by Emily Knight
Peter's alarm woke him up. He shut it off and glanced out the window. The light from the setting sun shimmered against the bright yellow fall leaves.
He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He still didn't have a good way of approaching this sensitive subject. How did someone tell a girl they liked that their dad was an attempted murder?
Peter walked scooped his coat off the floor and shuffled downstairs. He found his friend at the kitchen table with a couple of beers in front of him. Most of the cans were empty.
Rich took a swig and looked up at him as he passed. "Going off to meet your girl?"
Peter paused at the door and turned to him to nod his head. "Yep. You gonna be all right?"
Rich picked up two cans and proceeded to pour the contents from one to the other. His unsteady hands meant most of the alcohol dripped onto the table. "Yep."
"If Val finds out she's going to kill you," Peter pointed out.
Rich grinned and beckoned for Peter to come close "Lemme tell you a secret."
Peter reluctantly approached his inebriated friend. Rich grabbed his collar and pulled him down to his height. His beer breath wafted over Peter's face. "Don't tell her, and it'll stay a secret."
Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head. "All right, but you know she always knows."
Rich hiccuped and cradled a beer in both hands. "Yeah, but give me this last dream. Just one last dream before I die."
Peter pursed his lips and glanced out the window. His eyes widened. The sun had set. He was late. "Shit!"
He raced out the kitchen door and into the yard. Rich stood and raised his beer can in the air. "Don't forget to close the gate!"
The fence gate swung from side to side, left ajar by Peter's hurrying. Rich frowned and slammed the door shut. He shuffled back into the kitchen where he plopped himself back into his chair.
Rich took a swig of his beer and shook his head. "I'm not gonna do it. He can get his ass back here and shut that-"
A rustling noise behind him caught his attention. It was followed by a tiny squeak. He turned in his seat and his eyes widened as he watched something large and black swoop down on him. He threw up his arms and screamed as the creature latched onto his neck and pulled him to the floor.