Page 37 of Beautiful Nightmare
The magnificent moth has returned. Which means someone is about to die. Perhaps it is me?
The light vanishes, and I tumble to the ground.
Then my vision fades to black.
Heavy eyes slowly open.
My throat dry, I cough, only to breathe in more smoke and dust. Ears ring as I glance around. My eyes blink slowly while my brain attempts to register what it’s seeing. Lying here moments longer, I decide to rise. Rolling from my back to my stomach, I shake my hair, and more dust begins to float around me, causing me to sneeze. Adjusting my body to all fours, I slowly stand still, confused about the current state of where I am… Where am I?
With a furrowed brow, I look down, and my dress is torn and tattered, barely covering the important parts. Walking through the rubble, it’s time to explore, my frazzled mind decides. With each step, Ikeep analyzing the rubble around me. Confused, I am unable to comprehend how I have ended up here. With each step, pieces of debris embed themselves into the pads of my feet. Flashing red and blue lights catch my attention, and I tilt my head, curious, while the ringing in my ears continues.
Looking up, the night sky surrounds us. I allow myself to be captivated by it until I am rudely interrupted.
Startled, voices echo. Looking down, my eyes squint while everything races back, flooding my mind. I let out a deep exhale.
“Ma’am, please come with me,” are the first words I hear. A warm blanket follows, being thrown over my shoulders.
“You have been in a horrible accident. You are okay,” another voice reassures me. My ankles twist, and I nearly trip while gripping my blanket, and a strong hand grasps my arm to steady me.
Then I stop.
Everyone who is frantic around me watches, not moving. They wait in anticipation, brows raised as my curious mind questions.
“How long has it been?”
A man with a fireman’s jacket flutters toward me.Reading his badge, I note it saysFire Chief Terry. “Please, we must get you to the hospital,” he insists.
Shaking my head, I decline. “No. Tell me, how long has it been?”
Nobody listens, and bodies resume moving. The man gripping my arm continues to pull me forward even though I resist.
Screaming, as tears flow freely and the adrenaline crash washes over, I say, “Someone answer me!”
Everyone stills, Terry looks petrified, but he responds cautiously. “What do you last remember?”
Squinting, I search my brain for the answer. Beckham coming in me inside the dirty yellow-and-red tent flashes in my head.
“Fright Night.”
Terry looks pained.
“Weeks, miss. Weeks.”
SOME TIME LATER
His body was never found. It vanished or evaporated; I don’t know.
I keep a black candle lit at all times to banish evil and give myself protection.
Hewill never hurt me again.Heis fucking gone.
Bronte, my familiar, who is also the cutest tuxedo cat in the world, nudges me, looking for cuddles while I sit in my nook, gazing out at the garden.
After everything, I disappeared. Nurses at the hospital had their backs turned, and I snuck out. As soon as my skin felt the fresh air, I ran and didn’t stop running until I reached home.
My childhood home in the woods.
I collapsed. Passing out for hours before wakingagain, and when I did, Bronte was by my side, and I knew then that this was right. I would be okay.