Time Is on Our Side

He let out a soft moan, his breath low and husky as he slowly opened his eyes. The dream that was so vivid and real vanished the moment he opened the green pools, only to be confronted by this damn headache. A fleeting image of him being shoved outside a bar, several people all around him. As he woke, he tried to hold onto the picture,but it was starting to fade and being replaced by this damn headache.

He closed his eyes, only to open them seconds later, when he sensed someone was in the room with him. He turned his head to the left, to see the dark shape tucked into the chair next to the bed. Despite the pounding in his head, he smiled.

Her small frame was curled up into the chair, her knees tucked into her chest and her hands tucked under her chin. Chestnut curls covered her face and he watched as the ends slowly blew upwards with her breath. Each breath, he was able to see her angelic looking features. He sighed again and turned his head to look up at the ceiling.

“Ahh...you awake my child.”

He smiled at the plump nurse that strolled into the room with an air of confidence. She had a grandmotherly vibe about her that instantly drew people to him. “Yeah...head is killing me.”

“No wonder. You had a bad bonk on the head.” She chuckled and walked to the computer and stopped when she noticed Savannah folded up into the chair. “She been here all night?”

A chuckle vibrated in his chest and was quickly replaced by a husky moan as the ax continued its assault on his skull. “I...I think so.”

Janice clucked her tongue as she reached down and touched Savannah's shoulder. “This girl is gonna kill herself...Vannah! Get up.”

Savannah's head jerked when she heard Janice's voice and instantly regretted doing so. A burning pain spread between her shoulder blades and her right arm. She slid a hand behind her neck. Her long eyelashes blinked back the sleep and that's when she noticed he was looking at her.

He felt his heart stop for just an instant as he saw her mass of curls tousled around her head, her cheeks red from the rail of the chair, her full lips half open and her blue eyes wide. For just a second, he wondered if that was her sex face.

“Oh god..” Savannah looked at her watch. “I'm so sorry! I must have fallen asleep!” She moved her feet onto the floor and smiled at Janice. “Really..I was going home and I came in here and gave him some medication. And then I guess I just fell asleep.”

“Get out of here! I swear to god child,” Janice took her hands and started to push her towards the door. “If I see your face up here anymore today, I will have you suspended.” The older woman shut the door and let out a sigh. “Looks like you have an admirer.” Janice chuckled as she walked back to the computer.

He turned his head from the door where Savannah had disappeared behind. Something was knocking on the door in the back of his mind, but he didn't have the strength to open and look inside. With a sigh, he closed his green eyes. That would have to wait for another day.

******

The water had never felt so wonderful in her entire life. She placed her head on the cold tile and let the warm water beat over her aching shoulder. She was grateful she decided to spend so much money on this water head. Being an intern, money was hard to come by.

She let out a groan as the warm water started to turn lukewarm, then icy cold. She shivered as she yanked back the pale yellow curtain. As she reached for the fluffy purple towel, she heard a creak coming from downstairs. She held her breath as her ears strained to listen for any other sound, but all she got was silence. This house was pretty old. She scolded herself for being so damn jumpy.

Her “gift” was something she just lived with on a daily basis. Most of the time she ignored her visitors, even if they pleaded with her to help them. Ever since she woke up from that damn coma several years ago, this was her life.

She quickly got dressed and walked down the stairs to where the kitchen was located and put some fresh coffee into the maker. As she waited for it to brew, she placed her elbows on the granite counter and thoughtfully looked out her window.

She had been an intern for two years now and not once had a patient gotten to her like Mr. John Doe. Dean. The name bounced around in her head and decided it fit him to a tee. He was very handsome with his chiselled features and those beautiful green eyes. A part of her wanted to be there to help him remember who he was. But would that be wise? Did she really want to know what kind of person he was? From the many scars on his body and his hands, he was a fighter. A gurgling sound snapped her out of her day dream and she reached up and grabbed a blue mug out of the cabinet.

Savannah walked into her living room where her computer desk sat near the huge bay window that overlooked the side yard. It had been a week since she sat at this thing. Janice had persuaded her to join a dating site and Savannah reluctantly agreed. Now it was time to see if she had any response.

