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December 3-December 9, 2006

December 3, 2006

It seems like Veronica and I have been running forever before I ask her where we're going.

“We have to get you away from there,” she answers, only glancing back at me. The funny thing is that while I'm sucking wind, the way she sounds, you'd think she was walking at a leisurely pace.

“But where are we even? And who were those guys chasing me?” My mind flashes back to them and all I can really remember is two or three or four coming after me. I can't even remember what they looked like—if they even were men.

Veronica stops. I'm thankful for the chance to stop, and stoop down, my hands on my knees, bent over and panting. “You don't remember?” she asks. I shake my head. “You really don't?”

Next thing I know, she has a hand on my face. The long white gloves are gone now, though I don't remember when she took them off, and I can't see where they went. I straighten a little and she kisses me.

We kiss for a long time, open mouthed, bodies colliding as she runs her hand through my hair and I grip at her hair, her butt, her arms—whatever I can. I think of how I missed her, but can't remember why we're apart.

Then I can't remember why we're even here.

Then I hear the whimpering.

I break away for a moment, looking downward. Chang's there, curled up and shivering on the pavement against the outside of a brick building. Veronica touches my face again, turning me back to her, kissing me.

I turn away. “Hold on. It's my friend.”

“No, let's forget about him. Forget about everything.”

I take hold of her wrists, firmly but softly, pushing her arms back to her side. “No. I have to help him.” I take a step away from her. “Chang, what's going on?”

“I can't believe you're leaving me,” Veronica says.

I turn back to her. “Just give me a minute. Can't you see—” I trail off in a groan, collapsing to the pavement after she kicks me in the groin. And with that, she walks away.

I roll over, grimacing in my own pain, to face Chang. “H-hey,” he manages, shaking.

December 4, 2006

“This man needs help!” I yell, entering the hospital. The main entrance leads right into a hallway, where doctors and nurses stand waiting. I labor under Chang's weight, his arm over my shoulders, body against mine as I half carried him here.

The doctors leap into motion and get Chang loaded on a rollaway bed, then take him off to a room. I have a seat in the hallway. There doesn't seem to be any real waiting area in this hospital so I just sit there alone in the hallway, as hospital personnel whirl by me.

All of a sudden, I'm conscious I've been waiting for hours. I get up and walk to the reception desk. “Hi, I wanted to check up on the man I brought in here before—his name's Derek Chang.”

The heavyset nurse working there tilts her head down, peering over her glasses at me. “Are you family?”

“Well—actually, yes.”

She turns to a computer. “And your name?”

“ Preston Burns.”

The woman types in my name, then turns back to me. “There's no record of you being family.”

“It's complicated. He's my half brother, and he was adopted.”

“Mr. Burns, I don't have time for stories. Now if you'd like to have a seat and wait, you can see Mr. Chang when he comes out.”

“But when will he be out?”

She shrugs. “I can't say.”

I'm set to argue the point further when the lights flicker and dim. I peer down the hallway and see them coming.

The shadows.

There are two of them and they're closing in on me fast. I look back to the nurse, but she's gone. It's just me and the shadows. I bolt for the main exit.

A door swings open, and Sam steps out licking an ice cream cone. I bump right into him, sending us each stumbling, and knocking the ice cream from his hands. “What's the big idea, Presto?”

I look behind me and point to where the shadows are coming closer.

Teri pops out the door from behind Sam. She takes one look at the shadows and takes hold of my hand, then we're both running. Somehow, she pulls me along faster than I've ever run, out the door and outside.

A car stops in front of us and I see Dave behind the wheel, Mike riding shot gun. “Go with them,” Teri says.

“No, you've gotta come too,” I say. “It's not safe out here.”

“I'll be fine.” Teri peers behind her. I can't see the shadows now, but I'm sure they aren't far behind. “Now get out of here!”

December 5, 2006

“Thanks for the lift guys,” I say, just before reeling backward as Dave peels away with the car.

“No problem, buddy,” he calls back. “We're gonna get you where you need to go.”

I look out the window, and wonder where we are headed. It's raining hard outside, and looking ahead of me, the windshield wipers swing into motion. For the moment, I'm glad to be dry, and glad that we're getting far away from the shadows.

