Shards of Red Glass (A Ghost Adventures Story)

Purgatory

No one asks questions at breakfast. About Meredith. About the Band-Aids on my wrists. Or about my short-sleeved T-shirt, so everyone could see my scars if they looked closely at my arms, among everyone else's arms that are on the table.

We all climb into our vans, and drive off back south, towards home. I stare out the window, listening to music, when I suddenly get an idea.

"Hey, Billy. Can I see the GPS for a sec?" I ask as I pause my music and take out an earbud. Billy wordlessly hands his phone back to me, not asking what I was doing or why. Smiling, I type in my topic of interest, and several places pop up on the screen. I choose one that we'll reach by noon, and give the phone back to Billy. He doesn't even glance down at it as he puts it back on the console.

"What'd you type in?" Zak asks, turning to look at me. He and Aaron had decided to switch seats for this ride, though I have no clue why. I smile mischievously, and say slyly,"You'll see when we get there."

This earns a snort from Aaron up front, so I smack his shoulder. He turns to me with a grin, and asks,"Is it near a bar by any chance?" I roll my eyes and say,"No, Aaron, it ain't. You can go roam the city all you want looking for a bar in the middle of the day. I won't judge." Aaron grins and says,"Hey, it's five o' clock somewhere."

I roll my eyes and settle back into my seat, putting my earbud back in. I see Zak pull out his phone from his pocket, but I don't focus on that as I stare back out the window, losing myself in my thoughts once more.

Are you ok? From last night? And meeting Meredith? I see the message on my screen, which buzzed and interrupted my song. I look over at Zak, who's looking at me. I shake my head and say,"No, I'm good. Very good, actually. Never better." Zak blinks, then says,"I can't tell whether you're lying or not."

I smile sadly, thinking of my brother, Carson, who used to say the same thing to me when we played BS as kids. "I'm not, Zak. Trust me. I feel fine. My blood has reproduced, my head's clear, and my demons are at bay for now. I'm okay."

Zak looks worried by this, but then Aaron turns around in his seat. "So that's why you have bandages on? And a short-sleeved shirt? By the way, it looks amazing on you. You have more biceps than Zak," he says, smiling his usual goofball smile.

Zak punches Aaron's arm, which Aaron looks play-hurt to. I smile and say,"Yeah. I tried to commit suicide last night. But Zak saved me. Taped up my wrists, helped me get away from the demons attacking me. Showed me the sliver of light I sometimes see at the end of the tunnel. A light that has grown since I've met you guys."

Zak reaches out and takes my hand, though I know it's for him and not me. He's reliving through last night, the horror he must've seen, the emotions he felt. I grip his hand, and watch him. Aaron watches us, then says,"Well, great job being up front about it. You, my friend, are horrible at subtlety."

I grin at him, and say,"Oh, trust me, Aaron. Your body will be hidden very subtley." Aaron and Billy laugh at this, and Zak cracks a small smile, knowing that I'm joking. I still see the darkness in his eyes as he turns to look out the window, though.

Not releasing Zak's hand, and taking comfort in the pressure against my palm, even if it is my dominant hand, I take my phone out of my pocket with my right hand. Messing up a lot, and finally getting it right, I send Zak a text.

I see him look down at his phone, then up and around at me. His eyes are dark chambers of horror and sadness, fear and anger, love and pain. He simply stares at me, and it's like I see things from his point of view, after he woke up and found me in the bathtub, with bloody water around my scarred arms and legs.

I take a shuddering breath as the sharing stops. Zak takes a breath as well, and squeezes my hand. Either to support and reassure me, or to reassure himself that I'm real and alive. I lean my head back against the window, staring out at the countryside, and put my earbuds in once more. I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember the dream.