Dream Haunter by Shayna Corinne Page A

floor. She throws wet towels on some of the
flames while Sam runs down the hall and pulls the fire alarm; bells
ring throughout the building as water rains down from the ceiling.
Sam runs back in the room watching Melody throw water and wet
blankets on just about everything in the apartment that is near the
flames.
    “ Melody!” Sam coughs,
rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, “I’ll do that; pack
some of our stuff up!”
    She throws a few of his cloths in to a
bag, and then grabs his guitar, cameras and portfolios, their cell
phones and a few of her cloths. She runs back out to him, the
flames still fighting against the water as Sam stands coughing
before he pulls her out the apartment. A note, about the size of a
playing card, is pinned over the peep hole.
     “ This guy is a
psycho!” Sam croaks, his throat swollen shut, as he pulls it from
the door.
    She takes the note from him, reading it
in almost disbelief.
    Adam W A s H e R e.
    Sam pulls on Melody’s arm as the fire
department runs down the hall into Sam flat.
    ……………………………………………… ..
    They arrive at Melody’s apartment
around six in the morning, tossing their bags at the door and
sluggishly walk down hall to the bathroom. They scrub each other’s
faces free of soot, splashing cool water on their skin before
making their way to her living room. Sam laces his fingers with
Melody’s pulling her to the couch.
    “ Maybe we should make it out
to your parents’ house tomorrow; far away from here. Does he know
where that is?” Sam asks.
      Melody shakes her
head, playing with the hem of her shirt. “No, but… are you sure
you’re up to the drive? I mean it’s like a two day drive and last
time you whined the whole way there.”
    He leans forward, that boyish grin
smeared across his face. “I’ll survive.”
    He kisses her, soft and sweet, right as
the room goes black. Sam looks around the darkened room; something
is just off putting about the lights being shut off
suddenly.
    “ How about we leave right
now?” Sam proposes.
    Melody smiles, standing to her feet.
“Sounds good.”
    She packs the rest of her clothes,
throwing her bags in the back seat of the station wagon.
    Melody sits in the passenger seat,
talking with Sam about random things like the weather and how she’s
disappointed that it’s physically impossible to lick her elbow, so
he won’t fall asleep. The sun intermingles itself in the brown/
gold hairs of Sam’s head. She smiles as she reaches her fingers
out, running them across the top of his head.
    Sam’s eyes flicker over to her, if this
was a month ago, before all of this, the slightest touch from her
would make his heart flutter, but right now all he can think about
is: did she do this to him too? He leans his elbow against the
window. “Um, I'm wide awake so you can go to sleep if you
want.”
    Melody nods, rolling up against the
passenger window.
    So Sam sits there, hands loosely
holding the steering wheel, all alone except for his thoughts.
Melody shivers in her sleep, moaning a little as she wraps her arms
around herself. He wonders if this is what Adam got to see every
day, and if he felt the same way he feels for Melody now; maybe
Adam had loved her to some degree.
    Sam reaches in the back seat for his
jacket, gripping the soft leather as he delicately lays it on top
of Melody. He swallows; he is so uncertain if taking her back so
fast was wrong. His right hand slowly runs up and down her back
sending her into a deeper sleep.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter
Eighteen
    Sam pulls off of the freeway, driving
down a dusty dirt road until he comes upon a small gas station. The
bright red paint is peeling free from the rusting gas pumps, along
with the small mini-mart’s matching red paint is. Sam parks next to
the unhinged door that leads into the mini-mart, getting out and
stretching.
    He squints up at the sky, the bright
orange