I lay in bed, refusing to fall asleep and face the horrors of today. It was silly, really... nothing's going to harm me, grab me out of the dark... but it my mind was a very dark place right now. I couldn't stop thinking of that camera and how stupid I was to just follow orders obediently and filmed instead of helping her. I can't believe I was so single-minded. Such a fool.
But wasn't that what humans do in fear? Shut down parts of the brain they don't need, in order to concentrate on coping? I looked over to Destery. She was sleeping peacefully, and it was hard to imagine her as she was earlier.
Sighing, I turned over so I was looking at the red wall. Sleep will not come to me tonight...
***
Destery (POV)
My eyes peeled open, and an overwhelming amount of residual pain spread across my body.
"Ouch, god damn it." I exclaimed quietly, while maneuvering to my elbows. The sun was shining through my blinds, and my head throbbed. There was no remembering necessary.
The door opened, and Carrie peered through.
"Destery! You're awake!" She skipped to my bed, a grin apparent on her face. The motion of her made me feel sick, so when she perched on the end of my bed, I winced.
"Carrie." I scratched in a husky voice. I sound awful, no wonder Carrie winced a little.
"Amelia said that you should rest. I'll bring you some tea and biscuits. We can watch rubbish films just like the normal family!" Carrie laughed, and I laughed along even though I didn't much feel like it. Her happiness was giving me a headache, but at least she is happy.
"That sounds... lovely." I smiled, and pulled the covers to my neck as warmth. My body was still cold.
"Yay! Be right back!" Carrie giggled, and I closed my eyes. I don't like to be bombarded when I wake... but being back to myself couldn't feel any better. If I knew it was going to feel this good, then why did no-one wake me earlier?
The woods, thinking about it seemed to make the pains ten times worse, like it was still happening. The pain was still very real. It hurts...
As if the pain made the time fast forward, the door opened to showcase Carrie with a tray of goodies.
"Carrie... you're the best." I smiled, and it hurt my throat but I didn't care. In reply, she laughed, and put the tray on my lap and took the bag of haribo's for herself. Plonking herself on my bed, she looked around my room.
"You play piano then? I was going to ask, but I didn't really have a chance." Carrie asked, and I'd been sort of hoping for her to ask that. Playing the piano was one of numbered things that I can brag about. Meaning, I can count that number on one hand.
"Yes! I do." I grinned, proud of myself. I'm aloud to, right? I took a sip of my tea. My throat stopped burning right away, after a little sting.
"Do you think you could play to me later? I love piano music. It was all I used to listen to." Carrie said, and ripped open the haribo packet.
"Really? I'd love to play for you. Although, it's all improvisation, I don't have any books or anything." I replied to her, getting excited to play for someone other than my family.
"That's awesome! I wish I could play." Carrie sighed.
"I could teach you the basics?"
"Oh, please!" Carrie lit up. It was nice to see her act twelve, as she's been through so much.
"We will later."
"Oh... Destery?" Her voice clouded with worry.
"Yes?" I replied, worried for no reason.
"Are you okay?" She asked as her eyes sympathised.
"Oh, of course. I ache, but no more than working out I guess." I shrugged and shivered, remembering again. "I'm sorry Cassie. I shouldn't have put you though that. I pushed you, so I'm sorry." I dunked a biscuit into my tea, and looked up at her. Carrie was trying to smile, but I could see depression cloud over her.
"It's fine." She said in monotone.
"But it's really not! Carrie, it's bad enough putting you through it but I shouldn't have made you film it. I was so cruel." She offered me a haribo, and our eyes locked.
"It's fine." She said again, more solidly. I just nodded. "Did you find anything else new?" Reffering to my original cause of being there, she leaned in anticipation.
"Oh..." I gulped. "The voiced told me about the story of Red Riding Hood. With my cloak and everything? They said that I was the wolf, but also Red. I think it means that the evil inside me is the wolf, and it's chasing the girl out of me."
"Destery! That's awful!" Carrie cooed, and rubbed my legs from under the covers.
"Do... you see the shadows?" I asked, curious.
"Shadows?" Carrie questioned.
"Oh boy... I see the shadows, creep from inside the woods and crawl almost inside me... like when your slowly walking into water. It feels cold and damp. Everything in there with me is made louder, and the outside noises are dying out as I get deeper." I sipped my tea, desperate for warmth. Carrie gasped.
"That sounds horrible. You see, what I saw was you... well, I don't know. Physically, nothing about your body changed. It's just the sense that you're not there. It's not you. Your eyes glaze over, and you stare at things that aren't there... I'm not going to lie. It scares me. At least I believe you now?" Carrie made an effort to spin the situation around, but it didn't quite work. I appreciate her efforts though.
I sighed. "Can we change the subject?" I asked, praying for anything other than my exorcism's.
"Of course." Carrie nodded, and plunged her hand into the haribo's again.
I reached for the click on my bedside table, and turned on the TV just to the right of the door in front of us. Next to my piano. I turned to The Big Bang Theory, and we started laughing because we could.
YOU ARE READING
Blood-Red Riding Hood
Werewolf"Licking my pale and chapped lips, I tried to wet my bone-dry mouth so I could speak. Between cold shivers, I noticed the crawling under my skin rippled through me over and over again. Tears pooled and my vision blurred as I crawled flat on the floo...
