CHAPTER TWELVE
❝ THE NIGHTMARE ❞
⊱ ⸺ { •♟• } ⸺ ⊰
SHE LIFTED HER EYELIDS. The wind was howling outside, beating hard against the thin, fragile windows that were ajar. She looked around. She was lying on an uncomfortable bed, covered with torn sheets and a worn red blanket. She sat down.
She looked at the small room with walls covered in old wood so gray it looked burned. There was little decoration, just an old painting on the floor next to a dirty carpet and an unlit lamp on the nightstand.
She stood up. The old wooden floor creaked with every step she took. She walked to the open door and found herself in a long hallway with another door at the end. The smell of mold and dust made her nose itch.
As she walked slowly down the corridor, she noticed that there were stains of dried blood on the floor. Suddenly she felt a chill run from the back of her neck to the end of her spine.
Max.
She heard voices echoing through the old wooden house. She felt pale. She looked around intently, searching for whoever was speaking. But all she could hear was the pounding of her blood in her ears.
A man appeared from the room and walked toward her. Tall, stocky, black hair and light eyes. Extremely pale. Half of his face was stained with dark, dried blood, just like the dark blue trench coat he was wearing.
Max.
She heard again that deep voice reverberate through the walls. Her eyes wide, she shook her head in denial.
She took steps to get away from the man until she was leaning against the door. In utter desperation, she grabbed the handle and turned it. To her surprise, when she opened the door, there were wooden planks blocking the exit. The man approached her with slow steps. He stared at her and clenched his fists. Now it was his turn to kill her.
Max.
The sound of his hoarse voice repelled her. She pushed and banged on the wooden boards with all her strength to get away. She looked around for a way out, but there was no alternative.
She felt his voice on the back of her neck and the sickening smell of alcohol, blood and death.
She was surprised by a huge hand grabbing her neck. For a moment, her vision blurred and the ground slipped away from her feet. She couldn't breathe.
But the real pain came when she was forced against the floorboards, breaking them with such force. As she left the house and the man who had abandoned her, she felt as if she were falling into a dark and endless abyss.
Her body trembled. And then she grabbed the sheets... and opened her eyes ecstatically, listening to her desperate and accelerated breathing. She sat on the bed with one hand on her forehead, trying to regulate her breathing.
It was Roy. The memory was still etched in her mind. The image of his bloody body on the floor still terrified her. She tried her best to push the image to the back of her mind, but it was impossible to forget. She shook her head to banish the bad thoughts.
The only pain she still felt was her stomach. Not only nausea, but also hunger. She looked at the left side of the bed. It was empty. Morning had begun some time ago, judging by the large yellow light streaming in through the half-open blinds.
They had arrived at Hellfire three days ago. In those days she had spent time with dear Jane, skateboarding and even playing D&D with the boys. Lucas had also told her about Erica. She talked to her a few times to get to know her better and she liked her strong personality.
Erica appeared to be a cinnamon roll, but in reality she is capable of killing someone, although she has a soft heart like her brother. She seemed to care about other people to the point of defending and protecting them, but she tried not to show that affection too much. She was a little reluctant to make new friends or to make peace with Lucas. Perhaps she needed more time.
Max put her feet over the side of the bed and stretched, yawning.
She noticed the small bouquet of flowers on the bedside table. She smiled, picked up the flowers in shades of yellow, white and purple and smelled them...they had a fresh smell like lavender, and they were pretty. Lucas didn't bring her breakfast this time, but at least he brought her flowers.
He was like that, softer and more romantic since they slept together. In fact, he always showed his affection for her through small gestures. Now it was her turn to do the same.
She never liked to show affection in a loving way or with sweet words. Until now, she wanted to be cautious and take a look at the space better before to make sure she could lie down.
To be sure if she could surrender and trust Lucas without resentment or regret. Whenever they got close, she would take a "step back" as if they were treading on forbidden ground. But that had to stop because she couldn't live halfway with Lucas. He didn't deserve this.
