Amelia, Run!

In the midst of the hard and cold darkness and the piercing pain, I could hear footsteps. They sounded like they were stepping on puddles and pavement, a very familiar sound. I couldn’t tell if they were coming towards me, I couldn’t tell the direction. It was as if they were coming from me. It was odd because I didn’t feel like I was moving. The next sound came from away, it was faint but I knew it wasn’t coming from my mind, which I was sure of. Every second it kept getting closer and closer. As the sound kept stepping, it grew louder. It was as if someone was crying. The person whimpered and sniffled. Finally I could see a faint light, it was at the end of an alley and it came from a lamp post with little moths flying in circles around it. The sounds of their wings, how they bumped into the lightbulb and the static were very clear.

I felt a pang of fear. It was more like instinct. Ever since I was little my family, the movies and the television always mentioned the term “white light” and the implications that came from it. I couldn’t help but think if that was for me. The pain was still there but it was more of a memory now, as if it was only seconds that it appeared. My eyes fallowed a trail as if it was familiar also. I felt pity for some reason. The pity that comes when one sees a sad and injured animal.

I could make out a shape, it was round and on the ground and it could move. I don’t know why I kept walking now that I knew that what it was but I didn’t have control of my body. The person continued to sob and between gasps I could hear hiccups and mumbling. Finally I was behind the figure.

I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry.

My hand moved and reached for the person’s shoulder.

I’m sorry… I’m sorry.

I touched it, it was hard and cold. The person shifted a little and it made a wet sound, almost as if he was standing on a puddle. Slowly, while apologizing and sobbing, the person moved his upper body towards me. I noticed that he was holding a body; it didn’t move even though the person was rocking it. Right before I could see the body’s face, the person looked right into my eyes. His eyes were black as night, his tears were tainted in red and his face dripped blood—no, it was gushing and it looked fresh. Even his hands were covered in it as if he dipped them in a bucket of crimson paint.

He showed them to me and screamed as if he was asking for forgiveness. Like a child caught in the act but still shocked of the outcome… I didn’t mean for this to happen. And I believed him even though I had such a horrifying picture in front of me. But then his eyes changed. They weren’t pitiful anymore, but vicious like a wild animal. I wanted to take a step back but my eyes were now on the unrecognizable body. He placed it on the ground—where the puddle of blood was, as if it was something precious to him and stood up. The man was bigger than I expected… and older, I had to look up. He blocked the light from the lamp post and covered me with his shadow.
Still sobbing he approached me and placed his forehead on my shoulder. I expected it to be warm and not cold and hard like stone. Suddenly he stopped crying and placed his hands on my forearms and slowly raised them as he took his head out. They landed on my neck gently. Again his eyes turned sad and cocked his head to the side and his lips trembled. His mouth opened reviling his teeth.

BUT I AM SO HUNGRY!

Rights as I was about to scream I woke up.

I gasped out loud and looked at my surroundings. For a second I thought I didn’t know where I was but then I saw my favorite mug on the floor and groaned. I lifted my upper body up, reached for it and examined it for any cracks. So far it was intact and I let out a sigh of relief. Why was on the floor? I still had a head ache and I couldn’t remember much.

I heard a knock on the door. I got up with my mug on hand and opened it. It was Brad again and he was ready to go to work but this time he had an annoyed face. Was I out for two hours? “Here,” he handed me his phone. “Your cousin called again.” Brad pressed the speaker button.

“David?” he let out a sigh of relief.

“¡Ay, chica! ¡Qué susto me diste!” I couldn’t help but chuckle. He was always the dramatic one. My cousins are both gay and that devastated their mother up until she accepted that there was nothing she could do to change them because there was nothing to be changed. While Ismael was more energetic, always dancing—sometimes with black heels, loud with lots of piercings, tight pants, blond Mohawk, then red Mohawk, then no Mohawk, then blond and then black haired again—David never changed his hair and he would combed it with gel to the side making shiny waves, never had piercings, he would wear light colored button shirts up to the last one because for his job he had to be more professional since he is a chemical analyst but that didn’t stop him from going out at night dressed as a woman with his blue heels and wig. While one would own a skirt and long eyelashes, the other would own the death drop.

