Night was in full bloom with unseen clouds blocking all stars and moon. Crickets and cicadas refused to play and the parking lot, while modestly full of cars remained at rest. Around the ancient and isolated movie theater muffled silence hung desperately in the air like a regretful victim hanging off a bridge. A few scattered and dented lampposts flickered with dying light while the rest remained forever lifeless. Just as one would begin to express forlorn at such abandonment, life suddenly burst through the creaky doors pouring out teenagers and young adults. Laughter and shouts dispersed around cars while most left and few remained.
"Yo, what the fuck was that ending about?" The brunet swung the passenger car door open and leaned against it.
"I don't know, Kiba. You know I'm not good with psychological thrillers. 'Sides it was Ino who insisted we all see it." Naruto leaned against his own car running a sun kissed hand through his bright and messy locks.
Two girls walking by were mesmerized by his natural highlights easily shining from the little aid of the flickering lights. His vivid blue eyes flashed at them before jumping up at the commotion passing by.
"Farewell! I shall greet all your shining faces on blessed Monday!" Lee waved, half his body hanging out a backseat window. "Goodnight fair and beautiful Sakura! Hinata! Ino! Kiba! Sai! N-"
"LEE! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THE CAR!" Tenten's form could be seen turning to face the back at his lower half.
Before Naruto could ask what was blessed about any Monday ever, Sakura's voice caught his attention back to the two girls,
"Night, guys!"
Naruto cheerfully waved at her and Hinata, who was sweetly waving back.
"Later Sakura! Goodnight, Hinata, sweet dreams." Before Naruto could properly enjoy her reaction, Sakura yelled,
"Ino, call me!" Said blonde dramatically waved back, her long ponytail swinging from the force.
"Will do! Love ya!"
Her, Kiba, and Naruto kindly waiting until they got into Hinata's new car and safely turned left out of the parking lot. The old cinema was surrounded by trees, and the left turn out was a dangerous blind spot. It wasn't uncommon for people to hit or get hit.
"Gawd, you guys are dumbasses." Ino leaned across the hood of her car looking at them like an exasperated teacher. "Kiba, move your big head and don't smear my windows with your popcorn greased paws." Through the dim light Naruto could make out his friend rolling his eyes. While Kiba pretended Ino got on his last nerve, Naruto knew he had the hots for her.
He chuckled at the thought.
"Don't roll your eyes at me," Kiba snapped his head back at her, bewildered at her correct assumption. "Look you idiots, the ending is simple. Each character is a manifestation of one of the death-row's multiple personalities."
Both teenager boys instantly stilled with sudden acknowledgement.
"Ohh!" They simultaneously performed head nods with content grins.
"Geez, that movie was messed up, y'know?" Kiba commented.
"Yah, man. Hey, Ino…is there something we should know about you?" They both eyed the blonde skeptically.
"Huh-psh, of course not-Oh, hey Sai! Want to meet me back at my place? My parents are out!"
Kiba turned and gagged at Naruto.
"Sick." He hissed. "What does she see in that dude?" The brunet glanced back.
"Aw, butthurt 'cause you know she'll end up with pervert boy?" Naruto snickered.
Kiba feigned obliviousness and repugnance.
"What was that dickless?" Sai asked from across the blond's car.
Naruto knew Sai deliberately parked his motorcycle in front of his dad's Subaru. It was a win-win, flaunting his ride to gain the attention his favorite blonde while pissing off an envious blond.
"Nothing, freak." Naruto replied with good humor. Sai was an asshole, but he was Naruto's asshole friend.
"Later, Naruto." Kiba slid into Ino's car as Naruto opened his own door.
"See yah, Kibs, night, Ino." He waved back at her manicured hand waving in front of Kiba's face.
From inside the closed car he could make out Kiba asking,
"Can you get me home in one piece, chick?"
"Excuse me? Can you still walk? Can you still talk? Are you still alive? Yes, so shut the fuck up and accept my charity."
Naruto laughed as her car zoomed backwards, jerked to a stop and proceeded to skid out of the parking lot.
"Think you'll be okay driving all by your lonesome?" Naruto immediately composed himself. With a smile he flicked Sai off who happily returned the gesture.
"See you at school Monday."
"Try not to be late this time." Sai teased before sliding on a stylish helmet and starting his engineered piece of art.
Naruto didn't even try to hide his longing as Sai expertly disappeared around the corner on Naruto's dream ride. He ran ruffled his unruly hair one more time before sliding into his car. The car door slammed a bit too harshly just as his cell phone sounded.
