Last Night

Part 33

My alarm clock rang through my exhaustion and ripped me from the dead-to-the-world sleep I'd been enjoying. When I opened my eyes again, I was on my bed in a button-down shirt and the same shorts I'd been wearing last night. Clearly, I hadn't died. Why would a ghost bother changing only half of an outfit if they could change anything at all?

With a quick glance around the room, I confirmed that I was truly alone. It looked the same as it did yesterday before Hell rained fire down on my life. A pair of shoes lay dumped next to my closet and a few not quite dirty clothes hung off the knobs of my dresser. The alarm grew louder as I continued to ignore it and stare at what felt like a frozen point in my life. Would the police come banging on my door asking about Janiel, or Patrick, or the others? Did I still have a job?

Finally, I turned to my alarm and my whole body seized; my neck stung, my shoulders ached, my legs locked. Breathing in and out until it lessened, I gently raised an arm to swat my alarm off. Everything hurt. My hands cradled my head for a few moments while I brought my focus back.

Running long distances always seemed like a crazy notion unless someone was chasing you and now I understood why you train and prepare. The second my feet hit the ground, the nerve endings tingled and burned. I almost slid off the bed to the floor, but managed to hold on to my nightstand.

Although I was still dressed and my hair was a stinking mess, my arms looked clean. Moving my neck hurt too much to inspect the rest of me without the aid of a mirror so I ambled into the bathroom. There I saw that my skin had been wiped clean of dirt and blood, which made the cuts, scraps, and bruising that littered my body stand out more. I almost had a black eye. A few of the larger scraps were bandaged up lightly and my neck had a big piece of gauze taped over the bitemarks.

I shouldn't go out in public today. I was a train wreck.

But if there was a chance that I still had a job, I needed to go in especially after yesterday's fiasco. I didn't need to give them any more of a reason to fire me. And yet, if the cops showed up to arrest me, that would probably be the end of it anyway. What about Janiel's obvious disappearance? But if I don't show, that'll make me more suspicious.

I could call in sick, but who knew where my cell phone was, with my luck, burned up in the hotel room next to Janiel's body. Or worse, in an evidence bag waiting to be unlocked so they could connect me to her murder.

My stomach grumbled and I shifted in the mirror.

I should probably eat something.

Somehow I ended up getting ready for work and standing at my door before I realized I didn't have my purse or keys or anything to actually get me there. Laying my head against the cool wood, I closed my eyes and sighed.

No show and no calling? Guess I really would end up unemployed then.

When my eyes opened though, they spotted a small brown bag next to the door. It was my purse. Slowly, I bent down and unzipped it. My phone was still nowhere to be found, but my wallet and keys were tucked inside along with all the other junk I usually had tossed into the mix.

I may be mad at him still, but the fact that Ian found my purse and returned it put a small smile on my face.

Que será será.

The hours at the office couldn't drag on any slower. Besides being on the receiving end of harsh glances and hushed whispers, Janiel's silent cubical weighed down on me more than any nasty rumor. None of them knew the truth and none of them would ever believe me. This was the second time one of my coworkers suffered because of me. I wanted to search for Leo, but frankly I was too afraid of what I might find, another mysteriously empty desk with no call or email.