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After checking the tickets, we make our way to theater twelve. I hand the tickets to the usher, and we head into the theater. I follow Nathan up the stairs to the middle row of seats. Once he sits, he holds my seat down for me to do the same.
It’s quiet in here, I notice, putting my drink in the cupholder. “I take it this isn’t a popular choice?”
“Oh no, it was a huge hit. It’s just been out for a while. I like catching movies when they come to the end of their run. It’s so much quieter, and nobody feels the need to talk or eat as loud as humanly possible.”
“You’re a movie snob,” I joke.
“Damn right.”
“Thanks for this, Nathan. I really needed to get out.”
“Anytime. All you’ve gotta do is call. I have no problem spending the day with a beautiful woman.”
I flush, but thankfully, the room darkens as the previews start to play. My mind drifts, wondering if I ever did this with Valen. I can’t imagine it. This is all so normal, and Valen is anything but normal.
When the movie starts, Nathan reaches over and takes my hand. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I don’t pull it away. Friends can hold hands, right? So then, why do I feel guilty?
After another five minutes, I pull away under the pretext of eating a handful of popcorn. When Nathan doesn’t say anything, I let out a relieved sigh and lose myself in the movie.
When it’s over, I wipe my eyes, surprised by how emotionally invested I got.
“Are you crying?” Nathan teases.
I huff and stick my tongue out at him.
“You’re adorable.”
“Puppies are adorable,” I tell him when I stand.
“So are women crying over a movie about dolls.”
I fight my laugh and pout as the credits roll and the few other people who watched the movie with us leave the theater. Collecting our garbage, I step into the aisle just as the room goes pitch black and all the sound cuts out.
“Shit, stay there, Rue. Let me get my phone out.”
I can hear Nathan fumbling for his phone as I look around the dark room, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Someone else is in here.
Before I can give in to the panic, the screen comes back on. The picture is shaky. It’s not a professionally shot movie but a homemade one done using a camcorder or a mobile phone. The sound kicks in, and harsh breathing fills the room before the camera pans down and shows a woman lying sprawled out in a shallow grave.
“Oh God.” I gasp when I realize what I’m seeing.
A high-pitched noise comes out of me, the sound a frightened animal would make. I try to stop, but I can’t. I’m grabbed and pulled into a hard chest. I fight and struggle until I recognize Nathan’s voice murmuring reassurance to me.
When the sounds cut out again, I turn my head back to the screen and feel vomit rush up the back of my throat. The video on the screen has changed. It’s still of me, but this time I’m asleep at home in my bed. And I know it was taken after my attack because of the cut next to my hairline.
“Motherfucker. I need to get you out of here. Hold the back of my T-shirt, Rue, and whatever you do, don’t let go, alright?”
I nod against him.
He cups my face before pressing a kiss on my forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He turns and uses the flashlight on his cell phone to lead us out, taking his time as I cling to the back of his T-shirt. As soon as we push through the doors and the light washes over me, I let out a shaky, relieved breath.
“You okay? I’m going to call this in.”
I nod, refusing to let him go. He’s the only thing stopping me from falling apart.