Let’s just say that both of them are very popular at the university and work place.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Girl, mom was freaking out and yelling at me because you didn’t pick up.” I suddenly remembered that I left my phone in my room. “She said she dreamt that something bad happened to you. My mom called yours, yours called our other aunt, she called our grandmother—which let me tell you: she is fucking nuts! Your sister kept texting me, and my brother kept asking mom questions. I don’t know what’s wrong with the women in our family. Suddenly there was a family reunion before the actual Christmas’s party at my mother’s house—so much for a peaceful Christmas! So many people that I haven’t seen in years arrived! I swear to god I am losing my mind and you! You didn’t pick up which made it worse!” He ranted with his thick accent. I apologized but I was as confused as he was.

“Well, tell them I’m ok. I just had a little bit to drink last night and just woke up. Tell them I’m not dead,” I chuckled. “I’ll call mom later, ok?” Brad looked at me impatiently, he was probably late. “Look, I’ll call you later to see how everyone is doing, ok?”

“Puñeta, Amelia… si tu no me llamas—” he sounded angry and I hung up on him before he finished his threat.

“Sorry about that.”

“Your family is crazy,” I rolled my eyes. “But they still worry about you.” He looked sad. “I have to go, see you later.” I waved my hand good bye and closed the door.

Suddenly I was hungry and went to my fridge. I looked at it and then closed it, then opened it again and then closed it again; nothing appetized me even though my stomach was telling me otherwise. I took my gallon of water and served myself a cup. I was so hungry that as it slid down my throat and I could feel the cold. I drank three cups.

On my way to my room I stopped, and went back to the kitchen and took something from the sink and then continued walking. I didn’t think much of it. I sat on my bed and took my phone. I had so many messages and so many missed calls that it overwhelmed me. The last time I had many of these—well, this has never happened to me to be exact. I scrolled down and saw that one of the missed calls was from work. I quickly dialed it and let it ring.

“Coffee Steam, how can I help you?” it was Rey.

I rested my back on my bed and placed my left hand over my chest, pressing my fist against it. “Hey! Rey.” I tighten the grip. “It’s me. I have a missed call. What’s up?”

“Hey! Actually the boss called you to see if you can work today but you didn’t answer.” I groaned and covered my eyes with my upper arm.

“Fuck…” I whispered. “Is she pissed?”

“More troubled than pissed I would say.”

“Fuck me…” I whispered again.

“Pardon me?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I’ll apologize to her tomorrow when I get there. I told her that she can call me any time since I don’t have class…” I felt very guilty and a bit ashamed. Now she’ll think that I am all talk and no action—that I make promises and then I don’t keep them.

“Chill, it’s all good, girl.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I got your back,” I could almost see him giving me the wink. I smiled. “Well, see you tomorrow!” I said yes and hung up.

I felt a chill and I look out the window and it was open again. This time it was snowing. I rolled my eyes and closed it and cleaned the snow that entered. It was weird that it hadn’t snowed until now. Why do I keep forgetting to close the window? Sometimes it was below zero but last night it was quite normal for a winter night. I went to my closet to take out my thick winter clothes for tomorrow. As I was getting my Calvin Klein black jacket and my big black snow boots, I heard foots step outside my room. Did I lock the door? I don’t remember.

I stopped what I was doing and listened. After a few seconds of silenced I heard it again and my heart skipped a beat. I know for sure that if I go out I’ll be killed. I was sweating bullets right now. I look over to my phone; it was on the bed next to a knife? There was a knife on my bed. It was one of those big and sharp kinds of knife, the type that would Michael Myers from Halloween would use to kill but mine had a light blue handle and it didn’t look that intimidating. Was that what I took from the sink? Why am I getting so paranoid?

I took it even though I could use my phone to call 911 but something in my gut told me that I should take the knife and go out, that that was the better option. Others would call this being reckless and putting my life in danger but even though I was scared as hell I went out. It was as if my body was moving on its own. I tipped toed to the kitchen with my knife over my head, ready to strike. My mouth was dry and my eyes misty.

When I got to the kitchen Amanda was half way opening the door. I screamed, she screamed and I dropped the knife. She jumped and raised her hands, her keys were on her hands and she dropped them too. Both of us were panting with our eyes wide open.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Amelia!” she yelled. “What the hell are you doing!?” she bended down and took her keys.

