“Shall we head back to Rone’s neighbourhood?” He asked as they made their escape.
Summer was morose and acted like a petulant child who hadn’t gotten her own way, “I don’t care where we go, China’s fine by me.”
Leaving her to her mood he took her as far away from the house as possible to another district and hopefully a bed for the night in a shelter somewhere. Back on the streets the familiar detachments continued. Summer was stunningly beautiful yet men didn’t notice her at all. She looked at least eighteen and was a real head turner.
She’d showered at the house. Her hair was clean and she smelled so good yet she was ignored. Adam couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride to be walking next to her; the only one who could see her lithe young body encased in the tightest jeans.
“Seeing as we’re invisible we can just walk into any store and help ourselves to whatever we want, no more searching through garbage.” Adam said hoping that she’d lighten up a little.
“If that’s what you wanna do then go ahead.”
“Stop sulking like a little kid, it’s lame and boring.”
“I’m not sulking.”
“Yeh you are and I did the right thing getting you out of there.”
Summer was angry, with herself for what happened back there and angry with the never ending misery that followed them wherever they went but she took it out on Adam.
“You’re not the boss of me!” She screamed.
Rather than be party to another argument he chose not to respond instead setting his sights on a store further down the street stocked with clothes and camping equipment, that meant sleeping bags and warm clothing for the cooler nights,
“Let’s try this one.” He suggested.
Entering the large busy store both were nervous they’d be caught and done for theft. Still not trusting the reality of being invisible it slowly began to look favourable as nobody was aware of their presence. They could stroll around the store at their leisure and the excitement was building up. They were totally in control.
“Summer look at these cool jackets, only 250 dollars a piece.” Adam remarked throwing a jacket on the floor to test the reaction from a shop assistant standing close by.
There was nothing, she didn’t even turn around. Loving every moment, like two kids with an unlimited budget in a toy store they tried on anything their hearts desired from sweats, t-shirts jackets and well needed sneakers.
As the load increased they searched for top of the range back packs to put everything in and finding expensive heavy duty sleeping bags was high on Adam’s list of must haves. Summer brightened up a little as she carried her spoils, happy to have found some new underwear and socks to go with her new sneakers so she could ditch the broken sandals. It was now just a simple case of getting out of the store, unnoticed.
“This is it now we’ll know if we’re totally invisible.” Adam said his eyes darting everywhere looking out for security.
Summer was much more confident, “I’m not worried let’s go and so what if we get charged have you’ve got previous?”
“Yeh the truth now, possession?”
“I’ve got possession as well.”
Would this make a difference between ditching everything and walking out or, testing the theory and taking a risk? They had heaps of stuff they could barely carry, things they so desperately needed and sleeping bags meant not having to search for a bed or getting waylaid by weirdo’s and losers with sinister agendas.
“Maybe I should come back in for a tent. I can’t carry everything at once.” Adam suggested.
“Yep, that’s a plan, I’ll wait outside.”
Taking a deep breath and hanging on tight to his bundle Adam looked straight to the door,
“Are you ready?” He said.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“When I say run, you run as fast as you can okay?”
“Yeh I’ve got it let’s go!”
The doors were open on account of it being a warm day so there was nothing to hold them up. Summer stood still piled up high with goods waiting for Adam’s final command.
“Run!” He yelled.
Running as fast as they could out through the open door being careful not to drop anything they pushed past people coming in and turned left into an alley. They heard nothing, no shouts from security, no footsteps on their trail but still taking no chances they didn’t stop until they’d reach the next block sure they’re out of sight. Slumping by a wall, their adrenalin running high they were filled with relief.
“We did it, we got away with it awesome!” Summer said delighted as she jumped around dropping her sneakers on the sidewalk.
“I’d better go back for the tent, stay here.”
“I will, I’ll wait right here promise.
Adam returned to the store to see nothing was out of place; there was no sign of staff running around looking for shoplifters, no cops arriving to take a description and no store manager chastising security. He calmly picked up the tent of choice and instead of running walked confidently back outside picking up two pairs of sunglasses and a baseball cap along the way.
When he returned Summer had begun the job of putting everything in the backpacks.
“Now we’re gonna look like backpackers on vacation.” She told him proudly. “I’ve never in my whole life had such great stuff. Sneakers like these would only be a dream.”
“We should get something nice to eat, cause now we just help ourselves right?”
“That’ll be cool, we can eat anything we want for free!”
“I want to know something. Did you really pay for the food, I mean where did you go?”
“I dunno, Devon told me to wait and took off, she came back with the food and change, go figure!”
Both of them had decided to stop wondering how they managed to steal so much stuff and get away with it. No longer concerned that they appeared invisible to most of the population they’d set their sights on finding a more permanent place to sleep. Somewhere to bed down every night under the stars with a tent and enough food. Adam was certain he’d learned his lesson to keep a careful distance from the few advantage takers that saw them and, hoped that Summer felt the same. She was so happy to be able to change her clothes and was willing to follow Adam wherever he chose to go, seeing him as her saviour.
