Awake

The day has faded into a moonless night.
Time to leave.

Clutching a light messenger, I creep around the hall, about to descend the stairs, but I stop.
My eyes focus on Blake's door, I fight the temptation to open it.
Breaking down, I gently turn the knob and push the door open a little, peering in.
I can just make out his sleeping form in dark.
Shirtless probably, with the covers half thrown off him, like normal.

I jump when a hand gently comes down on my shoulder.
"It's time go Farrah"

Nodding, I pull the door shut and sigh.
I can only image what he will do once he wakes, with us and his car missing.
I shudder at the thought, seeing his angered face in my minds eye almost frightens me.

*X*

I drift in and out of sleep as Asher drives down the practically abandoned highway.

A song that repeats the line 'Bottoms up' way to many times fills the car and I stir, waking up fully.

"Sorry, I'll turn it off is you want"

"No"
I shake my head, trying to clear the dryness out of my throat.
"It's okay, I don't care"

He turns it down a bit and looks over at me.
"Sleep well?"

"As well as expected for a runaway-auto thief"

He chuckles.
"We're not thieves, we'll give it back, We're just borrowing it"

"What a nice put it"
I roll my eyes, moving my attention to the view out my window.
"Hey we're close aren't we?"

He doesn't answer, only turns off onto a very familiar old road.
Only this time, most the ice and snow has melted from recent rains, making everything muddy slush, with patches of white here and there.

My heart beats faster and I try to keep my breathing steady.
My jaw clenches, my fingers digging into the edges of the seat.

Asher turns onto the little drive, switching the headlights on to low, he goes on a bit further before pulling over and stopping completely.

"We're about a 5 minute walk away, deep enough in that she couldn't of seen or heard us coming in"
I nod in reply and unhook my seatbelt, pushing my door open.
Standing up in the chilly night air, I squint out into the darkness, half expecting to see her standing there.

We shut the car doors softly and Asher leads me into the woods, dim light from an old flashlight as our guide.

"We'll circle around to the back and go in through the bathhouse entry"
His words are so quite I barely hear them.

Every twig broken under one of our footsteps, or crunch of walking into a patch of snow makes my heart practically jump into my throat.
I grip onto Asher-probably much too tightly-and move closer and closer to him as we move closer to the horrid building.

Soon we are on the very edge of the forest, looking out into the treeless, grassy backyard.
Focusing on the little, slightly risen ramp, I gnaw on the inside of my cheek so hard I can taste a small amount of blood.

We move out across the yard, flashlight off and breaths held.

Reaching the four feet high ramp, Asher easily gets up on it, then reaches down.
I wrap an arm around his neck and climb up with his support, once my feet are firmly planted on the wooden planks, I turn towards the door, but he stops me.

"Look, I don't know this is going to turn out and I...I know I promised not to, but if I'm not going to live past this night and don't have a chance later, I need to do this"
He grabs my hips and kisses me.
I don't know what to do, my thoughts racing.

What if we don't live past tonight? What if this is last kiss I will ever have?

He starts to pull away, but I grab his face and move my mouth against his roughly.
If this is my last kiss, then I'm going to make it be all it can be, Blake or not.

He pauses out of shock, then grips my hair and pushes his tongue through my lips. He backs up against the bathhouse door.
Our breathing is labored, and I hear the softest moan, it takes a moment before I realize it came from me.

This is much different then with Blake. With Blake I think about ever detail of his actions and how I should react, with Asher, I don't think of anything, just soak up the blur passion and heat of our mouthes.

My fingers wrap around the collar of his coat, his hands hold onto my shoulders.
He pulls away panting and resting his head back on the door.
"Okay, t-that was- "Yeah" I finish for him, with a nervous chuckle.

"We should probably get back to what we came here for"

I nod, moving aside so he can get to the door.
I hear the a squeak and the groan of the hinges.
"That's odd"

"What?"

"It's not locked, why would she not lock it?"

"I haven't the slightest idea"
I sigh, following him through the black doorway.
Asher grabs my hand and leads me down the hallway, towards Mrs. Cherri's office.
"Where are we going?"

"We are going to get that record book that Penny died for finding, then we are going to call the cops, make up some story so they come out, I'll figure out the rest"
His words are so quietly spoken it's a miracle I heard any of it.

Once we reach the office, Asher goes in first.
This door is also unlocked.

A feeling of dread pools in my stomach.
Something isn't right, not right at all.

"Search the desk, I'll look on the bookshelf"

I nod and move to the desk, pulling out my flashlight.
Just as I go to open the fist drawer, a shrill, piercing ring breaks the silence like a million pieces of glass being hit with a sledgehammer fills the room.

Steadying myself by grabbing the edge of the dresser I look down at the ringing phone.

The caller ID flashes and I gasp.

"What is it?"

"My home number"
I pick it up carefully and press the 'talk' button.
"H-Hello?"

"Hello Penny dear"
The all too familiar ice cold voice on the other end replies.