True to her word, Suzy started dragging me to a different party every week. Halloween was just around the corner and two weeks before the actual event, everyone was already going crazy. My skin had calmed down enough that I was able to get a decent amount of sleep. I only had a few spots right now but nothing major.
After the breakup, I felt much better overall. But Chris had somehow evolved into a walking, talking problem. Despite my attempts to avoid him, he'd persistently tried to stop me to chat. We were starting to draw attention.
As I took a sip from my cup filled with a mixture of water and red juice, I nodded here and there as a guys covered in bandages told me about their latest soccer game. The room was packed with college students dressed in all sorts of costumes such as witches, mad clowns, and nurses. I felt a bit out of place in my simple attire of skinny jeans and a thin, long V-neck pullover.
"So yeah, with me scoring that penalty kick we actually beat them two to one in the end," Dan, or Daniel—I couldn't remember his name—said excitedly. His brown hair stuck out from under the wrapped dressing that covered his whole body. He wasn't too tall, which was nice since I didn't need to crane my neck like crazy.
My eyes scanned the room, searching for Suz. The last time I saw her she'd been busy stalking a guy named Nick, and I realized that it was wiser to let her do her own thing without getting involved in any potential weirdness. Which was how I ended up with D—the mummy.
My phone buzzed, indicating the arrival of several text messages. "Sorry, I need to check this," I said to the guy and stepped to the side.
By the time I unlocked my screen, I had seven alerts from Suzy and more incoming.
Suz: TAY!!! Red alert, I repeat. RED ALERT!!!
Suz: Chris and some others just showed up.
Suz: I can't call, they're right next to me.
Suz: He's looking for you.
Suz: Like you better get out of here, his friends look like they've been fighting or something.
Suz: Tay. Seriously I don't like this, did you read this?
Suz: They entered the house.
Suz: SHIT. Somebody said they saw you here.
Suz: Tay.
And then the last one arrived.
Suz: Run.
Five seconds of staring at my screen was all I needed before springing into action. I whirled on my feet and dashed out of the living room.
"Hey, where are you going?" mummy boy called after me.
The hallway was filled with people and I lost valuable time trying to push my way through.
I stopped in my tracks when I caught sight of Chris making his way towards me, flanked by two guys that I recognized from a few parties before. My alarm bells went off as soon as I saw their battered appearances, with one sporting a split lip and the other covered in bruises. No wonder Suz had sounded so alarmed.
Their heads turned. Shit. They were going to spot me any second—
Two girls jumped in front of me, and I used the cover to duck back inside the living room. I dodged around another group, rushed through the second door, and sprinted down a hallway that led into the backyard.
The exit waited in front of me. Next to it, a small cabinet was set into the wall. On impulse, I snuck inside, hiding between a vacuum and some brooms.
I switched my phone to silence and waited, my heart hammering against my rib cage.
Only a few seconds later, heavy footsteps thudded on the floor. I held my breath.
"Did you see her?" Chris said.
"No," a deep voice answered. "Sorry, man."
"It was a long shot anyways..."
One of them groaned as if in pain.
"You good there?" the other guy asked.
"No," a third voice, unfamiliar and raspy, spoke. "I'm not. Fucking hell. He nearly broke my arm."
"Did you really try to jump Killian? That's stupid. Don't you know his best friend?" Chris asked.
My heart nearly stopped. Killian? They couldn't be talking about the same Killian I knew, right?
"Well, that fucker jumped me two weeks ago, alright? Was I just supposed to take that?"
"You should have apologized," the other guy said.
"How was I supposed to know he knows her, huh? Fuck."
"That's karma man," the deep voice remarked.
"I mean, she was so desperate for attention," the smoker rasped out. "Not my fault she got major daddy issues or whatever. But fuck, I didn't know he and Cody are that close."
"It's not just that. You pulled some fucked up shit on her man," Chris added not sounding like he cared.
The smoker's voice dropped. "You think you're any better?"
"I may not be the best, but I don't think I'm as bad as you," Chris said.
The other guy laughed. "Looks like you're setting the bar pretty low there, man," he said.
"You're just saying that 'cause your girl is hot." A grunt sounded followed by a yelp. "Fuck! That hurts."
