The life within the lines.

Chapter one. 

Charles takes another look at the picture, smoothing the rusty edges of a photograph. The almost gone yellowed photo shows a young woman who's wearing a sundress, seemingly happy. He hesitantly shove the picture back into a storybook with a heavy heart. He stands up and goes to his study desk, places himself on a chair, then staring at the half written white paper in his vintage typewriter, he massages his temples, takes a sip of his black coffee, stretching his aching sore back. He ruffles his hair and continue to think of something, something interesting to write about.

--

 Two best friends sat together, one brunette, the other blonde. 

   "ugh, stupid mosquitoes, rot and die mosquitoes!"

   "Will you stop whacking and flapping your hands like an idiot? You're gonna hurt one of us. You look like a fish out of the tank for christ' sakes." Samantha Rivers can be a handful.

    "Then put on some damn mosquito nets in your bedroom Ariana! It's bad enough that I broke a nail on the way here, which might I mention, again, that I had to cycle here, just for you?" Samantha feeling annoyed with the buzzing and her irritated arm, exclaim in dismay.  

   "Pipe down little miss pouty and class, your nail will grow back and you didn't come here just for me. Just so it's clear, what's the reason being for you to cycle here? That ridiculous argument with your father I suppose." Ariana seems to be the reasonable one, arch one of her eyebrows slightly, did that thing with her eyes to her annoyed friend. 

   Samantha couldn't believe what she had just heard. "I'm made like this and you know that, I didn't want nor did I ask for Charles to write that nasty fight before, okay? Stop coming at me like some mad dog that's pissed off cause' I pissed at your territory. Stop fiddling with your nails Aria!" Ariana is peeling her nails bit by bit after chewing on them.

   "You know I'm nervous for Charles, heck everyone is! He hadn't written in months, and all he does is flip through that old piece of junk like it will help him or us or any thing in fact! I'm sorry, that is a terrible thing to say. Yeesh, now I feel like a sinner. We're s'pose to be best of friends, you and I, sisters from another mother, but at this rate, god forbid I feel like tearing you apart."

Every single person in this town seems to be afraid of what might happen to them. If the time is up, in exactly three months, they have to face a horrid destructive thing. People are calling it mistail, and it was heard that it's a black mist or a slug, or a horrfying spoon, nobody knows who gave the suggestion of a spoon but it was in the top three list. But it takes over your body and kill the ones you love most. 

   "Now that can't be good." Samantha swallow, clenching her teeth, she sinks her head onto Ariana's feathery pillow, hoping for a change. 

   "I don't mean that Saman.." Ariana goes and settle by her best friend.

   "I know what you mean Ariana. I understand. But it goes the same, for both of us. " teary-eyed, they both embrace each other and drift off in the soft, dark but comforting arms of sleep.  

   "It's all of us actually." barely made out as a whisper, the sound that made the words got caught in the air, and vanished.  

--

The sun's glaring heat woke Charles up. He look around, trying to remember what happened, as usual he seemed to have dozed off. He wipe the dried drool on his prickly unshaved chin, he look at his watch and nearly fell out of his chair seeing the time of the day. Checking his phone for messages, five messages from his buddy, David.