She sat the steaming mug of coffee on the desk and she slid back the office chair and slid into the leather. She folded her knees up to her chest and slid her fingers across the mouse. She took a moment to look at her emails and let out a sad sigh. It was nothing but spam.

She took her finger and scrolled down the mail, checking off the ones she wanted to delete.

“Savannah.”

Savannah turned so fast, she felt the pull of the muscles between her shoulder, reminding her of her poor choice of sleeping arrangements. She swept her eyes around her dark living room. She squinted at the harsh bright blue glow of her laptop, her ears straining to hear anything. Tick...tick...tick... Was that her heart or the clock in the corner of the room. “H...hello?”

After a few minutes of tense silence, Savannah turned her chair to face the computer screen and her mouth fell open.

She was certain she hadn't clicked out of her email, that she was clicking off the ones she wanted to delete. But instead of her current cable company email, she was looking at several images of some kind of rifle.

Her shaky hands moved the mouse along the page becoming more confused by the second. She clicked on one picture and she noticed the logo underneath the wooden stocked gun. Winchester model rile.

“Winchester.” Savannah breathed out the word, feeling ice form in the pit of her stomach. She put a hand to her mouth as she stared at the name, wondering why it seemed so familiar to her. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, hoping it would come to her. She let out a small scream as her phone next to the keyboard began to ring.

She knocked the phone off the stand as she tried to grasp it, her shaking hands betraying her. She picked it off the floor and hit the talk button. “H...hello?”

“Fiiinnnd himmmm..”Savannah dropped the phone as she heard the low, deep gravely voice hiss in her ear.

Thump. Thump.

Savannah screamed as she heard the loud knock on her front door and she looked down at the phone on the floor. She picked it up and put it back to her ear, to hear the dial tone. She clicked it off and placed it back on the glass desk.

Thump...thump...thump.

Savannah let out a sigh. “Impatient bastards.” She muttered under her breath as she grabbed her blue terry cloth robe that was placed over the back of the couch. “Just a minute!”

She yanked open the door hoping to turn away her late night visitor. She peered through the peephole, her hand on the lock above the doorknob. “Who is it?” She leaned back from the peep hole and walked over to the small window that made up the door frame. She pulled back the red curtain to see that her porch was empty. Which made no sense. Didn't she just hear someone at the door?

She closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten, trying to summon up her courage. The image of that creature she encountered at the hospital, kept moving around in her head. She was afraid that if she opened that door, she could face that horror again.

10. She opened her eyes and slid the lock to the right and felt the door pop open. She took a step back as the door swung inward and held her breath. Nothing . She stepped onto the welcome mat and peered into the inky night.

The porch light that was located next to the door was burnt out, the once welcoming amber light was now pitch black. “Hello? Is anyone there?” Savannah suddenly felt so foolish calling out into the dark, knowing her neighbors were getting a kick out of this. She was known by them as the girl who jumped at every shadow.

If they had knew what Savannah saw in those shadows, they would all run away screaming in terror.

She heard a rustling sound to the right of the porch and her h e ad sharply turned to face the threat. She didn't see anything, but she could smell. Lavender. The kind of aroma that made her heart ache.

“Who's there?” She took a slow step to the railing where she had heard the rustling. “I know someone's there.” She could feel the entity standing just before her, but she couldn't see anything but darkness.

You can see? Savannah stopped as she heard the voice inside her head. It was low, deep, almost husky, It...no....nooo.. he . He was confused that she sensed him. You can hear?

Then it was gone.

Savannah shuddered as she shut the door to her condo, making sure she doubled locked, and walked back to her computer. The picture of the rifle was gone, in its place was a news clipping.

She felt the back of the chair and wrapped her fingers around the back as she leaned forward to read the clipping. It was dated August 1993. Tulsa Chronicle. A local teenager was severely injured in a single auto mobile accident. The red SUV lost control and flipped several times and came to rest in a ravine. The driver, Dan Jensen and the passenger, Kathy Jensen were pronounced dead at the scene. The teenager was ejected from the vehicle and is in critical condition at a local hospital. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Savannah put a hand to her mouth as her left hand automatically went to her right thigh. She slid her hands under the hem of her shorts and felt the raised, prickly skin. She closed her eyes as a single tears slipped from her eyes. With a cry, she shut the lid of her laptop, drowning out the glow and plunged her into darkness.