“I-I-I heard foots steps!” my hands were shaking. “I thought someone entered my apartment!”

“It was me!” she touched her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “I just entered.”

The thought that I heard the footsteps before she entered made my skin crawl so I buried it in the back of my mind. “You could have knocked!” I took the knife and dropped it on the island. There was a note there pinched with a plastic cup of with a bit of water. I ignored it.

“I did knock!”

“I didn’t hear you!” I was now irritated and hungry. “I thought you were an intruder! Fuck…” I went to my sofa and dropped my body face down. “What do you want?” I muffled.

I heard Amanda sigh again and close the door. “What I want,” she said while spanking me. “Is for you to get up and go shopping with me. I need some new underwear.” I groaned and she spanked me again and I turned over. She was wearing black skinny jeans, her red boots, her green parka, a thick grey scarf, a baggy style beanie and a dark burgundy shirt underneath and in her hand her black thick parka. “Go and change. We are going to Crocker Park.”

After we arrived we went to different stores like American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, I made her go to Barnes & Nobles but after a while we left. I glared and told her that when we finish we have to go back and that’s the least she could do for dragging me. She just rolled her eyes and agreed. Then we went to Coach, H&M, Sephora, Urban Outfitters and finally Victoria’s Secret among others. I was covered in dark and thick clothes, it was freezing but Amanda walked with a grace that made some heads turn. I looked like a sack of potatoes.

After she carefully selected seven panties and three bras we went to Barnes & Nobles. I went to the Fiction Section and then to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Section and later to the Art Section. I couldn’t stop smiling but after twenty minutes we had to go because Amanda was tired. As we stepped out the door someone sang my name in a cheerful way. I turned my head and saw Nari and Julio (James) with a bunch of shopping bags. I stopped walking but I didn’t know what to do. It actually felt a bit awkward. Now I was surrounded by three beautiful people and they were all looking at me. Well, except Amanda who was looking at Julio (James) I can almost see the hearts in her eyes.

“Hello, sweetie!” she skipped on her heels towards me and Julio (James) walked to catch up to her. “How are you? I was just thinking about you.” She smiled a Cheshire cat smile. It gave me goosebumps.

“I’m good,” I managed to say. “Uh—you?”

Nari held her arm forwards reviling six shopping bags in each arms. She wore a black shirt, a black leather jacket, black skinny jeans and black boots, in her arm she had a brown bag and her sun glasses that hanged onto her collar. “What do you think?” I smiled. “Both of us needed a bit of distraction after last night so here we are!” Nari looked at Amanda and cocked her head to the side. “Who’s this?”

“Oh! This is Amanda, my best friend.” I looked at Amanda. “Amanda, this is Nari.” Even though Amanda knows that she is Julio’s (Jame’s) girlfriend and the girl who made a complete fool out of myself she just nodded.

“Exquisite,” Nari winked at me. James elbowed her.

“Anyway,” said Julio (James) “We have to leave. This girl thinks I’m a mule and I am getting tired.” That made Amanda giggle and he smiled back. He was wearing black pants; black boots that stopped bellow his calves, a black and white striped, horizontal shirt and a black leather jacket with the collar up. I don’t know how they are not freezing to death. Here I am with two black pants, a knitted white sweater, my thick brown gloves, my thick black fluffy boots, my blue beanie and my black jacket—I know, I’m a mess. You should have seen Amanda’s face when she saw me but she didn’t say much because she wanted to leave.

“Oh, shut up. I bought you half the things you are carrying.” Nari kissed both my cheeks and started walking away. “I’ll see you later, love!” and then both of them disappeared into the crowd.

Amanda stood next to me and took out her phone. “What a wierdo, let’s go.” She kept looking at her screen and walked away.

It’s not a surprise that she said that but I couldn’t help but to think that Nari’s like a Lenny Kravitz song and in my mind, the way she walked and carried herself and smiled made me realize that she knows. She knows what she does to people. In my mind, she had Are You Gonna Go My Way song as background. It suited her. It fitted her. I tapped my foot at the rhythm of the song until she disappeared.

When I went back to my apartment I went to the island where the note was. I think I went pale. Again, my mouth went dry. I took the cup and moved it to the side. It was a post-it yellow note. In the middle had a wet circle that surrounded what it said: See you in seven days. XOXO.