Dream Haunter (18 page)

She jumps at the sound of Adam snoring
in the silver painted chair next to the door. She tries to quietly
untie one of her bindings with her finger nails but Adam is already
waking up.

He smiles, standing to his feet. “Good
morning.”

Melody shrinks back against the pillows
as he sits at the foot of the bed.

“
How are you feeling?” he
asks as his fingers trail across her legs, his breath heavy and
minty as it fills the room.

Melody kicks and screams at him, as if
to intensify how horrible she’s feeling. “How do you think I feel,
you psycho?”

He grabs her feet, his fingers digging
into her ankles. “I'm trying to be nice! But I guess you don’t want
me to be,” he yanks Melody’s legs around before he ties them to the
bed posts.

Tears of frustration run down Melody’s
face while she tries to pull her ankles free, jerking her body
around every which way. She lets out an aggravated scream right
before Adam tapes her mouth shut.

…………………
..

Sam finally wakes up on the cold
pavement; the stars above him are still swirling in time with the
thump of his pulse. He stands up, his legs weak beneath
him.

“
Melody?” he calls
out.

The whole world is spinning and he
can’t remember how he ended up on the pavement or what he’s doing
at a rest stop.

A truck driver runs over to him, his
beer cut bouncing underneath his flannel vest.

“
You ok?” the man asks
between pants.

 
Sam runs his fingers
through his hair. “I don’t know what happened... Jet was here and
my car… he broke into my car and…” he trips over his feet as he
runs to Melody’s silver car. “He took Melody!”

 
The truck driver tries
to calm him down, looking over the blood that is dripping down
Sam’s forehead. “Come on, let’s get some coffee and see if we can
make sense of this, but first you might want to get your head
checked, you’re a little bloody,” the truck driver suggests,
motioning to his semi truck.

Sam runs his fingers through his hair
again, pulling his hand back to study his light skin and the dark
red spots that are smeared across each finger. He willingly climbs
into the cab of the semi truck, pushing the mess of wrappers and
napkins off of the seat before the truck driver turns back onto the
highway. It doesn’t take them long to reach the small local
diner.

Sam orders a short black
coffee, taking big gulps of it while having random panic attacks.
“He took Melody again! What is he doing to her? What has he already
done to her? Is she ok? She’s probably scared! I need to find her…”
Sam shouts as he starts to stand up, ready to go hunt down
Adam
.

 
The truck driver grabs
his arm. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

 
Sam nods, even though
his head is still slightly bleeding, and runs outside. He keeps
running down the long, dark stretch of road, praying that it leads
somewhere.

………
..…………………..

Melody’s jaw screams with pain as she
continues chewing through the duct tape, the taste of adhesive in
her mouth makes her want to vomit. Adam comes back in the room
after assessing the damage she had down when she kneed him in the
groin.

He gently sits down next to her on the
bed. “Can I get you anything?”

Melody glares, her eyes burn holes into
him. Adam runs his hand across her face, slowly; Melody shakes her
head at his touch, screaming, as small tears run down her
cheek.

“
I love you Melody,” Adam
rips the tape off of her mouth, waiting for her to
respond.

She looks into Adam’s
beautiful eyes and confidently as she hisses, “I
hate
you. I wish you
would
die
,” she
tries to bite him.

Adam shakes his head, his eyes sinking
to a sad gray color. “How can you say that? I’ve done everything
for you! I loved you and you act like…” his eyes pierce into her as
he leans forward, wrapping his hand around her neck.
“DIE!”

Melody kicks and screams, praying that
Sam will find her, as she struggles for breath.

………………………
..

“
Please God!” Sam prays
aloud to himself as he runs, “Let me find her… let her be
safe…”

Something warm and strong tugs on his
soul, the trees and road beneath him blur until they’re just
smeared colors of green and gray. His arms still swing beside him
and his feet slap against the asphalt until he opens his eyes. His
feet slide across the tiles of Adam’s apartment as he brings
himself to a halt. He doesn’t think for too long about how he has
gotten here, there are more pressing matters. He jogs down the
hallway, noticing the back of Adam’s head in one of the rooms. His
stomach burns when he sees how Adam is keeping Melody; he has his
hands wrapped around her neck while she is tied to the bed. The
room goes blurry, Sam’s palms begin to sweat, and something in the
back of his head gives him a shove as he attacks Adam. Sam’s arms
swing wildly, striking Adam’s jaw, Adam fights back with intense
velocity and strategy, while Sam fights with everything that he
has.

Melody struggles to untie herself, her
fingers slipping as realizes she can’t hold consciousness much
longer; her body slumps against the pillows as she passes
out.

Adam smiles as he looks over at Melody,
thinking that he has killed her. “You can have your girlfriend
back, Sam.”

Sam stands up, slowly
walking over to where Melody lays, shaking with emotion. “Why would
you do this? You said you wanted what’s best for her and you
thought that
death
is what she wanted?” 

Adam sighs, acting as though the
subject isn't worth his time, as he walks out of the
room.

Sam gently unties Melody’s limp figure,
sliding her off of the bed and into his arms. His muscles shake as
he looks at her purple wrists and ankles. His heart skips a beat
when he notices her chest slowly rising and falling. He smiles
through his veil of tears as he stands up and walks out of the
apartment; he somehow ends up at Melody’s house. He lays her down
on her bed, kissing her cheek as she takes a sharp
inhale.

His voice catches as he lets out an
exhale, lying down next to her. “You scared me!” he says in between
sharp intakes of breath.

