Falling Through - Chapter 1 (part three)

[Alex Marie Singer]

Chapter one part three
So that was it. The time had come. Grandpa Reise passed away.
This woman here knows something I don’t. But right now I’m
worried about what’s going to happen to me. I’ve lived with
grandpa since I was about seven. He took me in after my
parents died. They were killed in a car accident on the way to
my first football game. A trauma like that never goes away.
Naturally I blamed myself. It was my idea to play football. How
selfish I was. Since then Grandpa and I have been real close.
He taught me to forgive myself, that it wasn’t my fault. A few
months ago he got sick. I stayed by his side as much as I could
after school. They announced he had leukemia, and would die
soon. So when school let out for Christmas break I stayed with
him full time. He would tell me stories about his life. Waking up
everyday knowing his death was coming faster and faster. But
instead of being gloomy around Grandpa I tried to make the
best of it. I tried making his last days tolerable. Now he’s gone
and I’m alone. The only one here is this lady who used to be a
superhero. Maybe she can give me a ride to the homeless
shelter. I looked up at her to see her eyes tearing up. She
turned and looked at me with this sweet motherly smile. “I
didn’t know Mr.Reise but only a few hours, but I wanted to see
him one last time. You must be Leon.” Her eyes wondered
around the room. She noticed my gym bag full of clothes. “You
lived with him, didn’t you?” She seemed concerned, so
hopefully would lend me that ride. “Yes ma’am. Um….would it
be too much to ask for a ride to the shelter uptown?” I said. Her
eyes were wide. “Leon, you seriously think I’ll take the
grandson of an old friend to a homeless shelter. No! So I’m
going to ask this Hun, do you want to come live with me and my
daughter? My house is out-of-this world.” She chuckled on the
last phrase. Must be a private joke. I thought about it. If
grandpa trusted her, and she really was a hero, then I’ll give it
a shot. But if I’m treated like an orphaned slave, then it’s back
to the shelter. “Guess it’s a better choice, Miss…?” I didn’t
even know name. “Sabrina Lynn. Now we’d better get going. Marie’s probably
growing a bit impatient out in the car.” I said goodbye to
Grandpa’s body, and walked down the halls alongside Miss
Lynn. The whole way she told me all about her daughter. Her
name was Krista Marie, she was my age, and was cute. Of
course most mothers think their daughters are cute, so she
might not be. I bet she’s ugh. Although, her mom isn’t bad
looking. She had black hair, rich and smooth. Complexion of a
goddess, nice body for an older lady. Ugh! What am I thinking?
I barely know this lady, and she way older than me. She could
be older than Grandpa! I pushed that out of my mind. We
reached the elevator and stepped in. The ride seemed to be
the longest. Miss Lynn had nothing else to say, and I was struck
with solemn silence. The elevator doors opened up to the
lobby. I could see snow beginning to fall outside. Grandpa and
I always built snowmen every Christmas. Cotline was known
for its Christmases. It always snowed all winter. This means
Christmas is right around the corner. Wait what is today? Why
am I so cold? My thoughts are scattered around brought on
from the stress. I feel light headed. And I’m walking towards a
car. There’s someone inside. Oh yeah. That must be Krista
Marie. I walked by the passenger side and that’s when I got a
quick glimpse of her. Dear God I’m going to faint. She was so
hot. I slid in the backseat, trying to keep from passing out. I was
scared if I did pass out I’d wake up with no kidneys and a scar.
Someone was talking, but I’m feeling a little disoriented so I
didn’t pay attention. The car began to move. My hood kept me
from seeing out the front so I pulled it back a little. Right when I
looked up, there she was. Her eyes where blue, with small
amounts of hazel. Her hair was dark colored with these caramel
highlights. Her lips were saying something, something to me. I
gazed at those eyes a few seconds longer, and then I turned to
look out the side window. That’s weird. Usually I don’t get
nervous around pretty girls. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling
good. The road was smooth and relaxing until the car turned off
onto a dirt road. I was still a little light-headed and lost in the
cords of the music coming from the radio. A few minutes
passed and the radio turned to static. The air seemed tense. I
sat up to clear my head and focus. “Mom, you feel that?” Krista
said. Her voice was soft, yet assertive. Miss Lynn was fixated on
something ahead of us. “Ambush.” She had stopped the car
moments before, and she now put it in reverse. I didn’t
understand. Who would ambush us? Or why would they? All
those questions raced through my mind when finally I saw
something in front of us. It seemed to stay in the same spot,
never moving, yet we were going backwards at a moderate
speed. It was black, all black, and it looks as if it had some sort
of humanly figure embedded in its darkness. I leaned forward
for a better look. “What is that?” I asked. Krista and Miss Lynn
seemed not to hear. “Marie. You take care of it. I’ll get him out
of here. Miss Lynn directed. She stopped the car and allowed
Krista to get out. She said something before she stepped out.
She put the car into reverse once again, and sped off. My eyes
were trying to register what I saw. Krista Marie was changing
into something non-human. And the creature was attacking her.
(as you can tell, this is Leon's view. My book will feature this.)