Each step he took on the stairs brought painful memories in his head. He could still hear the loud screaming inside his heard. He heard flesh tearing. He heard the sound of blood dropping bit by bit unto the floor. The flashback stopped when he reached the door.
Slowly raising his hands onto the door knob, he closed his eyes. He heard the final painful scream of the girl he’d loved before her heart finally stopped beating.
Even though Kevin’s eyes were shut, the tears still managed to flow through them. It was almost a year since she died but the memories made it feel like it just happened a few days back. The tears in his eyes blur his vision, he wipe then off with his arm.
He twisted the knob and pushed the heavy metal door open.
The room inside was dark and had a distinct sweet smell. Kevin stepped into the room and then dropped his haversack on the table before proceeding to turn on the light.
“You took long enough.”
A deep voice of an elderly man spoke from the shadow.
Kevin turned on the light revealing the face of a Caucasian man in his late sixties sitting on the coach. His eyes were fixed on the magazine he held in his hands.
“…You asked me to go out there and socialize, make new friends, so I did.” Kevin finally answered him without even turning to look at him.
Without taking his eye off the magazine, the old man said. “You’ve been gone for the past 24hours. Where exactly have you been?”
“I did exactly what you said, I went out there to socialize” his mode was slowly changing. “…and guess what, I got myself enrolled into a college.”
The old man was frustrated at his reply. He finally took his eye off the magazine, and then he looked up at Kevin.
“…that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I asked you to go out, socialize and get yourself some new friends.”
“…what exactly did you had in mind when you sent me to go out there and socialize?” Kevin spoke almost raising his voice at him.
“…You know what Cedric, am done listening to you, I am tired of letting you deciding how I live my life.”
“You should as well be tired of me always saving your life over and over again.” Cedric cut him off
For a moment, Kevin was left speechless.
Cedric folded the magazine and threw it angrily on the table before him.
“The last time you refused to listen, you almost lost your life and my house was completely burnt down… I lost everything.”
Kevin noticed Cedric’s eyes made repetitive uncontrolled movement as he spoke. That was nystagmus kicking in. That only happens when Cedric is either angry… or emotionally hurt. Kevin felt his angered heart crumble down to a sweet surrender of pity.
“I am sorry… for what had happened back then” he lowered his head, gently apologizing to him.
Kevin turned away disappointed.
“Kevin, you are always sorry but never learn!” his voice tremble as his spoke “you knew exactly why we left the fallout city down to this one. We need to stay low for a while to avoid being discovered. Enrolling yourself into a college all in the name of socializing…” he paused as words tried to form in his mouth “… I really don’t think that’s a good idea”
Kevin placed a hand on his shoulder bending down to look at Cedric with a little forced smile across his face.
“He killed Loretta right in front of me. He almost killed me too. He burnt down your house. What is the worst he can possibly do to us? We have nothing more to fear from the T-Rex, at least he has killed everyone we ever care about, what more do we have to lose?”
Kevin lost the will to maintain that smile over his face, so it just faded away.
“…joining this school is just a little distraction I’d found to make me forget all about her. Am sure you understand my reasons.”
Kevin slowly got up to head for his room.
“Just be careful not to make any friends… unless you want to watch them die horribly.” Cedric warned him.
Stay away from me…
The warning he had given to Tasha earlier echoed in his head. He let out a disappointed sigh. He looked at Cedric over his shoulder.
“I know!”
He left into his little room.
The room was totally dark and lonely when he opened the door bringing back unpleasant memories to him. Images of the past flashed through his head.
He opened the door to his old dark room. He noticed something standing in the shadow just watching him. He went closer to see what it was. Slipping his hands into the pocket of his jacket, he took out his phone and then turned on the light. He was startled when the light fell on the face of a masked figure standing at the corner of his room with a shovel in his hands. Kevin had wanted to let out a loud scream but then the shovel slammed hard against his head knocking him unconscious. He collapsed on the floor. His phone scattered beside him. The world was spinning before his eyes. He felt a tight grip on his left leg as he was being dragged out of the room. His world went blank.
That was the day all his problems began. He had never been the same after that day he had been kidnapped. Kevin had developed deep hatred for darkness ever since that day he had been kidnapped from his room by an unknown masked figure.
Was it hatred… or fear?
Kevin reached for the light switch and turned it on brightening his room. He took off his boot and placed them carefully under his reading table, then he threw himself on the bed. For a while he kept looking up at the ceiling, then his eyes slowly began to close, and in a jiffy, he was back to his horrible past.
