Burning Secrets

Chapter 7: New Guy

Zack's POV:

I took out my keys from my pocket and unlocked the door. Hayley has her own keys just in case. Nobody could probably tell that we've only known each other for a little over a month. She was just a part of the family. Like a little sister.

That's what she was. That's how I feel about her. That's how I care about her. That's how I love her. She's like my sister. She is my sister. She's my family. I guess I have a new sister now. I was really trying to get things straightened out.

I smile, glad that I finally put things straight.

I start to turn the knob but Hayley's hand stops it and her hand on mine sends a wave through me.

Okay so maybe it'll take some time to put things completely straight. Right now it's a bit bent and blurred.

I look back at her and she winces as she covers her ears with her hands, taking the one off of mine as her face shows a clear sign of disgust. I didn't understand exactly what she was hearing because I couldn't hear a thing. I turn the knob again and she doesn't stop me. She just shrugs, hands still holding her ears as she stays where she is.

I quietly open the door and walk in looking over my shoulder at Hayley looking at me. She points to her eye, then puts her hands together like she is praying, then puts up four fingers, she points at me, lastly she points at her ears after wincing and covering them up again.

I roll my eyes at her being dramatic. In loose translation she said, "I pray for you for whatever you hear." She shrugs to me again.

I continue to walk into the dining area before glancing back at her. She's still by the door. That's when I hear something I NEVER want to hear again. I run out of the apartment, closing the door behind me, covering my ears as much as I could but I still couldn't get the sound out of my head.

Eric must've brought a new guy home. I'm happy for him, he deserves happiness but ew. I do not want to hear it. Hayley barely holds in her laughter accidentally letting a small laugh out.

I glare at her while thinking how she was able to hear that from outside the apartment? We take the elevator to the 1st floor and we lay on the couches in one of the extra sitting rooms.

I turn to look at her and saw her already asleep. I sigh and turn back, trying to get comfy on the couch. It took a while but finally I was able to fall asleep.

Hayley's POV:

Tonight's phantom nightmare was not as bad as some, but it sure wasn't rainbows and ice cream.

There was lots of screaming coming from down the hall. I was screaming too while tears fell from my face. Everything was blurred and the sound was in and out, like all of my nightmares, but I could hear the screams loud and clear.

Then two men grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down the hall, the screaming getting louder. The lights flickered on and off as they continued dragging me closer. My whole body heating up until one of the men poked a needle into my neck, making the heat go away and making me slump lower.

I felt drained, my eye lids fluttered closed and open. I felt numb yet I was aching all over. They dragged me into the room at the end of the hall. A teenage boy sat in a chair, not just any chair though. His wrists were tied to the arms with thick buckles, his legs held back onto the chair legs. There was a metal machine that wrapped around his head.

He screamed through the mouthpiece and his hands flickered with sparks. I felt helpless, laying on the floor, too heavy to even raise a hand. The boy looked at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. It didn't look like he was scared for what was happening to him. He was scared for me.

That's when I woke up. My hands scrambling around me trying to feel my surroundings. I kept gasping for air and frantically looking around me. Zack was immediately at my side, rubbing my back and whispering, "It's alright. You're alright. I'm here."

Even though I was still shaken up by the whole thing I pushed myself to grip onto the memory as it faded slowly. I tried to focus in on the scenes but all too soon the voice swept it away.

Успокоиться (calm down)

I stared off into space trying to collect myself before nodding and standing up. Zack quickly followed and put his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I fell into him and a few tears fell from my face as he held onto me tightly.

Once we finally pulled away, we made our way back up to the apartment, hoping that Eric was asleep and not...yeah.

Zack opened the door quietly and slowly walked into the apartment. He looked back over to me as I tried not to overhear anything at all and I shooed him forward while still standing in the doorway.

He pointed back at me and then pointed to his ears. I aggressively shook my head and he took a reluctant step closer towards the living room. He looked back at me again and I rolled my eyes as I took a few steps into the apartment. He held his hand out for me and I quickly tiptoed over to him, taking his hand.

He took a few steps forward and I kept close to him but still behind him. We made it to the living room without hearing any...sounds. I stayed by my couch as I pushed Zack to go to his room.

"Goodnight Hayley." He whispered and I smiled and waved goodbye before he reluctantly walked away towards his room for the night.

I glanced at the clock sitting on the TV stand noting that it was pretty late before sitting down on the couch. Even though it had been a long day and I felt drained, I didn't feel that tired and I definitely didn't want to go to sleep only to wake up to another nightmare.

I took off my jacket, which I rarely do. A little bit of the moonlight shown through the clouds, filling the room with a pale glow, but it was enough to make the scars shine. The long cuts and the short wounds were all healed and they didn't bother me much, but...I felt the need to hide them. Not the same feeling that I had for not going to the police or anything, but it felt more like it was my need to keep them hidden.

Which is what I do. Whatever dangerous past I lived where I had gotten these scars from were hidden from view with layers of clothing. I lifted up my shirt to check on them and as soon as I did, the moonlight made them beam. The still healing bruises on my stomach were hidden behind my shirt along with a few tiny scars and a long healed cut on my left side. A couple round wounds were right on my stomachs and a small cut ran down the right side of my chest.

I lowered my shirt and rubbed my right leg were I knew was a very long cut wich started at the middle of my thigh and ended just before my ankle. On my other leg there were a few bruises that were healing and a few cuts and marks but nothing as severe as the other leg.

I reached for the side of my neck were there was no bruise, or scar but were a blotch of darker skin was. I traced the area of my birthmark before tracing my scar which started close to my birthmark and went down to my left shoulder. Turning my head to look at it as the moon's light made it a becan in the dark.

I sighed looking at the many cuts and marks of scars on both of my arms. I haven't even mentioned all of them and I avoid the really bad scar on my right hip. On the right there was a small round wound and a few grazes of the same shape across my skin. Noting that the longer I looked at them I felt as though I could hear a gun firing but maybe it could be my imagination.

I looked out the big window at the dark night, seeing a few lights still on despite the hour. And that's how I stayed for so long as time passed by, not even realizing when my eyes started getting droopy or when I finally laid onto the couch and fell asleep just as a small peak of the sun's light started coming up or maybe that was my dream.