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Audry
Another night of darkness with chilling screams echoing in my mind and his piercing eyes staring at me. This was what I got—a haunting.
I poured myself a cup of orange juice, the vibrant color alarming against my desolate apartment. The emptiness of the room gave a strange comfort that suppressed my anxiety, but the silence was taunting. Each small creak of the apartment above snapping through the silence put me back on edge. Fewer people would murder if they knew they would be haunted.
I glanced down the small hallway toward the bathroom; no ghosts there. No, they only lived in my head and branded themselves on my skin. My palm went to my neck, my stomach twisting.
In an effort to find distraction, I sat on the kitchen counter, scrolling through my phone, trying to find some escape.
I didn’t want to go out. I refused to message Lexi, and I knew Sofya was going through her own stuff.Everything was better alone,I tried to convince myself.
My heart skipped a beat as Kai’s name stretched across my screen. The vibration of my phone tickled my palm up to mywrist. I popped off the counter, uncertain if I should answer. What does one say? I paced the room before picking up. “Hello?”
“Oh, hey, uh…” he stammered. “I wanted to see how you were, uh, holding up?”
“I’m alive.” I laid down on my bed, my face red as I listened to his voice. There was a sweetness hiding beneath the rough exterior he showcased. I thought of that night, his tense shoulders as he stood between Nate and me. The feel of his muscular chest as he wrapped me into his arms.
“That is…yeah…that’s good…better than most.” Even through the phone, I could feel him freeze. “I just mean that…you know what, never mind. I’ll only dig a bigger hole for myself.”
I smiled but didn’t say anything, enjoying his floundering.
“I, uh, I just called to see if you wanted to go out for coffee.”
“Coffee?” I asked, sitting up with haste.
“Yeah, I…uh…thought maybe you need a friend right now,” he said.
Friend.The word caught on his tongue, and I hesitated. Would Kai and I ever be able to befriends?We were connected in a way that I felt we would never lose. He’d witnessed me covered in blood, screaming under a man who raped me.
I bit my lip.Would that image be all he sees me as?The thought exploded in my mind, and my hands shook as I forced myself to keep the phone to my ear.
“When?” I asked.
“How’s now?” he muttered.
“Now?”
“Yeah, I uh—Carson had your address.”
I froze. The thought should have alarmed me, but knowing he knew where I was made me feel safer. If something happened…if my ghost got out of hand. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“Perfect, I’ll…be…here, yeah.”
I hung up the phone, tossing it onto the bed. I dug through my dresser, trying to find something that would make me comfortable. Then I threw on a plaid button-up. I tugged on my jeans, buttoning them as I walked to the bathroom.
My hair was pulled up, frizzing, and standing up at odd angles. I redid the ponytail and slapped on some mascara and eyeliner. I hesitated as I went to walk out, the bruising still shockingly visible. I crinkled my nose, my eye-catching on the stupid orange scarf. Without another thought, I wrapped it around my neck, hiding the evidence of my ghost.
Easily, that was the quickest I ever got ready, and it would have to do.
I snatched my purse, walking out the door before doubling back for my phone. The hallway always smelled like rich success in the form of high-end perfume. The warm, ambient lighting reflected off the cream walls. The plush red carpet squished underneath my steps. Each door was placed an equal distance apart, with more space than was probably necessary. The apartment numbers were painted gold and lined up on the right side of each door. The numbers decreased as I walked toward the elevator.
I was on the fifth floor, which wasn’t the top, much to my parents’ contention. But they wouldn’t ever like the apartments, regardless of what floor I was on. They didn’t appreciate me moving out a few years back, but we compromised on the distance. The hotel was a quick cab ride from the building, and honestly, without heels, it was an easy walk.
A wave of anxiety overwhelmed me as I waited for the building elevator. A single ding drew my attention. An elevator of two men and an elderly woman stood open in front of me.
I froze.
My mouth dried as I struggled to force myself forward, but my feet wouldn’t move.
