Mind Or Matter

Chapter Thirty One

The streets were packed with people. Traffic was worse than ever. I didn't check to see what street I was on, but I knew I was close to the store Candi was at – Article, which I had never heard of before I came here to New York, which is strange because I'm sure it had locations elsewhere.

Remembering all the stuff I had in Jake's apartment, I shrugged it off. All I really needed was my wallet (in my pocket), my laptop (in my suitcase), and my phone (again, in the pocket).

I snatched the phone from my pocket, dialing Candi's number. Waiting impatiently, I prayed she would pick up.

One ring.

Two rings.

"Hello?"

I sighed with relief. Talking faster than I meant to, I stood in front of some donut shop by the apartment. "Listen, Candi, we have to leave now. There was this thing in Jake's apartment plus he's trying to steal copper wire and I can't have us going to court because they'll think we were in on it. Come back to the apartment now because we have got to go." Without even thinking, I hung up on her, then waited.

The call was made at 1:58 pm.

Candi met me behind LaTrain Apartments at 2:11 pm. Knowing about the horrible traffic, I counted myself lucky that she hadn't taken an hour to arrive.

Her face was in shock. "Will... what the fuck happened to you?!"

I explained everything that happened so far. Motioning towards the blood on my clothes with my eyes, I waited for her reaction.

Candi stammered, "wait, so she didn't even mention the blood on you?" Her eyes went back to my head and clothes, an expression of sheer horror on her face.

I tried to ignore the smell of blood. "Well, that's the thing – it was like she couldn't even see it. No one can. The night of the ball... I saw people on the floor. Their skin was pale and their veins were black; so were their teeth. And these freakishly long black nails stuck out of their fingers like claws. And in the elevator, when I was trying to escape, a young guy suddenly collapsed and got the same symptoms. And the car crash – there was a lady in the white car. No one else could see her, except for the cop named Teresa or whatever." I paused, trying to catch my breath. Then, eyes raising to meet Candi's, my tone changed to a dark, serious voice. "Candi... can you see it, too?"

Her pink hair blew in the wind, which was the only sound besides the distance honking of cars. Tears were welling up in her eyes, which now had broken the contact we had.

"I don't know!" she yelled, backing away. "I... this is so weird! Everyone's saying you're crazy... but I see the blood! I pretended that I couldn't see the bodies at the ball! I saw the Devil! If you're crazy... then maybe I'm crazy, too." A single tear slid down her cheek, her head turned to the side, then towards me.

Eye contact. The breeze picked up, blowing Candi's hair to the side.

"Candi..." I started, not sure if I should continue. But, out of the crazy thoughts lingering around my brain, one of them surfaced and told me to do it. "I don't think anyone else is real. Before, I thought I was the only real one. That I was the only one who mattered." I paused, feeling tears starting to show. "But... I can tell you're different. In a world of black and white, you and I are the only ones who show color. You and I are real, and that's all that matters to me."

Slowly, I closed my eyes and leaned in. Our lips met, and it felt as if this was meant to happen.

The color in my life faded after my dad dies, after my mum died.

After Lilly died.

But it finally had returned.

It felt as if time had stopped. It didn't matter that I was covered in blood or that there were Demons coming for us.

Nothing mattered but her.

Nothing mattered but Candi.

The kiss didn't last a second, a minute, or an hour. The kiss couldn't be measured in time, but in feeling.

The best feeling was right there, at that very moment, that I wished would last forever.

We broke apart, Candi's eyes drifting away. "Will..." A single finger lifted up to point to something behind me.

I slowly turned my head around over my right shoulder, not knowing what to expect.

Standing in the mouth of Central Park was the Demon from the third floor, waving slowly at me.