undefined ; luke hemming

Chapter One

I'm running. Except at an unusually slow pace. I can't outrun my demons chasing closely behind me. Every step I take, they're taking two. It's impossible, but I keep running. I turn my head to look back at the beast, it has meaty hands and red face. It roars in hatred and I push myself to run faster but I'm still moving a little faster than a fast walk.

I fall and crawl on my hands and knees, trying to increase the time of my inevitable fate. I'm not ready to die. I fall on my back and stare at the monster in front of me, it's face contorting, like it's ready to strangle out an inhuman noise like before, but this time it's a beep. BEEP. BEEP.

I'm confused and speechless. How intimidating. BEEP. BEEP. In the distance I hear my grandmother calling my name. I can barely hear her over the beeping. I cover my ears with my hands and scream trying to block out the noise.

I wake up. The beeping has yet to subside and my grandmother is really shouting my name over the noise. Fucking hell. I calm myself down, and wipe the sweat off my forehead.

"Coming! I'll be down in a minute!" I holler at my grandmother, finally giving her a response. I wonder how long she's been trying to get me.

I look at the clock on my bedside table, the bright red digits read 7:36 AM. What in the world does my grandmother need this ungodly hour.

I throw my matted greasy hair into a ponytail and go to my grandma's side. I see her hunched over the sink with her balancing on her knuckles.

"Grandma!" I yell.

She turns her head over her shoulder at my sudden appearence at her side. "For heavens sake, Hayden, I've been calling you for ten minutes!"

"Are you okay?" I ask ignoring her obvious boiling anger.

"Yes! My back just gave out can you help me to my chair?"

Grandma has a special chair that helps the tension in her back everytime it gives out. She placed it out on the porch because everytime shes in it, she usually spends the whole day in it to recover so she might as well have a view of the world instead of a brown wall in our living room.

I carefully guide her outside and sit her down. She presses a few buttons on her remote and the chair rhymically starts moving under her. I take a seat on the porch swing next to her, still holding on to her hand.

I wouldn't have interrupted our silence unless the question I've had lingering in my mind came out. "What was that beeping all about?"

Grandma points her finger across the street, "They finally sold. The new family is supposed to be nice. I was watching them unpack the truck before my back gave out, it's a full family, two parents and three boys, one looks about your age."

"Do you know who they are?"

"They just moved, how am I supposed to know? We'll make a time to go over and introduce ourselves later on, how about that?"

I nod my head in agreement and study the house with our new neighbors.

"Oh honey" Grandma pats my hand to get my attention. I hum in reply for her to continue "your parents are out of town for the weekend so maybe I thought you and I can throw a wild party." I look over and smile at her giddiness. She always loves when my parents left, we always spend time to together but when they aren't here its just more special.

"Like we always do." I joke.