Influence

When I woke up the next morning, I didn’t expect to find the pillow beside me empty. I lifted my head heavily and looked around the room.

“Axl?” I asked the silence. There was no answer. I sat up and wiped my eyes forcefully. The light poured into the room, heating me up almost instantly. I threw the covers off and stood up. The house was quiet except for the TV blaring down the hallway. I made my way towards the noise, hoping to find my red-headed love at the source. But no, it was just Izzy, still in the same position I had left him the previous night.

“Iz?” I asked. He was fast asleep; a cigarette butt hung from the corner of his mouth and a beer lay spilt on the ground. I shook his shoulders roughly. He awoke; the butt fell lazily to the floor and he jumped violently.

“Whoa, who is it?” he asked, falling off the lounge completely.

“Izzy man calm down. It’s just me,” I exclaimed. He looked at me with his light brown eyes and then started to rearrange himself.

“What’s going on?” he asked after he stood up and brushed the excess dust off himself.

“Where’s Axl?” I asked. I didn’t actually expect him to know but it was worth the try.

“Um, I only just woke up. Does it look like I would know where he was?” he answered. I rolled my eyes and picked up the empty beer can.

“Well I’m going to have a shower and leave soon,” I called out from the kitchen. There was no response. I spun around only to find the room deserted. I strolled to Izzy’s room to find him climbing into his bed.

“Can you tell him that I’m looking for a job?” I asked. Izzy waved at me, signaling that he had took notice of what I had said. I smiled to myself and went back into Axl’s room to pick out clothes to look for a job in. After selecting a pair of leather jeans and a white button up blouse I found the shower and climbed in. When I had let the hot water run over me for a while and washed my hair, I got out and changed into the clothes I had picked. Once I’d put a light base of make-up on and brushed my hair, I pulled on a pair of black high heels and returned to Izzy’s room. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, I wrote:

‘Izzy,
You know where I have gone. I’ll bring something home to eat.
Dawn.’

I then placed the note carefully on the table beside him and closed the door quietly behind me. I walked up the hallway and out the front door. Not knowing whether to lock it or not, I just walked off; handbag in one hand, cigarette swinging from the other. I walked straight out of the slums and into the kind of normal part of town. Anywhere there was a ‘Help Wanted’ sign I walked into and applied. But they were always looking for something else, always looking for a different type of person then me. I mean I went to University successfully and didn’t drop-out. I had more training than anyone else that would apply for that job after me. But still I trotted on, my heels killing my feet and feeling awful hot in the leather pants I was wearing. Soon I walked into a pub that looked decent. Inside was a lot cooler and I sat down on a stool at the bar and ordered a glass of water. The woman served it to me with an umbrella and three cubes of ice.

“Thank you so much. It is really hot outside,” I exclaimed, downing the glass in one go.

“No problem honey. Say you aren’t looking for work are you?” she asked. I looked up at her. She was a brunette with light blue eyes and a whole load of make-up on.

“Yes actually, I am. My name is Dawn Stanley,” I said, holding out my right hand. She shook it firmly.

“Jessica O’Brian is my name. I’ve been working here a long time, before any of those other places opened up anyway. Ever since the Whiskey opened, we’ve been only half capacity on our best nights. But to get a pretty young thing like you in here would bring it up a whole lot. What do you say?” she asked. I raised my eyebrows.

“There is no paper work or anything you need me to fill out?” I questioned. She handed me a folder from underneath the bar.

“Bring that back tomorrow afternoon. Then you’ll have yourself a job Dawn,” she stated. I nodded and reached for my wallet.

“Nah, this one is on the house,” Jessica said. I blinked, thanked her and then left the bar behind. Remembering where it was, I looked up at the sky. Dusk was coming fast so I walked into the nearest take-out shop and ordered a few serves of chips.

I walked through the door of Axl and Izzy’s house half an hour later, expecting to find silence again. But where the rehearsal space was, a soft crooning and the sound of a guitar was emitting from the amps. I placed the folder on my bed and slowly made my way into the room. Axl was sitting with his back to an amp, singing a soft ballad. Izzy was sitting on a chair about three feet away, pulling a tune from the guitar. I listened to them for some time, until the song finished and they both looked up at me standing in the doorway.

“Dawn?” Axl asked, his deep voice snapping me out of my trance.

“Axl, hey. I brought home dinner. Are you boy’s hungry?” I questioned. Izzy out down his guitar and they both followed me to the kitchen hungrily.

