Inside The Mind Of A Killer

Chapter 2: Reconnecting With Old Friends

"Caleb!"

I feel Noah's hands tightly gripping my shoulders, trying to snap me out of my trance. He's kneeling right in front of me. Everything's still fuzzy and dark, and I feel nauseous. I move my lips, trying to say something– anything– but no sound exits my mouth.

"Hey, Caleb?"

Noah's voice sounds like static– barely audible.

"Can you hear me?"

For a moment, my heart drops. I can't move all that well. I test out which parts of me I can move until I finally find something. I can move my head and neck. I use that newfound ability to slowly nod my head, signaling to Noah that I, in fact, can hear him.

Noah seems relieved by this. "Alright, please listen to me, ok? I'm gonna need you to breathe nice and slowly. Trust me, it'll help."

To the best of my abilities, I follow Noah's instructions. It starts off almost impossible, but I slowly get the hang of it as soon as my throat loosens up. As my breathing improves, so does the world around me. The darkness starts to lift and I can see clearly again. I can even see Noah's face much better now, which relieves me.

"Are you feeling any better?" Noah asks slowly. I notice beads of sweat beginning to form along Noah's forehead, and I visibly frown when all I catch sight of how uneasy and worried he is.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm ok."

"Do you want to go home?"

I cringe, remembering the look Brandon gave me earlier. "No. I just... Can you take me somewhere else? Somewhere more quiet?"

Noah is taken aback. "Y-Yeah, of course. I'll take you back to the car."

My legs wobble a little as Noah assists in lifting me off the dirty, tiled floor. Feeling a bit paranoid, I scan my eyes across the mall as Noah leads me to his car, hoping that nobody was around to see... whatever it was that just happened. Thankfully, no eyes are on us.

I suspect that Noah himself feels a little embarrassed, but I decide it'd be best if I didn't question him about it. I don't want him feeling any worse than he already does.

When we arrive at the silver minivan, Noah opens the passenger side door for me, lets me climb inside, then shuts the door and makes his way to the driver's side.

"That was an uneventful shopping trip, huh?" Noah lightly banters as he starts the car. "There weren't a whole lot of interesting things today. I feel bad for leaving the mall empty-handed."

Noah nervously laughs to himself before pulling out of his chosen parking spot. I avoid saying anything to him and try to focus on the view outside the window. At this point, I don't really care where Noah takes me as long as it isn't home.

We drive for what feels like hours, but it could possibly only be thirty minutes at most. Neither of us speaks the entirety of that time. It's very awkward, but I can't think of anything to say to break the silent tension that fills the vehicle.

Soon enough, Noah parks the car in the empty desert just outside Bone Dry. I'm confused as to why he'd take me here of all places, but it's better than nothing, I guess.

Finally, Noah speaks.

"Would you rather get out of the car or stay in here where there's air conditioning?" he offers. "It's your choice."

I think about this for a moment. "I guess we can stay here."

Noah nods his head, running his tongue across his lower lip before lightly biting down on it. "Sure."