I wonder what the shadows are, but in the same instant, decide that Mike and Dave will think I'm crazy if I mention them. They're after me specifically, and I don't think anyone else knows about them, or can see them. Maybe I'm crazy. I'm not about to face those shadows down, though.

Looking back out my window, it's sunny, and it's daytime. We're rolling past grass and trees as we rush along the highway. I look ahead and it's my father driving the car, my mother riding shotgun. I have to stretch to see out the windshield, and I'm suddenly conscious that I'm smaller than I was moments ago. But then, I'm the size I should be. I'm even a little tall for a ten year old kid.

“How much longer till we get there?”

“Got about another 150 miles,” Dad says.

“I told you, that doesn't mean anything to me,” I complain, frustrated, and slumping in my seat. “How many hours?”

Dad chuckles as Mom turns back to face me. “Just another couple hours, Preston . Try to go back to sleep.”

“Don't sleep.” I turn to my side. Matt's there, old as he is now, wearing that heavy stubble he gets after a couple days without shaving. “Try to wake up, Preston .”

“I'm awake,” I say. “What's going on here?”

“I don't know,” Matt looks away. “But you were looking for the girl in the red dress, and it's time you got back on it.”

“But I'm so tired,” I say, my head tilting back.

“No, Preston , you can't give up.”

I close my eyes.

December 6, 2006

standing at the edge of a dark alleyway. Peering down I see the massive form of the shadows. They move like two big men, stalking toward me.

I spin around to go another direction, but all of a sudden, there's a brick wall behind me. I press my hands against it, sure it must be fake, but there's no sign of that. I pat it, looking for a hole, or a door or something. It's pointless, though. I turn, and the shadows are closer. They must have been a long ways away before, because they look absolutely huge now, looming closer.

Peering between their shoulders, I see something behind them. At first, it's just a flicker of light in the darkness. Then everything's a little lighter—except for the shadows themselves. But then the space behind them gets clearer.

I see Ray and April there, then my parents standing beside them. They're all in formal wear—tuxedoes and gowns. Then I see that April's is a wedding dress—and so is my mother's. Then I see Avery beside her. Matt and Joey are there too. I blink and Teri's there—then she has Sam by her, and they're standing in The Window office. I blink again and it's the suite. Mike's splitting between Dave and Chang to dunk the ball into our little plastic hoop.

The shadows come closer, blocking my view. Soon, all I can see past them is a red dress—the red dress. I remember that's what I was after in the first place. I don't remember why or what it means, but I remember that I have to get to it. The shadows are so close that it almost seems like it's dark again. I take a deep breath, then charge straight through them.

And I wake up.

December 7, 2006

I open my eyes. From the beginning, my left eye hurts, but after I blink a few times, things come into focus. I reach up and touch my face, and the skin stings.

Everything's white around me, and soon enough, and I hear a beeping sound in a steady rhythm. In another moment, I can recognize the equipment around me—the steel bars that line my bed, the IV at my side, the elevated TV in the corner. The realization hits that I'm in a hospital.

“ Preston ? Preston ?” I hear a voice say. “He's awake!” I turn and see Teri walking from me. I feel a little dizzy, just following her motion, and get to wondering what the hell is going on.

“Teri?” I try to call, but I can barely get out a whisper. I clear my throat and try again.

“ Preston , you're awake!” she says, leaning over me. She looks like she wants to hug me but holds off.

“ Preston !” Chang's standing over me a second later. “Thank God.”

Soon there are doctors and nurses, taking measurements, keeping Teri and Chang back. Then Dave's there. I can't understand half of what people are saying.

Before long, all I want to do is sleep, but no one wants to let me. Everyone has questions. Everyone seems so concerned. I just want to know what's going on.

I remember the neon blue dragon, hanging over the dance floor. It fades. I can't remember. Now all I can remember is a red dress, but I have no idea what that means.

Before long, I go back to sleep.

December 8, 2006

Yesterday feels like a wasted day. For all of people's concerns, I didn't learn a thing about what was going on, and I can't imagine that they got what they were looking for either. The doctors just kept asking me those stupid questions—if I knew my name, if I knew who the president was. When I wake up today, they seem satisfied to talk to me a little more seriously.

