Dark Nights

Chapter One:

Lacey's P.O.V.

"Megan and Tommy are here." Mom yelled from out in the living room following a car horn beeping. I came out of my room to find my mom on the large couch with a book folded down on her lap.

"Alright, Mom. I love you. Bye." I said, grabbing my purse off the end table.

"Love you too, honey. Be careful and be back before ten. It's a school night." She reminded me as I headed to the door.

With a sigh, I said, "Yes, Mom." I ran out the door and into Megan's little red car. I sat in the backseat since her boyfriend; Tommy was in the passenger seat. Megan had short, black hair and grey blue eyes. I saw them holding hands, leaving them resting in between them.

"Aw." I said, as I put on my seat belt.

"See, Megan. She is already causing problems and she hasn't even finished putting on her seat belt." Tommy complained.

"I have so finished putting on my seat belt." I said, sticking out my tongue at him.

"Okay, you two, cut it out or I will turn this car around." Megan warned in her motherly tone.

"Fine." We both sighed. Once Megan pulled the car out of the driveway, I leaned forward and flicked Tommy in his ear. It left a nice, little red mark making me proud.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his ear.

"What's wrong, honey?" Megan asked, concerned.

"Oh, uh nothing, dear." He said, shooting me a glare. I stuck my tongue out in retaliation. Megan didn't notice our exchanges as usual and just gave Tommy a weird look, then looked back to the road. About half an hour and only a few pleasantries between me and Tommy, we arrived in St. Louis. We wasted no time in starting our shopping quest. I bought my mom a book she had been wanting and my dad, his favorite movie. Megan and Tommy both their parents gift cards.

"Are any of you hungry?" Megan asked, after we left the bookstore.

"Yes." Tommy answered, eagerly. He rubbed to his belly to prove it. I laughed while nodding my head in agreement.

“There is this pizza place three blocks away. I heard it’s really good.” Megan said, pointing in the opposite direction. We all agreed and started heading to the pizza place. The crowd was already thick before we started heading out due to Christmas shopping but it turned into a chaotic swarm on gnats. Soon I lost sight of Megan’s red streaked hair and Tommy’s tall ginger head. I wasn’t worried. I would find them once the crowd thinned out at the pizza place. A few minutes later, the crowd thinned out. There was no Megan or Tommy. No pizza place. I was in East St. Louis. My stomach clenched with tightness. Good things didn’t happen down here, especially to girls at night. I needed to get back and find a pay phone in a decent place. Seriously, I had to be the only sixteen year old in America with no cell phone. It was 2012 for Pete’s sake! I turned around and started heading into what I thought was the right direction. Nobody was crowding the streets anymore. It was like everyone had just vanished. Don’t be silly, Lacey, I told myself.

           For about ten minutes, all I saw were broken down apartments with busted out windows and heavily graffiti businesses. Street lamps started to come on and the temperature dropped even further. I pulled my hoodie tighter against me and pulled the hood above my wind-bitten ears. I could see neither familiar faces that I longed for nor a pay phone. Someone had to have one. I knew that it was 2012 but they couldn’t have become extinct. Giving in, I started going into stores and restaurants to find a pay phone and get warm. I walked into a questionable Chinese restaurant. There was a fine layer on dirt covering the red and yellow tiled floor. Only one person was sitting at the one of the grimy booths. He was mysteriously pale and had a bunch of scars covering his otherwise angelic face. He didn’t have food and I honestly couldn’t blame him on that one. I didn’t stay focused on him too long because I saw a phone in the corner. I put some money in and dialed Megan’s number.