"Don't talk about her like that. And she's not my girl..."
I didn't know what was more surprising, these guys talking about Killian while I was sitting in a storage room, or that Chris had defended me. Somewhat.
"Are you sure he and Cody are close though?" the smoker asked again.
"They had some falling out before Killian left for Europe. They've been pretty tight since he's back though," Chris said.
"Fuck."
"If Cody had been there things would have gone very differently tonight, man. You should have seen it, Chris. That prick nearly took us out even though it was four on one."
"Hey, whose side are you on, huh?"
"The hell? You think I'm on your side after this? I just thought he jumped you randomly. I already did more than I signed up for. I'm not gonna risk pissing that guy or Cody off any more than I already have. Dude, just apologize."
"You think I can after tonight?"
"Fuck. Chris, you think the guy is gonna tell on us?"
"I don't know..." my ex mumbled.
"You better lie low from now on. I'm not gonna stand up for you if he's gonna talk. Wait. Do you think he's gonna call the cops?" the deep voice asked, sounding a little panicked.
"I asked someone to check at Martin's and he said there was no one there," the raspy voice said grumpily. "The police would be checking the area if he had..."
They shuffled away.
"Man, you have more luck than brain..." I could just make out Chris' last reply and then it was quiet. I finally let out a breath.
Just to make sure the coast was clear, I waited a few more minutes before I sneaked out through the garden and over the road. My feet hit the pavement in a rhythmic fashion as I jogged to my car. I hadn't gone for a run in what felt like forever. I'd parked two streets over and by the time I got there, I was already winded. One of these days I would regret not exercising more.
Panting, I typed out a quick message, letting Suz know that I made it.
Suz: Good. Cu tmrw?
Me: Gotcha.
I jumped in and quickly cranked up the engine. The towing and new tires had cost me a nice penny. Another reason added to my long list of why Chris wasn't exactly my favorite person right now.
Hearing Gives you hell by The All-American Rejects, I turned up the volume. Just when the third chorus—my favorite part—started, the song got interrupted and I groaned the lyrics sitting at the tip of my tongue.
"Breaking news. An inmate of the local mental asylum escaped the premises last night. It's the first break-out since 1989. The police ask the residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious individuals immediately. The fifty-year-old escapee is supposedly dangerous and displays aggressive behavior, especially toward women. The general public is advised not to approach."
I stopped at a red light and turned the radio off. My fingers tapped the steering wheel. Why had Killian fought that guy? And why were these guys so scared of Cody of all people? He was the nicest guy I knew. It just didn't make any sense.
As I waited at the stoplight, the green signal flickered on, yet I hesitated. Then I took the left turn.
Ten minutes later, I parked the car next to a park and surveyed my surroundings. Above the closed restaurant, the word "Martin's" glowed in bright neon letters. The streets were eerily quiet, not a single car in sight. Even the surrounding buildings were dark.
Tingles spread over my skin and I gripped my phone more tightly. Didn't the radio announcer say something about some dangerous man running around? The details were drowned by my annoyance at the interruption, but suddenly coming here felt like a bad idea. Then again, what were the chances of me running into the crazy guy they'd talked about? That would be just unrealistically unlucky. Right?
Hugging myself, I slowly walked around. Yet, there was nothing. No strange sound, no sign of anyone or anything being out of place. Fuck. What was I even doing here? It wasn't as if I was close with Killian or anything. I didn't really know what I'd expected anyways.
Just as I was about to head back, a flicker of movement in the corner of a large garage door caught my eye. The overhanging roof obscured the streetlight, casting a deep shadow over the corner. I could barely make out a figure slouched against the wall.
My hand shook as I unlocked my phone, my finger hovering over the emergency call button. When the person didn't move, I approached them carefully. I couldn't make out their face but judging by their size it seemed to be a guy. He was slumped forward, the hood of his loose black sweatshirt pulled low on his face. When I was about six feet away, he abruptly lifted his head and I stopped dead.
A set of slightly wild hazel eyes glared at me.
I stumbled, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. "Killian?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
His brow was split, and a small line of blood ran down his discolored cheeks. The bruises looked even worse than the last time I'd seen him
He bit out just one word. "Leave."