Blog #7 - The Sunrise

Nik awoke earlier than normal. The sky was still dark, and the soft glow of the moon did nothing to illuminate the world. He stared out his window, before deciding to watch the sunrise. He was rarely up early enough to see it.

Nik pushed open the door to the the building’s empty rooftop and stepped out. The cold wind felt like a slap in the face. He sat on the edge of the building, his legs dangling in the open air. Nik knew how easy it would be for him to fall. It might have scared him as a child, but now this small risk excited him, reminded him that he was alive.

As he watched the sky, the clouds hid moon, making the sky pitch black. For as long as Nik could remember, he had dreaded nighttime. When he was a child, he had watched the sunset every day, his heart clenching with the irrational fear that the night would be permanent. It never was, but that didn’t ease his fear. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see, or that he didn’t know who or what was out there, but that nighttime made him feel hollow, like a part of him had been irrevocably scooped out.

He was startled from his thoughts when the door banged open. He glanced back to see Christopher Breaux striding towards him.

“Hey,” Christopher called. “I’m just here to watch the sunrise.”

“Me too,” Nik mumbled. He liked his co-worker, but wanted to be alone right now.

Christopher sat down several yards back, paying Nik no attention. He turned back around and raised his eyes to the sky again, ignoring the other residents that drifted onto the roof. Soft rays of light appeared and Nik smiled, feeling more at peace than he had in years. The beauty of daytime reminded him that he was a survivor. When the sun finally broke past the horizon, he felt a glimmer of hope bud in his chest.

As he left the roof, Nik called Nate and asked to meet him for breakfast. Nate agreed enthusiastically, and Nik couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. At his apartment door he found a wad of paper towels tightly wrapped around a silver knife. Nik tucked the knife in his pocket and decided to show it to Nate. He left the building with a spring in his step.

Blog #6 - Foggy Days

When Nik awoke, a heavy fog had blanketed the town. It was suffocating, even from inside. Nik pushed his window open to peer out. The fog rolled into his room, somehow knocking him down. His head hit the floor, knocking him out for several seconds. Nik opened his eyes to his childhood bedroom.

Nik clambered to his feet and headed to the kitchen. His parents were passed out drunk on the floor with broken bottles and fries scattered around them. It looked like a hurricane had blown through. Nik sighed. Although he had returned after running away, it was only out of necessity. The streets offered no protection from the wind.

The only food in the house seemed to be a box of Cheerios, which he forced himself to eat before heading out the door. Whiteness greeted him. He blinked several times, trying to see through the fog, but gave up and walked into the unknown.

The school day passed quickly, and Nik was forced to brave the fog again on his way home. It stuck to him. For every step he took, it pulled him back two more. The journey home seemed impossible.

Nik was almost home when he was struck in the face by something heavy. He pulled it off of his face and squinted down at the newspaper. “Ether Maitland Dead?” it read. Not surprising, Nik thought, before discarding it.

The door to his house was open, swaying gently. Nik cautiously entered, only to jump back as a flying bottle almost hit him, instead smashing against the wall.

“Sorry, dear,” his mother yelled, laughing. “It’s our game.”

His father threw another bottle at the ceiling fan, which hit the window. Both his parents burst out laughing. Nik rolled his eyes, and strode past them to his room.

He pulled out his phone, and dialed Nate’s number, but was met with an answering machine. Nik hung up and called again, but received no reply. Nik spent the next hour, re-dialing Nate, but to no avail. By the time, he decided to just leave a message, tears were sliding down his face.

“Nate, I’m so happy that you found that great job and you’re happy. I really need to talk to you though. Mom and Dad spent all of my college money. They’re unstable and dangerous. Please Nate, I need you.”

Nik hung up and prayed for Nate’s return.