The Darkness Within
A Short Story Collection
Jess Filomeno
The Darkness Within
By Jess Filomeno
Copyright 2010 Jess Filomeno
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Dedicated to my Mom, Ash and Jen:
Somehow you guys have encouraged me to write and to not give up. Through all the story ideas and constant writing, I found you guys still with me in the end. I don’t know why you guys stuck with me through all of this, but I’m thankful for you guys.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Taken Away
Great Expedition
Night Watch
About the Author
Taken Away
The sky was painted with shades of purple and pink. Her shoes were silent as she paced on the side of the road. Her backpack which contained one set of clothing, a few notebooks and some cash, sat at her feet. She wrung her hands anxiously together as she waited for anyone to notice her.
Living with her parents had become overwhelming. Where she wanted to spend her days with her head in the clouds, her parents wanted her to root her feet in the ground. Her parents were hard workers and as much as she loved them, she was always the one to follow her dreams. She packed her bag and left them a note with one sentence: “It’s time for me to fly. x Skylar.”
That was how she found herself standing at the side of the road. Sky spotted a truck coming towards her and was quick to grab her bag before flailing her arm like a mad woman. She smiled when she saw the truck begin to slow down, not knowing that her worst nightmare was yet to come.
“Need a ride somewhere?” he asked staring at her. Sky’s head immediately tilted trying to place where she had seen him before. After a few seconds of contemplating, she agreed with a nod of her head.
“If you don’t mind.” She said before she jumped into the truck. Her bag met the floor and she looked at him holding out her hand. “Skylar.”
“I know. We went to school together. We actually had a few classes together. I’m Harlan.” He said while smirking and started driving down the road, ignoring Sky’s hand.
Sky snapped when it suddenly hit her. She could have slapped herself. “Oh yeah! You were the quiet guy in the back of our class. I remember you.”
Harlan shook his head. “You’re probably the only one who does. Where are you headed?”
“Everywhere. Nowhere. Just trying to explore I guess. I needed a change of scenery.” She said smiling at him then looks out the window.
Sky reminisced on all the times she’d seen Harlan. Images of when he was harassed by students played through her mind. “You helped me out a lot in school.” He said after sighing.
“I really didn’t do much.” Sky said. No one knew that she had kept a rag in her locker to clean the spray paint off his locker before he got to school each morning.
“We barely talked yet you were the one who always defended me and took my side.” They had talked a few times and she had found him staring intensely a couple times but he never did anything to hurt her. She just wanted to give him some peace.
“It was nothing. Really.”
“So no one knows where you are?” He asked looking at her slightly.
“My parents probably think I’m already out of the state.” She said looking at him confused. “Why do you ask?”
Harlan remained silent. Sky looked down beginning to feel uneasy and started to tap her nails against the door and jiggle her foot up and down. She grabbed her bag and started digging through it for her anxiety pills when her head suddenly connected with the dashboard and her world turned black.
00000000
Harlan’s Point of View
Harlan looked at her as the blood dripped off her head. He pushed her back into the seat as gentle as he could and put the truck back into drive. It didn’t take long for them to cross the state line. Soon Skylar would wake up to find she was right where she belonged.
He had been watching her for years. The one who smiled at him and made things more tolerable. It was time he took her for himself. Sky wanted to leave and he could provide the escape. She just needed to wake up and see him as the hero he was.
A painful moan broke Harlan from his thoughts. He watched as the smaller girl raised her head and blinked seeing blood on her hands. “What the hell?” She asked soft. Turning slightly she looked up at the man as he drove faster down the expressway. “What are you doing?” She asked demanding an answer.
“Freeing you.” He said simply.
“Let me out!” Harlan ignored her as he kept driving. Sky’s anger intensified as his silence stretched on. Her hands curled into fists as she looked around her.
“Can’t you see that I am just trying to help you? Just like you helped me?” Harlan’s fists tightened around the steering wheel. “You needed out. I got you out. To the world we can be dead. Start over somewhere new. Anywhere. Together.”
Sky glanced around as she let him talk. Her mind was working in overdrive. “Together?”
His head nodded as his speed picked up. “Of course. We were always meant for one another. You have to see that now.”
“I do.” She said. “I see clearly right now. For the first time in awhile.” Harlan smiled at her as her hand wrapped around the door handle. “I know what needs to be done.” With what strength she had left, Sky pushed herself out of the car as it rounded the sharp corner. She tucked her body in as she rolled down the harsh hill and into the tall grass.
Skylar’s eyes blinked slowly as she heard him scream for her. The sun shined down providing her with some warmth. Finally, her eyes slipped close as sirens were heard in the distance.
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