Until then, he had been flawless with her. He's a man with flaws, indeed, but he's a man who would do anything for her. She knew it, and she loved him.
She smiled again and looked thoughtfully at the flowers. She had to put them in a jar of water before they wilted. But first she was going to take a wonderful, long and well-deserved shower. And then she had to find out what Sinclair was up to.
LEANING OVER THE BAR, sipping some lemonade to avoid consuming anything stronger at 11 in the morning, was Lucas Sinclair, watching the club go about its normal business. He stirred the liquid by turning the glass in circles, absently.
He woke up in the middle of the morning and couldn't go back to sleep, so he went out to get some air and took the opportunity to pick some daisies and lavender that were growing casually at the beginning of the woods across the parking lot from where he'd been with Max a few nights earlier.
The memory of that night made him smile like a fool.
It felt good to be honest with her in various ways about his feelings, feelings that, he sensed from her body language, were reciprocal.
His loving thoughts were interrupted by Dustin, who approached him with a pat on the back, as was his custom.
"So, my friend, how is life?" Lucas turned his smiling face to him, shook his hand, and replied that it couldn't be better.
They planned another game of D&D for that afternoon, talked about last night's NBA game, and Dustin told him the news about his girlfriend Suzie from Utah, whom Lucas had met at the party last night.
After a short animated conversation, he said goodbye to Sinclair and wished him a good rest of the day. Damn, the guy really had a brilliant soul.
He let out an audible sigh. It was good to feel like an ordinary person for a few days, without any problems...
Returning to his thoughts, he almost choked on his lemonade when he heard his name mentioned by a journalist on television. He raised his head in disbelief to look at the screen.
"Breaking news. The car believed to have been used by the most wanted criminal couple in the country today has been found. The red Ford Cortina was found abandoned in a parking lot in the state of Nevada with broken windows, bullet holes in the back and a flat tire.
The famous criminal couple has terrorized the western region of the country and is known for committing several armed robberies of convenience stores, gas stations and carjackings, causing several injuries along the way. So far, there have been no fatalities, but several victims have been hospitalized in serious condition with gunshot wounds. Several witnesses have given statements to the police.
The true identities of the criminals have not yet been confirmed, but one of the suspects is Lucas Sinclair, a 21-year-old man who escaped from the Texas State Penitentiary in the early hours of March 7th with a woman whose identity is still uncertain, but who is believed to be Max Mayfield, a local Dallas resident who worked at a local bar and was reported missing the day this individual escaped from prison, and who matches the physical characteristics described. Locals claim to have seen these two individuals together before.
We will have more news soon. Stay tuned."
He didn't even blink. All Lucas wanted to do was hide his head in the sand. Go underground and never come out again. He tried to look around, but no one seemed shocked or interested in the news. They chatted and ate their appetizers quietly as usual.
He stood up and left the glass on the counter, trying to act normal. He took a deep breath to keep from panicking as he walked up the stairs to their room.
"Max?" He entered the room without knocking on the door, something the redhead immediately criticized. "We have a problem. We need to leave right now."
Lucas lay panting with his hands on his hips and Max had an question mark on her face, her hair and body still damp and wrapped in white towels.
"Already? Can't we just stay a few more days? Besides, we haven't even decided where we're going yet." Max seemed discouraged by such news as she unrolled the towel she was drying her hair with.
"We've been on the news," he approached her and began to whisper, "Dustin, among others, has heard about us. The crimes we commit, the cars we steal, the people we hurt, everything. The police is after us."
Max's blue eyes widened, still with traces of smudged mascara under her lower eyelids that insisted on not coming off.
"Exactly. Now imagine someone reporting us! That would be a nightmare!" He cupped her face with both hands. "I don't want this to end."
She pouted sadly. She didn't want it to end either.
The most frightening thing was how it could end. Max snorted and Lucas turned around and raised his arms in the air, letting them fall to his sides as a sign of frustration.
"Okay. Get our bags ready while I go pay for lodging and some food for the trip." With that, Sinclair left the room he had entered like a complete hurricane. Mayfield quickly pulled on a shirt that Lucas had been wearing that still had his perfume on it.
