Secrets of the Night
The red lights were announced nearly half an hour later by a blaring siren. The scratching at the door had long sense stopped, as had Jason's screams. Evan had physically held her from going to him. He had forced her to stay safely indoors. Her tears could have drowned a mouse.
"Brenna," Evan whispered her name carefully, letting go of her for a moment. "There's a policeman coming to the door, it's ok now. I'm going to let you go."
Brenna threw open the door and ran toward Jason's limp form surrounded already by paramedics. His eyelids were trembling violently, and his body was covered in blood- his own blood. Brenna barely suppressed a sob. His wounds were too serious for her to even imagine a place for them to begin, but the emergency personnel seemed to be trying.
"Can I ask you some questions ma'am?" Brenna turned to the new voice and recognized Carl Daugherty. He had pinched her butt every morning for a year in second grade, and in third grade brought her flowers every day- a definite step up. Now it seemed he was here to save her lover's life- she thought ironically that knight in shining armor was a definite step up from butt pinching and flowers.
"Yes," Brenna said and it sounded wet even to her own ears. She wiped her eyes on the sleeves of her long pajamas and followed him to the house.
"Ev," Carl nodded to Evan as he entered. "Your Pa knows you're here?"
"I called him." Evan said defensively. "It's a good thing I was too, they came right to the door tonight- bold as hell."
Brenna wondered if hell was indeed bold, and then decided that it was. Carl sat down in one of her grandmothers flower printed chairs and began to rattle off questions. Most of them were about where she was, and why no one had stopped him from going outside. One of them was why had he gone outside- she didn't know the answers to that one.
"I want to go to the hospital to see him," Brenna announced as the sirens of the ambulance faded into the distance.
"They won't allow visitors tonight, best to try tomorrow," Carl sighed rubbing his eyes. He looked tired and she wondered if this had been the first attack tonight. "Don't go out until the sun rises. Evan, make sure she stays in."
"No problem chief," Evan said derisively.
"Animal attacks in these parts have been getting more common. A lot of people survive em, but some people die, depends on the person I reckon." Carl said in a failed attempt at comfort. "It's in God's hands now."
As a child Brenna had imagined the rain falling through the cracks in God's fingers like bathwater trickled through her own when she cupped it up. It was all too easy to imagine Jason's life slipping through the cracks. He'd never put much stock in God, or anything else science hadn't established.
"Brenna," Evan whispered her name carefully, letting go of her for a moment. "There's a policeman coming to the door, it's ok now. I'm going to let you go."
Brenna threw open the door and ran toward Jason's limp form surrounded already by paramedics. His eyelids were trembling violently, and his body was covered in blood- his own blood. Brenna barely suppressed a sob. His wounds were too serious for her to even imagine a place for them to begin, but the emergency personnel seemed to be trying.
"Can I ask you some questions ma'am?" Brenna turned to the new voice and recognized Carl Daugherty. He had pinched her butt every morning for a year in second grade, and in third grade brought her flowers every day- a definite step up. Now it seemed he was here to save her lover's life- she thought ironically that knight in shining armor was a definite step up from butt pinching and flowers.
"Yes," Brenna said and it sounded wet even to her own ears. She wiped her eyes on the sleeves of her long pajamas and followed him to the house.
"Ev," Carl nodded to Evan as he entered. "Your Pa knows you're here?"
"I called him." Evan said defensively. "It's a good thing I was too, they came right to the door tonight- bold as hell."
Brenna wondered if hell was indeed bold, and then decided that it was. Carl sat down in one of her grandmothers flower printed chairs and began to rattle off questions. Most of them were about where she was, and why no one had stopped him from going outside. One of them was why had he gone outside- she didn't know the answers to that one.
"I want to go to the hospital to see him," Brenna announced as the sirens of the ambulance faded into the distance.
"They won't allow visitors tonight, best to try tomorrow," Carl sighed rubbing his eyes. He looked tired and she wondered if this had been the first attack tonight. "Don't go out until the sun rises. Evan, make sure she stays in."
"No problem chief," Evan said derisively.
"Animal attacks in these parts have been getting more common. A lot of people survive em, but some people die, depends on the person I reckon." Carl said in a failed attempt at comfort. "It's in God's hands now."
As a child Brenna had imagined the rain falling through the cracks in God's fingers like bathwater trickled through her own when she cupped it up. It was all too easy to imagine Jason's life slipping through the cracks. He'd never put much stock in God, or anything else science hadn't established.