Chapter Two
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She didn't want to drift back to sleep, didn't want to risk the fear and pain again. So, sighing, she pulled herself off the couch, tossing the blanket aside.
Altessa Adams jumped when a loud click filled the still house, shattering the safe silence. She sighed and rolled her eyes, mentally chiding herself for being so skittish.
The back door to the house opened and the click of high heels announced the entrance of Amanda Adams, going through the garage and into the kitchen. "Altessa? Sweetheart?" She called from the kitchen, groaning loudly as she dropped the plastic grocery bag, she had been struggling with, onto the kitchen table. "I'm home."
Once again, the teenager rolled her eyes, this time at her mother's obvious statement. "No shit." She grumbled and then said louder, "Hello Mom," wishing that the once silent house still belonged to her.
"Honey, come in here and help me with these groceries; we're having your favorite tonight: lasagna." Amanda commanded, her words not a request. With another, longer, sigh, Altessa walked into the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.
"That's not my favorite." She told her mother as she pulled out a loaf of bread. She wasn't surprised when her mother appeared not to hear her, for she never paid attention to her second child. The fifteen-year-old continued to put away the plunder of her mother's shopping trip silently, though Amanda rambled on about her stressful day at work, which didn't sound too stressful to her daughter.
Amanda paused in her monologue when she noticed her daughter was pacing around the kitchen silently, a can of soup in her hand, cheeks and face ashen. "Altessa, what's wrong?" She asked, crossing the kitchen to stand before her daughter.
Altessa shrugged, pursing her lips. "Nothing." She answered shortly, pausing before relenting. "I had a nightmare."
Her mother smiled faintly and tucked her daughter's black hair behind her shoulders. "You don't get enough sleep honey." She scolded before turning back toward the groceries. "You haven't been since..." She paused, deciding once again to remain silent.
Her daughter's sigh was all she needed to know that Altessa knew exactly when she had stopped being able to sleep through the night, knowing that she didn't need to say anything more. Altessa sighed once again, used to her mother's silence and shift in priorities, knowing that Amanda believed that making sure the bread was put away was important then talking to her daughter.
Without a word, Altessa slunk out of the kitchen, enfolding herself in silence.
* * *
Kimberly grimaced as she peered into the musty darkness, squinting her eyes. "I can't see anything." She murmured.
Thomas handed her a silver flashlight, which he had already clicked on and Kimberly gratefully stabbed it into the blackness. Even with the aid of the flashlight, it was still difficult for her to see deep into the utility shed, which made up the bottom level of the apartment complex.
Kimberly and Thomas had gone to the supervisor earlier, attempting to warn him about the potential gas leak -which Kimberly believed the signs were pointing to- but he had been indifferent to what they had to say. So, like when she had attempted to stop the pileup, she had decided to take matters into her own hands. That was why she and Thomas were investigating the utility room, which appeared to have been neglected longer than Kimberly had been alive.
"Do you see anything now?" Thomas inquired, suddenly feeling uneasy. Even though he loved and trusted Kimberly, he couldn't shake the knowledge that weird things happened around her. A year ago they had cheated Death, but weird things still seemed to cling to them; though they were many little things, like a potted plant falling off a window sill right after Kimberly walked underneath it, Thomas still found himself nervous whenever they two of them got near dank, dark places.
Like the utility room.
"No." Kimberly answered, stepping into the room, eyes roving across the ceiling, walls and floor. The golden beam of the flashlight danced across the walls, playing across the network of metal pipes that provided the complex with heat, water and natural gas. And the latter was what Kimberly was worried about.
Thomas watched as she disappeared into the cloak of darkness; the spring heat and sunlight do nothing to ease the jitters he had and the worries he felt for both himself and Kimberly. Just because they had been "taken off the List" didn't make them invincible; there were still plenty of ways to be killed in the dark.
Kimberly, hurry up." Thomas called, his words peeling through the blackness. She didn't answer, just continued through the room, eyes and nose alert for her quarry.
The beam continued to rove across the pipes and rusted garden implements, proof that the yard had never been cared for. Kimberly regarded the rusted hedge clippers and hanging saws, quickly averting her gaze. Attempting to take her mind off such things, she continued to look for any signs of a gas leak.
But there was nothing, not a single pipe had even a hairline crack in the metal; she couldn't smell the choking scent either. "Thomas I don't-" Kimberly began but she paused when a tiny clicking noise filled the room, echoing off the walls. She played the beam across the floor, grimacing when she saw what it revealed.
"Ugh, rats." Kimberly frowned, shivers running down her spine. She found it somewhat funny that, even after she had cheated Death many times, she was still afraid of rats.
"Are you okay?" Thomas called, sounding nervous as he spoke. "Kimberly?"
Hearing his voice, Kimberly smiled slightly, beginning to walk toward the doorway once again; she felt relieved that there was no gas leak, at least, not for the moment.
Behind her, metal grated together, shrieking almost silently; Kimberly spun around, holding the silver flashlight before her like a sword. The beam washed over a rusted metal shelf, filled with rust covered gardening tools scraping against it. She frowned, taking a step backward before realizing what she had done.
She sighed, heading back toward the exit door, putting her left foot down on a large furry rat. Both human and rodent let out a shriek; Kimberly stumbled backward and hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.
The second she hit the ground, a pair of hedge clippers tumbled off the shelf and imbedded in the spot she had been standing seconds earlier. With wide eyes, she watched the clippers quiver, attempting to push the image of the clippers imbedded in her body, out of her mind.
"Kimberly! Are you okay?" Thomas called, his words filling her eyes and bring her away from her morbid fantasy.
She sighed, casting a fleeting glance at the hedge clippers as she pushed herself upward. "Yeah, I'm okay." She assured him, frowning. She just didn't know for how long.