Looking up at the bare parking lot he contemplated answering the orange communication device.
"When children cry let them know we tried. 'Cause when the children sing then the new world begins-"
Wait that was mom's new ringtone.
Instantly he scrambled for it fumbling with the buttons for fear of missing Mother's Call. Nothing good came from missing Mother's Call.
"Hey mom, the movie just ended, I'm on my way home." He sunk back in the seat with relief before patting his knee-torn jeans for the keys.
"Good! It's midnight and I don't like you driving with the crazies out, y'know!"
"Yeah, hah." Too bad he already befriended most of the towns' crazies.
"Reme From inside the car he could make out Kiba asking mber to wear your seatbelt; I swear to God if you are not buckled I will-"
"Yeah, I know, mom with the pan and the hanger and the pain—scarred for life, yada, yada." He began checking on the floor for the keys.
"Don't you interrupt me!" Even with her firm tone, Naruto knew she wasn't really angry but amused. "Now come home. Drunks often drive around that edge of town." Kushina gave him driving safety 101 because his Drivers Ed teacher apparently wasn't clear enough.
Naruto momentarily panicked what with missing the keys. He gave the occasional grunts of agreement as he dug in his seat a bit before shooting up and peeking out his window.
By now the wind was blowing and dead leaves were scattering away from the car.
"Hey, mom, I gotta go." He opened the door and leaned down to peek under the car.
"AH!" A large red leaf slapped him in the face.
"Naruto?!" He blew from his mouth forcing it away and was greeted with car keys.
"Damn leaves! Anyway, mom, not safe to drive and talk on the cell phone." Snatching the little treasure he swung up and caught sight of the lamppost closest to him finally give out. He snorted to the dinky conditions the parking lot endured.
A shiver racked through him, it was getting chilly fast. He slammed the door shut hoping to regain some heat.
"Damn righ- stop slamming the door shut!"
"Yeah, I kno-"
"Then do it."
"Kay, bye." He fumbled around with the multiple keys on one ring.
"Love you, dear."
"Mm, yeah-love you too, mom." He casually tossed the neon Smartphone the passenger's seat.
Why were there so many damn keys? He had their house key…his godfather's house key because that perverted hermit was never home…his drunkard of a great aunt's house key…the backdoor key…Gaara's house key…why did he have so many people's private home keys?!
Why did tonight have to be so cold? The temperature couldn't have been this low earlier or else he would've worn more clothing. Naruto was getting colder and more irritated by the second. He just wanted to turn on the damn heat.
Tap-tap
"AH!" Naruto dropped the keys on the floor. "Shit!" His wide blue eyes glanced down before glancing up at the dark figure outside. "Yeah?"
Naruto leaned back to get a better view at the boy outside who stood about a foot away.
The guy was maybe an inch taller than Naruto, with a slender runner's build. He wore dark clothes and Naruto didn't know if his pale skin was natural or a result from the lack of warm clothing. The guy wasn't even sporting a jacket. His face was hidden a bit, being tilted downwards with long black hair stylishly covering most his face.
"Yeah?" Naruto repeated with amazement that someone was still at the theater. He glanced around, seeing that, indeed no cars sat.
"May I use your phone?" A baritone voice reached Naruto through the window, but he didn't see any indication of the stranger speaking. He assumed the guy was his age, but the adult-sounding voice threw him off.
Naruto looked around once again. The wind had died and the trees stood as still as a graveyard. He looked over at the phone lying on the passenger's seat. Pressing his index finger on the fingerprint reader caused Kushina's smiling face and shocking red hair to greet him from her call.
His mom would have either kicked into maternal mode or ignored him and left.
"Um, don't you have one?" Naruto looked back at dark figure which now stood a few inches closer. What person doesn't have a cell nowadays?
While waiting for a postponed answer he patted around for the fallen keys. From this angle Naruto could make out his face better, the boy was of Asian descent and had long eyelashes shadowing his sharp cheekbones. He looked too young to be older than Naruto; perhaps he was even younger than him.
"My battery died." He replied. His voice was beyond the maturity of his appeared age.
Naruto would be the first to say he wasn't the smartest or the brightest, but the teen had his moments. Maybe this was one of his rare visceral timings, but Naruto couldn't find his normal friendly self with this person. All cheer had dissipated and a sense of forlorn and dread clutched to him. In fact, he had never experienced such sharpened caution before.
