Nights Are For

"Woah!" Connie exclaimed as she stumbled through the sand, squinting in the dim light of the sunrise. Light glinted off the swirling waves, twinkling radiantly in the presence of their solemn visitor. It all seemed surreal.

I really need to watch my step.

Using the stock of the shotgun that Vidalia lent her, the weary girl steadied herself and looked up at the silhouette of the beach house in the distance. The structure seemed to hide shyly at the edge of the sunlit expanse, satisfied with its quiet solitude. Above it loomed the remnants of the gem temple, which stood resolutely against the silent morning sky as it guarded the minute abode below. Seeing the abandoned structures left a hollow feeling in Connie's chest as she slowly approached it. Nevertheless, she grimly ventured forward, driven by an incomprehensible emotion that tore at her.

As she reached the steps which led to the front porch, a shiver shot down her spine. She paused for a moment and readied her firearm before trudging up the wooden steps. The boards creaked woefully as she slinked towards the front door, her weapon pointed threateningly. Connie's hand trembled as she nervously lowered the barrel of her weapon and grabbed the front door. She pulled it open abruptly before regaining her defensive stance, only to find an empty house.

Exactly what she had expected.

As Connie closed the door and walked into the living room with her shotgun ready, she looked around the dreary house, taking in the silence which presided solemnly in the murk. Why had she been so worried?

"Connie?" Startled by the unexpected voice, she whirled about, nearly pulling the trigger. A specter stood above her, peering down from the loft of the beach house.

Connie froze. Her gun clattered to the floor.

Words eluded the shocked girl as she ran up the stairs, her caution momentarily forgotten. She reached the top and took a step forward. He looked exactly as she had remembered. His curly brown hair. His blue jeans and salmon t-shirt. And his wide, bright smile which seemed to light up the gloomy abode. Connie took a step forward, but quickly shrunk back.

He's not real. It's just another hallucination…

Before she could react, the apparition ran up and wrapped her in a massive hug. Connie's breathe hitched in her throat as she realized he was real.

"Steven…" Her mind returned to reality, and she found herself returning the hug. After a long heartfelt moment, the duo released one another. Steven reached out and wiped a tear from Connie's cheek, smiling sympathetically as he watched her emotions flow. She pressed her head into his shoulder and cried out her pain and terror. Steven pulled her closer in a desperate attempt to console her.

"I…can't believe…you're okay," the relieved girl expressed between her broken sobs.

"It's great to see you again." Steven responded sweetly. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"B-b-but, how…" Connie choked out. "How did you escape? How did you survive?"

"Here," the half gem responded, producing a cup of water, "drink this. Let's sit down."

A few minutes later found the young heroes seated on the couch, happily getting reacquainted with one another.

"These gems look a lot like the ones we fought at the hospital?" Connie commented.

"Yeah, they do," Steven replied. "I think that they were all woken up by the gem ships."

"That would make sense," Connie mused with a smile. She stopped for a moment, relishing in the fact that her best friend had survived.

"I'm just…so relieved that you made it here okay," she said, looking down at the floorboards shyly. "I have so many things to ask you…"

"And I have a question for you," Steven retorted.

"Yeah?" the relieved girl replied quietly. The wind whipped up outside.

"Why didn't you save me, Connie?" the half-gem queried.

"What?" Connie asked, looking up from the floor. "What do you…ah!"

"Why didn't you save me," Steven asked coldly, his blank eyes gleaming with betrayal. He slowly reached out his hand, which was covered in bruises and lacerations. "Why didn't you come back for me? Don't you care about me?"

"W-what…I…I…" Connie stuttered as she jumped up and backed away, trembling in fear of the gruesome specter. The apparition stood and slowly advanced towards her, moaning and pleading for her to save it. As it trudged into the light, the horrified girl noticed a crystal dagger protruding from its shoulder, shining golden like the sun in the dim light.

"You could have saved me," it lamented gravely. "And you chose to let me die."

"No…," Connie replied as she struggled with tears. "I tried to…but I couldn't do it…"

"And what about us, sweetheart?" The mortified girl whirled around to find her parents looming menacingly before her. The couple took a step forward in unison, their expressions emotionless and empty. The faint light shone upon their ruined forms, skin cracked like porcelain.

"Why didn't you help me?" her mother questioned sternly.

"You left us both to die," her father chimed, his voice like whispering thunder.

"I didn't mean to!" Connie yelled as she frantically tried to escape the vengeful demons. "I really tried!" She turned towards the door, only to find Steven blocking her way. He looked up at her, and his gem began to pulsate with a deep red glow. He advanced towards his former friend, causing her to back against the wall.

"Why?" Connie pleaded as the specters approached her. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you betrayed them, dear," came the answer. Connie's attention snapped to the source of the voice She found a single pale gem reclining on the couch, smiling cordially at the unholy scene. She tried to speak, to cry out at the diabolical intruder, but her voice seemed lost in the shifting shadows.

"Or maybe…" the gem continued, "…deep down, you wanted them to die. You were jealous of your friend and angry at your parents. You just wanted to make them pay for what they did. Revenge. Pure and simple."

