A Nightmare's Fate

The Cryptic Signs

Chapter Thirty-nine: The Cyrptic Signs

Awakening to the sunlight, my eyes rise slowly as I realize I’m inside Errik’s apartment. What happened last night? I think. Did I seriously spend the night? Rubbing my palm across my eyelids and yawning, I sit up from the comfy-but-not-so-comfy couch and bring the red and black thick blanket up to my chest to cover my arms and the lower part of my body. Observing the place; I notice that it’s really clean and the things on the extra coffee table as there are three, are still the same as we left it. But once I notice it’s way too quiet in the accommodation, my next thought triggers and my eyebrows narrow like in confusion.

            Where’s Errik?

            Finally coming to my senses to get up, I throw the fabric off of me and take a tour around the place. I first start with the kitchen. It’s a normal size, however, has more materials than what normal people use since he’s a chef I suppose. My next stop is to the laundry room across from the kitchen, which only consists the washer and dryer and a very small space for folding the clothes. Down the way, towards the front door, is the small hallway with the bath and bedroom. Going inside the bedroom, which the door is wide open, I second guess myself if I should go in or not. It’d be invading his privacy, but he’s is my boyfriend so why I can’t I do it? Isn’t relationships built off of trust?

            Convincing myself it’s all right, I head straight through and look around. There isn’t much though. His walls contain pictures of him and his friends and family. I’m included on the wall. It makes me smile that he would want to add me upon the wall of memories, a wall of happiness and good times. A flat screen is towards the wall by my right side and on my left is a king sized bed. By the television is a mirror closet and on each side of the bed is a nightstand.

            As I open the closet, there really isn’t anything inside; just shoes and a black bag from the cleaners. Curiosity nips at my brain in ponder for wanting to know what is inside. But I suppose that it’s something stupid. Closing it and going around the bedside towards the nightstand, I detect everything upon it; the lamp, the picture of us, an alarm clock, the television remote, and a notepad. Opening the drawer, there is nothing inside but a frame that holds photos. When I grasp it in my hand, a strange chill crawls up my spine like I shouldn’t be looking through his belongings but on the other hand, I need to know something. Flipping it to the other side for which exposes the picture, I nearly gasp. But instead of doing so, I’m frozen in place.

            It’s a picture of Errik, Kenton, and Freddy smiling at the camera and behind them seems to be a large green tent.

            Putting it on the bed, I race back to the closet to open it and unzip the black bag. But all I’m able to decipher is that the clothing is a dark green since the door opens and sound comes from the other room. I quickly zip the bag up, close the closet door, put the picture away like it was, and run into the bathroom where I flush the toilet and come out from the hallway as Errik is already in the kitchen and looks as if he doesn’t suspect anything. Casually walking out like I actually did go to the bathroom, I step into the living room only to find his dog, Inkspot, jumping around. He’s taking off the leash and petting her at the same time.

            “What a beautiful dog you have,” I announce, leaning against the wall. She’s black and white with a whole lot of fur. Her collar is sparkly and she’s extremely tiny.

            “She’s a Springer Spaniel.” He smiles, gazing up at me. “Only seventeen years old,” he continues.

            “Wow, that’s pretty old,” I say. In dog years, that’s at least somewhere in the hundreds, I believe. I’m not much of an expert on knowing the math between dog and human lives. “Aren’t you afraid that she’ll die soon?” Suddenly, Inkspot’s eyes catch mine and she looks at me like I said something wrong, which I probably did, but how am I supposed to say something out of curiosity without saying something wrong?