She placed the fabric against her face and breathed in the natural scent of his skin and the scent of the citrus perfume he used. She put on that shirt, a pair of jeans with colorful patches that Jane had given her, and tied her damp hair into two braids. She hurried to take off some clothes and put them in her backpack to get to Lucas as soon as possible.
After leaving the room, something stopped her in the middle of the hallway.
Jane.
She had just come out of the bathroom at the end of the hall. Had she overheard the conversation? For a moment, Max stood petrified in the middle of the hallway, as if she had been caught red-handed doing something she shouldn't have. In this case, running away from her own mistakes.
Guilt overwhelmed her heart. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her friend.
"Are you leaving already?" She could hear some disappointment in the brunette's voice.
"Yeah, I guess so." She let out a small laugh to keep the tears from wetting her eyes. She couldn't tell her the real reason why she was going to leave so abruptly.
Even in her despair, she couldn't confess. She couldn't let her down like that. It was her deepest secret and she wasn't proud of it.
"But don't worry, we'll visit you again soon." She stifled a sigh and tried to replace her worried expression with a forced smile.
A smile of relief appeared on Jane's sad face. She approached her friend.
"I really enjoyed meeting you. You have very good taste in everything and you're a nice person to talk to." Max let the words that the guilt had forced her to say out of her chest.
But the redhead was surprised to feel the brunette's arms wrap around her in a tight hug. She copied the gesture and hugged her back.
"I really enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you, too. I can't wait to see you again. I'll miss you." Jane said, resting her chin on Mayfield's shoulder.
As they pulled away from the hug, Jane held Max's face with both hands.
"Take care of yourself. I'll miss you." She finally admitted with a smile on her face. Max's eyes were already blurry and wet, but she could have sworn that Jane's eyes were wet, too.
They burst out laughing and hugged one last time. Then Max finally went downstairs to meet Lucas.
She mentally cursed herself for allowing to feel so emotional, but lately that was her natural state. There was no point in playing strong all the time. Maybe it was the nerves and the fear that the life she had built with Lucas was about to collapse.
LUCAS WENT DOWNSTAIRS and walked among the considerable number of people who were already filling the bar for lunch.
"I guess now you can tell me how much I owe you for these days." Lucas cleared his throat and approached Eddie who was cleaning the bar.
"Leaving already? So soon? You can stay a few more days and then we'll settle up... if you want." Munson frowned at him, feigning displeasure at their departure.
"Yeah... it's time to explore other places and have new experiences." Lucas fumbled for his wallet in his pocket. "But we appreciate everything you did for us. We really enjoyed being here."
"Great, the pleasure is all ours. And where do you want to go now?" Eddie asked, not hiding his curiosity, before mentioning the amount to be paid. Lucas took a large amount of notes out of his wallet without protesting. Munson looked him up and down in disbelief.
"Hm... we're still debating whether to go to Louisiana or straight to New York." Sinclair confessed, distracted by counting the notes. He admired the dollars before reaching out to take them, rightly suspecting they were stolen.
"Great... Listen, we wish you both all the best and thanks again for coming." Eddie gave him a friendly smile, putting the money away before going back to work. Lucas approached the door and saw Max coming towards him with Phoenix in her lap.
Outside, the dense cloud-covered sky announced a rainy day and the brisk wind made the trees sway. They walked to the Cadillac Brougham to put their bags in the trunk.
They were about to leave when a familiar voice stopped him from putting the key in the ignition. There was one more thing to do before they left.
"Lucas!"
He turned around and opened the car door. Erica ran towards the car. Lucas went to meet her, stopping the two of them in the middle of the parking lot.
"I forgive you." She said breathlessly from the small run as they approached. Lucas smiled from ear to ear and hugged his sister. He whispered a thank you in her ear.
"You're welcome. I don't want to hold a grudge. And I really hope you've changed." She took a hand out of her coat pocket and patted her brother's face in a friendly way. Lucas smiled weakly, but his sad eyes didn't lie.
