Sleep Keeper (28 page)

I could feel the anger throbbing inside of him. I knew I shouldn’t antagonize him, given my current vulnerable position, but I couldn’t help it. Hate bubbled inside and it was hard to bite my tongue.
What are each of us truly capable of and what holds us back? There's some part hidden inside all of us that is capable of heinous things. Be it out of revenge for the death of a loved one, greed, envy, or matters of the heart... That evil is there deep inside... waiting, quietly.
He had killed my best friend, threatened my child and lover, and supported the devastation of my world. I was infuriated… and wanted the chance to express my wrath.

“If you weren’t with child, I would teach you to treat me with a little more respect,” he threatened. His hands were balled into fists as he rocked back and forth. He reminded me of a psychiatric patient at Heritage Hill Hospital, gently rocking himself in an ill-fated attempt at self-control.

“You have never been deserving of anyone’s respect. Why do you think Mom and Dad didn’t love you?”

“You little bitch,” he snarled.

I knew I had gone too far.

He charged with immense speed; unfortunately for him, I was anticipating his assault. I twisted the bat from behind my back and swung with all my strength, aiming for his skull. A raw uncontrolled fury suffocated my fear and replaced it with a hunger for his death.

He reacted quickly and shielded his face. I heard a loud crack and Jeremy cried out as the bat snapped his forearm in two. Before I could steady my stance for a second swing, he grabbed the bat with his other hand and threw it across the room. It flew farther than expected and shattered the bedroom window.

He pinned me against the wall and struck the side of my face with the back of his hand. My head flew to the side, but I kept my balance. My jaw ached from the impact. The scene was bringing flashback from a nightmare long ago - I shook my head clear of the memory and jabbed my knee hard into his groin, but he blocked it with his knee and seized me by the throat, lifting me partially off the ground.

I clenched at his broken arm with both of my hands and twisted in opposite directions.

He shrieked and released my neck.

I fell onto the ground, my socks slipping on the hardwood floor.

He leaned over me and I flipped to my back, kicking him in the face. Pain shot through my foot from the impact of his nose and teeth.

He winced and clutched his face in agony. Blood splattered across my pants and onto the floor. I scooted back a few feet and stumbled to my feet. The blood soaked into my socks helped me gain stability.

He wavered in the center of the room with one arm tucked into his chest and the other hand cradling his nose.

I knew this was my chance to run past him and escape, but I couldn’t bring myself to run. I thought about what he might do later if I let him go. Would he ever stop tormenting my family? I wasn’t willing to take that chance. I surveyed the room for something to use as a weapon, but nothing looked injurious. I glanced at the lamp on the other side of the bed. It looked like it was made of some type of metal. It looked heavy enough.

Before I could make my next move, Jeremy charged again. I turned to my side and he rammed into me, grabbing a hold of my shoulders to take me down. I took several steps back to soften the impact and twisted my torso.

He lost his grip and fell to his knees.

I scurried back several feet more, into the bathroom. I pulled open a drawer and spotted the shears I used to cut an old pair of jeans last summer. As Jeremy rose to his feet, I leapt forward and swung the shears, aiming for his neck. He jumped back just enough for the blade to miss his neck and slice into his chest. They slid in only an inch and stopped as the metal hit bone.

“Oh, now you are dead!” he growled and punched me on the side of my face.

Pain spread across my cheekbone and over my eye. I fell backwards, but caught myself on the edge bathroom sink. Fresh blood soaked into my eye. My vision was dancing with flashing lights. He came closer and I lifted my foot. I kicked him in the stomach, hitting him with all my strength. He merely stumbled back several steps and quickly corrected his stance. He paused, hunched over, glaring at my with a fiery rage that left me petrified. I knew there was no going back for either one of us now. I thought about my baby and how reckless it was to let my chance to escape slip by. He only needed one good hit to destroy my world and kill my child. I was so foolish.

Suddenly, I heard siren’s blaring in the distance and moving closer at a considerable speed. Jeremy whipped his head toward the window then back at me. He took a step closer, then hesitated and looked back out the window. The sirens grew louder and it was obvious where they were headed. Without another thought, he turned and fled out the front door.

I lowered myself to the ground and waited as the sirens turned the corner near my house. My hands were trembling as the delayed panic set in. I covered my eyes and began to sob. Part of me was relieved he was gone, but the other part of me knew this wasn’t over and was disappointed that I failed to end it. Orion was hunting a heinous monster and I couldn’t even take down my pathetic brother. I felt completely useless.

I placed my hands on my stomach, “Are you okay in there little one?”

“Police! Ma’am, you all right?” a stern voice called from the bedroom entrance.

I jumped at the sound of his voice. I was so caught up in self-pity that I didn’t hear anyone enter.

“Uh… I think so,” I stammered.

The bright lights flickered on and momentarily blinded me. The officer leaned down as two more entered.

“Was there an intruder?” he asked.

“Yes, he ran when he heard the sirens,” I answered as I squinted.

The second officer spoke into his transmitter and quickly left the room.

“Do you know his identity?”

I hesitated.

I couldn’t finish him if he was behind bars and from what I discovered about Mitchell’s murder, he could still get to me.

“Ma’am?”

“Um, no, I don’t know who he was. I couldn’t see his face very well in the dark.”

“Is there anyone else in the house?”

“No.”

“We have more questions for you. Let’s go into the living room, where you’ll be more comfortable.”

He helped me to my feet. With my tight shirt and cotton pants, he noticed the small bulge protruded from my stomach.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked.

“Yes, almost 5 months.”

“We should take you to the hospital first to make sure everything’s okay. You might need stitches on that eye too,” he suggested.

