( A/N Once again, not editied. Need a cover, and more votes!)
Logan
One time in English class we learned about the poet Emily Dickinson. She lived most of her life in solitude and so many rumors went around why she chose a life of complete aloneness. That was the first moment love frightened me. You see it was rumored that Dickinson met some guy in a big city who left her absolutely heartbroken to where she lived a life completely away from society. I found something tragic and beautiful in that. I smiled at the fact the human heart was able to feel that much emotion, but I grimaced at the fact that the human heart could feel that much emotion.
Love was the biggest fear I have ever had and now I feel that I’ve conquered this fear with Abigail. She was the love of my life, and my entirety. I was scared of how much emotion could be placed into my body. Abigail, what a lovely name. She told me stories of how much she loved the open road and how much she hated her mom she ended up in Vegas. She didn’t have the prettiest past, but do any of us? She had a lot of ways to make her money, which involved men touching her in ways only I should be allowed to. She was stripped from her childhood when her dad left and took her purity with him. He was rotting behind a prison cell now.
I stood with Abigail outside of our motel room, where we’ve been throwing clothes around for almost two weeks. “One day we’ll have our own house, you know?”
“Yes, with a white picket fence and a big dog. But not too big, you never know when the thing will charge against our children.” She rolled her eyes, and I was bothered by how pessimistic she was about the future. She told me the first time I saw her, well really saw her, that I was mumbling that she was an Angel of some kind. She said she didn’t believe in halos or a light at the end of the tunnel.
I smiled at her, I kissed her on the part of her body that spoke only words that would disappoint a mother somewhere. Her lips were always in sync with mine, the physical connection there. But when I looked into her eyes the affection I shared for her was not mirrored. I ignored it, because in fact, ignorance is bliss.
“I’m going down to Jack’s to get a burger. I’ll grab you something. Okay?” She nodded and walked back into the hotel room.
After meeting Abigail I realized what it meant to have a skip in your step. I walked with pride, like a new non-virgin.
I walked into Jack’s and a couple were in front of me. The guy had his hand at the small of her back, and she stood against him like he was part of her being. Like his hand was the only thing that kept her spine together. They smiled at each other and whispered secrets into each others ears. There was something beautiful about how much they understood each other. He ordered for her, as the gentlemen should. They walked to the side of the counter, and looked over at me. It was the guy, his hair was black and even I knew he was beautiful. The girl he was with matched his features, they were two puzzle pieces. I smiled and realized this is what people see when they watch how I act around Abigail. Then, I realized people don’t see that when Abigail is with me.
I ordered the usual, and before leaving I watched the puzzle pieces jokingly throw fries at each other at the table.
I walked back to the motel, food in a brown greasy baggie clutched in my hands.
Then I fucking heard it, the scream. It’s actually funny how much things change. It’s also funny how the world tilts just right to make things shatter apart. Like how the bang of a smoking gun was sounded throughout the motel. The funnier thing is where the bang was heard from. Room 14. I laughed, there was no way that was coming from our room.
I was across the street waiting for the traffic light to change, and that is when I saw the man, a big dark haired man, walk over to a parked Crown Vic. Before entering the car, he looked over at me and winked. The greasy bag that was in my hand dropped onto the concrete earth as I sprinted toward Abigail.
By the time I reached the doorway the motel manager was already out of the door and on the phone. I saw the blood on the wall before I saw her. I saw the blood all over the bed. I ran to her side. My emotions tearing my atoms inside of me apart. Feeling something disconnected when I lifted her head. I felt my internal being crumble as I held her hand and screamed. Her eyes did not search for me. They only looked to the ceiling. I knew that the man who did this was one from her past life, and I knew that revenge would be pointless. I knew that there was nothing around me to make my life whole again. At that moment I knew how Dickinson felt, I wanted to run. But, I could still feel Abigail breathing, I watched her chest rise and fall. Her eyes were ever gazing, when I swore I heard her say, Their halos are so bright, Logan. Then I screamed.
Heather
I’ve have heard the screams of newborns and I’ve heard the screams of laughter a child produces. I also have heard the screams of someone’s world being torn apart. And that was what I heard when I got out of the car at some run down motel Chip decided to stay at. The scream belonged to a male, and it belonged to someone who felt the rush of loss all at once. It was the way I screamed when John left. It was the scream that belonged to someone who knew nothing could piece things back together just right.
Chip ran forward the scream. I stood still, the scream brought back memories of John and something tugged at my stomach.
The next few hours included police asking witnesses what was going on. Chip answered for me, afraid that my father might have sent out a search for me. He told the officer of how we just arrived when he heard the screams. The officer told us that a woman was shot by her old pimp and that her boyfriend found her dead.
I later found out the boyfriend was the guy behind us in the burger joint down the road. We found him sitting down on the concrete sidewalk later that night. He was staring off into space, and I knew that look too. He was alone, and he’s realized it. I made my way over to him, Chip questioned my actions, but I moved in silence as I sat by the stranger. After five minutes, his broken sobs were on my shoulder. I know how he felt, I had suffered this once too.