"N-n-no…I…" Connie tried to reply, "…they were…that's not…"

"Shhhh," the vile intruder interrupted calmly. "Don't worry child. It will all be over soon." The terrified girl stood still, paralyzed by fear. In a flash, instinct took over and she raised her gun in defense. The gem surged forward before she could fire it, and the firearm was promptly ripped from her grasp. With a swift motion, her assailant grabbed the gun by the barrel and swung, slamming the stock of the weapon into her cheek. Connie stumbled back against the wall, dazed by the force of the blow. She tried to regain her balance, but the pale alien promptly beat her down again. The hurt girl took a shuddering breath and sat up, only to find the barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead.

"Now," her assailant said cruelly. "Ready to join them?" Once again, words eluded Connie.

"Goodbye, sweetheart," the cruel alien said, mimicking Steven's sympathetic smile as she pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Connie shot up, shivering and panting heavily. She noticed that she had been crying, and promptly wiped her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness. After a few moments her vision cleared, and she looked around the unlit room. She was lying on the couch in Vidalia's house, her arms wrapped around her backpack. The frightened child sat up and yawned widely.

It was just another nightmare.

They seemed to come every night now. Every time she saw the same two people: Steven and the gem that killed him. Her parents were new, but she wasn't surprised. And each nightmare ended the same way…

Suddenly, something unusual caught her attention. Connie perked up and listened quietly for a few moments. Sure enough, she could faintly make out a persistent noise from upstairs.

Thump thump thump thump…

Worried by the unusual noise, Connie stood and looked around the room. She seemed to be alone, save her own subconscious demons. Reaching over, she grabbed the kitchen knife and walked over to the entrance to the kitchen. Her knifed poised, she swiftly jumped into the silent room. She found the kitchen devoid of any intruders. The ominous noise persisted, and Connie spent no time in reaching the ravaged stairwell. With baited breath, she made her way upstairs.

Light filtered through small holes in the ceiling, faintly illuminating the hallway upstairs. The sound seemed to grow in intensity, causing Connie to shift her grip on the knife. The worried girl listened momentarily before creeping down the hall. Her heart seemed to beat in unison with the mysterious noise as she slowly advanced in the shadows. The noise seemed to emanate from a room ahead. Connie walked up and peered inside to find a figure silhouetted in the darkness.

"Vidalia?" she asked apprehensively. "Is that you?"

"I'm right here kiddo," came the response. Connie whirled around to find the kind woman standing in the hallway with her shotgun and a flashlight. "What're ya doin' up so late? You need something?"

"Sorry," Connie replied quietly. "I heard something up here and figured I'd investigate. I think I saw someone in this room." Vidalia walked up and pointed her light into the dark area. Much to Connie's surprise, she found nothing but a broken bed and shards of broken glass scattered about the floor.

"There's nothing here," Vidalia commented with a chuckle. "You must just be tired from everything that's happened. C'mon, let's go downstairs."

"Yeah, that must be it," Connie agreed. She wondered whether she might be going crazy…

Before she could follow Vidalia, something grabbed her by the leg. Connie let out a scream as she was dragged into the murky recesses of the room. Squirming, she tried to free herself from the concealed aggressor.

"Vidalia!" she cried as she kicked her hidden assailant. "Help!"

"Connie!" came the artist's voice, followed by the patter of footsteps. Vidalia burst into the room, her gun and flashlight at the ready. Looking down, Connie could finally make out her attacker's features.

The writhing olive-green gem mutant tightened its grip, its numerous mouths frothing and gurgling sickeningly. Using her knife, Connie reached down and sliced through the gem's thin, disfigured arm. It let out a shrill cry as its severed appendage fell to the floor. The panicked girl quickly crawled away from the mutant, her heart pounding like a drum. She watched as Vidalia took aim and fired her weapon at one of the creature's mouths. This time, the alien evaded the shot and jumped, digging its hands into the ceiling. Connie watched as the creature shuddered and thrashed its teeth. Before she could get up, it pounced at her with frightening speed. Another gunshot rang out, and the gem was blasted to the ground. It thrashed about and screeched manically. Seeing an opportunity, Connie jumped towards the creature and swung down with her knife. The blade planted firmly in the monster's midsection, inducing a high-pitched cry from the mutant. She lifted the weapon and struck again, evading the gem's frantic attempts to disarm her. With one final stroke, she sunk the blade into one of the mouths, causing the maddened alien to disappear. Sitting back, the drained girl let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She watched as Vidalia walked up to the small gemstone on the ground, aimed her shotgun, and shattered it with a single shot.

"You have to do it or they get right back up," the artist explained. "That's how we lost Yellowtail…" A tear came to Vidalia's eye, but she quickly wiped it away.

"You should go back to bed," the artist stated, her mind clearly elsewhere. "You have a big day ahead of you." Connie remained fixated on the shards of the shattered gem, which gleamed among the shattered glass fragments like a macabre mosaic.

She doubted that sleep would come again.