Melody moans and rubs her head. “He… he
tried to kill me because I didn't love him… and I said that
I…”

Sam runs his hand across her forehead,
so thankful she’s ok. “He thinks you’re dead, I don’t think we’ll
see him ever again.”

Melody smiles, joyful tears rain from
her eyes as she leans into him. Sam is still shaking from that one
big burst of adrenal that he had when he was fighting Adam; the
veins in his neck pulsate. Melody holds him tighter as she attempts
to calm him down.

“
Thank you Sam,” Melody
cries, holding Sam close.

A shaky smile spreads across Sam’s face
as he laughs. “I love you.”

She kisses his trembling cheek, running
her hand up and down his back, trying to make him relax. He lays
his head on her shoulder, taking deep relaxing breaths. She
squeezes her arms tight around him in fears of getting taken away
from him again.

Chapter Twenty-
Eight

Adam scratches at the back of his neck,
frustrated that he is still trapped inside of this godforsaken
nightmare that is his life. His fingers fumble for the light switch
of the room that once was full of his glass cases, but now is only
occupied by one.

“
It didn’t work, I'm still
cursed,” he says as he shyly stands in front of the
case.

Chloe barely registers him. “I'm sorry.”

 
Adam nods, biting the
inside of his cheek to stop himself from screaming or crying, he
doesn’t know which. He rocks back and forth on his heels, trying to
calm himself down, before he unlocks the door to Chloe’s
case.

Her head jerks up at him, surprised, as she
looks for any signs of why he might need her. “What do you
want?”

Jet reaches his hand out for her, knowing his
boundaries with her. “Please Chloe, I'm not going to hurt you, I
never have.”

 
Her legs wobble as she
stands up, slowly stretching her toes out as she walks; her feet
making sweet contact with the cold tiles. She stands a few inches
away from him, watching his eyes switch back and forth between
bright blue and grey as he holds his arms out.

Her stomach clenches with uncertainty, she
breaks eye contact with him as she feels the lump in her throat
grow. “Adam…”

He shakes his head, stepping
forward, making sure the distance between them is as few as
possible. “No… I'm Jet. I'm only Adam when…” he licks his lips,
talking about his split personality has never been a pleasant for
him. “I have
always
been Jet to you. Please tell me why this hasn’t been working?
I thought I had love…”

Chloe shakes her head, her black hair
swishing back and forth around her shoulders. “She had love, not
with you but with Sam. Adam was controlling your sense of judgment,
so Adam was in love with her, not you.”

Jet leans back on his heels, the feeling of
Adam making his way through his veins prickles through him, he
hates it when Adam comes. “Did you love me?” he asks.

Chloe plays with the ends of her long hair,
twisting the strands around her index finger; she can smell the
icy, mint scent being pushed through Jet’s pores.  She won’t
have Jet much longer; Adam is coming.

She moves fast and swift, brushing his cheek
gently against her knuckles, “Yes, and I still do,” she kisses his
cheek bone, tears blurring her vision as she slips back into the
case; Jet’s gone.

Adam watches her with a smirk. “Is that all
you have for me, Chloe?”

She brushes her tears away, sitting back down
on the glass floor. “Go away, Adam.”

He winks at her before
slowly exciting the room, leaving her sobbing in the
dark
.

Chapter Twenty-
Nine

Sam and Melody don’t see Adam for a
few months, so they decide to carry on with the wedding. Melody is
ecstatic; it is finally the day she will turn into Sam’s wife, and
never be taken from him again.

Melody fixes a fly away hair as she
looks into the gigantic mirror that’s frame is elaborate and
painted white, its glamour flows throughout the hotel room. This is
her dream wedding, in this palace like hotel with peach and rose
scented candles lit everywhere as she gets ready.

She nervously runs her hands down her
silk dress and peeks out the door, looking over the guests. Paisley
colored dresses are adorned on her aunts and cousins; a simple
yellow dress is worn by her mother who is speaking with them.
Melody scans the room once more, looking over the happy, formally
dressed crowd when she notices a haunting face.

Adam.

Her bridesmaids rush to her side as
she begins to sway backwards.

“What’s wrong, Melody?” says the
closest maid, Kara; she pulls on her pink straps to make sure she
doesn’t slip out.

Melody steadies herself on the
king-sized bed, resting on the white and gold sheets. “Get Sam for
me, please.” 

Kara shakes her head, laughing.
“You’re not supposed to see him until the wedding!”

Tremors run through Melody’s body as
she looks up at Kara. “Please get him for me, I need
him!”

Kara’s eyebrows arch as she stumbles
out of the room in search for Sam.

She finds him leaning against a yellow
wall next to the door that leads to the altar, nervously playing
with his camera.

Kara runs up to him, breathless. “Sam!
Melody’s freaking out, she says she needs you.”

Sam nods, not needing an excuse to go
see Melody. He hands Kara his camera before jogging up the marble
stairs, cursing the black dress shoes that pinch his toes. He
hesitantly raises his fist to knock on the white door with vines
etched into it, old superstitions getting the best of him, but
instead of giving in, he knocks.

 
She’s breathtaking;
the white corset style bodice clings to the curve of her waist as
the skirt hangs from her hips in a puffy white cloud and flows down
over her feet.

 
Her eyes are in a
panicked rage as she stares up at him. “Sam! He’s here! He’s in the
building, I saw him come in two minutes ago.”

Sam’s muscles twitch as he pulls
himself away from how beautiful she looks. “Jet? He’s
here?”

She nods, her red curls bouncing back
and forth with her head. He leans forward, quickly pecking her
cheek before running back down the stairs.

Chester, who is donning a dark blue
suit, is standing next to Kara, in deep conversation when Sam grabs
his arm.