Insomnia

Chapter 31: The Monster

Before any sound came the pain, like someone had hit the back of my head with an axe and then left it there, embedded in my brain. Noise only made things worse. Every word, every breath, every cough sliced through the back of my head instead of taking the normal path through my ears. I couldn't make out any specific words, only the sharp throbbing. 

The smell of smoke invaded my nose and I abruptly remembered seeing Mia in the shop room. What happened? Did Darkness take over again? No, that wouldn't be this painful. I tried to open my eyes, but they weren't ready to cooperate. I could tell I was upright, and the seat I was in felt worn and familiar; it felt like one of the bright orange chairs we sat in for shop class. My hands—my hands were tied behind me. 

I couldn't have done that. Darkness wouldn't have done that. Someone else was here. And that person had attacked me—both me and Mia. 

I forced my eyes open, trying to see the piece missing from the puzzle around me. I blinked a few times until my vision focused. The only thing I could see was Jeff 's light hair and the back of his jersey as he knelt before Mia. I was relieved. He would want to save his foster sister. He could help us both if we acted quickly. 

"Jeff?" I coughed and pain shot through my head. "Help her." 

He turned from Mia, and the grin on his face seemed bizarrely out of place. It was more than happy—it was victorious. The shock hit me as I looked at the scene from her nightmares and realized the truth. 

Darkness wasn't the stalker. Jeff was. 

I hadn't lost control, at least nowhere near as much as I'd thought. 

Relief washed over me, just long enough for me to realize I now had something to live for. The people I'd been willing to run away to save, everyone I loved—I could still be with them. 

And if I wasn't a true danger, then I was not giving them up without one hell of a fight. 

I feigned confusion. "How? What . . . what are you doing?" 

"Enjoying myself." He remained crouched, but turned his whole body toward me. I leaned back out of instinct; he looked like an animal ready to pounce. 

I needed to slow him down, make him talk and buy myself some time to think. "I don't understand." 

"You're such an idiot." Jeff got to his feet and sneered. "You still haven't figured it out?" 

I recognized his emotions immediately: hatred and disdain. He oozed smugness and power. He was feeding off my stupidity, Mia's fear, and loving every second of it. I didn't know who this guy was—what had happened to my old friend? But my instinct told me to keep feeding him what he wanted, to play dumb and let him revel. 

"Figured out what?" I let my legs tremble in spite of the piercing vibration it created in my head. 

Shaking his head in disgust, Jeff turned and stoked the fire. A few embers flew up and Mia whimpered. "See, Mia? It's like I told you. You don't want someone that stupid." 

No one spoke for a moment. The only sound was the crackling fire as I struggled silently against the ropes tying my wrists together. 

"It's okay, though. We'll be together, and then you will be gone . . . and so will he." 

My whole body went cold at his words and I stopped struggling for a moment. "Where, exactly, are we going?" 

Jeff stood with a smile and pivoted slowly to face me. "Depends. Do you want to know what the police will think happened, or the truth?"