When he opened his eyes, he had no idea where he was. He felt himself sitting upright on an iron chair. He tried to get up, that was when he noticed something restraining him from moving. He saw the belt which had been wrapped around his wrist holding his hands to the arm of the iron chair. He moved his body struggling hard to set himself free but the belt which had been used was too thick. He looked around the room nervously. The room seemed empty with just a long table sitting at the corner of the room. Last thing he remembered was being knocked out with a shovel on the head. A thin line of sweat rolled down his forehead and then rest at the side of his lips. He took out his tongue to lick it off. It had the taste of sweat mixed in blood. That was when Kevin became realized he was bleeding on his forehead. He struggled to lose himself but then he noticed he wasn’t alone in that room. Something was sitting in the dark corner, just watching him from the shadow. When the figure had noticed that he’d finally been spotted, he stood up and walked up into the light where Kevin could see him.
Kevin noticed two thing when he turned to looked at him; he wasn’t wearing any mask and he wasn’t the man that kidnapped him. The man standing before him was much taller.
“Who are you?” that was all he could think off because he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to kidnap him. He wasn’t rich, neither did he have any relative who was rich, and as far as he was concern he knew he had not offended anyone.
“Where am I?”
The tall figure just stood there looking down at him with no expression on his face.
“What is this place?” Kevin panicked and was now sweating as he struggled to free himself
The man took a rag sitting on table beside him and walked towards him.
“What do you want from …?” Kevin asked just before his attacker gagged him to stop him from uttering any more word
“You talk too much!” his attacker finally spoke, and then he walked away from him.
Kevin wanted to call him back but all he did was let out a groan through the gag.
“You can call me T-Rex and It’s not you am after, at least… not yet” His attacker uttered coldly before hitting the light switch on. The room brightened.
Kevin’s eyes bulged when he saw what had been hidden in the darkness on the other side of the room. The love of his life had been gagged and tied to a pole in that room, leaving him confused with what was going on…
; Someone gently tap him. Kevin woke from the nightmare with a quick gasp, panting heavily. He realized he’d been dreaming. He quickly noticed someone had been standing with him there in his room.
“Kern? How long have you been standing there?” Kevin asked a tall male standing close beside him.
“Long enough… you were crying in your sleep again.” kern answered then he picked a seat beside him.
“I am having trouble sleeping lately.” Kevin said “this is the sixth time this week am having the same bad dream.”
“Is it the one about the night of your kidnap?”
“Each time I close my eye, I keep seeing what had happened that day. I keep seeing the horrible things he’d done to her.” Kevin sniffled.
Kern moved close to him “Look Kevin, the reason we all moved to this city is so we can forget what had happened in the past and move on with our lives.”
“…Move on with our lives? How can we possibly do that when we both know he still out there--- and somehow, he would still find us.” Kevin sounded scared.
At about 9:25pm, Tasha was with her friends, Dreda and Madelia. They were out in a bar having fun. Dreda and Madelia were enjoying themselves dancing to the hip hop song that filled the air while Tasha sat at a lonesome corner just sipping from the straw of a bottle juice.
She just watched while others where dancing. She suddenly found herself thinking about him… again. Her fingers cracked as she folded her hands into a fist.
She played an imaginary scene in her head where she was punching Kevin over and over again on the face. Then a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She quickly snapped out of it when a guy came around and sat beside her on the table.
“heyyyyy” he uttered with a big smile raising his glass up towards her “… and what’s a beautiful girl doing here all by herself?”
He obviously sounded drunk.
“would you care to join me for a drink?” he raised his glass at her.
She turned him down politely “no thank you…. I think I’ve had enough” she gave him a nervous laugh.
“Well…. It’s a shame.” he walked away almost stumbling on his path as he left.
Watching him move like that forced a smile on her face.
“Drinking with a drunk…” she scoffed “…that’ll hunt me for the rest of my life.”She then noticed her friends were walking toward her.
“Why are you sitting here all by yourself?” Madelia asked almost shouting at her because the music playing in the background was too loud for them to hear themselves out.
“What…” Tasha answered equally raising her voice.
“Come on, let’s go have some fun.”
“I am just… not in the mood.”
Dreda chuckled “are you kidding me? Not in the mood? You love dancing. Since when did you start being not in the mood?”
“Alright you know what, I’m going to dance with you guys if that makes you happy.” Tasha replied sarcastically rolling her eye at them.
Madelia swing her arm joyfully, “now that’s what am talking about. Let’s get down there and show this bunch of losers how it’s done”
Tasha’s phone rang and she quickly pulled it out to see who was calling.
“Your Dad?” Dreda guessed.
“Nah, its Derik” she said stepping away from them. “I got to take this call. I’d join you guys in a sec.”
“You better hurry up.” Madelia berated her then they both went on to join the others on the dance floor.
Tasha had rushed out of the bar to pick the call. The music inside was too loud.
“Hey Derik…” she said with a protracted smile.
“Tasha…” came the reply over the phone “I am at your house right now and I can’t find you, your Dad’s at the office and your little brother here doesn’t know where you are.”
“Wait… is that music I hear in the background? Are you in a bar?” Derik asked.
“Sorry I forget to tell you, I went out with Madelia and Dreda and don’t worry I won’t be out long”
“Should I come pick you up after?”
