𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇!

III

BURN!

−

       Her sleep was restless, as it always was. Filled to the brim with memories she couldn't forget and faces she needed to remember. They scampered about her mind like animals, shaking her awake into a cold sweat. At least that hadn't changed.

It was 5:15 am when Jamey awoke from another terror, hair stuck to her cheeks, sweat like glue. She exhaled deeply and swung her legs over the side of the bed, staring straight ahead at the tan wall in front of her. Her skin crawled, hairs standing, heart racing. She felt like throwing up.

This happened a lot to her. So much in fact, that she was afraid of sleeping for a couple months or so, but not sleeping just made her feel worse. This episode would pass, just like they all did. Just like the clouds. This would all pass like the clouds.

Jamey raced to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She stood in front of the smudged-up mirror and told herself to keep breathing, to think of the clouds. It didn't help.

Her eyes burned and her hands shook as she gently stroked her cheek in a motherly fashion, whispering sweet nothings to herself as she did so. When her heart had finally stopped racing and her breathing steadied, she striped herself of her damp night clothes and turned the shower knobs. She knew that taking a shower in a grubby motel wasn't the wisest choice, but it was all she could think to do. Be clean. As clean as she could get.

Jamey stood under the running water, eyes fixed on the retro tiling along the wall. She turned the water temperature up every once and awhile, wanting desperately to burn the night from her skin.

Once she was done with her shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and sat on the edge of the bathtub, hair dripping beads of water down her back. Most of her night terrors were of her family, some about her past killings; those were the ones that got her really upset. But this one was different.

Instead of her seeing her family or a victim, she saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. Buildings in ruin, cars in piles, sky of fire. Jamey stood in the middle of the scene, looking out towards the deserted roads. Then she woke up.

Jamey knew that the apocalypse was coming. There was no stopping it. And if she didn't complete her mission, she would die along with everyone else. But there was no way she was going to fail this job. She wouldn't allow it. The reward was far too important.

"I need a cigarette..." she mumbled to herself, getting up from the bathtub and pulling on her work clothes. Technically she was supposed to be wearing a navy blue suit, but that became an issue once she jumped and got turned back into a 13 year old, so brown leather jacket it was.

Jamey's shadow was cast behind her. Asleep, as she liked to think. Glued to her feet. She walked out into the main room and grabbed the lighter and the box of cigarettes she always carried with her. There were seven left. As she walked over to the door, her gaze lingered on the unopened can of Cherry Coke she received yesterday. She paused and found herself studying the magenta can in vexation. God, it was like he knew her better than she did.

The morning air struck her unexpectedly, and she shivered at its numbing touch. She shut the door behind her and leaned against the window to the side, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, eyes like a mirror to the flame.

There weren't any people around, which was relieving. She couldn't bare to look at a person after her nightmare. She glanced up at a support pole and spotted a sparrow bundled in her nest of twigs, feeding her young a squiggly worm peacefully.

Jamey envied the birds, sometimes. Their way of life much simpler than hers. Freedom dancing on feathered wings. Not a clue as to what would become of them in a few days time.

She brought the cigarette to her chilled lips and inhaled slowly, tasting the burning whisps on her tongue.

☂︎

713 words