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She didn't want to drift back to sleep, didn't want to risk the fear and pain again. So, sighing, she pulled herself off the couch, tossing the blanket aside.
Altessa Adams jumped when a loud click filled the still house, shattering the safe silence. She sighed and rolled her eyes, mentally chiding herself for being so skittish.
The back door to the house opened and the click of high heels announced the entrance of Amanda Adams, going through the garage and into the kitchen. "Altessa? Sweetheart?" She called from the kitchen, groaning loudly as she dropped the plastic grocery bag, she had been struggling with, onto the kitchen table. "I'm home."
Once again, the teenager rolled her eyes, this time at her mother's obvious statement. "No shit." She grumbled and then said louder, "Hello Mom," wishing that the once silent house still belonged to her.
"Honey, come in here and help me with these groceries; we're having your favorite tonight: lasagna." Amanda commanded, her words not a request. With another, longer, sigh, Altessa walked into the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.
"That's not my favorite." She told her mother as she pulled out a loaf of bread. She wasn't surprised when her mother appeared not to hear her, for she never paid attention to her second child. The fifteen-year-old continued to put away the plunder of her mother's shopping trip silently, though Amanda rambled on about her stressful day at work, which didn't sound too stressful to her daughter.
Amanda paused in her monologue when she noticed her daughter was pacing around the kitchen silently, a can of soup in her hand, cheeks and face ashen. "Altessa, what's wrong?" She asked, crossing the kitchen to stand before her daughter.
Altessa shrugged, pursing her lips. "Nothing." She answered shortly, pausing before relenting. "I had a nightmare."
Her mother smiled faintly and tucked her daughter's black hair behind her shoulders. "You don't get enough sleep honey." She scolded before turning back toward the groceries. "You haven't been since..." She paused, deciding once again to remain silent.
Her daughter's sigh was all she needed to know that Altessa knew exactly when she had stopped being able to sleep through the night, knowing that she didn't need to say anything more. Altessa sighed once again, used to her mother's silence and shift in priorities, knowing that Amanda believed that making sure the bread was put away was important then talking to her daughter.
Without a word, Altessa slunk out of the kitchen, enfolding herself in silence.
* * *
Kimberly grimaced as she peered into the musty darkness, squinting her eyes. "I can't see anything." She murmured.
Thomas handed her a silver flashlight, which he had already clicked on and Kimberly gratefully stabbed it into the blackness. Even with the aid of the flashlight, it was still difficult for her to see deep into the utility shed, which made up the bottom level of the apartment complex.
Kimberly and Thomas had gone to the supervisor earlier, attempting to warn him about the potential gas leak -which Kimberly believed the signs were pointing to- but he had been indifferent to what they had to say. So, like when she had attempted to stop the pileup, she had decided to take matters into her own hands. That was why she and Thomas were investigating the utility room, which appeared to have been neglected longer than Kimberly had been alive.
"Do you see anything now?" Thomas inquired, suddenly feeling uneasy. Even though he loved and trusted Kimberly, he couldn't shake the knowledge that weird things happened around her. A year ago they had cheated Death, but weird things still seemed to cling to them; though they were many little things, like a potted plant falling off a window sill right after Kimberly walked underneath it, Thomas still found himself nervous whenever they two of them got near dank, dark places.
Like the utility room.
"No." Kimberly answered, stepping into the room, eyes roving across the ceiling, walls and floor. The golden beam of the flashlight danced across the walls, playing across the network of metal pipes that provided the complex with heat, water and natural gas. And the latter was what Kimberly was worried about.
Thomas watched as she disappeared into the cloak of darkness; the spring heat and sunlight do nothing to ease the jitters he had and the worries he felt for both himself and Kimberly. Just because they had been "taken off the List" didn't make them invincible; there were still plenty of ways to be killed in the dark.
Kimberly, hurry up." Thomas called, his words peeling through the blackness. She didn't answer, just continued through the room, eyes and nose alert for her quarry.
The beam continued to rove across the pipes and rusted garden implements, proof that the yard had never been cared for. Kimberly regarded the rusted hedge clippers and hanging saws, quickly averting her gaze. Attempting to take her mind off such things, she continued to look for any signs of a gas leak.
But there was nothing, not a single pipe had even a hairline crack in the metal; she couldn't smell the choking scent either. "Thomas I don't-" Kimberly began but she paused when a tiny clicking noise filled the room, echoing off the walls. She played the beam across the floor, grimacing when she saw what it revealed.
"Ugh, rats." Kimberly frowned, shivers running down her spine. She found it somewhat funny that, even after she had cheated Death many times, she was still afraid of rats.
"Are you okay?" Thomas called, sounding nervous as he spoke. "Kimberly?"
Hearing his voice, Kimberly smiled slightly, beginning to walk toward the doorway once again; she felt relieved that there was no gas leak, at least, not for the moment.
Behind her, metal grated together, shrieking almost silently; Kimberly spun around, holding the silver flashlight before her like a sword. The beam washed over a rusted metal shelf, filled with rust covered gardening tools scraping against it. She frowned, taking a step backward before realizing what she had done.
She sighed, heading back toward the exit door, putting her left foot down on a large furry rat. Both human and rodent let out a shriek; Kimberly stumbled backward and hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.
The second she hit the ground, a pair of hedge clippers tumbled off the shelf and imbedded in the spot she had been standing seconds earlier. With wide eyes, she watched the clippers quiver, attempting to push the image of the clippers imbedded in her body, out of her mind.
"Kimberly! Are you okay?" Thomas called, his words filling her eyes and bring her away from her morbid fantasy.
She sighed, casting a fleeting glance at the hedge clippers as she pushed herself upward. "Yeah, I'm okay." She assured him, frowning. She just didn't know for how long.