Time

Prologue

         I honestly had not expected it to end like this, but I guess it has to sometime. The clouds above us look darker than when we first began our trek. Thunder rumbles through, but strangely there are no sparks of lightning. Squinting, I can make the large out line of a familiar, smoky mass. Chills creep up my spine. “Mason, do you see that?”
         Mason stops to my left and narrows his eyes. “Do you mean the thunderstorm or the beam of light?”
         I blow out a breath of relief. I am the only one who sees the deadly fog weaving in and out of the clouds. It is my final Fear, which made complete sense as to why Mason is not see what I am seeing. “Never mind,” I turn to Mason and shift the backpack to my other shoulder. “It was just another cloud.” I lie. If Mason knows it was another Fear he would try to hold me back.
         He studies my face for a moment. “Are you sure?” Confusion laces his voice as we begin to walk closer. The Fear is still a few blocks away; but I can hear its deep rolling voices intertwining in one, calling my name. It rattles every bone inside of me.
         I nod and brush my dark brown hair out of my eyes, “Yeah, what now?”
         “It looks like it could rain,” Mason states, eyeing the clouds. “We need to head to shelter.” He heads toward a row of stable brick houses. I follow in step with him, but this time it isn’t hard to keep up. Before, his stride was so big, it always felt like I was running to keep up with him. My lips tilt up in a pleasant smile. Maybe he is finally putting forth some effort to not leave me behind. “I guess we’ll stay here for the night and then head out in the morning. We still have five hours. A little sleep won’t hurt, but we do need to come up with a strategy on how to get around that beam of light and the storm. They both look potentially dangerous…” Mason’s voice drops off as we neared a blue-grey colored house with navy blue shutters. “Looks like this will be home for tonight.” He jiggles the handle, before the door opens with a loud pop. “After you.”
         I walk past him and step into the dim foyer. Mason moves around me, feeling the walls for a light switch. “Found it,” he mutters as light spills from above. We both take in a sharp breath. The room is beautiful. Black wrought iron designs trim the crème colored walls. Every inch of the room is decorated in burgundy and black antiques. Mason passes me quietly, sloshing his wet shoes across the antique rug. Something from his drooped shoulders and silence tells me he needs to be left alone for a while.
         Although we are the only people on Earth, I can’t muster the courage step on the beautiful rugs. It feels wrong not to take care of people’s property. The kitchen is a few steps farther down the wide hall and to the right. Sixties mod appliances line the walls and countertops. My eyes drift to the circular sea foam fridge. Without electricity, all of the food inside would be undoubtedly spoiled. Instead, I peruse the black lacquered cupboards. My hands reach into the depths of the first shelf and locate a bag of chips. Hunger resurfaces at the sight of the yellow and white bag. Shoving the bag into my pack, I head upstairs to see if Mason is in the mood to eat.
         The upstairs is a swank as the downstairs in decoration. Two large rooms with their own bathrooms take up most of the space, except for a small closet and house maid quarters. I find Mason in the master bed room, standing on the landing over looking out across the sky. As I inch closer, he turns, fist up, ready to attack.
         “Sorry,” we both blush.
         He unclenches his fist and drags his hand through his thick hair. “Are you hungry?” The kitchen is full of snacks, but I grabbed us some chips.” I push the bag out to him, apologetically. He smiles and takes a few chips. “You seemed upset earlier…Everything okay?”
         Mason nods eagerly, but I don’t buy it. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just ready for all of this to be over. I’m ready to be surrounded by people other than you.” The words come out too quick. I know he isn’t stating it in a rude way, but that doesn’t stop my heart from dropping. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe, he hadn’t changed at all. “Rie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
         “It’s fine.” I find a chair to sink into. I try to focus on other things, but keep getting distracted by the Fear’s voice. It’s not as loud as it was out side and Mason can’t hear it, because it’s attached to me. It’s my burden until I can face it on my own. A long period of silence stretches between us.
         A small laugh escapes Mason, breaking the quiet. He sinks down on the chair beside me. “You know, when I was younger and my mom would take me to soccer practice, we would always pass this house. I wanted it so bad, but I couldn’t have it. Obviously because I was a kid, but also because I knew at a young age, I’d never amount to anything. I’d be like my dad.
         “I wanted a lot of things. But now that I’m in this house, it doesn’t feel any better. As soon as I walked into that door, all of the regrets that I ever had popped back into my head. Now I realize how foolish I was to even want these things. Then, I got to thinking of how big of a jerk I have been to everyone around me. The last day I saw my sister, I yelled at her for being in my room. I stole my mom’s car keys. It all seems so stupid now. You on the other hand have no regrets at all it seems. You’re so perfect. I think that’s why I couldn’t stand you growing up. You saw the world as something beautiful and you embraced it. I hated that I could never see the world like you.”
         Mason’s words astonish me. Perfect? Oh please. My life was far from perfect. My entire life has been spent living in a box of protection. I was always too afraid to let my walls down. Growing up, I was jealous of how much fun he always seemed to have while every emotion I had was blank. He had the bravery to try new things, but I am a coward. “I regret things too.” The sadness in my voice surprises me. I hug my knees to my chest and start to cry. This was too much, all of it. The Fear, the closeness. I feel stuck and when I felt that way before, I always ran; but now, there’s no where to run.
I am too young to be going through this. This can’t be happening to me at eighteen. I am supposed to be older, gray haired, wiser…ready.
         “What could you possibly regret?” Mason sits forward and pulls my barrier down.
         I wipe my face with me sleeve, “You’ve never been scared to do what you want to do. You’re brave and I’m hiding in my little shell. You’ve been in a ton of relationships; but I’ve never even been kissed before.”
         “When we get things back to normal that will all change. Through the past three days, you’ve saved my more times than I can count. You’ve never given yourself enough credit. You’re beautiful, kind, and talented. That counts as pretty damn lucky to me.” Mason’s hand reaches up and wipes a tear off my cheek.
Tell him the truth… I think to myself. Don’t build his hopes up. “What if we don’t make it back?”
Mason’s hand trails down my face and tilts my chin up to where we’re eye to eye. The iciness in his blue eyes is gone. Now, they are soft and comforting. “Do you trust me?”
I nod, almost paralyzed by his touch.
         “Good.” He gives me a half hearted smile. “We both need some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.” He leans back on the couch and closes his eyes. “There’s a bed down the hall, but I think it’d be safer if we stayed together in case those things come back.
         It dawns on me he still hasn’t called the Fears by their name. I agree, despite knowing they wouldn’t show up again. Not his Fears, at least. “You’re probably right.” I look down at my hand. The black lines have grown from a bruise, into faded illegible writing. Something has to end this…and that something is me.