Misery Saves the Night

by Brittany Allen

  “Have a good morning and hope to see you back here on time tonight.” The woman behind the desk giggled.

  He slowed than stopped on the black mat before the doors. “Excuse me?”

  “You should at least make an attempt to read your folder.” She scolded the older man and went back to typing on her computer on the desk.

  Ian made it all the way through the parking lot and into his compact car before opening the folder. “Eek!” His heart skipped a beat, almost passing out. On the very front page of the report it read: to guard subject each night until further notice.

  Beep! The sound from the horn of Ian’s car echoed from the parking lot and into the hospital's lobby, waking the ever watchful Trey from his slumber. Shaking the sleeping pigeons off of him, the Hunter jogged over to Ian’s car and in the front seat he found Ian there, passed out over the steering wheel.

  “Huh!” Trey gave one of his admiring sighs. “Now it could not have been that bad.” He went on to shake the very so over dramatic Ian from his unconscious state.

  “Wha...…?” Murmured a few people who had gathered out in the parking lot upon hearing the noise coming from Ian's car. They tilted and peered at Trey and wondered if he was mugging the boy in the car.

  Trey brought his hand around to his backside then with full force, slapped the boy hopping to bring him around.

  “Huh?” Seemingly uninjured from the attack Ian grew wide eyed when he caught sight of the Hunter holding him up the collar of his shirt. “How do you keep popping up from nowhere!?” Ian screamed down at Trey.

  Once back on the ground, Ian dusted himself off and waited for an explanation. “You see here kid.” He pointed a long red rock finger at the page in the folder Ian had been looking at before he fainted. “You have babysitting duty until they reassign you and so do I. That girl on the seventh floor is really important to the NSSH, especially Temthaw Vene.”

  “Huh?” Ian muttered for the second time that day.

  “I am here guarding this forsaken place until I am told I can go.” Trey whispered only loud enough for his friend to hear. “The NSSH wants a Hunter placed here if any unauthorized personnel should enter or leave this building.”

  Ian shook his head now fully understanding the entire situation.

  “I'll see you back here tonight.” He shoved the little man into the car. “Now go home and get some rest.”

  Without another word, he put the car in drive and headed out the parking lot back the way he came. Trey was being ever watchful in Ian’s rear view mirror. Pulling his car into the drive way he had left hours ago, Ian finally realized that he was home, not remembering anything since being parking lot. All he wanted to do was get into his pillow top bed and go to sleep.

  “I'm home.” Ian announced while knocking twice on the front door. Even though he had a key for the door, Justine told him she liked it better if he knocked and announced himself before coming in the house. This was as Trey once put it, how Justine was keeping Ian on a short leash.

  “Hi.” Justine opened the door and allowed her fiancé to come inside. “I’m headed off to work. It’s an emergency!” She pulled on a pair of black heels while chewing a slice of toast. “I don’t know how long I’ll be, but foods already made. It’s in the refrigerator. All you have to do is heat it up.” With her keys in hand, Justine was almost out the front door when she caught site of Ian’s red eyes and limp posture. “Awe. You’ve never looked more adorable than you do right now.”

  “It’s been a night.” Ian waved goodbye to his love on her way out the door.

  Justine closed the door and her heels could be heard skipping on the stepping stones. The engine in their light blue sedan turned over and Ian knew that at any moment he’d be all alone.

  “I wish I had someone to talk to.” Ian sighed as he crawled up on their couch. “I can’t recall one real conversation we’ve had in at least eight months…” Unable to gather up the ‘want to,’ Ian decided to sleep on the couch. It was something he so rarely did. “A bed is for sleeping.” He yawned. “A couch is for sitting, Justine always says…” Eyes heavy, Ian didn’t even notice he had fallen asleep.