“Here you go, fresh from the friar,” I said giving them the paper-wrapped chips. They attacked it like vultures eating a fresh carcass off the side of the desert highway. I watched them tear and rip at the paper until the chips appeared and they dug into them impatiently. Laughing, I swiped a chip for myself and chewed on it happily.

“Oh and hello baby, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” Axl said, leaving the chips and approaching me.

“Well hi there. You just disappeared this morning. Where did you run off to Mr. Rose?” I asked. Axl didn’t answer. Instead he grabbed my waist and pulled me into an affectionate kiss. I placed my hands on the small of his back and pulled him closer to me.
“Trying to eat here guys,” Izzy mumbled fairly loudly. I pushed Axl back a little and looked stole another chip from the packet.

“Any luck?” Izzy asked after five minutes of nothing but the sound of all of our jaws crunching together as we devoured the chips.

“Yes actually. I roamed around for a while but then found a little bar that’s having trouble getting customers. So I applied there and I have to take the forms back tomorrow,” I answered. They both nodded their permission, like they were my better-half or something. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a pen from the counter top and stormed to the bedroom. I soon had myself sprawled across the bed, surrounded by a few piles of paper.

“What’s going on in here?” Axl asked. I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

“What time is it?” I questioned, discarding his matter completely. He looked at his watch.
“Nearly 9 PM. Why, is my baby girl getting a bit tired?” he cooed. I rolled my eyes and signed the last paper.

“There, I officially have a job,” I exclaimed, throwing the pen at the wall and collapsing onto the bed. Axl sighed and started to help me pack up the papers. Once they were all back in the folder they came from, he put it on the table beside us and fell down beside me.

“So where did you go today?” I asked. He rolled over to look at me.

“I went down to the little park around the corner. It’s so peaceful down there, really quiet. So I go there for a little writing time,” he replied. I smiled and kissed his cheek lovingly.

“Well, I’m tired. I was up late last night and then got up really early this morning. I am a zombie at the moment,” I said to Axl. He put one arm under my neck, the other under my back. Then he hoisted me up and slid me underneath the covers.

“Well then sleep my love. Until the morning, I shall see you again,” he clucked at me. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

“Goodnight Prince Charming,” I snapped back cheekily. He kissed my forehead tenderly and then closed the door behind him.

It seemed I had only just gotten to sleep before I suddenly woke up again. I had no idea why but I had awoken quiet abruptly. Axl was asleep beside me, his right arm slung across his forehead. I noticed him twitching slightly and when I removed the covers from his body, he had a tight hold on the sheets. His eyes flickered a few times and then he started to toss and turn. Then the mumbling began, little things at first like ‘Don’t’ and ‘Stop’. But the mumbles soon turned to spoken phrases like: ‘Get away from me’ and ‘Why are you doing this?’ Soon he rolled over so violently that he ripped himself out of the bed and onto the floor.

“Axl,” I gasped, jumping out of the covers and to the other side. He was lying on his back, his eyes wide open. I rushed to him, landing on my knees beside him.

“Are you ok?” I asked. He rubbed his neck tiredly and then ran a hand through his hair.

“Axl, answer me please,” I demanded. He blinked and then touched the side of my face lightly with his finger tips. I grabbed that hand and grasped it between the two of mine. He then made an attempt to get up so I quickly stood and supported him back onto the bed. When he was safely under the covers, I returned to my own side and wriggled beneath the blanket.

“Baby, what did you dream about?” I asked. He pushed a strand of hair from my face before answering.

“Just another bad dream bubba, don’t worry about it,” his voice was croaky.

“You’re thirsty, let me get you a drink,” I made an attempt to get up but he grabbed my arm and forced me back onto the bed.

“No, I don’t need a drink. Let’s just go back to sleep. I can see that you’re tired,” he replied hoarsely.

“And I can see that you are stressed Axl. Just let me help you please,” I half-begged. He shook his head irately and lay back down on the pillow.

“It’s scaring me Axl. Can you please just tell me what’s going on?” I asked after I had placed my own head on my pillow. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, placing his cold cheek against my warm one.

“Just night terrors babe. You have no need to be worried or scared. As long as I am here with you, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Because I love you and that’s it,” he whispered. I gripped his hand tightly and waited until he had returned the pressure before I closed my eyes and pretended to drift off to sleep. But I could feel the warm teardrop drip from my eye and run down onto the pillow.