"Did you come alone? What's your name?" He found the cold metal and instantly began sorting through the numerous keys once again. The soft jingle of his focus sounded like an avalanche against the lifeless silence.
"They left me. I need to use your phone." His voice came in sharp and clear over the noise and through the window. It sounded as if he was seated next to him than standing outside.
Naruto flipped through several before finding his match and inserting it in the ignition.
"Um, what's your name?" A morbid curiosity rose because it didn't feel like a casual introduction. Naruto didn't care at the moment. He didn't know why he wanted to know this stranger's name. Any other occasion and he'd be in hopes for a new friend, but at this occurrence…maybe he wanted a name to pacify his discomfort. Give this outsider a normal identity.
The stranger responded in a cold, clipped tone,
"Sasuke."
Naruto wasn't comforted.
"Uh, can't you, y'know, use the theater's…Sasuke?" His name slid out like oil, leaving a foul taste behind.
Sasuke stood closer to the window. Naruto didn't remember seeing him move.
"They're closed." He replied deadpanned. Naruto looked through the passenger's window seeing all lights were off and their CLOSED sign hung.
"Well, duh, but I'm sure the employees are still there, y'know?" The blond turned back to see him looking straight at him.
Normally Naruto noticed when a person is frustrated with him, but his mind wouldn't register the scowl or narrowed brows while his black eyes swallowed him entirely.
"Open your door." Black eyes ordered.
They were huge and an otherworldly contrast against his ghost white skin. Those black orbs were an intangible doorway to something Naruto couldn't consciously understand. His skin prickled and the increasing anxiety rose in his chest like a fox caged.
Naruto's fingers softly slipped from the positioned keys, and his other rested on the door. His soul radiated with fear, but his body moved regardless.
Fingers gently held the cold handle, tilting it until a burst of unexpected hesitation blocked his actions.
Sasuke noticed.
"Let me use your phone."
Naruto realized how close he was to opening the door and instantly locked his doors.
Sasuke's emotionless demeanor snapped and his face zoomed against the window. Naruto instinctually jerked back as he screeched.
"LET ME IN!" With each word spoken his mouth opened showing nothing but a black abyss ready to consume. "LET ME IN! LET ME IN! LET ME IN!"
Naruto's fingers jumbled with the keys as Sasuke's voice blared into his eardrums and suffocated all logic. Was the window even up? Sasuke's voice rang loud and clear against Naruto's senses. He could only cover his ears, still seeing those black hellholes melt together. His powerful words burned into his soul.
In a satanic harmony Sasuke demanded,
"LET-ME-IN! LET-ME-IN! LET-ME-IN!"
"NO! NO! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"Naruto wheezed through his words as if he had run a marathon with terror for adrenaline.
He was going to die. What security was this car with that? Glass could be broken and so could his bones.
The powerful words weren't even forming sentences anymore. Naruto could only comprehend it's tone like death bells against his lungs. Naruto couldn't breathe, his lungs weren't expanding. He couldn't see it's eyes had swallowed him. Was he falling? He felt as if his body was doing flips in midair. He had no control, he couldn't see, he couldn't breathe nor feel.
Naruto was lost in the darkness.
What was that thumping? Had it gotten in? But that was beat continuing, it was constant, it was a rhythm. It wasn't threatening…
Drums continued to beat rapidly for what felt like an eternity before the boy realized it was his own heartbeat.
Naruto didn't remember crouching in the driver's seat with knees up and arms around his head. When did he start rocking back and forth as if he was five again? When did the cold turn into heat causing sweat covering him in a thin film? Were those tears?
Naruto slowed his breathing, catching the scent of his sweat, musky body spray and...sulfur? He jerked in surprise as a tickle from sweat left his hair follicles and trailed down his neck until it soaked into his t-shirt. With a deep inhale through his nose, and slow exhale through his mouth Naruto tried to muster up any courage to raise his head.
Fear still caged him.
Naruto breathed three more times before cautiously looking up. Blue eyes winced at the bright green clock on the still running car.
When did the car turn on?
1:00AM
That-that horror felt like an eternity and a mere few seconds all at once. How could it have? When did it end? When did Naruto stop hearing S-
No.
Iced fear slapped him. Don't think of it. Don't give what had happened a name. Don't rationalize something like that.
Paled, shaky hands found the controls and he recklessly backed up before violently shifting into drive and skidding out of the parking lot turning left.
He hardly saw the bright headlights of a pickup before it crashed into him.
Darkness enveloped him.