The Flames that Engulfed Us

Chapter 10: I Named a Probably Adult Person Gary

The faceless oval stared at me, seeming to bore into my entire existence. My hand was still tight on Lincoln, and I barely noticed how he struggled. I noticed, sure, but I couldn't look away from the emptiness.

It enthralled me. The way his touch was so frigid. He must not have proper circulation. Why was I assuming it was a he? Maybe it was just the sexist laws of grammar kicking in. I know this isn't the appropriate time to discuss this, but why is it always assumed that the subject is male until proven otherwise? I mean, women are just as common in literature, so I call BS. Anyway, the thing had me rooted to the spot.

"Don't look at it."

Lincoln had said it, snarled it, but it was as though I'd suddenly gone deaf. I didn't want to look away. Lincoln sounded desperate, and for I moment I struggled to remember why.

"Sky, look at me," he panted, sounding as though his movement was taking a toll on him.

I hesitantly turned my gaze away from the thing, and panic filled me again. I met his eyes, and there was no doubt in my mind that fear was the thing that filled him just then. Fear of it.

I didn't want to keep calling it 'the thing.' However much it scared me, it deserved the respect of a name.

I looked back at it, and the tranquility took hold of me again.

"Who are you?"

Chuckling rang in my ears. Don't you mean, what am I? Child, no one asks who I am. To be a who you have to have an identity. To be a what you have to be a faceless form, a mere existence.

I felt confident in myself. In my ability to do whatever it was that I was doing. "I am not no one, and I asked who you are."

So, you're the angel. As I said before, the question who requires an identity. I have none.

"I'm going to call you," I thought for a moment, "Gary."

I didn't hear the voice again. I looked at Lincoln, unsure of what to do. He was looking at me with the same exact lost daze in his eyes. We were disoriented, and Gary had no qualms about taking advantage of that. He pulled Lincoln forward so all Lincoln could do was stumble after him. It wasn't going to work to keep holding his arm like I was, so I slid my hand down and clutched his hand. He squeezed back. Who it was reassuring to I don't know, but something about the action kept us both going. It made us try to keep our balance on the stairs all the way until Gary thrust us into the car.

It was your standard police car. The doors were locked. Bars blocked us and our new friend, but at least we were together. We were already dead, so it shouldn't have bothered me that there weren't seatbelts, but somehow I felt uneasy without one. The lack of safety measures gave me the freedom to lean on Lincoln, but everything in me was churning. I'd never been arrested before.

I wasn't sure if this counted as arrest, but I still felt guilty. I would probably confess to crimes I didn't even do.

"It's going to be alright."

"How are you sure," I murmured into his shoulder, not ready to look into his eyes again.

"I'm not, but you looked like you needed someone to tell you that."

I looked up into his face. He looked serious, but not quite so desperate anymore. He was calculating something.

"Whatever you're planning, we're not doing it."

He looked amused at that.

"I'm not planning anything."

Liar. Liar, liar, pants on fire. Maybe that's what happened to the school. So many lies that it just exploded into flames.

"Lincoln, I know that look."

"I'm not planning anything that would even work anyway. It's just a shot in the dark."

"What is it?"

"We run. The first chance we get, we run."

"Need I remind you, that's what got us here?"

"And its what got us almost a whole day of just being happy together. I'm willing to take that risk."

He was right. He was normally right, but it didn't change anything about how his plans usually turned out. They normally backfired, making the whole situation worse.

"Only if it's a good chance it'll work. I don't want this to get worse."

"Deal."

We would run. I could do that, but the question really was, could he? Could he run long enough that this hell would have a delayed time in finding us? He barely could last time, and this time he was in worse shape.

He seemed to sense my agitation, running his thumb over my hand for the rest of the ride. The car stopped and Gary got out.

"Hey, Gar-Bear, where are we?" I asked, not even trying to be annoying. I couldn't help that it was.

He slammed to the front door, and for a second I thought he would leave us there. Then, he opened the back door and hauled me out. He left Lincoln to scramble after me and started walking just as I turned to see two massive iron gates clang shut.

We appeared to be on an estate of some sort, and a heavy-duty fence trapped us in. I guessed the only way in or out was probably that one gate. The gate clicked as it locked. Lincoln and I followed our guide through gardens so intricate I thought my very presence there would break them. I hadn't seen anything yet. A mansion was towering over us and Gary strolled through the front door.

Lincoln stopped to let me through, following behind. The interior was stunning, with every piece of china perfectly placed, every wall covered in beautiful pastels and paintings. Everything was too perfect to be used.

We passed through very quickly, and I lost track of which stairs we took and which way we turned. I only stopped as Gary did, staring at him as he pushed a door open.

These will be your accommodations, he explained, go in.

I gasped. It was an exquisite room. It had a huge, fluffy bed, immediately occupied by Lincoln. I wandered through a door. There was a closet full of new clothes and through another door a shower. Oh, I needed a shower.

I peered at Lincoln.

"This is nice. I'm 100% sure it's a trap."

He turned his head and agreed, "definitely."