AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I step out of the shower and find a towel, tip-toeing back to my room to minimize the amount of water dripping onto the carpet. My dorm room isn’t huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s homely in a beat-up kind of way. I’d almost been embarrassed to bring Arnie here in the first place after all the opulence of the places he’s taken me.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, he’s not commented on the peeling wallpaper or the radiator stain on the carpet. In fact, the shirts he’s hung up in my closet look right at home next to mine.
By the time I throw on an old band T-shirt and snuggle into bed, my alarm clock reads 11:32 PM. I frown as I check my phone.
The text Arnie sent me was from four hours ago.
I shouldn’t worry, right? It’s not like I know the ins and outs of the mafia industry; this could be entirely normal. I let myself wander, briefly, what the ‘job’ might be and quickly stop that train of thought.
Arnie would tell me if he was… working… right? Would I even want to know?
It’s not like I’ve not seen him kill someone before… But that was in self-defense. Imagining him out there, stalking his target with intention, suddenly feels much different.
I grab the book from my nightstand and try to lose myself in its pages.It’s been so long since I last read anything of substance, it feels nice to finally push my brain to tackle Shakespeare again.
It works for a while, at least. I glance up at my clock after I finish another chapter.
12:53 A.M.
A ping of realization fills me with warmth. Technically speaking, it’s officially my birthday.
But the elation fades quickly, as it usually does. Replaced with concern for Arnie.
I should text him. See if he’s okay.
ROISIN: I’m home safe. What time do you think you’ll be back?
Good, not too demanding.
I suddenly get a strange urge to justify my concern. I’m his fiancee, right? I’m allowed to check in with him. It’s not like I’m some crazy girlfriend demanding to know where he is when he’s not back by a certain time.
ROISIN: Is everything alright?
ROISIN: Not that I’m worried, I just
ROISIN: Nm, I’ll just see you when you get back.
Reading the messages back makes me cringe a little. But at least it makes the unsettled feeling in my stomach ease up. If only for a short while.
Despite my best efforts, my eyelids slowly start to feel heavier and heavier. I rally for as long as I can, but sleep takes hold of me firmly.
I don’t know what I dream about, but I wake with a start at 3 A.M.—chased by the feeling of pure and unbridled dread that I can’t place the source of. I turn on my lamp and begin steadying my breathing. In and out.
After a moment, my heart rate returns to normal.
Only, it picks up again the moment I realize there’s someone else in the room.
The man standing by the door is merely a shell of the one I know. Blood splattered across his clothes, his skin. So much blood it makes me feel queasy. Regardless, he stands straight as if there’s no pain at all.
But it’s his soulless eyes that make my heart stutter to a stop.
There’s nothing there.
Suddenly, the questions burning on my lips dissolve instantly. There is nothing to ask, nothing that needs prying from him right now.
I get out of bed, approaching him slowly as if he might lunge at any moment. But his eyes don’t follow me, merely staring off into the distance. He doesn’t move, not even flinching as I hold onto his hands.
“Come on,” I urge gently as I begin to lead him out of the room.
