Kai (unfinished)

Chapter Three - Maladaptive

KAI - CHAPTER THREE - MALADAPTIVE

It's two in the morning, I can't sleep, I don't want to sleep, downstairs Karen Lake is emptying out all her fresh food to place in the generator-run cooler, the phone beside me glows; lighting up the ceiling, giving me something to focus on.
"Phone on, call... Jack." I sighed, sitting up, was I sweating?
"Calling Jack." The phone spoke back, condescending piece of...
"Hey mate... it's pretty early." 
"Jack it's never early for you." I spoke.
"Right you are." He gave a laugh but it turned into a yawn, I rested back down, hands behind my head as I stared at the ceiling; pretending that Jack was in the room, with me.
"Kai? Is something wrong mate?" What could I tell him?
"Nah... well, yeah, something's seriously wrong."

"...and so that's what I saw, and it felt so fucking real Jacko, like I was fourteen again."
"Bro, I don't know what to say, could you just be experiencing some backlash from staying in that house?" Did he not believe me, my best friend?
"What do you mean?" My brain bubbled as the house groaned, making me sit back up. 
"Like some kind of trauma or relapse back seven or six years?"
"I don't know, dude I'm scared." Noises from outside, what are those sounds, must be bats. 
"I'd have to drive and y'know Jennifer needs me." 
"Things are happening here and I can't explain them." The room was getting smaller, and my arms were shaking with the cold. 
"Maybe it's just paranoia setting in, where's my brother, wasn't Nathan supposed to be looking out for you?" More sweat trickled down my forehead, I felt sick. 
"I'm not a kid Jack, for Christ's' sakes I'm nearly twenty!" 
"You know that's isn't what... you... but... okay... and..." 
"Jack?!" The phone warbled and screeched. 
"You... ther... why..." 

"Our Telstra satellite is experiencing difficulty with your phone's wireless telecommunications, if you would like to lodge a complaint please call or tex..." I picked up the smart phone and threw the slim piece of glass and data at the wall, it exploded on impact making me regret throwing it in the first place. I turned back over, shutting my eyes tightly as the door opened suddenly and violently.
"Kai!?" Nathan burst in covered in sweat, his face pale, his body quivering. 
"Nathan what are you doing here, what's wrong with you?!" He quickly ran towards me, picking me up.
"Kai, the whole gorge is filled, rocks and everything, there's no way out!" 
"What?" I gasped, covering my near-naked body. He let go of me, his breaths heavy, the bed sunk as he sat at the foot of it; cap in one hand, stroking his beard with the other in angst. 

"So I was doing the pub crawl with my mates, a couple truckies and a few tradies when we were driving into Byholt; to visit the local pub here. Anyways, we were driving in a convoy, I was with Mick at the front and the others followed suit; we were driving along and these 'things' ran across the road the size of deers but in a blur. So we're swerving and the rocks start falling, Mick speeds up and we dodge the first few big ones but when we look behind the others have stopped their Utes." My eyes are wide as I listen intently, my face the one of a child being told a scary story before bed, only this wasn't bullshit. 
"So we get into town and automatically the fog hits us like nothing we've ever seen, really thick and it's still bloody out there. We thought we'd just head over the bridge and go back around the old Lakeside way but the thing is... the bridge is just gone, it's not there anymore!" My eyes glanced down at the floor.
"I know." I whispered intensely. 

"How'd you find me?" He chuckled as I turned on the light, pulling on some trackpants.
"Pure chance, saw the 7 News van as the only sign of civilization and sure enough you were here. Trouble always finds you Kai, everyone knows that." I smiled, but there was nothing in it, I was still scared.
"What happened to this town though, seriously, place is abandoned." 
"I was trying to figure that out myself, it isn't in the same kinda way we left it, it's a ghost town now."
"Yeah... hey what did you think of the news woman?" I asked trying to lighten the mood.
"She's alright." 
"Alright!?" I asked perplexed.
"She's pretty... hot." Not the way I wanted it to come out but it was worth something.
"Listen I'm not really into..." 
"Blondes?" Blondes were alright but if he had a problem with them I could understand, just different tastes.
"No, I'm..." He struggled with talking as the door was pushed open by another person.
"Hey Nathe, I got us that room you wanted from that woman emptying out the fridge, tonight's gonna be full of hot, hot..." My eyes darted back and forth as another man walked into the room, Nathan blushing.