“Let’s find someplace to eat and sleep, I guess it’s just the two of us now. We’re tight now Adam, aren’t we?”
“Yeh we’re tight let’s go find what we need.”
It felt good to have backpacks and sleeping bags to carry having been so long with nothing but their wits and hope. Optimism had been thin on the ground, now; in spite of all the set-backs since leaving home and the parallel universe he found himself in he was happy for the first time in years.
They’re luck was in when they passed by a large buffet restaurant. It was the answer to their food desires. They no longer had to forage or grab a pastry to share, they could now walk in anywhere and pick out anything they desired and it was warm food they were after. Something they weren’t used to having.
“I bet they’ve got fried chicken that’s my favourite,” Summer said salivating at the mere thought. “I’m so hungry I could eat a God damm horse!”
Confidence since the store heist had grown considerably as they sauntered into the busy restaurant without a care in the world. Taking their time they walked around the vast array of food on offer picking out what they wanted eating as they went along and saving extra’s in the plastic food boxes they’d grabbed on the shopping spree.
“Are you kids camping?” Adam heard the voice but ignored it while Summer was too engrossed with eating to have heard anything.
“I said are you kids camping?”
They turned to see a middle-aged couple each holding plates of food. Adam gave Summer a nudge. “These people can see us, let’s get out of here.”
“Yeh we’re camping what about it?” Summer replied in a friendly tone.
<
br /> “You’ve picked a bad place to camp, the nearest site is miles from here you should head up to the forest.”
They looked at each other in disbelief the forest was so far away it would be impossible for them to get there by foot.
“Look guys, thanks for the advice.” Adam replied, “But we’re doing just fine as we are.”
“Hey look they’ve got my favourite coleslaw!” Summer exclaimed loudly. She’d become disinterested in any conversation preferring to eat as much as she could so she could head to the bathroom. In spite of their luck turning, her deep anxiety remained and the only way to relieve it was to purge.
Not giving up the couple followed them round the buffet with Adam’s annoyance increasing. Suspicious and believing everyone had an ulterior motive he wasn’t prepared to give them a chance no matter how homely and safe they appeared to be. Summer on the other hand had other ideas as usual.
“How far is it really to the forest, can we get there like in a day or so?” She asked them.
“It’s only a couple of hours by car, we’re headed up there if you kids need a ride.” The man replied.
“Oh Adam, a forest for camping, that would be awesome!” Summer said pleading and hoping he’d see sense.
“Yeh right, what the hell do you wanna go up there for anyway?”
“Because I’ve never camped out in a real forest.”
“How come you people see us?” Adam asked bluntly.
“That’s a crazy question young man, of course we can see you, why wouldn’t we?”
Maybe he was wrong to assume that everyone was evil or out to trip them up at every curve and besides Summer’s words were ringing in his ears, she’d never seen a forest or camped out. He didn’t want to be the person to harshly deny her the chance, something she’d hound him over for days. Reluctant and still paranoid he was slowly coming around to the idea.
“Do you live far from here?” Adam asked.
“We use to but not any more and you kids, where do you come from?” The man replied.
Summer was on a high because she could eat and eat and, without thinking she said the first thing that came into her head.
“We’re from a parallel universe and we can do anything we want cause we’re invisible!”
Adam couldn’t believe what she’d said and neither did they. They shook their heads in disbelief- Summer returned to her food and was oblivious to their reaction.
Stepping forward the man spoke softly and directly to Adam,
“Do you really believe your eating this food?” He said. “Or carrying those bags on your back? You’re not it’s all an illusion, you still think you’re alive son and your girlfriend too, but you’re not, you’re both dead.”
Summer burst into tears dropping her fried chicken piece on the floor.
“Now look what you’ve done you stupid old man, you’ve gone and upset my girlfriend. What the fuck is your problem? We weren’t bothering you!”
“I’m telling you both you’re not alive anymore you don’t have a body, you’re no longer breathing and you’re just the same as us, stuck and wandering between two worlds.”
The man was determined to get his point across no matter what they both thought. He believed he was right and was going to make certain that they understood he was telling them the truth.
Adam did what he thought was best and taking Summer’s hand he dragged her out of the restaurant as far away as possible from the creepy old couple that had probably lost their reasoning. Doing his best to calm her down he gave what he thought was a logical explanation.
“Did you see how old they were? Bet they’re both senile that’s why they were spewing so much crap.”
“But what about the forest and camping? I can’t go now because they had a car and we can’t walk there.” She pleaded.
“Forget the forest, we’ve got bigger shit to worry about it.”
“Adam,” She said through tear stained eyes. “Don’t you get it we’re dead that’s why all these weird things keep happening…I...I’ll prove it to you right now!”
