The Good Samaritan

5

Each pulse of my veins was another time my feet hit the ground. My breaths were quick and shallow but I didn't dare stop to take a break. Even when my legs felt like they were about to give out, I kept running home.

I knew what this kind of life would be like and I wasn't ready for it. I knew what would happen when I fell in love and I didn't need any of it.

I finally got to my house and collapsed on the front doorstep. I struggled to take out my keys and shakily put them into the doorknob. I crawled my way into the house and locked the door behind me. I went around the entire place, closing any blinds and turning off all the lights. I sat on the living room couch in a sweaty, shaking mess. Just for a minute, a single moment, I wanted to try to forget what that paper had told me. I wanted to escape the life it predicted for me.

Falling in love was a dangerous game. I didn't know if I was starting to have feelings for her, but I didn't want to take any chances. What I did know was that I tended to feel mutual feelings with people. Whatever someone shows to me is reflected onto them, and that would spell bad news for Jodi if she actually did like me.

I peeled myself off the couch to take a shower in the dark. It wasn't much of a shower, mostly just me standing naked under a stream of warm water in the dark, but I had run out of the energy needed to care. I had to find a way to stop the future from happening.

As I started taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I realized just how tired I was. I had been laying in the same position for a while and I couldn't even muster the energy to be in a more comfortable position. I just laid there, staring at the ceiling. My eyelids slowly shut and soon, I could only hear the sound of my breathing and heartbeat as they both slowed to bring me to sleep.

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His arm was like a weight, keeping me firmly placed by his side. I could've left at any time, and truthfully, I wanted to, but I didn't. Something was keeping me here aside from his physical grip to me. I didn't love him, that was for sure. Yet, I still felt like I needed to be there for him. 

I put a hand on his face and stroked his cheek with my thumb.

Did he know that I wanted things between us to stay purely platonic? If not, then it'd be hard to explain that to him. I knew how sensitive he was, and how harsh he could get.

I sat up, letting his arm drop to my lap. That alone wasn't enough to wake him up, so I figured I might as well try my luck. I slid to the edge of the bed and carefully got up, so as to not make any sudden movements. He was still asleep.

I was certain at that point that he wouldn't wake up again. I made no effort to leave the room quietly.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't want to have to leave, but I had already been gone long enough. I pushed any thoughts of staying out of my mind as I slipped on my jacket and looked through the closet for my shoes.

Each noise the house made, the settling of the house as it were, caused me inexplicable fear. I found myself jumping at the slightest creak of the walls or rattling of the windows from the wind outside.

A sudden creak by the doorway made me want to turn my head, but I was frozen in place. The growing red aura around me told me everything I needed to know.

I felt my body stand up and walk to the door on its own. When I passed the threshold I could only see him there, smiling at me. That smile wasn't one of his usual ones. Behind his eyes, I could see something there. It wasn't joy like I expected. I could only describe it as a form of sinister lust.

"Up already?" He asked.

I nodded.

"And you're leaving me so soon? Our night hasn't even gotten to the fun part yet. You wouldn't want to disappoint me would you?"