“Noo...” she quickly said. “We’d be fine on our own.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah really, it’s fine.... am okay.”
“Alright… be home on time” he hanged up.
Tasha put her phone back in her bag. She felt her throat burn. She then realized she was thirsty. She noticed a soda store right ahead.
“A bottle of soda please” she dip her hands into her bag and pull out a few pieces of silver.
“Here you go ma’am” the shopkeeper handed it to her and took the silver from her.
“Thank you” she quickly opens it and gulped on the content of the container. In just a short time, she had emptied it. She threw the container away.
She notice how dark the street was and she took at the watch on her wrist.
Shit! A minute past ten. It’s really late. I better start heading back to the bar now.
Something about the dark street made her frightened as she walked to the bar. Her fear intensified when she notice a group of roughly dressed guys walking out from the shadows.
She began to pick up the pace. The footsteps were getting closer, and she could tell the person –or the group –were walking faster. She knew what they wanted but she wasn’t about to give it up.
Now out of fear, she found herself running, and she could hear the footsteps behind chasing her. Soon enough they’d surrounded her.
She felt icy fingers on her arm quickly grabbing her and lifting her off her feet into the darkness.
“Leave me alone!” she screamed wiggling her legs in the air.
One of them held her legs firmly to stop her from moving while another covered her mouth to suppress her screaming. The guy who held her slid his hands into her shirt and squeezed her really hard. Tasha could only groan horribly. Another tore her shirt open and then his pants dropped…
CHAPTER THREE: A VISION
A big smoke rising from several burning houses, crows were sitting on a tree, a hand written note and a man screaming painfully… Kevin kept seeing the same images over and over again in his sleep.
Many houses on fire, black birds sitting on a tree, a note with someone’s name written on it and a man who was being tortured screamed painfully…
Kevin was having another disturbing dream. He kept rolling on the bed. His grip on the bed sheet tightened and beads of sweat found around his forehead. He kept on seeing the same four images.
Many houses burning, black birds on a tree, a fine written note with a name on it, and a man screaming…
Kevin quickly got up from nightmare screaming, a look of horror on his face. He sat up straight on the bed. He was breathing really fast. His face was covered in his own sweat. He looked up at the big clock that hung on the wall.
3:14am
That was the second dream he had in one night.
The door swung open and Cedric quickly rushed in with a lamp held up above his head.
“Are you alright?” he brought the lamp close to Kevin to examine him.
“Am fine…” Kevin exhaled loudly. “…It was just another bad dream.”
“No you are not alright…” Cedric held the lamp closer to his face.
Looking over at him, he said. “I told you already, you need to see a therapist. I could have one arranged for…”
“I said am fine.” Kevin interrupted him “I do not need any therapist.”
Kevin strained his eye from the bright lamp Cedric held against his face. “And could you take that thing away from me… it’s hurting my eyes.”
He used both his hands to push the lamp away turning his face in the other direction. Cedric quickly pulled the lamp away from him and then placed it on the table beside Kevin’s large bed.
Kevin got off the bed “I need to go grab some soda. Am thirsty…”
He left the room and went into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pull out a bottle of ice cold so
da.
He opened the bottled while staring at his reflection on the mirror place before him. He was disappointed at how baggy his eyes looked obviously from not getting enough sleep lately.
Kelvin wasn’t planning on going back to bed anytime soon. He was going to stay up until morning. Suddenly he started thinking about the girl he had met earlier in school.
Tasha
Something about her seemed to interest him.
He emptied the soda into his mouth and threw the empty can into a waste basket. The thought suddenly vanished from his mind. Then he looked again at himself into the mirror and then scoffed.
I was just thirsty after all, nothing interesting about that girl.
* *
“You stayed up all night drawing this?” Kern looked over pencil work which Kevin drew out.
“I couldn’t get these four images out of my mind, so I had to draw them out. That was the only way I could set my mind at peace.” Kevin answered giving him another image which he had drawn.
“Do you know what any of these mean yet?” kern asked going through the drawings one after another.
“No… not yet.” he answered “I stayed up all night trying to figure what these images meant but nothing…”
“Here, check this out!” Kevin handed the last drawing to him.
On it was an image of a man screaming with a painful look on his face. Kern kept a sick look on his face “who is this?”
“I also don’t know- never seen him before.”
Kern took the drawing from him and stared at it closely then he looked at Kevin with a blank face.
“Anything?” Kevin raised a brow at him but then kern shock his head.
“I keep seeing these four images in my dream last night. Many burning houses, crows sitting just on a tree, a small note with a person name written on it and a man I don’t know was screaming.”
“I don’t even know what they mean.”
Kern took one of the drawings from him and looked at it again “Here, you drew empty note.”
“I saw this same note in my dreams. There was something written out on it which I don’t remember.”
Wet Touch Page 3