One moment everything seemed to be going well. They had gotten away from Devon and Rufus and found new clothes and proper food. The next, they were back in a dark place where nothing made sense again, all because of a crazy couple in a buffet restaurant.
“Go ahead then, show me!” He replied daring her.
Instead of Summer following Adam wherever he chose to go it was the other way round with Summer taking the lead and heading for the freeway. The noise of the traffic became stronger the closer they got. Adam wondered what she planned to do. Why does this chick always want to get one up on me and screw with my head!
“You stay right here and watch me then you’re gonna see I’m right.” She said firmly.
He wondered what exactly she’d planned to do as they arrived at the side of the road. Cars and trucked thundered past in the late afternoon sun as Summer took off her back-pack.
“I’m going to walk out into the road and stay there, if no-one hoots their horn or knocks me down you know I’m telling the truth.” She proclaimed.
“Why don’t you just go and play Russian roulette, it’s the same. Proving a point to me isn’t worth losing your life over. Let’s go, it’s a dumb ass idea.”
“My life’s already gone I’m sure of it.” She replied as she headed out into the road.
He didn’t want to look but couldn’t take his eyes off what he saw was an insane thing to do. A big part of him was fearful about where he’d go without Summer, a small part had reached the conclusion that she was the master of her own screwed up destiny and if it was to be death by loaded truck then so be it. But, underneath all the bravado he wished she hadn’t decided to do such a crazy thing.
“I love you baby!” She said as she walked proudly into the oncoming traffic.
He closed his eyes and turned away, putting his hands over his ears to drown out the sound of a body being hit by a car and thrown through the air- he then waited for the inevitable.
Instead, the only thing he could hear was her voice through the roar of traffic.
“Hey this is so much fun, come on Adam get out here!”
He turned round and opened his eyes to the sight of cars and trucks going through Summer as if she wasn’t there. Laughing and jumping up and down she beckoned him to join her in what she saw was a great game.
What the hell is this? Someone, please wake me up right now!
“Don’t be a pussy, get yourself out here it’s incredible.” She called out.
Reluctant to join her but curious at the same time he gingerly stepped out into the road, preferring to keep his eyes shut tight as he tentatively moved one foot in front of other until he reached oncoming traffic.
“Open your eyes idiot, and come over to me.” She instructed, confident that he would experience exactly the same as she had.
Her hand reached out to his to guide him as he slowly made his way, feeling nothing except that he was walking. They stood together but Summer couldn’t get him to open his eyes.
“Hey, if you don’t look at what’s happening what’s the damn point in doing it?
Reluctantly he opened his eyes to see one vehicle after another passing through him; he felt nothing, not even a twinge.
“Oh my god, what’s going on, why don’t we feel anything?” He remarked.
“You wouldn’t believe me but it’s the truth we’re dead and it’s awesome!”
Chapter 10
It’s sometimes hard to accept the inevitable. When you have to find out for yourself that everything you’d been doing up to a certain point wasn’t real. For Adam the realisation had come that he was as Summer had put it, dead. No more analysing the situation and thinking he was mentally unstable; no more imagining it was a bad dream. Reality had sunk in finally- the reason only certain people saw them was because they were dead too.
“Now you see I was right.” She remarked.
They were done with standing
in the middle of the freeway. Preferring to put their back packs back on and ready to go, they stood looking at one another with a mix of excitement, confusion and trepidation.
“What does it mean, I don’t get where we’re supposed to go now?” Adam was still confused.
“My mom had a book once, it was written by a psychic and I read a part of it, she talked about stuck spirits not seeing the light and drifting. Maybe that’s us because I don’t see any light.”
“Me neither, not once, so where do we go to look for it?”
“Don’t ask me, I don’t have a clue…maybe it comes to us or something?”
They walk away, both pensive and unsure what to do next except find somewhere to set up camp for the night.
“Everyone we met, Rone, Reggie or all the others.” Adam said. “They’re all dead and stuck like us.”
“I’m sure of it, and Elaine said she thought she’d killed herself.”
The pieces of the puzzle were all starting to fit, but there were still important missing pieces.
“The woman that told us to move on, she wasn’t dead was she?”
“No Adam, I think she was psychic.”
“What about the psychic woman in the hall that brought up my dad?”
“Dead.”
“What about all the people who were in there?”
“Dead as well.”
It wasn’t looking good, since finding out the truth nothing had happened. There was no sign of a bright light magically appearing enticing them to walk into it; no dearly departed friends or relatives coming out of the shadows to greet them. Nothing had changed, except that Adam was feeling more lost than ever and still didn’t know how he’d died and where. The more he tried to remember the more stressed he became. Even calling for his father made no difference, everything was just as before, dire.
Dead Dreams ((Young Adult Paranormal Romance) ( Dead Dreams Trilogy)) Page 11