As we walked, the world seemed to be a much different place than a few days ago. Colours seemed less vibrant, like everything was painted with just a touch of gray. The streets seemed longer, and houses seemed empty. Even the sky seemed to be wrong somehow. Everything just seemed wrong.
Carla and I leaned on each other for support. I doubted either of us could stand up on our own at the moment. I knew we had to try and figure out something, just running away wasn’t gonna solve anything, but it was all I could do to keep moving, let alone try and figure out something as complicated as a plan.
“Ian I...” Carla started, but trailed off. She had tried a few times now to speak but had quickly returned to silence. At least she could try. I wasn’t there yet.
“I’m so sorry...” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
I stopped, stopped walking for the first time in what must have been hours. And I took a good, hard look at this girl that stood beside me.
This girl who was barely fifteen years old, this girl who possessed more strength and courage then anyone I would ever meet, this girl who had just risked her life to help me, and had now walked with me to god knows what part of the city, and all I could do was ask why.
She had a home that wasn’t a monster’s playground, parents who weren’t most likely dead, she was beautiful and smart and funny and the best thing that could happen to anyone who knew her.
Which was why I didn’t deserve her.
Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying. She could barely stand from all the running. She couldn’t speak from all the terror.
I and my problems were killing her.
“Ian?” She asked, her voice still soft. She could tell that something had changed in me.
I looked at her, and uttered the most difficult words I had ever said in my life.
“We need to break up.”
She looked at me for a long time. She met my eyes with ease, and simply said, “What?”
Stay firm Ian, I told myself. This is what’s best. This will keep her safe.
“Carla,” I said, trying to keep my eyes from tearing up again. “I can’t see you anymore. You need to leave me alone, and forget you ever knew me.”
“You better be joking Ian,” she said, her eyes narrowing even as tears fell down her cheeks. “After all of this you think I can just go back to being the same person I was before? That I can just forget everything we have been through?”
“No,” I said, “But I won’t have you change any further either. You have no reason to stay with me. There’s nothing in it for you, these are my problems, and I don’t want to be responsible for what happens to you.”
“Ian! Why the hell do you think I have been helping you all this time?! For fun?! I’ve been doing it because I care about you! Because I like being with you! I’ve been at your side this whole time because I maybe even lo...”
“We barely fucking know each other!” I snapped. “All we have together is terror and pain and running! This isn’t a relationship!”
The silence was worse than the monster’s laughter.
“I...Carla I...” Oh man I messed up bad. That was not what I meant. I wanted to keep her safe, but I had truly hurt her.
“No!” she said, holding up her hands to cover her tears. “You bastard, fuck you...I ...I hate you...”
And then she was running, back the way we had come. Running away from me.
And I should have gone after her. I know that now. But at the time, I truly thought this was for the best. I did love her, I was sure about that. But more than anything at least if she hated me she would be safe.
I continued to think that as I wandered aimlessly, trying to just be able to be me again. But I was numb. I couldn’t feel a thing, couldn’t make my brain turn back on.
Until I heard the clapping behind me.
I turned around and there stood a man I will remember for as long as I live.
He was big. Not just his size, but his presence. He cut an imposing figure, bald, wearing a long black trench coat and heavy boots and a silly looking eye patch. He was dirty, and he kinda smelt. Probably living on the streets.
A homeless person. Wonderful.
And then he walked over and hit me upside the head. Not enough to hurt, it was almost as though he was scolding me.
“That’s for being stupid,” he said. His voice was full of authority. This was a man who was used to giving orders. “And for making it so damn difficult to find you, Ian.”
What?
“How do you know my name?” I asked, knowing I should have been more freaked out than I was. A crazy man just hit me on the street, and called me by name, but damned if I could care. I was just going through the motions.
“Because I’ve been watching you and your girlfriend for a while,” he said, then seemed to realize what that must have sounded like because he quickly added, “Well actually I’ve been watching your house. I just happened to see the two of you a lot while I’ve been doing so.”
