Opening for a short story. Romance between human boy and demonic girl. |
Through her violet eyes Time seemed to be running out for Jason Keith as the blood slowly seeped through his faded blue jean jacket. As all the sounds of the busy city started to fade, Jason could only hear the sounds of his heart beating away in his chest. His memories began to flood back to him. A flash of his mom, his dad, his older brother Scott, and then, there she was. It was October and the leaves were falling all around her face. She was so pretty, but something was wrong. Her face was different somehow. Her eyes were black and, dear God what was that coming out of her hands. One year earlier It was Monday morning and Jason was late to class again. Panic raced through his mind. All he could think about was the words of his professor Adams telling him that one more absence and he was out. Jason picked up speed. He was now in fourth gear and had no plans of slowing down until he saw the college on the horizon. The small road was barely big enough to accommodate his black Tahoe, and at these speeds. Jason could only hope he did not meet another vehicle. As he sped around the final curve before the campus came into view, it happened. Alexis was on her way to her ancient civilizations class and she was a little late, but it was no problem. She had the Professor eating out of the palm of her hand. She had more knowledge of ancient Rome than even he had. Alexis was walking today because her friend Braden still had her car. He had gone on a date last night and his Metro just wouldn’t do the trick, so naturally Alexis’s new Mustang became the victim of the horrors of college date night. She didn’t mind though because their apartment was only a mile away and this was the perfect weather. Alexis heard the tires squeal, but didn’t have time to turn before, she felt an excruciating pain shoot from the back of her legs, through her spine, then up to her neck. She flew over the hood of the car and rolled over the top. She hit the concrete with a sickening blow. As she was blacking out she saw the car come to a halt and the door open. After that she saw only darkness. Jason could not believe what had just happened. Had he really just hit someone? As his heart sped like the car that he had just gotten out of, he struggled to grasp hold of his cell phone because of the uncontrollable trimmers in his hands. Please don’t let her be dead, was the only thought that ran though his mind. Finally when Jason got a hold of himself and dialed 911 he told them everything that had just happened. He then ran to her side and saw the blood pooled around her head. Her dark auburn hair was soaked in the crimson liquid. This is bad, Jason thought to himself. As Jason sat on the ground with his head in his hands, he heard the sirens wailing away in the distance. He knew that they were close. As he looked back down at her, she did the unthinkable-She opened her eyes and stared right at him. Her gaze never left him for a full two minutes. Jason said “The ambulance is on its way just don’t move.” Soon her violet eyes closed again and Jason was sure she was dead. When the ambulance arrived, Jason stayed as close as possible to the paramedic to see if he could catch any news. He told them she had opened her eyes and had looked at him and they reassured him that was a good sign but there was no way of telling whether she would make it or not. Noticing his disturbance one of the paramedics told Jason that it was ok for him to follow them to the hospital. After they had loaded Alexis up and brought her into the hospital, Jason waited in the waiting room regretting all the decisions that he had made earlier that day. If he had gone straight to class and not stopped to eat with his friends, that beautiful girl would be perfectly fine right now and not fighting for her life. Jason had his head in his hands and was almost to the point of passing out when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up with a startled look on his face and saw a police officer looking down at him with a very stern look on his face. He was tall but on the chunky side. His belly stuck out like a woman in the final stages of pregnancy. And his double chin covered the collar of his shirt that kind of made him look like a bulldog with a sweater. “Excuse me sir are you Jason Keith?” He asked. “Yes sir” Jason had been so worried about what was happening to the girl that he forgot that he had hit her while driving and was going to have to answer to the police. “Mr. Keith I need to have a word with you about what happened this morning and the events leading up to the accident.” “Yea, um, sure whatever you want to know just ask. I really want to help.” “Well, Mr. Keith, can you start by telling me how you know the young lady in there? Is she an ex-girlfriend or a friend?” ”No, I have never seen her before in my life.” Jason said as he adjusted himself in his seat.. “Ok, so you don’t know her name or where she is from or anything like that?” as the cop spoke Jason noticed that he had this really bad habit of talking with is hands. It seemed that every word had some type of hand jester to go along with it. “No, I do know she goes to my school though because she had on a sweater that said UMaine on it.” As hard as he tied to, Jason found it hard to look to officer in the eyes the guilt was building up along with some tears. Feeling a little uncomfortable the cop found himself a seat next to Jason. As he reached for his pen the cop began to ask Jason some more questions. “Alright son, now tell me what happened. What events lead to this accident?” “I was driving to school and went around Falcon Point curve close to the campus. She was on the road walking and there was no way to see her until I went around the curve. I swear I didn’t see her until it was too late. She was on the wrong side of the road and I couldn’t swerve to miss her. Oh no! Did I kill her? Is that why you are looking at me like that?” “Now son calm down! The doctors are working on her now, I just needed to know what happened and if you knew the girl or not. I’ll be talking to you again and soon. Now if you could give me a number to reach you at I’ll leave