Slumber Party Horrors

After Death (Part 14)

Officer Lake took out his lighter and a pack of smokes from his back pocket. His blue eyes were now sunken into his young face. It made him look double his age. Sam sat next to him, her hand in the pockets of the jacket that he had let her wear. They both looked isolated in a world full of stress and pain. The noise from the cars out on the highway bounced off the large concrete walls of the hospital.

"You're really wearing me out, girl," he said, popping open his lighter and lighting a cigarette.

Sam had dark bags under her eyes, and she felt incredibly exhausted.

"I'm sorry..." she said, wiping her runny nose.

Officer Lake took a drag of the smoke he had lit. He looked out to the highway that was distant from the large hospital. Cars drove by at high speeds, leaving blurs of red and yellow behind them in the dark California night.

He blew the smoke out in the opposite direction, not wanting Sam to have to smell it.

Sam looked at Officer Lake with her dark, tired brown eyes. "Can I have one?" Sam asked, blinking slowly a couple times.

"You know this isn't good for you, girl," Officer Lake said, his head still turned away.

"Then why do you smoke?" Sam asked out of curiosity.

Officer Lake turned to her and looked her in the eyes. "This job," he said, twinkling the burnt ash off of the end of his cigarette onto the concrete.

"Oh," Sam said, taking a pause. "Why'd you choose this job in the first place?"

"My brother," Officer Lake said. "I always looked up to him. When he joined the police force he looked so much cooler in my young eyes."

"I see," Sam said, nodding slowly. She aimed her eyes down to the ground, and spoke softly. "I always looked up to Samuel, too. He had been through hell and back with his life experiences. People teased him throughout school, he blamed himself for our father's death, and he was almost married, until him and his fiance broke apart."

"I'm sorry..." Officer Lake said, taking another hit of his cigarette. "He's in a better place now."

Sam shook her head. "No, it was too early for him. He was as much of a kid as I am. He was only twenty-two, and his life was just getting started. He was apart of a little rock band that was dreaming of making it big. He was smart and helpful. After dad died, Samuel took over dad's car shop on the weekends."

"Sounds like he was one hell of a brother," Officer Lake said, looking at Sam with a small smile.

Tears welled in Sam's eyes. "You've got that right, Officer," she said, smiling back.

For a moment, Officer Lake's heart skipped a beat as he looked into Sam's eyes. He could read her feelings clearly through those chocolate irises, and all he wanted was to do was help this helpless girl.

"Here," Officer Lake said, reaching for a smoke out of the cigarette box.

"But you said these were bad," Sam said.

"You've been through enough, girl. Just take a hit," he said.

"Alright," Sam said, holding the cigarette in between her middle and pointer finger. Officer Lake lit it up and she put the cigarette to her lips. She let the nicotine into her lungs and body, and immediately choked. She tossed the cigarette to the ground.

"You were right," she said, catching her breath.

"I told ya," Officer Lake said, putting the pack of smokes away. "I need to quit these."

"Dad always said this could reduce your life in half, nearly," Sam said.

"He's not wrong," Officer Lake said, looking out to the highway again.

Sam slumped back on the bench that she and Officer Lake were sitting on. She gave a sigh and cracked her knuckles.

Officer Lake slowly turned his head towards her. "You know, we really need to do this interview."

"I know," Sam said, taking a sip of the pop she had next to her.