“Like that’s any less weird,” I muttered. I just wanted this guy to go away, but wound up deciding to ask another question. “Why?”
He looked at me blankly. “Why do you think? Because there’s a monster in your basement. I saw you running out of your place and figured things must have come to a head so I wanted to talk to you.”
Now he had my full attention.
“How do you know about all that? How did you figure that out?”
He sighed. “You could say I’ve had experience with this sort of stuff. There are signs. I came into town about little while ago, and got a bad feeling. It took me a while, but I finally narrowed it down to your place.”
“How? You just got a feeling?” This guy was making no sense.
“Yeah,” he said, then, with a faraway look in his eye, he added, “It seems that there is no escaping my true purpose, no matter where I go.”
“O...kay mister crazy person. So what exactly is your deal?”
“Well kid,” he said, “After I quit my job a while back I’ve been wandering cross country, trying to find someone, and doing what I do best, which is killing monsters. I was gonna go kill your monster too, but after meeting you, I’ve decided not to.”
This guy was something else.
“Jesus Christ...you’re a psycho you know that?” I grumbled, but he held up a hand and cut me off.
“Because you remind me of myself, back in the day,” he said. “And if I just went ahead and killed your creepy, then I wouldn’t be able to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”
I sighed, “And what might that be?”
“You serious? Man you're thick, what the hell do you think? Your pretty girlfriend has been facing some terrible monster for you, and you just kicked her to the curb. That, my little idiot, is the dumbest thing you can do when you’re going up against stuff like this.”
“What the hell can I do?!” I shouted at him. I was really starting to lose my patience. At him, at this whole damn situation.
“You fight, and you count on the people who have decided to fight beside you. Believe in their resolve, and don’t insult them by calling that into question. Regardless of what you may think of their reasons, they believe in them more than you can know.”
“Believe in...So you’re saying it was wrong of me to try and keep Carla safe?”
“Keeping her safe is one thing, but don’t tell her that she has no reason to fight for you when she so obviously does. It’s one of the worst insults you can give a person. She obviously loves you, and you obviously love her, so use that strength to your advantage.”
“It is really messed how much you seem to know about us,” I said. “What about that monster? It killed my parents, what am I supposed to do about that?”
“I don’t actually think it did,” he said. “If I’m right, there is something keeping that creature there, a purpose. Undo that and everything should go back to the way it was, including getting your parents back.”
I suddenly felt a thousand pounds lighter. All this...all this could go back to normal?
I tried to speak, I wanted to yell for joy, leap up into the air and scream, but I got a hold of myself. These were just the ramblings of a wacko. Best not to put too much stock in his words. Still, I couldn't help but ask, “How?”
“Not sure yet,” the man said. “But that’s why while you go and mend fences with your girlfriend, I’m gonna go take a look at beastie. Once I know what it is, I’ll know how to deal with it.”
“You're serious?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Just how long have you been doing this?”
He smiled, it was a strange smile, like he wasn’t used to the gesture. “My whole life, and then some. Now get lost, I’ll meet you outside your place.”
He started to walk away, and I couldn’t help but call after him, “Hey! What’s your name?”
He stopped, turned his head, and said, “It’s not important.”
He was easily the weirdest man I had ever met. I had absolutely no reason to believe a word he was saying, he could have been just a nut job who had overheard our conversation and was messing with my head, but there was just something about him. It was like he really knew what was going on, like he had seen it all before.
Either way though, I realized he was right. I needed to see Carla. If I wanted anything to change for the better, then she needed to be a part of it.
I took off running, renewed strength carrying me forward. I wanted to catch her before she got home. I wanted to tell her that I was wrong, that I messed up, and that I needed her not just to get through this crisis, but every day after that.
I was barely fifteen years old, but I knew I had met the love of my life. I had to catch her. I had to.
