Broken Lantern

Chapter Thirty-Four

I take Kevin around the little town, showing him all of the same places that Darry and I had seen and visited. When he tells me that he's starting to get hungry, I know exactly where to take him and before long we're feeding scraps to stray cats. The memories are bittersweet, and after a while I feel them beginning to weigh on me.

"I think I'm ready to go back to the room, Kev. I'm not feeling so well." I tell him, trying to hide the sadness that's taking over my heart.

"Yeah, ok, let's head back. I'm feeling kind of tired myself."

When we get back to the room, we take turns changing into pjs in the bathroom. There's one king bed in the room, and even though we're used to sharing a bed, it just feels oddly wrong here in this place. Kevin and I haven't done anything beyond kissing, he's been a perfect gentleman all this time, but being here where I honeymooned with Darry, and now sleeping next to his best friend, it somehow feels icky.

I scoot to my side of the bed and hug one of the pillows close to me, avoiding cuddling with Kevin tonight. "Are you ok?" He asks, trying to scoot closer to me. "Alley?" He says when I don't answer him right away.

I turn toward him and look him in his beautiful, sweet eyes. "I'm ok. I just feel weird being in the bed with you like this when this is where I honeymooned with Darry, that's all." I tell him, trying to be as open and honest as possible with him.

"I understand, babe. Do you want me to sleep on the couch then?" He asks, pointing to the couch that lines the room under the window. I shake my head, feeling silly and cuddle up to him.

"I know this must be very weird for you, Alley. I'm not wanting to make any of this harder on you. I'm here for emotional support, remember?" He says, reminding me that I am the one that asked him to come along on this trip.

I smile and kiss him goodnight.

I can feel the heat before I see the flames. As I walk closer to the house, I see the red-hot flames licking at the curtains, pulling them in and blowing them back out through the busted glass in the windows. The front door is wide open so I can see straight down the hall, where the flames haven't yet reached. Then I hear screaming and a baby crying, as the fire grows, taking over the left side of the house.

"Alley!! Wake up, Alley! Oh man, Alllleeey!"

I snap awake, shaking my head, trying to get the voices in my mind to stop screaming.

"Alley, please wake up. Please stop screaming." I hear Kevin pleading with me, but I don't understand what he means. I'm not screaming... am I? Kevin locks his arms around me, pulling me into him and the screaming stops.

I feel the wet tears on my cheeks, and I can't stop shaking. I'm shaking so hard that I'm making Kevin shake with me as he holds on to me for dear life.

"Alice, what was it?" He asks, knowing it had to have been a bad nightmare, and understanding by now that my dreams usually mean something more.

"Oh, Kevin! It was so awful! The house was on fire, and everyone was still inside!! Please call them, please call Joel, Kevin." I beg him.

"Alley, it's 3am in Montana. They're all asleep." He reminds me, trying to reason with me.

"I don't care, Kevin! Call him! Now!" I scream at him, wanting him to understand that something's not right.

He agrees and picks up the phone, dialing Joel. The phone rings and rings, but no one answers.

I pick up my phone and dial Jess, who answers on the third ring with a very sleepy, "Hello?"