Airel - Aaron Patterson [16]
Michael came back up the stairs and slid in next to me. He handed me a large soda and smiled. “Big enough for ya?”
“Yeah, ya think? Holy BUCKET.” I giggled like an idiot and turned my face away. What was this guy doing to me? “Where’s James?”
“He had to go to the bathroom. He should be back soon. Unless he’s running scared from … ahem…” He pointed with his thumb over to Kim who was busy checking her reflection on her phone.
“Ha, she would find him,” I whispered in his ear. I could smell his shampoo and feel the warmth of his skin next to mine. His arm brushed mine and I almost embarrassed myself by screaming. It probably would have come out really weak, given the heart palpitations I was having to deal with.
James came back a few minutes later and took a handful of popcorn. Sheesh, help yourself, pal. The movie started and I scrunched down in my seat, wondering what I was doing. Was I a glutton for pain? Did I just like to have my heart broken? Just the thought of…
My thoughts were instantly cut off by something I had never felt before. It was like a splitting headache in the back of my skull. Everything went fuzzy. I closed my eyes and tried to focus and for the second time today, I felt like throwing up. This time it was not as strong, though. I controlled my lunch, breathed in deep three times, then opened my eyes.
The people in front of us, all the way down to the front row, were all a blur—all but two, who sat in the second row. It was a tall man with short blond hair and a shorter man with a ball cap on. They were talking and from where I was sitting, I could tell they were not happy.
The tall blond man leaned over and whispered something to the ball cap man and he stiffened. I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, but I wasn’t sure. What are they talking about?
Then I saw it. The glint of a blade, catching the light from the movie screen, appearing from the blond man’s coat. I saw his arm wrap around the ball cap man’s shoulder, reaching around to cover his mouth.
I tried to yell, but nothing came out. I just opened and closed my mouth like a fish. There was no way this was real. Everyone else seemed not to notice the two men, but I could feel what happened.
The tall man jerked his arm, making the ball cap man’s body twitch crookedly. A second time he thrust the knife in and after a few more seconds the ball cap man went limp in his seat. I was speechless. I had just witnessed a cold-blooded murder. I couldn’t breathe, let alone talk. It looked like the ball cap man was napping in the darkness. There was no way anyone would see he was dead until the end of the movie.
Now, just as if I had shouted at him, the tall man with the knife turned and looked dead at me. His piercing dark eyes shot a hole right through me. I jerked my gaze away and tried to act like I was lost in the movie. He stared at me and refused to let me out of his sight. I managed to grunt something like, “I have to go to the restroom.” I stood and slipped by Michael and James.
I hiked down the stairs and past the killer’s row, was and I could feel him watching me hatefully. He sat still as I passed. I didn’t look his way. I could feel his gaze follow me as I turned to go out into the lobby. I was scared and in a panic, not sure what to do. My mind felt like sludge and would not work like I needed it to.
I hit the lobby quickly and ran full blast to the bathroom where I promptly threw up in the sink. I looked into the mirror. My reflection was the image of a stranger—I wondered at all of this for a split second. Questions came tumbling in, all jumbled up and twisted together with answers that didn’t fit. I fumbled with my phone and dialed 911. Come