Ghost of My Life

chapter 21

After Danny was finished killing Joseph, he decided to go the extra step.

He sat crouched over Joseph's body, carving away for a while. My stomach had begun to turn and i sat down to lightly snack on a small bag of chips Danny had packed. He hummed happily to himself, like he wasn't mutilating a corpse. The sickening squelch of liquid and flesh made my nose wrinkle, and a loud snap of bone made me look over at what he was doing. With a firm tug he had Joseph's still, dripping heart in his palm. Danny turned around to look at me and tilted his head. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow at him and smile.

"His heart? Really?"

"I promised you i would make him suffer for you. What better way to fulfill my promise?" He laughed darkly, and dropped the organ to the ground with solid splat. He stomped on it, causing blood and dead flesh to splatter up his ankle and boot. He took off his mask and let out a relieved breath of fresh air, then he smiled down at me.

"You did amazing, sweetie." I said, eyeing the crushed remains of Josephs heart and looking back over the bloody and gruesome scene, plucking a chip out of my bag and munching on it. He chuckled softly to himself, proud of his work as he snapped a picture.

A flash of red and blue light caught his attention outside. I perked up and froze. The lights were definitely moving, but I couldn't tell if they were getting closer.

"That's our cue to leave." Danny said urgently, quickly picking his mask off the floor. He reached for my hand and yanked me off the couch, clutching my arm. He pushed me forward towards the window we came in from.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" He cried and scooped up our stuff. My heart thudded in my chest. What if he lagged behind? What if he was caught? I slipped out the window and sprinted towards the treeline we came from. Danny's footsteps came rushing up behind me, startling me.

"Go, go!" He growled, clutching my canvas bag over his shoulder to muffle the sound. He kept glancing over his shoulder to check if we were being followed. My stomach and chest ached with the exertion and i could feel my legs demanding to slow down, but i had to push forward. Danny gripped my arm and helped pull me along with him to keep up.

The sound of cop's voices calling to each other sent a wave of panic through my chest. Danny stopped running suddenly, and he stared at me for a moment.

"What are you doing?! Let's go!" I gasped, looking back at him. His face was red from heat and exhaustion and pain.

"Y/n..." he said. "I love you." His jaw tightened and his eyebrows knitted together, twisting the sweet words into something much darker.

"Danny...what are you thinking?" I felt my heart squeeze tightly before it started to crack.

"Just run, go. If they find me i'll distract them." He said, taking my face in his hands and staring into my eyes, like it really was the last time he was going to be doing so.

"No! Don't you dare leave me! I love you too much to let you go!" I grabbed his wrists, squeezing them in an effort to keep him with me. He chuckled softly and rubbed my cheek with his thumb.

"I'm not going to let you get caught, Y/n. I won't be gone long. Take my car and get home safely." He yanked his wrists from my grip and slid his hand into his jacket, retrieving his mask that he had tucked into it out. He sighed softly, looking at it and tracing his thumb around the outside of the plastic edge of it's face. He handed it to me with a forced smile.

"Keep this safe for me, until i return." He said, pushing the mask into my hands. He looped his free hand around the back of my skull and pulling me into a tight embrace, dropping my canvas bag at my feet.

"I love you. Both of you." He said again, before letting go. It felt hollow. My chest felt like it was caving in, and my ears started ringing. He was leaving me and i dont think he was planning on coming back.

"Danny, no!" I sobbed, reaching out to grab him, but he smacked my hand away and ran a different direction. I wanted to scream. To tackle him, but the lights of flashlights stopped me. He ran forward into the darkness and disappeared, drawing the lights in his direction. But i caught the last glimpse he threw over his shoulder in my direction.

"COME BACK!" I cried, covering my mouth with my hand to keep from making anymore noise.

I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe. I just stood there and trembled. Is this how normal people felt after a break up? Or was this just much worse? Danny could be killed. Or worse.

The throbbing in my lower stomach snapped my attention to myself. My baby. They wouldn't survive in the world without me or Danny.

I have to run, like Danny said. I'll go home, and wait for him. He has to come back. I wont give up on him.

I turned on my heel, and forced my legs to start the journey back home. I picked my bag off the forest floor and slung it over my shoulder gingerly. The darkness made it easy to cover my actions as i trudged towards Danny's car. I unzipped my canvas bag, remembering that Danny had left the keys in it for safe keeping, and fished the keys from the deep pocket inside. I turned the key into the door of the car and slid into the driver's side, shutting the door behind me.

This felt wrong.

This is Danny's car. Why do i think i have the right to drive it? Even with his explicit permission and direction, it still didn't sit right with me.

I had to sit there and collect the nerve to start the car before i slowly began the drive home.