Eldritch

Chapter 33

A murky brown fills the shower tray from the spilled blood dripping off Daniel's body mixing with the water as he scrubs himself. Blood spilt from a girl who sacrificed herself for him. Gave up her life for him. And he couldn't feel any guiltier about it than he does. As the blood continues to flow into the soapy water at his feet, he leans his head against the misted glass door of the shower, his hair clearing away some of the condensation. While the steaming hot water continues to pump the blood through his veins, he wraps his arms around himself and sinks into himself, sobbing as he does.

As he steps out into the hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist, he heads for his bedroom, dabbing his hair with a towel. The back door opens as he closes bedroom door behind him. Louis calls him and heads for the stairs. He knocks and pushes the door open as Daniel pulls up the zipper on his pants.

'Hey,' he says, reaching for a shirt from his drawer.

'Hey,' Louis replies. 'How are you holding up?'

Daniel gives a hesitant nod. 'I'm okay, I guess.'

Louis places his hand to his son's shoulder. 'It's okay for you to be sad, you know. Lisa was your girlfriend.'

'Ex-girlfriend,' he corrects.

Louis sighs. 'Well, ex-girlfriend then. But, you obviously liked her at one time or another, so it still must be hard.'

Daniel bows his head. 'I'm fine.'

Louis nods painfully, hesitating to broach the conversation he's about to start. 'We need to talk about this,' he says.

Daniel shakes his head. 'No, we don't.'

'Dan,' Louis says. 'I really have to you talk about--'

Daniel can feel tears building at the corners of his eyes. He just barely manages to blink them down. 'No Dad,' he interrupts. 'Please, I really don't want to talk right now, okay? I need to get dressed and then I'm going to see Mom.'

Louis nods. 'Right, okay.' He cracks a weak smile. 'I'll just leave you to yourself then.'

Daniel sinks down onto the corner of his bed as Louis closes the door over. He sighs, and picks up the shirt once more. Wincing at the throbbing sensation of his side, he looks down to his wound, which, even though, it's been stitched up, is still paining him. He grabs the ointment from his bedside locker and applies a blotch of it to his skin, the cool of which, soothes the burning feeling of it.

Once he enters his mother's hospital room, he's surprised to see her packed bags at the foot of her bed. He furrows his eyebrows and looks utterly perplexed to see Marissa's car keys lying on the bedside locker.

Dad's been driving Mom's car the last few days, he thinks. Did he walk home from the hospital?

He looks up at the sound of the toilet flushing from the other side of the room. The lock unlatching. Marissa steps out into the room, fully clothed. She shuffles towards him, and takes him in her open arms. 'I'm so sorry, Dan,' she swallows.

He hugs her back, his eyebrow still furrowed. 'About Lisa?' he says. 'You already said that, Mom. And you never told me you were getting discharged today.'

Slowly, Marissa backs away and eyes him warily. It's then, that he knows something's wrong. Something he's not aware of. 'What?' he asks. 'Mom, what is it?'

Marissa stands, evidently shocked by it. 'Did your father not tell you?'

Daniel watches her intently. 'Tell me what?' he asks, hesitantly. 'Well, I mean, he said he wanted to talk to me, but I told him I--'

He stops speaking as Marissa looks down, trying not to let him see the tears welling in her eyes. 'Mom? You're scaring me now, what's going on?'

She slowly raises her head, and swallows as they share eye contact. 'You know how Annie told us that if someone steps forward, that the game can be ended?'

'Yeah,' he says. His eyes widen. He thinks he already knows where this conversation is headed. He hopes he's wrong.

'Well, that thing is not going to stop until that happens. It was Lisa first. And it could be you next. Your father and I were talking about it, and we don't want that to happen, so we--'

Daniel's mouth falls open and he shakes his head fervently. 'No, Mom. Don't tell me that— Dad's going to,' he trails off, pleading to her with his eyes to tell him he's wrong.

She nods painfully, and reaches out for him. 'He's giving himself up, probably about now. He wants you to be safe. We both do.'

As she tries to encase him in her arms, he breaks away. 'I have to stop him,' he says. 'Or at least talk to him and try.'

At that, he dashes out the door as Marissa calls after him.