Chapter 7- Four Months Later: August 10th, 1975
Erin was quite happy living her new life, her new home, with new relationships. Though not her relationship, Erin was the loner the tag-a- long to any events that they all decided to go to. Sitting alone in the large apartment in the middle of Phoenix while Michelle and Todd were off doing whatever it is they do, she wasn't going to ask. For a while she felt lonely, but didn't tell anyone not even herself. During the first few months it took Erin a while to wallow out of her own deep sea of self pity, now she just lay a float waiting slowly being drifted back to shore, which is commonly known as a social life. At Erin's arrival to her new home, four months ago, Erin has manage to make a few friends all in which were already Michelle and Todd's friends. "but as Michelle said 'my friends are your friend, and your friends are my friends.'...were." Erin said to herself as she sat lonely on the large comforter covered in a ruff brown fabric. The others were out, and Erin stayed in. It was a early Saturday morning and already Erin's day was off to a bad start. She flicked through the few channels on the television over and over. Once she had been through the channels a good fifteen times she shut the television off. Sighing to herself she plopped deeper into the protective cushions of the comforter. She doze in and out of sleep, partly from boredom and party from her usual lack of sleep. Erin lay there falling in and out of sleep constantly which often caused the chasing feeling of falling to run up her spin. Every time she would perk up, realizing it was only a dream she nestled back into her position tossing turning plumping pillows. As if trying to get to sleep wasn't enough trouble the uncomfortable fabric of the comforter made it almost unbearable. But Erin just ignored it, simply being just plan to lazy to go into her room, or grab a comfortable blanket. She propped the harsh pillow once more falling into it. Soon she found herself relaxed and comfortable, the itch of the fabric slowly faded away as she drifted into a light sleep.
Erin sat up swiftly, she looked at the clock which read 11;30. Surely it wasn't 11:30 AM because the sky outside was as black as overindulgent oil. She sighed wondering how anyone, especially herself, could ever sleep for that length of time and still feel as tired as she did. Once she rubbed her eyes and her sight became focused she realized that she had managed to roll off the couch and onto the ruby carpeted floor. She sat up and as she did so she lent her head back to rest on the comforter. She closed her eyes which felt sore, as if they were wind burnt from a harsh winters breeze. She held her eyes closed as it seemed to sooth the burning, after a few minutes she opened her eyes again. The room was dark apparently no one had arrived back yet. Erin stared in awe gazing up and the small creaky chandelier that hung just above her head from the ceiling, it was only then that she noticed the ceiling was in badly in need of a new paint job, not remembering the ceilings ever being chipped, dirty and water stained she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. For that matter she never remembered a chandelier either. Soon she realized exactly where she was once a stinging liquid traveled along her eyelid and down her face from above her head. She noticed a figure overcast her, a unforgettable face. "Giver 'er some room." A old crackly voice echoed from the darkness, Erin scrambled to pull away but the grip was too tight on her shoulder, she kicked once in the air at an attempt to escape the dark figures hold, but to Erin unsatisfactory, it was no use. She sat shaken in the merciful grasp of the cold bitter hand that lay on her naked shoulder. She closed her eyes and pleaded out, begging to be set free. "Erin...Erin! Wake up." A male voice said. Soon Erin shot up, looking behind her with puffy eyes. She scanned her surroundings and noticed that she was back in the apartment. She quickly looked up, at the ceiling that was dotted with beams of sunlight. "...No chipped ceiling." She said to herself, placing a shaken hand onto her forehead. A pounding ache echoed in her skull. "Well I would hope not, I just painted that roof a month ago." Todd said, analyzing the ceiling for any signs of chipping. "I believe to correct term is a ceiling, there old pal." A another chap said sitting on the couch beside Erin. Erin looked behind her and drew her shoulder quickly away from his hand. He looked down and pulled his hand in towards himself, giving a sheepish smile in Erin's direction. "Oh sorry.." She said in a chirpy voice, looking down at Erin. Erin returned a small nod and a smile as she stood up from the floor and walked over near the window peering out at the scenery below. She turned to face Todd who was looking over towards Erin. "Umm...Where's Michelle?" Erin asked folding her arms over her chest. Looking back and forth between Todd and Kyle, the boy on the couch. Kyle was Todd's best friend, they often hung around with each other, so Erin saw a lot of Kyle. And needless to say Kyle seemed to have a 'thing' for Erin. Though jokes were made, that Kyle's 'thing' for Erin was only a small one. That joke always made Erin laugh, yet cringe at the idea behind the joke. "She at the mall, gone for food or something." Kyle replied in his obviously fake English accent, which he swore was true even though his father was from Italy. "Yeah, because you ate it all..." Todd replied in a cocky manner. Erin rolled her eyes to herself leaning against the arm of the couch. She placed two fingers on her forehead and closed her eyes, listening to the two men trough shots at each other.