  The day passed and the night came. Ian was up and taking a shower like he did every night before work. He got dressed and left for work, but unlike every other night he was not headed to the Disten NSSH headquarters, but to the medical center. For Ian, who had been so used to the same routine day in and day out, he found the change to be quite enjoyable. Taking the exit opposite of the one to his office, Ian saw sights that were unfamiliar to him. For one instance, he saw a pond that was covered with blooming lily pads along its edges and how the orange and dark mauve sun reflected on that ponds rippling surface.

  “Hmm...” His mind wandered with the thought of the color mauve. “The same color of the girl’s hair.” Then he started to remember bits about that girl’s image. “That same mauve colored hair and how it’s so long and lush. The way it manages to beautifully bounce with her movements.” Ian’s facial expressions softened before he smiled thinking of her. But Justine’s accusing stare popped into his thoughts and Ian just as easily forgot about the girl he was about to go see.

  Tonight, Ian did not wait for his car to turn completely off before taking the keys out and went running into the hospital. His routine was different and now he felt that everything about his life was changed. The girl, the one from the night before, waved him in and he trudged up the same staircase he climbed yesterday. With each step, Ian felt his feet get an ounce heavier. The reason for this was written all over his face.

  “That girl...” Just more under his breath muttering. He had still to come to a conclusion of what he thought of her. All he could think of was that he did not care for her. “That night...” Ian referred to the night he had first seen the girl and how she had connected to his mind. This was something that he would never forget, the feeling of her inside of his body. “Ugh.” He shuddered just before coming to the last step of the staircase. “I hate my job.” Only more of the same thoughts followed. He stepped into the hallway the same way as before and took a deep breath before entering the girl’s room, bursting in unannounced and uninvited.

  “Mmm?” The girl mewed sitting in her bed. She tilted her head and waited for someone to step in. Her look of curiosity died away once she saw that it was the man from the night before. She took note that he was wearing a new uniform; white button up dress shirt with black slacks. This was his uniform while on sentry duty. Even so, she still did not really care for him. As she had the night before, she turned on her side and continued ignoring Ian.

  Sitting in the same seat he had sat in only fifteen hours before, he picked up the new magazine laying on the stand next to him. For roughly five hours, Ian read every article, caption, and advertisement in the magazine before he remembered why he was trying to pass the dulling hours.

  In her bed, the girl laid quietly and as still as anyone with countless hours strapped to a bed could be. Starring at the closed white curtains began to bore her. It had been almost five hours since she had heard anything from the man. Silently and slyly, she turned on her other side and checked on the man only to find he was staring right into her glistening pale silver eyes. She blinked twice, unsure of what to do next.

  “Hi.” Was the first thing that came to his mind upon seeing the girl with a blank expression across her face? “How are you?” More of a statement he was not expecting an answer to than any kind of question. Unphased by the generic greeting, she flopped back into her previous position and Ian was right back at the beginning of the magazine he had just finished reading.

  Another four hours passed and Ian, once again left without saying good bye or good night, leaving the girl to consider him rude. This continued on for the next two months as Ian’s orders had not yet changed. By now the girl had memorized his schedule, more from boredom than anything else, or at least that’s what she convinced herself. Eventually she came to look forward to Ian’s visits.
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  Ian coming to watch over her was the one constant in her life at that moment. He had gotten her new royal purple cotton pajamas. Something between the pair was growing that Ian even got permission for her to get out of her of her bed to use the rest room. That was steps above him letting the girl bandage herself what felt to him like an eternity ago. The girl still had to have sponge baths from the nurses. Slowly, she was softening up to the man even if she never showed it.

  Unaware to her, Ian looked forward to the moment when he would enter her room and see her ignoring him. Although the only thing he would say to her was “Hi, how are you?” and she would say nothing, nor look at him, something was indeed happening.

  It was not only Ian who had the same assignment for the last two month. Each day and night Trey would stand by the same shaded wall, only moving to get food. He had no other needs, like bathing and using the restroom. His rock skin peeled away when a layer died and was quickly replaced with a new, live layer of rock every three days. But soon this whole thing or routines and boredom were going to come to an end, and Trey knew at any moment something was going to happen.

