The last day of our lives is almost never the day we expect. Life is uncertain; one moment is all it takes for everything to change. It takes seconds for the weather to change, the rain to begin pouring, for the wind to change directions, for someone to take their last breath; seconds, for death to wrap one in its cold lifeless arms.
"Do you see the sky today?" Emily mumbled, staring at the sky from the back pouch of her flower shop. She couldn't seem to understand the dark demeanour it wore and the sadness that plagued its countenance. Her inside rumbled with unease as she surveyed her surroundings. It all seemed lifeless, as if it was trying to warn of unforeseen danger.
"Isn't it oddly…silent?" she asked, turning to face Amber for some reassurance that she wasn't going insane. To her dismay, she was overly occupied with the contents boxed into her phone.
"You do realize I am not paying you based on how many texts you get in for the day, right?" Emily sighed and Amber smiled a full smile, etching her eyes from the screen.
"You do realize that I own half this business, right?" she rebutted in a playful manner, getting up from the bench in which she was seated.
"Whoever gave us that idea?" Emily smiled briefly, not being able to control or comprehend her increased nervousness. Amber and Emily had an unbreakable bond, crafted from the struggles of childhood. They had been through almost everything together and survived despite their colliding personalities.
"You know what I see?" Amber asked, snatching her friend from the depth of her thoughts.
"Hmmm?"
"I see a woman, in need of a girl's night out" Amber's face lit up. Although it was her nightly routine to go clubbing without Emily, she observed her friend's growing distress and decided it would be good to bring her along.
"Nooo" Emily refuted, it was what she replied every time Amber asked. Going to the club made her feel uncomfortable and she could never understand the reasons others enjoyed it so much.
"You don't have a choice"
Almost immediately the telephone rang and Emily rushed to it in an effort to evade her friend.
"A & E flower shop, how may I help you?" she queried, stifling a laugh as Amber attempted to twerk beside her. Although she appreciated the idea, she'd come to an unchanging conclusion, clubbing wasn't going to dispel the feeling of unease that burdened her mind, it would only make it worse.
"Emily…?" She froze, the sound of her mom's voice rendering her speechless
"Hello? I can't hear anything...Damion fix this" Her mother, Rebecca spoke with utmost annoyance. It had been years since Emily heard from her mother and she couldn't quite bring herself to speak to her after what she had done.
Deriving that something had gone horribly wrong from her friend's melancholy expression, Amber ceased her dancing and silently nudged her friend for answers.
"Emma?" Damion whispered but to her the whisper had magnified, echoing into the depths of her ear in an unbearable intensity. An unseen force squeezed her heart as if attempting to end her life and the phone fell from her trembling fingers, immediately falling into the hand of the very concerned Amber. She knew that Emily's current reaction was reserved for one very specific occurrence and it was a day she'd dreaded forever. She watched as Emily disappeared through the backdoor of the shop before placing the phone to her ear, anger playing on the strings of her heart.
"Hello?" she muttered as calmly as she could
"Amber is that you? Where is Emily?" Rebecca questioned with a sense of urgency but she could care less. The reason they'd run away from that place was so they'd never have to deal with or hear anything from either of them again.
"What do you want, Rebecca?"
"She's dying Amber. Forget the pass and bring Emily home, so she can see her dying sister" she pleaded, making Amber even more furious.
"Is he still there?" She asked, trying to hold on to her remaining treads of sanity. She clutched the phone with all her strength, her breathing becoming forced and she clamped her eyes shut dreading the answer.
"Amber, I am sorry" Damion stated with forced sincerity
"Don't ever call this phone again. You hear me!" she screamed, not being able to hold back as she slammed the phone into its holder, ending the call. Her skin crawled at the sound of his voice and her eyes blurred with tears. She took a moment to gather herself, she dried her eyes, straightened her t-shirt and summed up a deceivingly relaxed smile. She felt as though her feelings mattered so little, compared to that of her friend and because of such, she'd do anything to find and cheer her up.
