Gloom (complete)

If Only

Jacey wondered if all was a dream hours after she and Blain had passed between the border between snow and summer. When the heavenly sun had set, the girl was sure her dream would begin to splinter and break apart before like a brick smashing through a window she would wake up freezing on the floor of someone's dusty, abandoned shed.

But it never happened. Nighttime came, bringing with it noises she had forgotten were even missing until she heard all of them again - hooting owls and happily chirping of nighttime insects. It was a warm summer night, accompanied by a soft breeze.

She hoped all of this wasn't a dream, for her own sanity's sake.

This place with its warmth and the cold place they had finally escaped from had something in common however. No one was around. She and Blain had found a road a little before the light had vanished altogether.

Not a soul was on it, there wasn't a car was in sight. They walked on that empty road for forty-five minutes and never ran across anyone else. It was daunting and a little unnerving, but the warm weather and Blain's presence at her side weakened her more negative feelings.

She was alive. Blain was alive. They were together and safe. Nothing else mattered.

(O)

They ran across a car near sundown. A lone black SUV sat in the center of the two lane road, abandoned and in need of a wash.

"Its dark," Blain spoke after a few minutes of them both simply standing in front of the now oddly unfamiliar sight. "We can sleep in it for a night," he glanced at her. "We've camped-out in worse."

That they had. Her back was still sore and her bones still ached from sleeping in that god-awful shed.

Jacey was not about to argue with him, not when she could feel exhaustion replacing her nearly depleted adrenaline.

They settled into the unlocked SUV, Blain settled in the very back of the car while Jacey stretched out in the back seat. It was a nice warm summer night, no need for blankets, no need for a fire. The girl actually found herself removing her coat and using it as a pillow.

There wasn't anything to see in the limited light they were given. They had been settled in a few hours before the howls began, Jacey drifting in and out of sleep, unable to fully commit to sleep verses being awake.

High, sharp, yowls split through the midnight air suddenly. Blain sat up quickly behind her, his movements rocking the whole car. Jacey remained on her back, still and silent, blankly staring at the blackness above her. 'Not again' ran through her head as her slim hope for safety slipped between her fingers and was blew away in an non-existent wind.

Blain took a shuttering breath, "Coyotes," he offered softly, voice tight.

In front of him, Jacey still didn't budge, but her suddenly heavy eye lids grew too much for her. Bright green eyes vanished, a sigh escaped her lips. Another howl broke through the air. Her hair stood up along her skin. "Wild dogs," she offered lazily, emotionlessly, as if they were only playing a game.

The car moved a little as Blain laid back down, "Mating jackals..."

Her lips quirked a little. "Wounded lions..."

"Hyenas..."

If only, Jacey somberly pondered. If only whatever was making the howling sound was as simple as ordinary animals, if only. She wasn't going to delude herself however, no normal animal had made that horrible call.