Unhuman Nature

Sleepless Nights

I avoided everybody, especially Jack, like the goddamn plague for the rest of the day. That day turned into the next day, and the next day, and the day. For the past week and a half, I've fallen into a daily routine of fending off any social interaction and hiding out in my room.

So far no one's bothered me. Sam came in a couple days ago to see how I was settling in, he asked if I was ok. I told him I was fine.

Lie.

I knew that at some point I'd have to step out of my spider hole and face the music, but today, or any other day, was not that day.

It was about 11 o'clock and most everyone was asleep or exhausting themselves with work. I was about to turn my own lights off when Jack walked past my door. I poked my head out, "Goodnight Jack." It was the first thing I'd said to him in a while.

He walked faster without looking back and shut his door. I sighed and shut the light off.

I walked over and flopped on the bed, burying my face in the pillow. What was wrong with me? I keep telling myself I don't care, I'll be gone soon. Better to let them down instead of dragging them down with you.

But no matter how many times I tell myself, there's a part of me that simply refuses to give in to the hopelessness of having people who care about me again.

I pulled the covers over my head and tried to fall asleep.

I laid in bed, wide awake, tossing and turning for hours.

Eventually, I turned over and looked at the digital clock sitting on my desk. It read 2:34 am.

Great, just add insomnia to my laundry list of problems. I sat up and threw my covers off. Quietly, I slid out of bed, getting on all fours, I pulled my backpack out and fished around until I found my hoodie with the NASA logo stuck on the front. I pulled it over my head, slipped my ratty old black converse on and snapped my Enochian bracelets on. I walked out of my room and wandered the halls trying to find the exit. Jesus, how does anyone know their way around here? It's like the goddamn labyrinth in here.

I finally found the big room with the staircase leading to freedom. Before you start freaking out, I'm not running away, I didn't even bring my backpack remember? I just need to get out of the bunker before I suffocate of all this ungodly tension I create whenever I'm in the presence of another human being. I padded up the stairs and went to open the big door, I turned the knob and pulled it open. The door screeched and I immediately stopped, whirling around to see if any lights had turned on. By some miracle, no one had heard and come running. I opened the door again, slower this time. I slipped out into a hall with stairs leading up. I jogged up the stairs and was met with yet another door. This time, I didn't need to worry about anyone waking up and catching me on my little past midnight excursion. I pushed this door open, cringing as the hinges groaned and shrieked. I stepped outside and breathed in the cool air. There was a small staircase, consisting of only a few steps, I shoved my hands in my pockets, already feeling my fingers starting to freeze.

I walked up the stairs and smoky tendrils of fog swirled around my ankles. There was a road that I assumed lead into town, that and the outside of what you could see of the bunker we're the only signs of civilization. Everything else was trees as far as the eye could see.

I only walked a few feet into the forest across the road before I found a suitable tree. The trunk was thick enough to climb and the middle branches looked strong enough to hold me. Grabbing one of the lower branches and putting my feet on two protruding gnarls, I began my ascent. I almost fell a couple times but I made it up to one of the sturdy looking branches. Swinging my leg over, I hoisted myself up and settled into a comfortable position on the burly bough.

Relaxing in the tranquility of the night, I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned my head against the trunk. After a few minutes, I drifted off into a restless sleep

"Indi look, my guinea pig looks like an alligator!" Grace laughed. Turning around with a piece of chalk in her hands, she gestured to her disfigured guinea pig chalk drawing. "I don't think I'd keep him if Piglet really looked like this."

Turning away from my own drawing, I took in the horrendous site and giggled. "It doesn't look that bad," I said once I was done laughing. "Look it just needs a smaller body." I took her piece of chalk and rounded out the ends of her drawing and brushed away the long tail. "There see? Now it looks like Piglet." I smiled.

"I wish I was as good at drawing as you are." Grace sighed. "I'm not that good, I just fixed your guinea pig silly!" I replied.

"Yeah but I mean, look at your drawing! What is it anyway?"

"Well if I was so good at drawing you'd be able to tell right?" I said smirking. Grace gave me a look. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"It's supposed to be a planet."

"What's it called?"

"Umm... I'm not sure yet, but I know that we're both queens because we're best friends." I said. She paused before Grace asked something I'd never considered before.

"You'd never leave me right Indi? I mean you'd never move away and leave me here by myself right?"

"We're best friends so you'd never hurt me right?" She asked.

Little seven year old me was taken aback. "Of course not! I'd never leave you. You're my bestest friend ever, I would never do anything to hurt you!"

She looked at me for a moment before her mouth spread into a mad grin, livid fire burning in her eyes.

"Liar." She said sweetly.

Grace started to stumble.

Reaching out, I caught her before her head hit the ground. Her eyes already staring at nothing.

The dream shifted and I tumbled through black. Hitting the ground, I sat up and saw my mom leaning against the wall.

I crawled over to her. I have to save her, I thought. This time I can do something to save her.

I pressed my hands against the stab wound in her stomach. Looking at her eyes I saw her frantically looking towards the corner of the room. I was about to ask her what was wrong before two glowing eyes appeared.

They were glistening red. I turned back to focus on my mom, but finding her gone. The only trace left was the blood on my hands.

I turned back to the figure in the corner, taking one step closer, then another. "What do you want?" I asked the shadowed form.

"For us to be a family again Indiana." It said smoothly. A bright light suddenly engulfed me and I shut my eyes tightly. The ringing in my ears getting louder and louder.

Opening my eyes I found myself looking into the face of Lucifer.

My father.

My eyes shot open, the sound of branches cracking waking me up. I jumped up, afraid it was my branch that was about to fall and lead to me breaking my neck.

I was so sleep deprived it took me a minute to realize the cracking wasn't coming from the tree, it was coming from the ground. Which meant simply that there was a big animal lumbering around this part of the woods . . . Or someone was walking right below where I was hiding.