Sorry to disappoint you, little sister, he thought. He would have liked to be able to tell her that, but he hadn't changed. And he didn't know if he ever would.
"Um... would you like to come with us?" He said, pointing over his shoulder at the car behind him with his thumb. Part of him wished she would say no, because he didn't want to drag her into the mess that was her life.
"No, don't worry. Go on with your life and I'll be right here in mine. Then come and see me when you can. Take care of yourself and have some sense, you are old enough to have it."
"Oh, I love you too, sis." He smiled, relieved and with a warm heart knowing that they were okay now.
"Ew. Go away." She laughed and kicked him hard in the arm, as they liked to do in that place. "Send a greeting from me to your girlfriend."
He laughed and took leave of her with a kiss on the forehead. He walked back to the car, still rubbing his sore arm.
Before getting into the car, he and Max waved to his sister, who was waving in the distance.
He sat in the car and finally turned the key in the ignition. He sighed in relief as he felt a weight lift from his heart. He stepped on the accelerator and drove away from the Hellfire Club where they had made so many memories together.
Max returned to the dark subject that haunted them.
"So were you the only one who saw the message or did someone else hear it?" She inquired, shifting in her seat to face Lucas.
"No, I wasn't the only one. Most people didn't seem very interested in the news. But... Eddie and Dustin were in the room at the time." He spoke thoughtfully, without taking his eyes off the road. "They could very well have heard something they weren't supposed to. Besides, it shouldn't be the first time we've been mentioned in a report."
"But we don't have to get paranoid or worry because they won't report us, right? After all, Eddie is a criminal too! Or are you going to say that you didn't notice the bags of drugs hidden in the bathroom?" The girl exclaimed.
"Yes, he is a drug dealer, but he is not a thief or a murderer!" It was clear that he was nervous. Max rested her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes, sighing as she stroked the puppy's head.
Lucas took a hand off the wheel and held Max's hand.
"Hey, everything's going to be okay. No matter what happens, we are in this together. And if anyone reports us, we'll be far from here by then." His eyes met hers for a moment and he gave her a reassuring smile.
For Lucas, the solution to everything was to escape. But they couldn't be running away forever.
"Oh, by the way, Erica sent greetings to my girlfriend." He put both hands back on the wheel and smiled mischievously.
"Hm..." The redhead nodded, pouting thoughtfully. "Seriously? And who is the lucky one?"
"Um... I don't know." He frowned, as if trying to remember who he was talking to. "But I think she's an incredible girl who goes everywhere with me, that has a beautiful, enviable red hair and unforgettable blue eyes, who makes me laugh like I've never laughed before. Who makes me dream even when there's no hope, who gives me strength even when I no longer have the courage, who makes me smile and feel peace in the middle of war and confusion." Her eyes filled with tears. "She is the woman I love."
She was speechless. And her expression revealed it. Max's shining sapphires were glued to his face. She was completely surprised. She didn't blink, it was as if time stood still.
"And I love you too." And she gave a quick kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.
They shared a shy and passionate silence while Tears for Fears filled the car with their voice over the radio.
IT WAS DAWN. Dark night took over the peaceful village. Its inhabitants were sheltered in the comfort of their homes because of the heavy rain. The dense clouds let the cold water fall from the sky like a wave in the ocean, flooding the town. The fierce wind howled strongly, changing the direction of the water drops and shaking the houses.
Occasionally, a beam of light would illuminate the sky for a second, followed by a loud roar like the sound of drums echoing throughout the area.
The person turned the sign on the glass door that said the place was now closed. They turned off the lights, but before leaving, they stopped and looked at the phone sitting on the edge of the counter. The person clenched their jaw in thought.
Thunder rumbled near the building, making them shudder, but that didn't stop them from walking over to the counter, grabbing the device, and punching in the numbers.
They placed the device on the left ear. The person made the call and waited.
"911, what is your emergency? How can we help you?" Echoed on the other side of the line. Their breathing was slow, deep, and strong.
"I need to make a report."
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