"I'm home!" The one voice Erin was thankful to hear hollered out. It was Michelle carrying a armful and a half of bags loaded with groceries. She waddled into the kitchen careful not to drop any of the bags and tilted around the outskirts of her arms. She managed to place all the bags successfully onto the large counter top, Once her hands were free she walked into the living room sliding her jacket off oh her back. "Hey." She said to Todd and Kyle who were sitting on the couch watching The Price Is Right, though not really paying any attention to it. The two boys returned a nod and a mutter as a sign of saying hello. Michelle narrowed her eyes deeply at the two's lame attempt in a greeting. She sat down next to Todd and then realized Erin wasn't in the room with them. "Where's Erin." She asked looking at Todd, as she adjusted her position on the couch. "Bathroom or something...I don't, know." Todd replied again in a zombie-like voice, showing absolutely no interest in what Michelle was saying whatsoever. Michelle gave a loud grunt as she stood up to go and search for Erin. She walked town the hall and knocked on the bathroom door, she waited for a reply, after no one answered she opened the door to find the bathroom empty. "Erin? Where are you?" She continued to make her way down the hall, stopping suddenly as she heard quiet sobs from the half opened half closed door near the end of the hallway. She picked up her pace and pushed the door open once she reached it without even as much as a knock. When she pushed open the door she held a hand to her mouth. Erin was sitting on the bed grasping the weekly news paper in one hand , and hugging her legs close to her body. Michelle quickly made her way over to the side on the bed where Erin sat, crying uncontrollably. "Erin? What's wrong?" Michelle said, a sheer sound of concern and fear in her voice. She waited a moment but Erin jus continued to hug her legs and rock back and forth. "Erin! Tell me what's wrong!...please..." Erin looked over in Michelle's direction once she spoke again, looking down at the crinkled newspaper, she began to speak in a low, broken voice. ".......Its happening again.......its happening again."
Erin was quite happy living her new life, her new home, with new relationships. Though not her relationship, Erin was the loner the tag-a- long to any events that they all decided to go to. Sitting alone in the large apartment in the middle of Phoenix while Michelle and Todd were off doing whatever it is they do, she wasn't going to ask. For a while she felt lonely, but didn't tell anyone not even herself. During the first few months it took Erin a while to wallow out of her own deep sea of self pity, now she just lay a float waiting slowly being drifted back to shore, which is commonly known as a social life. At Erin's arrival to her new home, four months ago, Erin has manage to make a few friends all in which were already Michelle and Todd's friends. "but as Michelle said 'my friends are your friend, and your friends are my friends.'...were." Erin said to herself as she sat lonely on the large comforter covered in a ruff brown fabric. The others were out, and Erin stayed in. It was a early Saturday morning and already Erin's day was off to a bad start. She flicked through the few channels on the television over and over. Once she had been through the channels a good fifteen times she shut the television off. Sighing to herself she plopped deeper into the protective cushions of the comforter. She doze in and out of sleep, partly from boredom and party from her usual lack of sleep. Erin lay there falling in and out of sleep constantly which often caused the chasing feeling of falling to run up her spin. Every time she would perk up, realizing it was only a dream she nestled back into her position tossing turning plumping pillows. As if trying to get to sleep wasn't enough trouble the uncomfortable fabric of the comforter made it almost unbearable. But Erin just ignored it, simply being just plan to lazy to go into her room, or grab a comfortable blanket. She propped the harsh pillow once more falling into it. Soon she found herself relaxed and comfortable, the itch of the fabric slowly faded away as she drifted into a light sleep.
