Run and Hide

Chapter Eleven

As the candle wick burned, sparks flew around the library. The candlelight was luminous in the dark, it looked like a wizard was casting spells around the room. Weight fell off our shoulders, any worry we had faded away instantly. Looking to the left, Leo stood in the doorway. He was no longer in demon form.

"It's okay, Leo. I know you were only protecting me, thank you." Disappearing down the hall, I knew he just wanted reassurance. Dane and I made ourselves comfortable and slept in the living room, neither one of us wanted to sleep in our rooms.

"Nicole, let's go for a walk." Dane woke me. I hopped up off the couch and walked with him toward the garden. We admired all the new plants Lilac added to the front, how beautiful they truly were. We talked about how different our childhood was, how Dane and I always saw things we couldn't explain.

Making our way to the pond, Dane and I took a deep breath. "I declare a stress-free night. We'll watch movies and eat snacks, deal?" I grinned at him; it was a good idea.

As the daylight disappeared, I helped Nate get ready for bed. "Thank you for letting me sleep in your room again, I promise I will start sleeping in my own room soon." I smiled, pulling the blankets up to Nate's chin. "Don't worry about it, buddy, watch the fire and get some rest." Quietly leaving the room, I trailed downstairs to the smell of popcorn.

"What do you want to watch?" I asked, getting comfortable on the couch. As we scrolled through the channels on the tv, it was mostly horror. "It's looking like The Notebook or Mean Girls, you choose." I chose Mean Girls; it was funnier out of either movie. We sat through most of the movie before falling asleep, I wished I would've stayed up.

"My throat hurts." Nate said, waking me up. I put my hand on his forehead, he was running a fever. I gave Nate some medicine before laying him down on the couch, I had to let mom know how he was doing.

"If he gets any worse, I'll take him to the doctor." Grabbing moms' hand, she was cold to the touch, and pale as a ghost. "Mom, are you okay?" She looked at me, her smile was devilish. Ignoring her expression, I silently walked away. "Dad," I yelled down the hallway. "Nate and mom don't seem right; will you go check on them?" Dad gently shut his laptop. As I came closer, he was pale like them.

As dad stood up from his chair, my heart dropped. He shot a terrifying smile my way, I was scared. Walking backward, I ran into mom. She had a glass bottle in her hand, there was a skull on the label. "You look ill yourself, Nicole, why don't I give you a dose of medicine."

Mom put her freezing cold hand on my shoulder, I pushed her away. Grabbing Nate from the couch, I barricaded him in my room. "It's going to be okay, Nate." I say, tussling his hair. I heard a loud knocking at the door, it was Dane. "Hurry," He yelled, I quickly let him in.

"Everyone is sick, what's happening out there?" I asked, scared. "I don't know, but it's not safe here." He says, locking the door behind him. As Dane turned back around, I jumped back into bed with Nate; shielding him from what I was seeing. A large blood covered machete hung from his side; a huge cut covered more than half his face. I closed my eyes, trying not to scare Nate.

Dane jumps into the bed, the machete pierced through my skin with no effort. As I looked down at Nate, his eyes were pitch black. Trying to push myself away, Dane shoves the knife further into my chest. Screaming in pain, I start to lose consciousness. My body was tingling, my voice becoming weak.

"Goodnight, Nicole," Nate and Dane sung before twisting the knife.

"Hey," Dane yelled, shaking me awake. I jolted upward, relieved to know it was just another nightmare. "Breathe, then tell me about it." In detail, I told him about the events of my dream, and how real it felt. "That's a dream I hope I never have," Dane said, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.