you alone.” “Uh yeah, my cell number is 866-4598. You can call it anytime and reach me.” “Ok. You said you go to the university right?” “Yes sir, I am majoring in business. But if you can’t find me on campus, I am probably downtown at Maine Discount Realty on Main Street I am working there for now.” “All right ,son, thank you and I’ll be in touch soon.” “Yeah thanks.” Jason stood up and walked over to the nurses’ station he was going to ask for the tenth time in an hour how the girl was doing but was cut off by the nurse answering the phone. “Acadia Hospital. How may I help you?” “Yes sir, a unidentified woman was brought in about two hours ago and is now being operated on. If you would like to come down here you can wait and possibly identify her as your friend as soon as she is stable. Yes and thank you sir.” “Yes sir may I help you?” “I came in with the girl hit by the car, I was just wondering about her condition.” “Like I told you an hour ago, you are not family and I cannot give you any information at this time. If you would like to wait, a possible friend is on the way and if he identifies her you can ask him for information on the girl. Other than that, you will just have to take a seat and wait.” With frustration taking over him Jason said, “Thanks a lot. You are so helpful.” Feeling mad and aggravated Jason clinched his fist and rolled his eyes as he turned to go back to his seat. Two more hours had passed and Jason was still sitting in the waiting room. A guy had come in about an hour and a half ago and had gone straight back to the patient rooms; he had obviously known the girl because he hadn’t come back out. Maybe she was fine and her friend was talking to her and she was laughing and talking about leaving soon. On the other hand maybe she was dead and the guy was mourning over her and calling her family. Jason had so many things going through his mind he didn’t even see the man walking towards him. “Hey! Are you Jason Keith?” “Yeah” Jason said and as he looked up. It was the guy there visiting the girl. Jason jumped up and bombarded the guy with questions. “Hey do you know her? Are you a friend? Is she ok? Can she go home soon? Is there any permanent damage?” “Hey, slow down. My name is Braden and I’m Lexis roommate. They told me you are the jerk who hit her this morning.” As Braden spoke his face began to get red. “If she would have died I would have personally killed you and made it slow and painful do you hear me. What kind of person runs over another like an animal in the road?” “Man it was an accident! She was on the wrong side of the road in Falcon Point curve and I couldn’t see her until it was too late.” Blood began to rush through Jason vanes and his face began to turn red. “I have been sitting here this whole time even though they told me to go home.” He said as he pointed toward the nurses in the front lobby. “The cops said it wasn’t my fault, and the doctors will not tell me anything about her but I stayed here anyway. I just want to know how she is doing and I want to see her to apologize.” “That isn’t happening anytime soon buddy so why don’t you just leave and we can avoid a big scene in the middle of the hospital.” At that time everyone in the waiting room was beginning to stare. “Or I can just sit here until she recuperates enough to come out those doors, and then I’ll apologize to her.” One of the nurses from the front desk heard the ruckus and was getting up to go stop any violence that might be happening. “Whatever dude. Do what you want, but you can’t come in because I am her only family and I control who sees her.” With those final words Braden turned and walked back towards Alexis’ room. “Fine, I’ll wait.” Jason said as he sat back down. Jason sat there in the hospital for three days leaving only to eat in the cafeteria and use the restroom down the hall. A friend brought him clothes everyday and had gotten him one week off from his classes to recuperate from the accident. Ironically his class the morning of the accident had been canceled anyway and since he had permission to miss the rest of the week he didn’t have to worry about failing his classes. Every time Braden walked in the hospital, he looked over the waiting room expecting the guy to be gone but every time no matter morning, noon, or night there was Jason. Each time that Braden saw Jason his blood would begin to races through his veins. What he wouldn’t give to make him pay. For some reason he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jason. He had to really be sorry for what had happened to stay in the hospital this long. After the fourth day he gave in and decided to talk to him again. “Listen man I told you I’m not leaving until I talk to her and that is it,” Jason said as he looked at Braden walking towards him. “I know. That is why I have decided to let you talk to Lexie, but you have to promise that if she gets upset you will leave.” Jason was thrilled to hear this and said, “Ok fine just let me talk to her.” “Come on she’s this way.” As they walked down the long cold hallway Jason began to worry. He had known he wasn’t leaving until he saw her but hadn’t thought of what to say. As they approached room 714, Braden walked inside and told Jason to wait while he checked with Alexis. Jason agreed and stood across the hallway from her door. He was alone with his thoughts and was considering what to say. Hi, I am really sorry about what happen…No…Um Hey how are you doing…No that’s stupid… Braden opened the door a few minutes later and told him to come in. Jason’s legs felt like Jell-O and he thought he would fall before reaching the door. He braced himself on the wall and then crossed the hall to enter her room. At first sight he thought it was the wrong room, this girl in the chair by the window looked perfect. There were no machines hooked up to her or beeping sounds coming from the room, this girl didn’t even look sick. She was sitting there looking at him with those same violet eyes he had seen at the accident. Her dark hair was sweeping across her face and down past her shoulders. She was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans and looked perfect, until she stood up. When she did Jason saw that her