  Ian skipped up the stairs to the girl’s room, hoping to spend the night guarding her as he already secretly passed his judgment on her. Tonight was the start of the third month, middle of July, and there was nothing he looked more forward to doing. He wiped the happy-go-lucky smile off his face and kept his head down as he entered her room. Out of the corner of his eyes Ian watched her watching the curtains. Eventually the fifth hour was approaching and Ian was about to say his greeting as he knew it was this time every night that the girl would turn over for a brief second and check on him, but something had finally stuck him; he did not even know her name for she never said anything back to him.

  “Maybe she cannot speak?” Ian thought, though he knew full well she could.

  The girl was about to turn over, knowing full well what the man was about to say when the unexpected happened. “You know,” Ian said, his voice laughing each word. He sounded nervous. “Of the full two months I have been coming into this room each night, I... Well, I do not even know your name.”

  And with those words, her mouth went dry. “How unexpected.” She thought, her voice different from the night she had attacked him and his team. It was soft, and very feminine in the way that it was not squeaky and high pitched, but sweet and trusting.

  “Recarie.” She choked out, making the first time she actually said something directly to the man sound like a rusted chainsaw trying to start. “And... And yours?” Her voice a little smoother this time.

  He blinked. “Oh yeah, how inconsiderate of me.” Ian scratched the back of his head, wiping off dead strands of hair in the process.

  “Of all the rude things he has done…” Recarie thought to herself, as she spent most of her time thinking it made her words jumble and come out of order when she actually did say something. “This is the one he calls inconsiderate?”

  “It’s Ian.” He gave one of his nervous, but permanent low laughs. The conversation went stale. They had run out of talking material without passing half a dozen sentences between them. Ian gave another one of his nervous laugh.

  Recarie’s heart went racing. She had wanted to talk to him for so long. Now it was her chance and she was not about to waste it. “You see.” Recarie tried to keep the uncomfortable silence at bay. “That’s why I do not talk to anyone. It all goes south.”

  “Ah.” Impressed by her near perfect grammar, Ian decided to go with it. Her eyes met directly with his. This told him that Recarie was interested in what he had to say. “Yeah, but...” He lost his train of thought while gazing at her paling tan skin. “Where did you wings go?” This was a question that had been on his mind since Sean had mention it so many months ago.

  A wave of electricity flowed up her spine and shook her body and very slowly, Recarie turned and looked at her back. “Woo...” She sighed in relief. Her wings were in fact still there. They had to be because she could she them with her own two eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know,” Ian almost started to explain, when he could see the truth on her face. “You don't know, do you?” Her head shook from side to side, signaling she did not know whatever it was that Ian thought she knew. “Almost three months ago, when we found you?” She did not seem to follow him. “You attacked me and my teammates, killing all but two of us?”

  It felt like she had been told a story where she was a villain. “Kill? No, I could never take another life. It’s far too precious of a gift. Ugh!” Recarie felt her heart constrict and her throat starting closing in.

  “What’s going on? Are you alright?” He bent by her side. Ian rushed to her without hesitation. Seeing his new found buddy in pain was a sight he could not bear. Knowing that he had caused her distress was even worse.

  All kinds of alarms rang out from the machines attached to her. These alarms did not just ring inside the hospital, but outside as well. Trey was awake and alerted when the first siren went off. As fast as his rugged body would allow him, he was making his way through the lobby and up the stairwell. He left the cement steps gashed with his foot prints. He knew immediately what room all the alarms rang from. It had to be the room where a crowd of on lookers usually gathered around and gawked at the girl inside.

  Ian was kneeling on the ground trying to keep her harnesses and straps from breaking. It was a poor attempt and after more than six minutes, she was free and floating toward the ceiling.

  “Are they there?” She called down to Ian motioning to her back now feeling better.

  Unsure what to say Ian continued to stare at Recarie who was making a dash for the door. All the while she unbelievably flew in one of her two piece night gowns. The one she currently wore was supplied to her by a very generous and caring nurse half a month ago.

