The Aegis of Noah Hart

8-He Sees Me

Headlights bore into Noah's eyes. The blaring of a horn sounds off in the distance. The noise drowned out by the thump, thump, thump of his beating heart as every muscle in his body tightens. His stomach lurches up into his throat. For a moment his toes go completely numb. His thoughts are turned off like a flipped radio. All he has is euphoric silence as he notices a flicker of blue light appears in the corner of his eye.

Noah turns his head toward the side of the road where he spots a girl in a white dress. The young belle clasps her hands together in front of her lips as she looks intently at him. Her eyes scream in fear at him as he looks back at the truck then her.

You see me? Will you die now? Please don't die. Don't do it!

Noah stomps on his brakes making the car shake violently as it struggles to cease all forward momentum. Letting off the pedal, the boy turns the wheel so that the car just barely misses colliding with the truck or median. Driving on for a few more feet, he gently re-applies the brakes. The car comes to a complete stop.

Noah sitting in his seat with only some grey shorts and an orange t-shirt on still finds his skin soaked in sweat. Listening intently for the voice again, all he can hear is the heaving of his breaths. A warm, metallic taste enters his mouth prompting him to check the mirror on the visor in front of him. Hitting a tiny light in the car, the boy realizes he bit his tongue during the excitement. Not wanting to see the red fluid, he tucks his tongue back in his mouth and clamps his lips shut.

Noah waits another minute to get his bearings before finally looking behind back his car where he saw the girl. There's no one there.

Did I imagine her? Am I seeing things? Hearing things? Maybe because it's late or I was so distraught that I hallucinated or something? Maybe a vision from God? Wouldn't it be an angel or a man or something? What do angels look like anyway?

Knock! Knock!

Noah jerks in his seat when a man in fact appears at his window tapping on the glass. He smiles and steps back after seeing Noah clutch his chest then comes back as the boy rolls the window down to speak to him. Once he starts to talk, Noah figures out the man is actually the truck driver. Fortunately he doesn't have the goofy yellow hat or thick mustache like the one he imagined. Instead the man looks somewhat like his friend Phil if not older. His blonde hair and baby blues barely visible under the rim of a purple Patagonia hat.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Hi, um...yes. Sorry about that."

"What on Earth were you doing driving like that? You looked like you wanted to drive right into me!"

"I...uh, he he..."

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Well yeah actually. Funny story. Man, what do I say to this guy exactly?

Tell him you were lost. Tell him you wanted to turn around to get back home. That's what he is thinking...other than that you're young and shouldn't be driving this late of course.

"WHAT?"

"Huh? What do you mean what?"

Noah and the driver both look around the car. Neither person knowing what they're looking for.

"I'm sorry. You didn't hear something just now, did you?"

The man shakes his head.

Did I just hear that girl's voice in my head? AH! I am going crazy!

You're not crazy! You're justing hearing me. I can hear you, too! Tell him what I said. Trust me.

The truck driver pushes his lips together and swivels them left and right. His eyes study Noah like a patron watching a trick in a magic show waiting for a tell to appear.