Hers

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

-Part One-

            There were no bad dreams that night.  There were no encounters with dark shadows, no resurrection of a memory with Ace, no succubus claws, or visits from Sam.  It was almost as if things were back to normal.  I spent the whole night, sleeping, just sleeping and only woke once around three for no apparent reason, but quickly fell back into my peaceful slumber.  It was nice to have a little peace for once, to have a renewed sense of normalcy to cling to, even if it was just for a night.

            That morning, I woke feeling anxious.  My stomach was in knots, my heart beating quickly.  I didn’t know what Sam had in store for me, or how he planned on fixing me, but deep down in my gut, it was like I already knew.  Whatever it was, it wouldn’t work.  That or it wouldn’t work like it was supposed to.  Something bad was going to happen, I could feel it raising my skin into goose bumps and brushing against the hairs on my neck.

            I waited in the living room, Garfield swishing his tail on a nearby chair, acting for the first time, like he could actually stand me.  Maybe he could sense my nervousness, my apprehension, and it set him into protector mode.  Or maybe a part of him knew Sam would be here soon.  Either way, I was glad he was nearby.

            I waited.  Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, eleven.  Sam didn’t show.  The mail came, the sun moved across the sky, the minute hand revolved around the clock despite its broken face.  Still there was nothing.  I began to grow restless as hour after hour drifted by.  Two o’clock, three, four.  Still nothing.  The wait felt endless.  I tried calling for Sam, summoning him, but it did little to bring him forward.  My eyes kept drifting to the yard, searching for Sam.

            I was just beginning to doze off when I heard a frantic beating on the door.  My eyelids shot open and glanced around.  Garfield hissed and took off, just as frightened as I was.   I groaned as the beating continued, and forced myself off the couch.

            Sam wouldn’t knock.  Something in me said and I knew it was true.  Sam wouldn’t knock, let alone beat on the door.

            I walked slower to the door, listening as whoever was on the other side pounded against the wood.  I brought my eye to the peep hole in the door and stared through.  On the other side of the door, Jeff stood frantic, blood running down the side of his face.

            I gasped and threw the door open.

            “Lilly,” Jeff breathed out, his eyes frantic as they flittered around.  “You have to help, a man came into the diner.  He had a gun.”

            “Jeff, what are you talking about?”

            “He shot Harold,” Jeff’s spoke quickly, his words running together in my mind.

            A man, I thought.  Ace, he’s luring me out.

            “He said he was looking for you, he hit me on the head with the gun and then sent me here to get you,” He was torn.  Torn between telling me to get out of town and bringing me into the man who was probably Ace.  “I don’t know who this guy is,” he said, his voice shaking, “but he killed Harold, I can’t let him kill someone else.”

            “Jeff,” I pleaded, staring at him through the screen door, not sure what to do.

            “You have to help, Lilly, we don’t have much time.”