor, I was a lucky little boy, I didn’t feel lucky, just felt like bad luck, like I had killed everyone in my-” he stops “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t trouble you with this, I have already been in you room alone with you to long, it’s against the rules.” With that he brushed past me and walked out the door.

I stood there for a minute before turning to the closed door trying to decide if I should go after him. I bit my lip, should I go after him? What would I say? With a sigh I decided not to go after John. I sat on the window seat opposite the balcony. What had really happened today? Was it just a bad dream that I was going to wake up from? Was I lying in my bed right now no one the wiser? I look down at my bare arm and pinch it, it hurt, but nothing happened, I sighed again, why did this have to happen now, what was wrong with me? I went squeeze me hand into a fist, but felt I was holding something, I looked to see I had unconsciously took the ‘phone’ the girl gave me out of my pocket. I fell back into the seat, studying the phone, it’s a black smooth thin brick. There are no buttons, so I tried taping the screen nothing happens, so I try voice commands. Nothing happens

“Oh, come on just work!” I said in exasperation. Suddenly the screen lights up, and I almost dropped the phone.

“Hello?” I asked tentatively.

“I don’t have much time, I need to know did you see what that man truly was?” The voice was partly obscured, but I recognized it as the girl from before.

“Hey, you never let me thank you, and why did the police have your picture?” I asked

“Savanna, I don’t have time to answer your questions, just tell me did you see the man for who he really was?”

“What do you mean who he really was? And how do you know my name,” I asked

“Did the man have mottled skin,” She almost shouted, I heard a note of pain crept into her voice.

“Yes, are you alright?” I asked concerned for someone I just met.

“I am now,” she said “Meet me at shipping dock by warehouse number 4, 4:30” Then the phone dissolved in my hands, black ink running through my hands and onto the floor. I stared at the puddle it was forming, now I had to decide should I go?

I glanced at the clock it’s just turned 12:00, had it really been 4 hours since I was attacked? Ivy rubs up against my leg, begging to be petted.

“Well, at least someone’s normal,”