Papers, cups, and wrappers fly as the next tube approaches. People stand, adults holding their kids hand.
Two beaming lights and then a blur of red, white, and bkue. Some remain sitting, while others stand, ready to get off.
The doors slide open as people leave and others scramble on, not wanting to get separated. When they close, it sits.
One second. Two seconds. And it's off. Until the next one in five minutes.
It was the same thing everyday. Keylly walked to and from school, always passing the same houses. However, it was different one Friday afternoon in the fall. Six houses down from hers, someone moved in. Kelly slowed her walking and glanced at the family that was moving in. It wasn’t all of the boxes or anything the movers were carrying that caught her eye. It was the teenage girl who was sitting in the bay window. A man, who Kelly assumed was the girl’s Daddy, started to approach Kelly. Panicking, she sprints the rest of her way home.
Months go by and it’s the same story. Kelly looks through the window on her way to and from school. Everyday, the girl sits there. Sometimes she’s reading, other times writing. On occasion, Kelly wouldn’t stop if she saw the girl staring out the window. On the last day of school, Kelly met the girl who always sat in the window. Maybe it was fate, maybe it wasn’t.
Kelly stood outside the house, just like she always did everyday for a few moments. What she didn’t know until after was that an older man had been following her from school. Kelly felt a hand touch her arm and a deep voice saying that she was going with him. She struggled to get rid of his grip when a voice called out.
“Let her go.”
The man laughed. "Or what?"
"Or this." A fist connects with the man's nose and as he grabs his nose, Kelly escapes. Turning to see who saved her, she sees the girl who always sits in the window. "Leave before I call the cops." The man pulls back his lip in a snarl before heading off. "I'm Leia."
"K-Kelly," the young girl stammers.
"Help me to my chair? Mom made some lemonade if you want any."
Kelly glances behind ber before she shakily nods her head. "Okay."
When Sam Walker’s phone went off, he thought it was his wife calling to say she was running late. It was her phone, however it was a stranger on the other end to say that she was in a fatal accident. Sam immediately jumped in his Camaro and sped off to the hospital. When he arrived, Sam demanded answers from the front desk. A doctor nearby overheard Sam’s demands and pulled him aside.
“Sir, you can’t go in right now.”
Sam ignored the doctor and pushed past. He didn’t care if he wasn’t supposed to see Alice. He need to. Even if it was through glass. Sam stood outside room 433 for a couple of seconds until a doctor came out and nearly walked into Sam.
“How is she?” Sam asks, breathless.
The doctor flicked her eyes from Sam to the file. She sighs and says, “The husband, right?” Sam nods. “Unless we can get a lung donor, it isn’t looking good.”
“Take mine. I know we’re a match.”
The doctor starts to talk about the proper procedures and tests that have to happen. She also talks about the side effects and what could happen, including death for either of them.
“I don’t care. I’ll do anything.” Sam gazes into the room to see his wife lying unconscious.
The doctor sighs and tells a nurse to prep the OR. She tells Sam that he has an hour to get ready. Before she goes, Sam requests to go in and see Alice. The doctor reluctantly agrees and opens the door.
Sam walks in and hesitantly takes Alice’s hand. He pulls a chair up and sits in silence for thirty minutes before a nurse comes in with clothes and a drink. Sam eyes the items before taking it and tells Alice that everythig will be alright. He presses his lips to her forehead and leaves to get ready for the surgery.
Two Days Later
Alice wakes up to beeping sounds. She glances around and sees Sam on a bed next to her. On the bedside table is her phone, which is shattered. A doctor walks in and explains what happened. When he leaves, Alice lifts herself up and hobbles to Sam’s lifeless body. She looks at him and a tear slides down her face. “Why?”
I stand in front of the gated house, no lights shining through except for the setting sun. I haven't been here in twenty years. The name of the building is faded so that 'Institute' is the only word visible. It was only a matter of time before I would've been standing here.
I push open the gate and pick my camera up. If I wasn't doing this for a potential promotion, I wouldn't even be walking towards the entrance. Leaves crunch with every step as my eyes kept going to the third story window.
I never believed in ghosts until my first visit here. Papa didn't think Mama was well and had her sent here. I would visit from time to time, but I couldn't help the feeling I was being watched. That same feeling is still with me today as I opened the front door. The common area is covered in dust, just like everything else in this wretched place.
I lift my camera to my face and start taking pictures. "If you want this promotion, show me the thing that scares you the most," my boss' voice rings through my mind. I wanted to protest, but knew that I can't keep living from paycheck to paycheck.
I walk to the kitchen and when I open the refridgerator, I scrunch my nose. No one bothered to clean it out so now, all the food is rotten and the milk is way past spoiled. I don't even know what to call any of the food in here since it isn't food. It's just a pile of bacteria.
My feet led me to the third story, fifth room on the left. I stopped outside the door frame. Like most of the rooms on this floor, none of them have an actual door. The nurses said that this is for the patient's safety.
On the bed is the old stuffed penguin I used to carry around everywhere. I thought I lost it during one of my early visits. It was one of the few times Papa and Mama worked together. Walking over, I go to pick it up when it gets cold out of nowhere. I look around me, and call out, "Is anyone there? Show yourself!"
One heartbeat.
Another.
Nothing moves and nothing makes a sound. I turn back and reach for the penguin.
"You came back," a voice whispers.
Startled, I look around. "Who's there? I know someone's here," I say as my voice trembles. I take my cell out of my jacket pocket my finger hovering over my roommate's number.
"You don't remember me?" A figure appears and glides over. As it gets closer, I see the frail body and limp hair. The sunken in eyes and cracked lips that can only belong to one person.
"Mama?"
When Clayton sits down at the lunch table, he shakes his head. His best friend, Jaime, is staring at Marley, who he's been crushing on. Clayton nudges his friend as he nods in Marley's direction. "You have to talk to her."
"I can't. She'll never talk to me or see mein that way," Jaime says. He picks at the burger bun, slowly tearing his food apart. Not that it's any good to begin with.
"Invite her to the mall. It can be a group date. I can talk to Zoey and I'm sure she'll be down for it." Clayton adds a heaping pile of ketchup to his burger and takes a bite, ketchup oozing out. "We're already hanging out tonight, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind it becoming a double date."
At the mention of 'date,' Jaime chokes on his food and shakes his head. "No way. I never-" Clayton cuts his friend off when he holds his phone up. In clear texts, it shows Zoey saying she's fine if Marley and Jaime join. “Clayton. I didn’t, I neevr, why?”
“It’ll be good for you.” Clayton leaves it at that and sends another message to Zoey, asking if they can go somewhere else for their date.
The next day at lunch, Clayton notices Jaime’s blank stare. He arches a brow at his friend, wondering how the date went. Clayton waves his hand in front of Jaime’s face, hoping that he would say something, anything. Jaime didn’t answer any of his texts and Marley didn’t andwer any of Zoey’s. Either the date went well or... they hate Clayton and Zoey.
“Don’t leave me in suspense! I know you got my messages. You left me on read, remember?”
“It went horrible. She thought it was a prank and almsot left. Until she remembered ehr brother wouldn’t be picking her up for another hour. We got to talking, and...” Jaime hesitates, unsure of what to say. “We kind of agreed to hang out again?”
“J! That’s great!” Clayton exclaims. “See? It worked out.”
“As friends, Clay. She has a girlfriend.”
