~Bad Dreams~

Microphones, Kroger, and Anchors

       I hung up, I didn't want to talk and I couldn't care less what he wanted to tell me. I felt bad as soon as I hung up so I sent him a quick text "Hey, can't talk right now, what's up?" Even after that I felt guilty but not enough to call him back. I think if I called anybody I would break down in tears, and I had to be strong. We pulled into Kroger's parking lot and me and Brady jumped out, he scoured the parking lots while I ran inside yelling at the top of my lungs "Mom! Dad! Are you here?" I screamed as the manager was wobbling down the stairs and towards me, screaming words I didn't listen to. Something about keeping a peaceful store up and running and not wanting any complaints, I discarded them and ran down a couple more aisles. I sent a quick text to Brady, "Any luck with their car? Or better yet, our parents?" I felt five chubby fingers grip my upper arm and by instinct I yanked it away. Spinning around like a mad women, hair clung to my angered face. "What?" I insisted at the unidentified figure who grabbed me, I scanned his body and figured it was the manager, the one who almost took a tumble down the stairs. "Come with me young lady," I felt his fingers wrap around my forearm again and this time I didn't struggle, maybe he could help. "Listen, I am really sorry I didn't-" cutting me off with a swift shake of the head he pulled me into a closed off room. I rested my head in my palms as he lead me to a plastic chair in front of the obese mans desk. I gripped the ends of my hair and tugged on it a little, I don't have time to get a lecture from this guy. "My mom and dad are missing, and we can't find them. They were supposed to be coming here and we just burst in, I know that I disrupted but I can't apologize for trying to find my mom and dad, please just let me try to find them." The guy with the red, flushed cheeks gave me a sympathetic look, and nodded toward the microphone that makes announcements in the store, with a quick but meaningful thank you, I picked up the phone up and said in a jumble of words "Where are my mom and dad, they're names are Mark and Christy, please help me find them, they were supposed to be coming here." I broke down into tears after that and the flustered manager hung up the announcement maker, and sat me down in the chair across from him. "I am not supposed to do this young lady, but for you I am going to make an exception because you seem very worried." I didn't understand what he was doing, but with a few strokes on the key board he turned the monitor towards me and replayed the entire day video camera for me. We watched for a long time, for any trace at all of my parents and I asked if he could fast forward to around 1:00, that's when they left. At about 1:30, I saw them, my parents waltzed in, hand in hand looking fine as ever, yet another women was behind them and she tapped on my dads shoulder, speaking to them in a soft voice, not loud enough to make out words. My mother and father nodded quickly and looked concerned, but that is when they left the screen, following the older lady out. I let out a whimper and quickly called my brother, "Brady! I am looking at the monitors and they were here, but they walked out with some strange old lady, have you had any luck?" He was quite for a moment, and then spoke soft, but I could understand his words "Their car is here." Nausea took over and I couldn't breath, I had to get out, I walked out the door and down the long staircase clumsily, tripping on my own feet. Once I was outside, my brother spotted me and waved me over but I was stopped by my stomach, I threw up all in the street and cried, and choked and I was taking in quick breaths of air and I just couldn't anymore. My eye site was getting black and fuzzy at the edges and I clenched my hands in fists, trying to move. I realized now I was sprawled out on the pavement, and the black tar was scraping my cheek, and when I tried to get up this time I fell back down and hard. Blood oozed from my cheek and lip, my hands were getting sticky and now I could barely see anything except hands trying to help me up. There was a ringing in my ears that was annoying at first, but it was comforting now, I knew people were screaming, I could hear some of it, but I tried my best to tune it out. In taking my last sharp breath, there was a stab of pain in between my eyes and my lungs were burning, as if I was drowning, but then everything was calm, and I couldn't see. I was alone with my mind and it felt as if I was five again, running and floating in the waves of the ocean, I was not in pain anymore and I was happy, but then a heavy weight was coming, pulling me down like an anchor and my eyes snapped open. When I woke up, I was in constant pain, but I was glad I woke up, because a part of my knew I was about to die, and I felt a hand pulling on me and I wanted to follow it, yet I remembered everything and I just couldn't so instead I plunged like a weight into the darkness. However, I was happy.