I nodded. “I can drive myself. I’m going to stay at a hotel the rest of the night… what about my window? I can’t leave my house exposed.”

“Do you live here alone?”

“Yes, my boyfriend was… killed a few months back,” I sobbed. My answer stung as much as the question did.

It seemed to do the same thing to the officer, who displayed a rueful frown. “We’ll take care of it. We can board it up tonight until you get it fixed,” he offered.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

I threw some clothes in a small bag and drove myself to the hospital. Thankfully, the baby got a clean bill of health. They cleaned up my face and gave me three stitches for the gash. The officers met me at the hospital to finish their questioning. I answered with as few words as possible: I’m not sure; I can’t remember; it was too dark to tell. I could sense their frustrations but they let it go. I wondered if I was making the right choice by not turning Jeremy in.

My phone rang again and I checked the caller ID - Mom. It was the middle of the night so she must have known what happened. But what if she didn’t, should I tell her? What if Jeremy decided to go after her? On the other hand, even if I told her the truth, that probably wouldn’t stop her from supporting him, plus I didn’t want to drag her into this mess if I could keep her at arm’s distance. I finally just decided to wing it and answered the phone.

“Um, hello?” I said, trying to sound asleep.

“Alexis?! Is everything okay? I called earlier but you didn’t pick up,” she rushed.

“… Uh, yeah Mom, everything’s fine,” I stuttered.

“Where are you? I drove by and you weren’t home,” she asked hastily.

My heart started to race. “A hotel. I thought I heard a noise and got scared,” I explained. “Why did you come by so late?”

“I saw… I… um… just had a bad feeling… When you didn’t answer, I called the police and then drove over to your house, but no one was there,” she stammered.

“I’m fine, Mom,” I replied.

My mind was too fuzzy to deal with her. I would decide tomorrow after a few hours of sleep if I should tell her the truth. I quickly ended the call with Mom and drove to the closest hotel I could find. I crawled into their bed. It felt different lying in a stranger’s bed, but all I had to do was think of Orion and I melted right in. I tossed around for a few minutes, trying to find a position that comforted my stinging face without laying flat on my back. I finally settled down and closed my eyes. Twenty minutes later…

I opened my eyes to a bright white world. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of soft snow. The smooth layer of snow stretched into untouched ripples across the brush. Their rich green color dipped in white snow made the robust pines look majestic. The azure sky was not its usual blend of lavender and rose. Billowy clouds as pale as the snow below them, drifted slowly by.

The air was crisp and fresh, like a splash of cool water on a hot summer day. For the amount of snow on the ground, I was surprised I was only slightly chilled in the cotton pants and T-shirt I fell asleep in. I watched as the mists of steam from my breath vaporized into the cool air. My face no longer ached, but I felt heat tingling through my cheek.

“Hey!” Orion called from a hundred feet away. “I was worried about you,” he said as he hiked over. As he drew closer, his smile dropped and mouth hung down in disapproval.

“What happened?!” he gasped.

“What do you mean,” I stammered. I placed my hand against my wounded cheek. I felt the emanating heat and quickly pulled it away.

He cocked his head with squinted eyes, “Your face… I could swear it was bruised a moment ago, but now...” he grazed his hand against my face, “you’re burning up!”

I pulled back, “I’m fine,” I assured him and stared at the ground. It was hard to lie and look him in the eyes.

“Damn it Alexis, what happened?” he demanded.

I guess I carried my wounds over to this world this time. Seemed the rules were slowly changing… worlds molding together. Maybe my mind isn’t the only thing moving between worlds. If that’s the case, whose baby is this?

I sighed, “I was going to tell you. When I awoke, Jeremy was there. We had… an altercation… then he fled. I’m fine and the baby’s fine. I’m sorry I let him get away.”

Orion’s face was tense with an impotent anger, “I hate that I can’t protect you!”

“I hate that you need to,” I responded.

A light breeze swept by and I shivered.

“Here, I brought along some gear for you.”

He handed me a pair of boots and a white snowsuit, which I gladly slipped on over my clothes. Leyland pulled out his new sword and was watching the sunbeams dance off the sharp blade, pretending not to hear the awkward conversation.

“Nice sword,” I pretended to admire, attempting to change the topic.

“Thanks. Still got my cleaver too,” he grinned and pointed to his belt.

I tried to fake a grin.

“Where are we?” I asked Orion.

“Kyro, a little over a thousand kilometers north of Onasius. We should be able to see Mount Kalloni in an hour.”

“Wow, how’d you get here so fast?”

“We traveled by air. There are faster ways of transportation if the situation calls for it,” Orion explained.

Leyland chucked, probably at my lack of understanding of this world. I ignored him and joined them on the hike.

The hours danced by, but I wouldn’t have known it. Fatigue never came even though we shuffled through the snow. We continued to push our way through the forest until we entered a small clearing that led to the base of a grand snow-covered mountain made of stone and ice. The base of the mountain was wrapped in cascading water and wildflowers.

“Mount Kalloni. It has the largest glacier system on any peak on this continent,” Orion stated.

I watched in awe as the sunlight shimmered off the ice-covered rocks scattered across the mountain, like tiny diamonds dancing in the sky.

“The mountain itself is over 14,000 feet tall. It’s the tallest of the great volcanoes that make up the foundation of the Sierra Range - a network of mountains extending over two thousands kilometers across many lands. The peaks are part of an arc that surrounds the ocean with volcanoes and oceanic trenches. It houses over 400 volcanoes and 80% of the world’s largest earthquakes,” he continued.

I giggled softly at his lecture. He had the natural gift of teaching. I liked it. Leyland seemed uninterested in the geology lesson.