Ch 03 - Conflict

Blood tinged the world before my eyes. I ran without regard to mine or anybody else. My legs carried me for longer than they had before and ran harder than I ever had before like my entire circulatory system just got a tune-up. My body is empowered by fear or some other force pushing me past my limits. Upon reaching home, I saw Joseph sitting on the stoop, waiting for me in the darkness of the evening.

"Joshua." he called out, as he saw me his face was stern, but the red under his eyes told a different story.

"Joshua?" he called again as I entered the yard and collapsed whatever energy I was using left me as soon as my focus left. Racing next to me, he turned me around and began basic checks on my breathing and pulse to ensure my health. Putting me back up to the wall for me to catch my breath.

"Joshua, What happened?" His voice cracked under his worry. slowing down and catching my breath. I slowly recovered enough to mumble out a response.

"Some, Someone, Stabbed, Newman Street." I barely managed to stammer out between ragged breaths. My vision was still hazy and my ears still ringing. It cleared up just enough to see his face pale and jaw slacken.

The next hour was blurred into police phone calls and questioning, the only thing that went wrong was that there was nothing there. the wall where the black guy was sitting was still broken. the curb where the Muslim lady was lying was still broken. but it was clean. not a single drop of blood fresh or dried. I was held by the police for a bit longer than was really necessary, with Joseph as I went through the events after Lunch in as much detail as I could in my Exhausted state. I left them my cigarette bud and match stick for them to test in case there were any Halucigens or other drugs present. As they checked me over even where the figure choked me there was only a light imprint that looked as if it could only.

The car ride home was silent as death. The radio static and the wind left nothing to grab onto only letting the tension between us grow.

Joseph was torn between wanting to believe me or what he saw. "What would you like me to do?" Joseph asked out of nowhere. His words weren't confident and his intention was lost on me. He glanced at me from the side probably worried why I didn't answer yet.

"With your mother?" he clarified. "First lunch now this what would you like me to tell her?" his voice bearly held back from cracking. his grip tightening around the driver's wheel, it creaking under his hand.

"Can we just keep this a secret?" Answering with a question much to my open dismay. He held the silence for a moment almost as if to deny me.

"Yeah. I think that will work." his grip lightened and his body relaxed.

"Thanks. you can say I went to Kacey or Jordan's place." I responded 

"I don't think that would work, she has already called both their moms, but I will handle the rest don't worry" I didn't want it to but his words comforted me, the last thing I remember of that night.

....

Opening my eyes everything is tinged with the red of blood, the color that has tinged my haunted dreams for years now. But for the first time in years, I am no longer bound in the shallow pool of blood, looking around at the sky stuck in perpetual dusk. Sitting up, I see nothing but an endless horizon stretching beyond my reach. turning around to see my surroundings, I make nearly 180 till I see a strange site. A great blood-soaked wolf a bolt of lightning tracing a scar over his side gnawing away at a strange figure in his maw. A man, but all his proportions were slightly off.

The figure was a distorted mirror of the suited man from the other day. My gaze froze on it as the wolf as it finished its meal seemingly alerted to my presence, the great wolf lifted its head towards me as its maw twisted into a distorted grin. "How long I have waited for this day, I'm so glad, you will live to regret this." 

Frozen by its words I stand unmoving as it moves closer and its silhouette becomes clearer. As soon as I recognized its design, it attacked me grabbing me in its large maw full of glistening white teeth, and bit me in clean in two.

"Aaaahh!" I awoke with a broken scream and a cold sweat. I sat there still in the darkness of the early morning as I calmed myself down, barely managing my breathing. Slowly pulling myself together mentally, I was shocked by the darkness that the sun had yet to break. Checking the old watch it was still in the early 05;30. Taking that little extra time I got ready for the day ahead setting myself up to put the yesterday behind me and move forward.

I opened my door as silently as possible and failed. Leaving my room for the kitchen I move as softly as possible and luckily succeed before something grabs my attention. The smell of hard coffee. Entering the kitchen I saw my mother sitting with her morning coffee.

"Môre, Môre." her voice echoed softly out from her coffee cup.

"Môre, Môre. Sleep well?" I reply trying to keep the same tune to not wake Jacob up too early. Turning up from her coffee she smiled at me with a tired smile as if to answer my question.

"Want one?" She asks while lifting her old warped birthday cup so I can get a smell. The smell of ricoffy hit my nose and it was all I could do to not take the cup away from her and pour it down the drain.

"I'm good thanks, will get one on the way to Mike's," I said lightly lowering her cup back down to her level. As she raises her eyes to me.

"You sure?" She asked sounding concerned

"Joseph said you weren't feeling all there." Thankful for the easy lie, I leaned forward and kissed her on her head.

"Don't worry a good night's rest sorted me out." I gave her my best smile and it seemed to calm her nerves, causing her words to get caught in her throat.

"I'm ..." I put my head on hers like I did when I was about *James* age, her soft tears caused her to be silent for a few minutes but I didn't move afraid my tears would be felt by her if I did. 

"James is also worried about you." her voice still soft and recovering, "You sure you don't want to stay for breakfast with us?" the question had me frozen for a bit, unsure how to reply. 

"no" I responded curtly but not disrespectfully

"ok" her response was the same, she didn't push which I appreciated so I slowly began to move.

"I'll be off then." I say heading to the door, and picking up my jacket as I make my way out. Stepping out into the chill and enjoying the light before dawn, I pull in a big breath and say my last goodbyes before slowly closing the doors and walking off.

Taking an extended morning walk I move slowly down the main road slowly and carefully enjoying the smell of morning and the exhaust from passing cars. I enjoy getting high in the morning or maybe the fumes as I move my legs on a well-worn path toward breakfast. Each step brings me closer to my goal, rounding the street corner I see my Goal.

Entering the Wimpy on 63 Lady Grey Street it was luckily empty enough for a Monday morning. Moving to an empty booth in the corner as quickly as possible I take a seat facing away from the door. I was bearly managing to calm my breathing before I felt someone by my side.

"Morning Josh, Long time no see." the poor attempt at irony was from Rebecca another girl from my church. she had fair skin and blonde curly hair cut in bangs over her small brown eyes. Her lips thin and pink curved into a frisky smile on her face. Unable to stop the smile from creeping up my face despite my self.

"Mornin Becca. What you have been up to?" I quipped. I tried my best not to get pulled into her stupid games that she liked to play with her male friends.

"Oh, you know the usual." She said as she started leaning forward. "So what can I do for you this morning." She moved in as close as she was comfortable almost a hand length away close enough to smell the lavender on her. Pointing my fingers up to the menu clutched to her chest and asked "Coffee."

"Please." I asked while moving closer, she immediately pulled back as she always did when pressed and skipped off to the kitchen to get my order.

Relaxing leaning back into my seat I just let the world flow by me, enjoying the sounds of the morning commute and the sounds of cars rushing past. I was enjoying trying to guess the cars as they went passed missing an important event that would change my world forever. They pulled up at my booth and started sitting down opening my eyes to tell them to politely f*** off I was caught in the bone-chilling, muscle-stiffening fear from the night before.

Taking the seat next to me a black man with a green shirt that matched his green eyes on his face that was decorated with scrape marks. A colored woman wearing a purple Shayla covered most of her head except for a tingle strand of her hazel hair that curled in front of her forehead in front of her hazel eyes. Finally a boer seun with a dark yellow mustard shirt much darker than his mop of curly blonde hair, atop his head. Framing his brown eyes stuck in a half-closed state bringing much more attention to his wide off-white toothy Grin.