Author's note: Hi, this is my first story -published- and I would love some review, to know what you think and all...I'm not a native english speaker, so any mistakes, I apologize.
Anyway, have fun reading!
-K
4 AM
I'm running fast, it's cold. The smell in the air is the smell of my perfume, mixed with something else, like a man's perfume. It's a strange scent I'm not familiar with.
I'm in a forest. A moon-lighted forest of tall, black trees.
I hear my heavy breaths and it's the only sound I can sense.
I feel the angst, the fear, the desperation and the adrenaline running through my veins. It's running through me like I am in the woods.
Suddenly, I can't run anymore, an excruciating pain in my leg it's making me stop, coming right up to my spine, I look down and my left ankle's trapped in a bear trap.
I release myself trying not to cut myself.
I keep running, the pain torturing me.
A man-shaped silhouette makes me stop, the only thing I can distinguish are the red eyes, glowing like demon-like fireflies.
I can hear its laughter, it's like velvet, a soft sound that does nothing but scare me.
The silhouette walks slowly towards me.
Defiantly, I don't take a step back, it keeps moving, I look around, as if looking for the easiest way to escape, look back at it, and its eyes are no longer red, but green. It's a light, bright green contrasting the black of its form.
I wake up, the night stand light still on, allowing me to see the clock on the wall.
4 AM.
It's the third night of the second week on a row that I wake up at this time, after that same dream. Or should I say nightmare?
Outside, Queens is as shady as always. The drug dealers are making their business right beneath my window, as usual. I despise their kind. I hate them with my whole heart. I know the damage they can cause and I hate them for it.
My mother is not back from the club yet, but should be in any minute.
4:15, nothing changes, except for the light of a police car lightning up the room red and blue for a moment, speeding up, the sirens' noise becomes increasingly distant.
And rhythmic beating on the wall behind my bed breaks the silence, after, a girl moaning and screaming out of pleasure join in, making me growl in disgust.
Getting up, I go to the kitchen, where I know I won't be able to hear my neighbors' late night sex.
To get a cup, I don't even need to open the door of the counter, since it has the glass missing.
A glass of water is not enough to calm my thirst, so by the fourth I feel slightly better.
"Charlie, what are you doing awake?" my mom asks as soon as she enters the kitchen, in response, I show her the cup of water I haven't finished.
She leaves for the living room, where a couch from charity is all the furniture we have left, after we had to sell everything else.
"How was work?" I ask her as she massages her feet.
"It was good" she says.
Liar.
"Disgusting as usual, right?" I insist.
"Charlie, we've had this-"
"We've had this conversation; the money is good, even if you have to clean after people's messes, disgusting as it is, since a motel is not exactly a five-star hotel, but the money is good, we need it, I get it" I cut her off by quoting her very own words, the mocking tone present.
"If you get it, the why you insist on-"
"I said I get it, not that I accept it" cut her off, again.
Rubbing her temples, she announced she was going to bed.
"I found some document last night after you went to work" I said before she closed the door.
"I'll see it in the morning" she said.
"Okay" I replied droningly.
"Night" we both said at the same time.
I stared for a while her closed door before I went to my bedroom.
Before lying down, I followed with my index finger the cracks on the walls, knowing them perfectly ever since I saw for the first time four years ago.
Like the brunches of a giant tree, the cracks were everywhere.