WE STILL EXIST

Chapter Twenty- Six- Conversations Part | Two

CODEN JAMES

I decide to put the bag down on the counter, no drug will ever get rid of this feeling. Whether is be happiness or anger, guilt takes all.

The look on her face, as I was explaining the connection from Avery to the hauntings, will forever haunt me in my dreams. My words cut her deep and I know that she doesn't want anything to do with this, but she needs to know the whole truth.

I've only given her half of it.

Praying she'll come back down here, I turn off all of the lights. Making my way throughout the small house, outside, kitchen, living room, upstairs hallway, and find nothing. At least that is a good thing for us tonight, I don't have to worry about Avery coming back.

But I am not naive, he will be back.

The people on the couch have fallen asleep lying either on top of next to each other. Outside lights have been motioned on in the backyard as I pass the door, I look out of the window and see a small frame sitting outside on the deck. Moving to get a closer look, I notice it is Noah.

Opening the back door quietly so I don't spook her, I let her know I am here by coming up to the side of her. She looks to the side to spot me and she turns her head back to stare out into the night.

"Can I sit out here with you?" I ask her.

She shrugs, "you wouldn't leave even if I told you to."

True.

"You shouldn't be out here alone anyway." I pull out a chair and sit down next to her on her right side, "I tried keeping him away from you, but he insisted on wanting you to himself."

Noah shifts in her seat, "how?"

Other than beating him up, I tried to get Avery to not want her. "My antics were to get him to hate you, not want you anymore, and every ounce of me tried to get you away from him." I tried to get her alone.

"You did things to get him to not like me?" She starts to get it. "You embarrassed me at the reservoir that one night, in the classroom, debating about the reservoir, and even at the party when that huge storm came through."

I nod, "I also gave him a few warnings here and there."

"He mostly took it as I wanted you to myself, I guess that wasn't such a bad thing. However, I soon learned he took that frustration with me out on you."

"Noah, the intention was for you not to get hurt, it was to hurt him." I see the dilemma here, "you were a pawn in a much bigger game and I took that for granted."

Maddie was right, Noah is much better than the rest of us. Her attitude towards this whole... ordeal is something that I couldn't imagine. My father, the captain, hasn't even begun to understand the importance of this reservoir for all of us and not just our survival from the unknown monster.

"How do we kill the monster? Is there a way to kill it?" Noah whispers.

I sigh, "not exactly. There isn't an exact science to it, but we've been trying to relocate the habit."

"The unknown has a weakness and a strength as the same, not having enough fear. When the unknown has the fear, it controls and demolishes everything in its way. However, it also has the weakness to be careless and unfitted when there isn't fear." We can try to trap the fear in a specific place, but lure it out to kill it." I explain to her, "The reservoir is its home, but as we dig around and begin to build in the grounds, the settlement is not going to be safe anymore since there is no fear holding it back."

Noah doesn't say anything to me, her eyes just travel around the back of the house where the trees meet the grass. She scans the area with cautiousness as the night from earlier replays in her mind. With the leach sucker lurking in the distance and the runaway thoughts he had before leaving tonight, Noah places her hands back around herself to keep herself safe from harm.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Noah." Honestly, "Nothing will ever happen to you again. Not a single person in this world will ever harm you, not a word, not a pull of hair, not a slap, a hit, and never by the hands of Avery."

We sit there in silence as we mull over the night, our heads scratching for something to come out of this fuzzy hole we are in. I think the situation could be over with if we all go back and talk to my dad about this, Jonathan won't show his face there unless it's to feed the beast. Right now, there is nothing to feed the beast except him, he has to be out here planning his next move even if it has only occurred hours ago.

Time goes by as the sun starts to rise from below, the negligent birds start to chirp, and the dusty loud cars start to pour down the streets while the people start to live their lives again. I look over t my left and see Noah asleep in the chair, her head tilted onto her shoulder.

Standing up, I latch onto her body and bring her upright to lay in my arms. Opening the back sliding door, I walk into the kitchen, up the stairs, and walk into her room.

As I walk in, I see Maddie and Andrew lying in Maddie's bed. The blankets are tucked closely to them as they sleep next to each other, their clothes are scattered on the floor. That's why Noah didn't want to sleep in here not because of what happened with Avery.

She still hasn't told me everything yet, her diverge in the reservoir kept me from asking.

Gross, Andrews's slimy condom lays on the floor at the end of the bed. I'm going to have to talk to him about that... and Maddie. I seriously talk about messing with my little sister, teach him how to treat her.

Placing Noah down in her bed, I cover her with the blankets. Her body stirs under the covers and I feel her move her arm out of the covers when I turn around to leave. The fingers on her hand graze mine as I take a final step toward the door.

"Coden?" I stop. "Can you stay with me?"

Without turning, "I'll just be downstairs, Noah."

"Please?" Her voice is quiet, "I need someone here with me."

I open the door, "Maddie and Andrew are right here."

"Okay." Her timid voice breaks my heart, "I'm just scared."

Damn it. I turn around to face her and my eyes fall on her red-stained cheeks. The slight bruising has swelled and the tired eyes look longingly at me for hope, my feet stride across the wooden floor of the room and my hands open the covers for me to get in.

"Just for a little bit, I need to check the house." She nods tiredly into the pillow under her head. "Move over."

"Avery was in here last night with me. He attacked me in here, you were right outside the door." My eyes closed with shame. "You were calling my name, but Avery had blocked the door."

I saw Ana here and I knew something must have been up. Ana had been talking with some people about coming up here from back home and taking a date with her, but he left her for some other girl. I was taken aback by it but didn't think too much about it.

It was when I heard someone talk about Avery being seen in town the other day that got me concerned. I came up here to see if Noah was alright, but Maddie had called me back down to get help with a fight that was going on. It was nothing major, just some boys benign too rowdy.

I wish I would have stayed up here, tried harder to get her to come to the door. I would have been here to help her, save her from him.

"I'm sorry, Noah." Wrapping my arms around her small frame, I kiss the side of her head. " I will fix this."

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