Saint Jimmy

•FEVER DREAMS•

"Beware the lure within her lovely tresses,
The splendid sole adornment of her hair;
When she succeeds therewith a youth to snare,
Not soon again she frees him from her jesses."

---Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Faust)

•H E R  POV•
•••
_______________________

"Take me away from this hell..."

I finally let go of Jimmy, gazing up at him as I did so. Even in the dark, even in that harsh orange light I could make out his green eyes. And for some reason, every time I looked into them, I felt an unnatural calm wash over me. Even in a moment like this, I could forget it all.

"What was it?" He asked.

"What was what?" I asked.

"What made you change your mind?"

I thought back to it all. The ominous bartender. The man with the platinum hair. I bit my lip. "I've had a strange night to be honest.... I've have a really fucking strange night. And now I know I need to leave here more than ever. Please help me do that Jimmy."

"Weird night?" He repeated, raising his eyebrows. "How so?"

I shook my head. "I can't even begin to describe it..." I didn't know whether or not to tell Jimmy about what had happened. "It was just enough. I've reached my stopping point. You have to get me out of here." I realized I was beginning to sound a little desperate, not that I wasn't. The man with the blonde hair was still in the back of my mind, his words haunting me. I didn't know how long I had, but now getting out of Paradise seemed even more necessary than ever.

He smiled. "Then I'll get you out of here, pretty girl. Tell me though, do you trust me now?"

I smiled back.
"No way in hell."

He laughed, taking my hand. "Still my smart girl, I see."

And as we began walking back down the orange-lit street of darkness, I realized just how exhausted I was. When was the last time I'd slept? I couldn't even remember; this day seemed to go on forever.

The farther we walked, the heavier my eyelids became. Soon I felt myself leaning on Jimmy, the streets blurring as I struggles to keep my eyes open. I felt like we'd been walking for hours.

"Jimmy..." I half whispered out of exhaustion. "I think- I think I need to stop."

Without responding, I suddenly felt Jimmy wrap one arm around my shoulders and one arm under my knees as he picked me up. I wanted to object, but with my head against his chest in the cool night air, I slowly drifted off.

•••

I woke up with a start.

Those words still hadn't left me.
"We know who you are, and we'll be watching you."

"Nightmares?"
The question came from an unfamiliar voice that startled me.

As I had just woke up, I groggily tried to make sense of my surroundings. But the more I looked around, the more confused I became.