  “I can feel them.” Recarie shouted. The vibrations of her wings fluttering were sent throughout her body. “They’re an extension of me, of my body! Like an arm or leg.”

  The group outside her room stood there is disbelief. Not only was the girl able to break her bonds, which should have been near indestructible, not only was she flying and flying quite fast at that, but she was talking. As they thought about it, they realized that none of them had ever tried to strike up a conversation with the girl or bothered to say hi.

  Through the open door at the end of the hall and up the staircase, rather than down to the lobby, Ian still followed the girl. Unfortunately for him Recarie was proving to be a far greater opponent then he had ever thought possible. As he managed to catch sight of her at each turn in the staircase, she disappeared just as quick.

  “Ugh!” His legs started to gain weight and cramp up. “Can you please stop?” Ian pleaded, but Recarie was already out of range and did not hear a word said. When he began to slow down, almost about to give up, Ian saw small wisps of red and gold flames drifting down from the stairs above. “Ugh!” Once again he grunted and pushed through the pure physical pain his body was now experiencing.

  His reasons for continuing were that he knew a good friend had his back. Faster and faster Ian caught up to Recarie, watching the lines of fire twist, turn, and burn from her. She was marked by a Hunter and would never be able to hide again.

  Recarie was at a dead end. The door to the roof top had a padlock locking it shut. One small child like hand ran over the handle, static coursing through her body she suddenly knew what needed to be done. Clank! Light from her finger tips flowed into the lock, making it glow with her energy. Coming up right behind her, Ian watched as the lock melted into a pool of liquid on the ground.

  “No!” Ian knew if she got out in the open, then there would be no stopping her.

  With powers like Recarie’s, she could go anywhere and do anything. That would mean a big problem for the NSSH and an even bigger problem for Ian. Determined and not yet defeated, Ian gritted his teeth, held his hands at his sides, and jaunted up the last few steps, onto the rooftop and into
the fading moonlight.

  This was the top of the hospital, the twenty third floor. Standing on the edge of the pebble covered roof, was Recarie. Her thick hair waved in the cool gentle wind, bare feet shifting small stones, and leaning forward, she was getting ready to jump. Little thin rays of light cast down on the conflicted Recarie, illuminating the blotches of sweat that had developed all over her body. The flames that gave away her position swirled in a gust of wind that circled her torso and lit her features up.

  To Ian, it was a sight right out of a fairytale. He could not help but to soak in her beauty and feel her pain. After all, Recarie had infiltrated his mind and developed a link between them.

  “...” She whispered, voice constricted and muffled.

  “Wait!” Cautiously, Ian inched closer to her hoping to prevent the girl from doing anything rash. Her head turned to him, yet the ever blowing wind pushed long locks of hair in front of her face. “You do not want to do this.” He tried to remember some of his negotiating skills from the NSSH academy. “Just come back over here and we can talk about anything you want.” But his voice was lost in the howl of the nights wind.

  For a minute it looked like his words had gotten to Recarie. She was halfway between Ian and the edge of the roof. One bare and dirty foot in front of the other, Ian was almost able to reach out and touch her.

  “Yes, that’s it.” He was kneeling on the ground now, like a person trying to coax a puppy from its hiding place. “Just a few more inches...” His arm extended and she raised her arm.

  When everything seemed to be going right, Recarie straightened her back and pushed out her chest. Her right leg crossed in front of the other as she knelt towards Ian. Completely and hopelessly transfixed on the girl, Ian was unaware of what was going on around him until she whispered into his ear.

  “Catch me.” Recarie let the two words fly to him on the wind with her mouth so close to his ear.

  After she wiped the hair from blocking her view and tucking it behind her ear, Recarie took one last look at the man on the ground. The flames around her were getting brighter letting her know she must think and act fast if she wanted to escape. She kicked the air from beneath her feet and ran on the air towards the opposite side of the roof.