Erin sat up swiftly, she looked at the clock which read 11;30. Surely it wasn't 11:30 AM because the sky outside was as black as overindulgent oil. She sighed wondering how anyone, especially herself, could ever sleep for that length of time and still feel as tired as she did. Once she rubbed her eyes and her sight became focused she realized that she had managed to roll off the couch and onto the ruby carpeted floor. She sat up and as she did so she lent her head back to rest on the comforter. She closed her eyes which felt sore, as if they were wind burnt from a harsh winters breeze. She held her eyes closed as it seemed to sooth the burning, after a few minutes she opened her eyes again. The room was dark apparently no one had arrived back yet. Erin stared in awe gazing up and the small creaky chandelier that hung just above her head from the ceiling, it was only then that she noticed the ceiling was in badly in need of a new paint job, not remembering the ceilings ever being chipped, dirty and water stained she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. For that matter she never remembered a chandelier either. Soon she realized exactly where she was once a stinging liquid traveled along her eyelid and down her face from above her head. She noticed a figure overcast her, a unforgettable face. "Giver 'er some room." A old crackly voice echoed from the darkness, Erin scrambled to pull away but the grip was too tight on her shoulder, she kicked once in the air at an attempt to escape the dark figures hold, but to Erin unsatisfactory, it was no use. She sat shaken in the merciful grasp of the cold bitter hand that lay on her naked shoulder. She closed her eyes and pleaded out, begging to be set free. "Erin...Erin! Wake up." A male voice said. Soon Erin shot up, looking behind her with puffy eyes. She scanned her surroundings and noticed that she was back in the apartment. She quickly looked up, at the ceiling that was dotted with beams of sunlight. "...No chipped ceiling." She said to herself, placing a shaken hand onto her forehead. A pounding ache echoed in her skull. "Well I would hope not, I just painted that roof a month ago." Todd said, analyzing the ceiling for any signs of chipping. "I believe to correct term is a ceiling, there old pal." A another chap said sitting on the couch beside Erin. Erin looked behind her and drew her shoulder quickly away from his hand. He looked down and pulled his hand in towards himself, giving a sheepish smile in Erin's direction. "Oh sorry.." She said in a chirpy voice, looking down at Erin. Erin returned a small nod and a smile as she stood up from the floor and walked over near the window peering out at the scenery below. She turned to face Todd who was looking over towards Erin. "Umm...Where's Michelle?" Erin asked folding her arms over her chest. Looking back and forth between Todd and Kyle, the boy on the couch. Kyle was Todd's best friend, they often hung around with each other, so Erin saw a lot of Kyle. And needless to say Kyle seemed to have a 'thing' for Erin. Though jokes were made, that Kyle's 'thing' for Erin was only a small one. That joke always made Erin laugh, yet cringe at the idea behind the joke. "She at the mall, gone for food or something." Kyle replied in his obviously fake English accent, which he swore was true even though his father was from Italy. "Yeah, because you ate it all..." Todd replied in a cocky manner. Erin rolled her eyes to herself leaning against the arm of the couch. She placed two fingers on her forehead and closed her eyes, listening to the two men trough shots at each other.
"I'm home!" The one voice Erin was thankful to hear hollered out. It was Michelle carrying a armful and a half of bags loaded with groceries. She waddled into the kitchen careful not to drop any of the bags and tilted around the outskirts of her arms. She managed to place all the bags successfully onto the large counter top, Once her hands were free she walked into the living room sliding her jacket off oh her back. "Hey." She said to Todd and Kyle who were sitting on the couch watching The Price Is Right, though not really paying any attention to it. The two boys returned a nod and a mutter as a sign of saying hello. Michelle narrowed her eyes deeply at the two's lame attempt in a greeting. She sat down next to Todd and then realized Erin wasn't in the room with them. "Where's Erin." She asked looking at Todd, as she adjusted her position on the couch. "Bathroom or something...I don't, know." Todd replied again in a zombie-like voice, showing absolutely no interest in what Michelle was saying whatsoever. Michelle gave a loud grunt as she stood up to go and search for Erin. She walked town the hall and knocked on the bathroom door, she waited for a reply, after no one answered she opened the door to find the bathroom empty. "Erin? Where are you?" She continued to make her way down the hall, stopping suddenly as she heard quiet sobs from the half opened half closed door near the end of the hallway. She picked up her pace and pushed the door open once she reached it without even as much as a knock. When she pushed open the door she held a hand to her mouth. Erin was sitting on the bed grasping the weekly news paper in one hand , and hugging her legs close to her body. Michelle quickly made her way over to the side on the bed where Erin sat, crying uncontrollably. "Erin? What's wrong?" Michelle said, a sheer sound of concern and fear in her voice. She waited a moment but Erin jus continued to hug her legs and rock back and forth. "Erin! Tell me what's wrong!...please..." Erin looked over in Michelle's direction once she spoke again, looking down at the crinkled newspaper, she began to speak in a low, broken voice. ".......Its happening again.......its happening again."