“You were in a coma, Preston ,” one of them tells me. “You suffered severe head trauma, and quite frankly, we're all surprised to see how well you're doing now. Pleasantly surprised, mind you.”

“I was in a lot of pain yesterday—”

“And you're highly medicated today,” the doctor says with a wide grin. He's a towering black man with white hair. Maybe he only appears to tower from my position, prone in bed. “Aside from your head, you had two cracked ribs. That and a bunch of bumps and bruises.”

“So—so what happened?”

The smile fades. “Well, Preston , we had been hoping you could answer that question for us.” He leans down and pats my shoulder. “But that can wait. Give it some time, and we'll see if the memories come back to you. For now, there's someone here who's been waiting to see you all week.”

All week. Someone indicated yesterday that I had been out for days, but I couldn't believe it. But then, the last things I can remember—the night Dave's band played at The Hammerhead—does seem like a long time ago.

Soon, Dad's standing over me. “Dad—what are you doing here?” I ask.

“You think I was going to stay away while you were here?” he asks, a tired smile on his face, dark rings under his eyes. “I'm just sorry I wasn't here when you woke up yesterday. Figures—the one day I head out of here. But your friends were still here.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

His smile widens a little. “That's good. I'm glad you remember that.”

I put a hand to my head. “But—how can you be out here now? I mean, you can't just take time off from work—”

He raises a hand. “Don't worry about that. I'm my own boss, and—and I'm taking this time. I'm staying at hotel in town, and I'm going to stay here as long as you need me.”

“Dad, you don't have to stay—”

“I'm here for now. And I'm at least staying until you get out of the hospital, so I know where you're headed.”

“Where I'm headed?”

“If you're going back to dorm, or if you're coming back home with me.”

“Dad there's only like three weeks—” I stop. “Two weeks left to the semester. It's finals time. I can't afford to leave now.”

“ Preston , you've been through a lot. And there's no shame in taking a couple incompletes—”

“Incompletes? No way—”

“Take it easy, Preston , I don't want you getting worked up.” Dad runs a hand over his face. “And nothing's settled—we've just got to wait and see what's going to happen. All right?”

I look away. “All right.”

Dad puts a hand on my shoulder. “I'm glad to see you awake again.” He chuckles. “Now tell me something. How long has this Teri been in the picture?”

“Teri? I worked with her on the paper a little last year. We've been working together more this year.”

“The way she was visiting you here, seemed like you two had been doing more than working together.”

“Is that so?”

“She was here as much as I was, except for Wednesday night.”

I smile a little. “Must have gone back to work on the paper.”

“Yeah, that's what she said. Then she insisted on relieving me for yesterday—which is, of course, when you go ahead and wake up.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

He holds onto my shoulder and shakes his head. “You didn't disappoint me one bit.”

I smile again and look away. “So Teri was here a lot?”

December 9, 2006

“So you were at your friend's concert at The Hammerhead, and you had a few drinks there,” the officer says, flipping over pages in his miniature steno pad. I felt a little funny telling a cop that I'd been drinking, but it didn't seem like a time to look out for myself in that way. Either way, the officer doesn't seem to care. “Then you went to a party on Taimon Street at your friend's place.”

“Nick's place, I think—Nick from the band.”

“And then you were walking home alone?”

“I—I think so.”

“What's the last thing you remember clearly?” the officer asks, leaning toward me.

I remember getting my first beer of the night. I remember watching Teri dance in her spaghetti strap top. I remember Dave singing “Meant To Be.” I remember chugging a beer with Dave, long after I knew I should have stopped. I remember stepping outside, and it feeling warmer than it should have. I was drunk and exhausted.

I remember these moments, but there's nothing between them—just these holes in time, and I start to get confused about the order of events. I wonder if I'm remembering the walk to the party, or the walk home after it. I wonder if I had a particular beer at the bar or at Nick's. I can't keep it all straight.

“So you don't remember who did this to you.” The officer keeps his voice steady, but I can sense some frustration there.

“No.”

“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt you?”

“No one I can think of.” We've come back to this question more than once, just as the whole conversation circles around. I was found unconscious, but with my wallet still on me, with about twenty bucks cash, which is all I remember having on me. So it didn't seem like it was a robbery, unless the people who drove by and found me scared the muggers off before they got to my money.

It's all just guesses. I can't remember.