My Nightmare in Shining Armor

Thanks Mr. Leprechaun

It took me a while but eventually I found the well-known sign declaring our way out. "Found it!" I screamed then started towards it after I jumped for joy (literally). Harker started following me, obviously wanting to escape as badly as I was. He ran ahead of me, he was the fastest and if he reached the door first that meant the sooner we'd break out of the castle I now thought of as our own personal, inescapable dungeon.

We were both running full speed but of course I was a ways behind him because of how out of shape I was. I stopped when I heard a series of thumps followed by someone yelling. At first I couldn't make out what they were saying then the words broke through the fog barrier around my brain. "Janie, help me, please!" They said more but I paid no attention and began running. Somehow I was moving faster than before I could feel my lungs caving in but all I could see was Harker lying helpless on the ground. I hated the feeling of leaving someone alone in their time of need. My parents found this constant need to help as a nuisance but that didn't stop me.

"Harker are you okay, what happened?" I shifted into the mother hen when I saw him lying on the stairs, whimpering in pain.

"I fell, I was running down the stairs and I must have tripped, I think I sprained my ankle." I checked over it and saw slight bruising and swelling.

"Can you move it?" I found myself asking, hoping and praying that it wasn't broken. He moved his foot and tried swirling his ankle. He completed the task but not without hissing in pain. "I'll be right back I'm just going to stop in the nurse's office and get you some stuff to help heal this.

"Wait the door will be locked, take these." He held out a set of what appeared to be master keys. I wanted to slap him more than I wanted to get out of the dungeon at that moment.

"Why didn't we use these when we were stuck in the art rooms?" Surprisingly to myself I didn't yell this; instead my voice took on a calm tone as I thought only about strangling the psycho in front of me. Maybe he was rubbing off on me; I seemed to be losing more sanity with each passing second.

At first he didn't answer he looked down at the floor as if he were a little kid being scolded. "I knew you wouldn't help me if I let you leave." At first I couldn't hear him so I asked him to repeat what he had said. "I knew you wouldn't help me if I let you leave." This time he spoke louder so I could hear him. I could hear my heart sighing in pain at what he had said in that way girls do at romantic parts during movies. Meanwhile my brain was grumbling incoherently about him being a liar and crazy or something such as.

"Jesus Christ Harker, that doesn't mean you, should have locked me in the art room with you." I wanted to be scolding but really I just came off as tired. Which I was, this trying to escape and everything in general for the last four days has been emotional draining. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than my bed.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know you'd stay and help." He spoke softly, and I knew my heart was now sobbing like the wimp it was while begging me with everything it had to forgive him.

"Oh fine I forgive you, just please stop looking at me like that." He perked up quicker than a little kid when they would see a candy bar. "I'll be right back, just try not to move or hurt yourself anymore okay?" Without waiting for an answer I headed off on a mission.

I reached the nurse's office and grabbed everything I needed then headed back to heal the psychopath. Once I got there I noticed him trying to sit up and hissing in pain. "I told you to stay still." I said while trying to haul him into a sitting position.

"No you said to 'try not to move,' I tried and then I wanted to —-." He was cut short by a hiss of pain as I moved his ankle so I could wrap it easier. I got him all bandaged up as he watched me with curious eyes. "You're really good at that." I rolled my eyes, which I seemed to be a frequent occurrence around him.

"I took a first aid class." I told him, not looking up from my work. "Okay you're all fixed up, I'll get you the crutches then we can go." With that I got up and grabbed the crutches, I leaned them against the wall again, closer to Harker this time. I knelt down and supported most of his weight so he could stand on one foot. When he was leaning against the wall, supporting himself with one hand I helped him adjust onto the crutches.

He moved around slowly at first but sooner he made it work and could keep up with my pace if I was walking. We made our way to the elevators, thank everything the school had them. I knew something bad would happen if we tried to finish taking the stairs. Luckily we made it in and out of the elevator without any problems. I had thought things were turning up though I was sure I had spoken too soon. Maybe I had a one night stand with a leprechaun, who got pissed because I ditched him and that's why our luck was so terrible.

"Really sleeping with a leprechaun?" He asked while laughing.

"Oh my god I said that out loud. Oh please Satan just take me now, open a hole to the underworld and let it swallow me up. Save me from my misery." I theatrically stated while placing a hand over my heart and gracefully falling to my fake death.

"Okay drama queen, if you're done I'd like to go home." He told me while impatiently checking the nonexistent watch on his right wrist, which was quite an accomplishment when thinking about how he was on crutches.

"Fine then buzz kill, last time I try to have fun around you." I told him, getting myself up and dusting the dirt which wasn't there off my shoulder. "Let's go princess, should I carry your tiara for you, your majesty?" I gave a deep curtsy.

"Ha ha that was so funny, I almost forgot to laugh. Can we just go? My ankle is killing me." My mother hen mode kicked in, after he shut off his sarcasm and I noticed he was still in pain.

"Yeah I'll go pull my car around." He was about to object before I cut him off. "We're taking my car because it has more room and I'll come back and get your motorcycle after I drop you off at home." I unlocked the door and ran out to the parking lot before I could hear his response. My car was now one of the only two still there, and luckily, the leprechaun must be forgiving, it was in the front row.

My good luck changed when it started raining. "Welcome to my life, hell in the version of clichés." I mumbled while fumbling for my keys in my pocket. I dropped them and when I bent down to pick them up... 'rip' my pants split through the back. "Okay leprechaun I take it back you're just a rude, bitter, evil little ginger man." I took off my jacket which meant I was freezing and could possibly die of hypothermia as it was a mere forty degrees Fahrenheit outside, and tied it around my waist.

My keys in my hand I stormed to my car, fury shaking every cell in my body to the point of explosion. I tore my door open and started my car, nearly breaking the ignition. I had reached my limit and more than anything I wanted this to end so I could go sleep, but I still had to take Harker home. I pulled up to the doors, unlocked them and walked with him to the car, ready to help him get in when he reached it. He was too prideful for this and refused my assistance until he failed for the third time at getting in.

I positioned his injured leg on top of the dash, and stored the crutches in the back seat while he buckled himself in and tried to get remotely comfortable. I restarted the car and we set off.

"So where do you live?" I found myself asking, realizing as I pulled onto the road that I had no clue where I was going, which seemed to piss me off more.

"Melancholy Lane." I wasn't at all surprised at this as it was one of the 'better off' neighborhoods in town and it was well known to the population of nine hundred that the Millings were doing well for themselves.

For the first few minutes we rode in silence that is until Harker easily placed his hand over mine, for some reason this calmed me down. Then again it could have been my wimpy little heart cooing and sighing again. If possible I'd remove that cursed organ. "Thank you." He told me sincerely.

"It's no problem." I said trying to calm my accelerating heart without letting it control my movements or the speed of the car.

"No really thank you, for everything." He said then taking his hand off mine afterwards. Those words made me feel something, what I couldn't tell you, but it was something and it scared me.