The Aliveagainers

7 - Within

The floorboards creak above me, clawing out through the wood with every thudding step. I can hear his breathing, hear him muttering and cursing. It was a bad night tonight, that's what Tyler had said. He held me near, cradling me in his arms.

I'll find yer! You know I'll find yer! Damn gon whip ya for finishin' m'rye!

I feel the tears welling in my eyes. He's mad, real mad. He won't hold back tonight. I choke a little and Tyler wraps his hands tighter round my mouth.

Where dat? I hear ya. You know I hear ya.

I can tell Tyler’s crying too.

Boys! What’cha go and hide again for? You’re breakin’ Pa’s heart! You do this to yourselves! You think I want to do this?

His voice hisses, muffled, full of venom. It slips through the floorboards and seeps around us.

Ohhhh, I'm gon find yer. I'm gon teach y'all a lesson. I’ll whip you good boys! Whip you till you bleed! You won’t ever be crossin’ Pa again!

His footsteps crash as he runs to the door. It bursts open and the kitchen light bursts above us. I flinch and turn in on myself.

Kayla

My eyes are clenched tight. I move to open them, feeling them all sealed up with dried tears.

There's a chill and I feel my body shiverin'.

I open my eyes, blinking blindly. The light burns around me, pure and white, cut here and there by dark slivers. Some of them shift and move and I focus on one closest to me. It leans in and I feel it connected to me, tethered.

I blink more and my sight slips back slowly. I see a boy sitting beside me. He's holding my hand and I realise I can barely even feel it. My whole body is cold and I feel this rush and then I throw up.

"Typical."

I look up and see a strange lady standing there, her arms folded. She's silhouetted by the light. I somehow know it's late afternoon, somethin' in the way the sun cuts through the pines.

"You're always letting me down," she says and she turns away. As she does, the light on her long hair dances.

"Kayla, have this."

I look down and see that the boy has put an apple in my hand. I choke out a laugh.

"Why you calling me that?" I ask.

He looks at me strange, his big, brown eyes staring right at me. He sure is one strange kid.

"Found it. Before. Just eat it."

I clench at the apple, gradually getting' the feeling back in my hands. I can tell that it's a little bruised and probably a bit off but I'm suddenly starving.

I raise it to my mouth and take a bite, feeling' the tart juices pour down my tongue and spill out my mouth. It's a little off but still sweet. It's one of them small apples, red n' green and powdery.

My brother used to eat 'em back at the farm when—

I pause and stop, then spit the apple out of my mouth and drop it to the ground, moving back away from it as fast as I can. I reach up with my hands and rub at my head, scratching and pulling. I feel something clutching me, holding tight inside my body. It's wrapped all around me and it's ... grabbing at me.

"Kayla, stop!" cries the boy.

"Don't you tell me to stop you little shit!" comes a voice from my mouth.

The boy stares at me in surprise and I stand up, shakily and grabbing at the trees. He's looking up at me, pathetic little thing. I can see that other lady, standing a good distance away. She's milling around, looking through the branches.

"Something you want to say to me!?"

My voice sounds distant, strange. Every word seems to echo. I know what I'm about to say before I even say it, like I’m readin’ words from some play.

The boy gets up and looks from me to the girl. He's scared, I can tell. I hate to see kids scared but I can tell this is not a good place to be. Somethin' very strange is up and it's time I got back to the apartment. I take a few steps and reach down to my jeans to find my phone.

"Kayla, please stop."

"Stop calling me that. Have you got my keys? Have you stolen them from me? Give them back."

The boy gives me a look like you’d stare at a runt before the killing. I can tell he’s guilty, he’s for sure taken my keys. Lord knows how he did. But then I'm not quite sure where we are and how we got here. I feel a little tired. Maybe the little brat and his friend drugged me. She looks like the type that would.

"Give them to me now and I won't have to call the police."

"Ok ma'am," says the boy and he stands up.

He starts to walk to me and he reaches around to a backpack he's carrying. I can see him rummaging through. He must have a flashlight in there, for there’s a strange pale glow that silhouettes him.

I look up to the girl just to make sure she's not up to anything. She's a strange looking girl, very dark and foreign looking but with bright yellow hair. Not sure who told her that looked good.

"Here you go, ma'am."

I look down just in time to see the boy reach out and hit me. I feel his fist in my stomach and I scream in shock, then something starts to twist and churn within me.

Here boy, come on sit on Pa's knee. Y'all broke my heart with all your lyin'.

I know he's still there. Still at the run down shit-hole. Still drinking his rye. Tears well in my eyes as I try to hold back the flood. I can't stand to think of him sitting there, comfortable, smiling like nothing ever happened. I want to go there. I want to face him. I want to...

"I’ll kill you!" I gasp through clenched teeth, but my voice sounds strange and distant. A twang to my accent that's not right.

"What'cha doin', Késhaun?" I ask as I look around me.

The sun must've set and the sunbeams have fallen away. There's a darkness in the spaces between the pines. Somethin' inside me struggles, tears and pulls. It's hurtin' me, pullin' at me. I gag and I want it out.

The trees start to glow, all milky like, their tall, straight trunks shimmerin' white.

"Kayla, it needs to come out. You have to push it out."

Késhaun's cast by a halo, the light glowin' all around him and me. I look and I see his hand upon me. No, I see it ... in me. His hand's actually buried inside my chest and I can see he's wrigglin' and movin' around.

And then he pulls his hand back and he’s got somethin’ clutched tight. Somethin’ small and dark is flippin' and jumpin' in his hand and he grabs at it with his other hand and I fall to the ground and I can hear Priya start to shout and scream.

He got in you.

There's a rushin' noise and a pain so bright and hot it makes me retch. Tears are in my eyes and I tilt my head to see Késhaun holdin' his arms close to his chest and he's cradlin' his head down low. He's whisperin' somethin' to the strange bird.

I fall to my knees, the force joltin’ and makin’ me wince.

Everythin' feels heavy and cold and I'm just wantin' to sleep. I can hear the wind pickin' up and it dances around me, leapin' and swirlin' through the pines.

Késhaun opens his hands and the bird flaps away, soarin’ up higher and higher through the trees into the evenin' sky.