Chapter Eighteen – Nightmare

I feel as though there's a hollow space where my heart used to be. Liz wrote in her journal. All it took was the mention of a name. Four letters arranged in a random pattern to form a word that is capable of destroying my very existence, but I don't know why. That's what is frustrating to me – the not knowing. My life was always so predictable, mundane even until this thing with Max started. Now it seems as though everything is in a state of flux. What's happening to me – to us? Its almost as if we are all just puppets acting out some macabre play for an insane puppeteer. Something other than fate is bringing us all together. It has to be. Fate is random, but there seems to be some sort of pattern to all of this, if only I could figure it out.

"Liz, can you come here honey?" a voice called from inside the Parker apartment.

"Coming, Mom," Liz answered. She slipped her pen into her journal to mark her place, closed the book and left it lying on her chair. She climbed in through her bedroom window and went to see what her mother wanted.

Nicholas waited patiently until he was certain Liz was gone before he climbed up the fire escape. He looked around surreptitiously, making sure he was unobserved before he climbed over the low wall that enclosed Liz's rooftop patio.

Without a qualm, he opened her journal and began leaf through it. He scanned it rapidly, his face falling as he read the pages. His heart began to pound a staccato rhythm in his chest, and his breath came in short gasps as he realized how close they were to ruining everything. A noise alerted him to the fact that Liz was returning, and he quickly ducked behind a large planter. His hiding place provided him with a view to both the patio as well as the bedroom.

A soft breeze whispered across the patio, and the leaves from the plant brushed against his face. Angrily Nicholas shoved them away, waiting for an opportunity to escape off of the patio. He watched in fascination as Liz slowly ran a brush through her hair. His breath caught in his throat, and desire played across his face as Liz began to unbutton her blouse. It slid down off her shoulders and fluttered to the ground. Nicholas began to breath faster, his breath came in short gasps, and he felt himself grow warm with desire as Liz raised her arms above her head and stretched languidly.

Nicholas moved slightly from behind the brick planter to allow himself a better view of Liz. She was beautiful, he admitted to himself. It was a shame she had to die, Nicholas thought to himself. Maybe he'd use her for himself before he killed her. He caught his breath as she undid the snap on her jeans, and began to ease them down over her hips. Nicholas moved unconsciously towards the window as passion clouded his judgment.

He reached out to climb through the window when something tackled him from the side, sending him crashing into the brick wall. Liz heard the noise, and saw a blinding flash of light and screamed. She pulled her jeans back up over her hips and grabbed her shirt off the floor and pulled it on.

"Lizzie, is everything okay?" her father yelled from somewhere in the apartment.

"Oh, uh, yeah, fine dad," she called back. "Just a couple of cats fighting or something. It scared me."

She moved cautiously to the window and peered out into the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that there was a body lying several feet from her window. She choked back the sobs that threatened to spill out and climbed carefully out of the window and knelt beside the body.

She reached out with shaking hands and carefully rolled the body over so that she could see who it was. Tears fell from her eyes when the face of Michael Guerin came into view, covered with horrible disfiguring burns. Liz jumped backwards and began to retch violently at the disfigured face in front of her.

When her insides felt as empty as her heart, Liz pushed herself up off the ground, and checked to see if Michael was still breathing before she staggered through the window into her room. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly punched in a number.

"Max," she said. "It's Michael, he's been hurt. He's at my house, please hurry."

Liz stuffed her cell into her pocket with shaking hands and grabbed the blankets and pillows off of her bed and climbed back through the window. Once outside, she stood with trepidation as she realized whoever had hurt Michael could still be out there. Tamping her fear down, she moved over to Michael's body, and carefully lifted his head up and slipped the pillow underneath him. Then she covered him with the blanket in the hopes of staving off the shock she was sure would set in.

"Maxwell," Michael whispered, struggling to sit up.

"Michael, it's Liz. Please don't try and get up, Max is on his way."

"Danger," Michael moaned.

"Michael, try not to talk," said Liz, brushing his hair off of the burnt skin on his forehead. "Don't worry, Max will be here soon."

She started to say more, but was interrupted by the ringing of the cell phone in her pocket. She reached for the phone, dropping it on the blanket that covered Michael in her haste to answer it.

"Hello?" she said, softly, trying not to disturb the injured man beside her.

"Liz, girlfriend, get ready. Alex and I will be by to pick you up in ten minutes. I don't know where we're going or what we're doing, but who cares," came Maria's voice through the phone.

"Mu-Maria," Liz whimpered, quietly.

"Liz, what's the matter?" Maria asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"It's Michael," Liz said.

"What did he do now?" demanded Maria. "If he's bothering you, I'm going to kill him."

"He's hurt, bad," Liz said. "I think someone tried to kill him."

"Liz, where are you?" asked Maria, panic rising in her voice.

"M-my house," said Liz. "M-Max is on his way. Oh, God, Maria, I think he's dying. Maria? Maria, are you there?"

Liz waited a minute before closing the phone and slipping it back into her pocket. She sat on the ground next to Michael, and held his hand in hers. The gesture may not have done anything for Michael, but it served to sooth her frayed nerves slightly.

After what seemed like hours, but was, in reality only several minutes, Max appeared on the fire escape. He climbed over the low wall, and raced across the rooftop, with Isabel on his heels. At the same time, the door to Liz's bedroom opened and shut and voices could be heard in the room. Max and Isabel stood protectively over Michael and Liz, each of them holding an arm outstretched before them. Maria and Alex appeared in the window, and Max and Isabel lowered their hands and turned their attention back to Michael.

"What happened?" asked Max.

"I don't know," said Liz. "I was in my room, getting changed when I heard a bang, and there was a brilliant flash of light. I came out here and I found Michael. He was lying face down on the ground. I turned him over, and then I called you. After that, I came outside and covered him up."

Max pulled the blanket off of Michael, and both Isabel and Maria gasped when they saw the burns that covered his body. Whatever had done this to him was so intense that his charred clothing seemed to merge with the burnt flesh that was underneath it.

Max started at Michael's head, holding his hands as close to his friend's body as he could without touching it. A soft light emanated from Max's hand, and the charred flesh on Michael's face began to heal, slowly smoothing out and returning to a normal flesh tone. Max moved his hands slowly down Michael's body, healing each burned surface one by one, until finally he Michael was completely healed.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Maria asked.

"Don't worry," said Alex, his voice filled with awe at what he had just witnessed. "He'll be okay."

He reached out and took Maria by the hand and pulled her over to where the others stood. Max stood up and held out his hand to Liz, and they, along with Isabel, formed a circle around Michael. After several minutes, Michael's eyes fluttered open and he looked around at the others standing over him.

"Thanks," he said, his voice raspy. "Thank you," he said again, looking directly at Liz.

"We need to get him home," Isabel said.

"I'm going with you," said Maria.

"You don't need to," began Isabel.

"Yes, I do," interrupted Maria.

"We'll all go," said Max, stemming the argument that was about to occur. "Michael, can you climb down the fire escape?"

"Yeah," said Michael, his voice shaky. "I think so."

"I'll go first," offered Alex. "As long as you promise not to land on me."

Maria climbed back through Liz's window, while Max and Liz watched Alex, followed by Michael and Isabel.

"Are you coming?" Max asked, looking down into Liz's eyes.

"Yeah. I'll ride with Maria."

"We'll meet you at Michael's apartment," said Max. He swung one leg over the ledge and turned back to Liz. "How did you know my cell phone number?" he asked. "I just got it the other day."

"I – I don't know," Liz said, helplessly. "I don't know."