leg had been broken and had a cast on it. Braden got up to help her but Jason got to her first. He gently held her arm as she rose to hop over to a wheelchair. Once seated in the chair she looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you,” she said with the most beautiful voice Jason had ever heard. “I just had to see you and apologize. I have been here this whole time waiting until you were ready to see me. Hoping you were going to be all right and praying that you could find it to forgive me even though I don’t deserve it.” “Your name is Jason right.” Jason nodded in agreement. “Braden told me you were out there waiting everyday but I didn’t believe him. I thought he was just trying to make me feel better.” “No I really was out there the whole time, a buddy of mine from school brought me some stuff and got me some time off from classes so I could be here.” “Oh you go to UMaine?” “Yes I’m a real estate major I was on my way to class when I, well…” “Listen Jason I know you feel terrible about this and so do I. It was my fault too; I was walking on the wrong side of the road in a curve. I would be lying though if I said I wasn’t mad at first. I was truly furious when I found out someone had hit me on the road. Then a cop came in and told me he had talked to the young man who had hit me and had said that your story matched what the cops had found out too based on skid marks and stuff like that. I remembered being on the wrong side of the road because I had seen a bird and wanted to get a closer look at it. It was stupid but I thought I would hear a car before it came around the curve, I guess I didn’t though.” “Well I should have thought quicker and swerved to miss you I guess I just didn’t see you soon enough, but please don’t blame yourself at all. I did this and whatever you need please tell me and I will do it. I want to help as much as I can.” “Well right now I need to get out of this hospital. I’m told I have been released and can leave when I’m ready. Boy am I ever ready.” Alexis smiled again and Jason thought he would melt. “Please let me help you I have my car outside, I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.” “Ok that sounds great, a little weird that I will be riding in the car that hit me but ok.” Jason walked behind Alexis and started pushing the wheelchair towards the door. Braden walked back in with a stunned look on his face. “Jason is going to drive me home Braden isn’t that nice of him?” “No. I will drive you home I have your Mustang outside waiting for you.” Braden said with an annoyed look on his face. “Yea but I have a Tahoe and she will be able to sit more comfortably in it. A Mustang is so small she would have to lay across the backseat because her leg is in a cast and outstretched.” “It’s ok Braden I think it is a good idea I need to talk to Jason a little more. Jason and Alexis talked all the way to Alexis’s apartment and when they arrived Jason helped Alexis out of the car and into the apartment. It turned out they had a lot in common. They shared a love of old architecture and homes in ancient cities. They ended up planning to see each other the next day and after that they started seeing more and more of each other. People saw them around the campus together all the time and everyone thought that they were a match made in heaven. As the next few months flew by Jason was sure that Alexis was “The One” they were together all the time now. After her cast was taken off Alexis moved most of her stuff into Jason’s apartment and was quite happy living there. Jason knew everything about Lexie except were she went once a month every month. He didn’t want to push the subject much though because everyone has to have their own private time to unload their minds and think a little. When Jason questioned her about it she said she was hanging out with some old friends. As October approached Jason and Alexis were preparing for their one-year anniversary. They decided that the night before their anniversary they were going to do what a married couple does. They were going to spend the night before away and weren’t allowed to see each other until the party which their friends were throwing them the next afternoon. Jason’s friends wanted him to come to a club with them since he hadn’t come with them partying in so long. He reluctantly agreed and accompanied them to the bar “On the Rocks” After about three hours Jason located his friends and said he was going back to Greg’s place. They teased him a bit about being “whipped” but said their goodbyes for the night. To avoid the lines at the front door Jason decided to exit through the back alley. As he was walking toward the street he heard a muffled sound from behind him. As he turned he saw her standing there in the shadows. He started to say who’s there but only got out who… Before a sound was made she struck. Jason looked into the love of his life’s eyes as she stuck her hands of blazing fury into his chest. Time seemed to be running out for Jason Keith as the blood slowly seeped through his faded blue jean jacket. As all the sounds of the busy city started to fade Jason could only hear the sounds of his heart beating away in his chest. He looked up at Lexie and nothing made sense. Alexis stood over him crying as she realized she had actually done it. It was tradition for female demons in her clan to resort back to their primal form on the Full Moon. Knowing this Alexis always came into Newport on the Full Moon and preyed upon those drunken slobbering fools behind the bars and clubs to control her need to kill. Never did she think that her Jason would come out those doors and stumble through the alley. She wailed out into the night calling her other members of her clan to her. She told them of what had happened and that this was her true love Jason, they were shocked. They knew she liked this mortal but had no idea it was her one love. As she moaned again into the night air her fellow demons looked on. Suddenly behind Alexis’s back Jason arose. Her fellow demons said to her that nothing could separate true love as she looked at them bewildered. They nodded to turn and as she did she looked through her violet eyes into the blackness of Jason’s. |