The Tiffany Box- ONC 2021 Shortlister

29- Into The Sun

The way Haven shut the door behind them vibrated on the walls. There was blood on his hands.

When Eli looked at Haven's fingers, he saw they were shaking. Gingerly, he asked, "Is it a bad thing to feel good this just happened?"

Ash shook her head. Stepping closer to them, she grabbed one of Haven's arms. "They won't haunt you anymore. Never ever."

"I killed them," Haven whispered under his breath. He was in disbelief. It had not been his first kill but it had been the first he had committed for the sake of wanting someone dead rather because he needed to feed.

Eli tossed a worried look to Ash before looking back to Haven. "Are you ok?" he asked cautiously.

"I killed them," Haven repeated four or five more times, sounding like a broken record. When he shut his eyes and drew in a breath, his friends looked at him with worry creasing their faces. "Yes," Haven said finally opening his lids. "I'm ok. They are gone. They can't come after any of us now." Haven knew they could not stay in Los Demonios. Even if they were never caught for their crime, he couldn't possibly stomach the Town of Demons again. "We should get the hell out of here." Taking Eli's and Ash's hands he gave them a squeeze. "Pack up, drive so far away that this town is nothing more than a bad stench we've left behind."

"I think that's a great idea," Eli said.

Giving the two men a huge smile, Ash knew where they should go. "I got the perfect place for us. You guys will absolutely love California."

"Cali?" Eli had never thought of going there but it was far enough and he'd heard it was still beautiful. "I'd love to see the beach."

"So would I," admitted Haven as he pulled Ash and Eli close for a hug. "Let's pack, get out of here while we can. I can drive us all the way there. We can soak up the sun in a place that does not burn. We can start new. No nightmares. No demons."

"Only angels," Ash said giving Haven a wink."Besides," Ash's mind traveled to Bodhi and the others, they would all be there. Eli and Haven would love all the weirdos. "I know a few people there. Perhaps we can find a place to crash for a while."

Their belongings were in the back of the truck. A tarp would keep everything safe from whatever force of nature found them. Wedged between Eli and Haven, Ash sat with the cat on her lap. On Eli's lap was a D'Art in an old pickle jar. "I'll make sure to open the lid every half hour. Don't look at me like that D'Art, I promise you once we get to California I'll buy you a huge aquarium. One with a little diver guy who blows bubbles, yah?"

As the engine started, Ash cast a look at Eli and rolled her eyes. "You're losing your mind, talking to the fish like that," she teased.

"Lose my mind?" chuckled Eli. "Well, if I do lose it I hope you find it, you definitely need a few of my wondrous gray cells."

Ash leaned back and snorted. "Ug, whatever. I'm going to get myself a bikini once we get to Cali and a pair of sneakers. I really hate these white ones I've got."

Pulling away from the cottage, Haven couldn't help but feel a weight being lifted. For the first time in years, he felt happy. "What colour shoes do you want to get Ash?"

Ash placed a foot on the dashboard. She thought about the asylum. She knew in one way or another they'd all been locked in their own private hell but now they were free. "Pink," she said, "I'm going to get me a pair of bright, bubble-gum pink shoes and burn these." 

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