Two

"Amanda?" I called out into the dorm. It was empty. To be fair it must have only been 30 minutes since I last saw her, and she had to drop off her brother at home on the other side of town. Their mother wasn't terribly responsible, but Amanda picked up the slack. She wouldn't be living on campus if it weren't for her full course load and her living on the other side of town. Eighty minutes commute every day would be a killer.

Amanda's little brother Jean was really good at his martial arts stuff and trained every day, but Sunday nights he trained with some world-renowned dude and Amanda was the only one who could drive him back home. It was a longer way out for Amanda than it would be for their mother, but again, that lady was uninterested. Jean was lucky that the school bus would take him within walking distance. Or maybe it was Amanda that was lucky, because she may have done both trips just for her brother to be able to go.

Amanda was one of the sweetest people I knew, but I doubt she would take me seriously if I told her about what just happened. Should I call the police? How do I even explain that? If I told the police that some guy killed four other guys with some magic eye glowing shit, I'm pretty sure they would come and pick me up. Amanda may only call the cops on me. She was sweet but she had functioning brain cells.

I took off my shoes, and just sat leaning against the wall. I starred at the wall, which must have at first been pale yellow (or white?) but now was a recognizable yellow crème. The kitchen was 'open concept', with no doors and only entrances to both living room and hallway. The 'wall' that connected both of these entrances had a big gap, imitating a window. I leaned against the entrance right by the front door, on the edge of the hardwood and carpet. I played with my hair in silence, contemplating my next move.

How does one act like a normal person after their world has been turned upside down? I examined the split ends on my long hair; it was really time for me to get a haircut. I ran my fingers through my scalp, scratching at it just a bit, and sighed. I think you aren't supposed to scratch if you have dandruff because that just makes it worse but it was hard not to. Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. Maybe I never woke up today. Maybe I'm dead. Wouldn't that be ideal?

I closed my eyes tight, and clench my hair in my fist. I needed a shower.

I found myself singing while aggressively shampooing. I needed a stress reliever of some sort. I loved to sing in the shower, but only when I was alone in the house. I don't think anyone other than my ex has heard me sing since I was in my preschool years. For good reason, considering the sounds that were coming out of me now. I didn't like to think of David all that much, considering it made me mopey, but I watched so many movies with him. There are some memories that you cannot erase no matter how much you want to. I wish I could just shut off my brain for one day.

I dried myself off and put on my pajamas. Amanda wasn't home yet, but I locked the door and shoved myself under the covers. I was in denial at this point, I think. I figured after I woke up I could figure the situation out. But what was there to figure out, that I could deal with? How could I explain to myself what I had just seen? How would I explain to anyone else? Why wasn't I scared?

I groaned into the pillow and shoved the comforter over my head.

I didn't sleep well.

I was arguing with David about this giant killer snow monster. People were running and screaming, trying to escape on trains. He pulled me into a corner. He grabbed my shoulders, at least I think it was David. He was saying something but I couldn't understand. His eyes started drooping, and then they rolled back into his head until I could only see the white. We were out in blizzard. David's hair flung around violently in the wind but didn't collect snow. His eyes rolled back, but this time they were black. I sunk in the snow, or maybe the snow grew around me, I couldn't tell. The visibility was shit. The giant killer snow monster ran towards me. and grabbed me in its hands. I was surrounded in white and cold. I felt myself fall away into- more sleep? But I fell. I fell onto the floor of the train station. Zeke was holding onto the giant snow monster, and it was melting. His eyes were glowing. But instead of water the snow was turning into blood. I was swimming in blood.

I awoke in a sweat. I heard rustling in the kitchen. I knew it could have been Amanda, but I was so off from the evening before that I couldn't just close my eyes. My dreams were sometimes so vivid, but they never made any sense.

I ripped the covers off me and felt the cool air touch my skin. I didn't shiver, but it did wake me up. I sat up and cradled my head in my hands. Was yesterday real?

The rustling got louder, and I don't know why but I got up and tiptoed towards the sound. If it's Amanda, I don't need to tiptoe, right? Was I going out of my mind?

I froze. Peeking my head around the corner, I spot the murderer of the night before eating a sandwich and looking through my cupboards. An open container of peanut butter was turned on its side, haphazardly tossed beside the open bag of bread. Crumbs littered the counter like glitter, white against the black granite. Zeke, dressed in the same shirt and slacks as last night, was judging my dishes and how they were stacked in the cupboard above the sink.