~
A country away, as if on a predetermined course of destiny, Ameron and Amir, etched closer to their destination, expecting to arrive by night. They had rented a cheap moving van, its white paint chipped and its wheels screeching momentarily as it moved slowly with the traffic. The sun scorched the iron, dispelling the heat throughout the vehicle and making them restless as they scanned the long lines of vehicles in front of them.
"Do you think we could, just, I don't know, drain a few of them, so they'd drive off a cliff and ease the traffic a little" Ameron joked, wiping a sheet of sweat from his forehead, while manoeuvring the steering. His shirt was soaked through and he struggled to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead.
Amir chuckled dryly with rebuke but moments later when the heat began to choke his patience, he turned to his brother.
"How about it then?" he mumbled seriously, with a shred of shame.
"Amir you sick, sick bastard" Ameron glared with disbelief "Let's start with the old man, he's been yelling at some Veronica for over five minutes now and he's beginning to annoy me"
"Brother he's behind us" Amir pointed out
"I know that." He sighed, leaning back into his seat, his mind swamped with thoughts of ways to make it through the traffic. If they stayed any longer they would be forced to stay a night in an inn or even worse sleep in the truck. They couldn't afford for that to happen, they needed to be in Alperton before nightfall. Tonight of all nights was the worst to be travelling. In a few hours a total lunar eclipse otherwise known as the blood moon, would watch over them, making the monsters run wild and dispelling all control from the hands of their kind. They had no time to waste on silly things such as traffic.
"Look what I found" Amir stated, snapping Ameron from his thoughts. In Amir's hand was a siren he'd stolen. Having fed from his brother's power a few hours earlier, he was able to move from one place to another, just by simply visualizing it. Fortunately for him, he'd seen quite a number of stations on his journey.
"Genius" Ameron commended, examining the equipment for a few seconds before connecting it to the truck. He took a deep breath before turning it on. The noise erupted throughout the lines and as if reinforced, the vehicles began to part, making way for the truck to drive.
~
Time passed by quickly and desperate for a cheer up, Emily finally agreed to go clubbing with Amber. She wasn't too excited, as the unease from earlier that day only kept increasing, trailing her like a cold, unshakeable dark shadow. She exhaled in an attempt to calm herself as she exited her small apartment building. She surveyed her environment as she stood waiting for her friend to show up with the car.
The community of Alperton was a small one, ideal for people who wanted to run away from something, making it even more dangerous. The streets were tarred but dusty from years of damage, no one intended to fix. The street lights danced between on and off, carrying an eerie chill. Trees played between the buildings lining the road some distance away, creating even more shadows for lurking predators.
A cynical laughter snapped Emily from her thoughts and she watched as an old homeless man, who reeked of urine and garbage, walked icily by, pushing a shopping cart full of things he'd collected.
He laughed again whispering something underneath his breath, grabbing Emily's full attention.
"What did you say?" she questioned, marching up to him, for she felt as though her ears had deceived her. The man grabbed a hold of her hand immediately, squeezing with such force that she struggled to breathe. Fear and helplessness clung to her skin like glue but she couldn't find the strength to free herself.
"Your end is near… Emily" He whispered pointing to the sky and although frightened for her life, she allowed her eyes to travel. She could see it clearly, a red shadow slowly making its way over the moon. A moment later the old man released her from his snug grip, looking at her with a shed of shock, as if he had no idea what he'd just done. He scurried away, leaving Emily fixed to the spot in astonishment, having no idea how to deal with the previous events. As if on cue, Amber pulled up beside her. She stuck her head towards the window in which Emily stood, looking at her with excitement.
"Let's go!" She squealed, pushing the door open.
Emily sighed; every itching bone in her body etched her to return home. She couldn't quite tell what specific occurrence it was that convinced her that something strange was afoot. Maybe it was the absence of animals and insects, the silence, the weird man, the dark shadow that loomed over her or even the shadow slowly concealing the moon, all she knew was that she wasn't going to allow anything else spoil her night. She allowed a smile to play across her face, entering the vehicle and shutting the door. Amber switched the radio on, filling the car with the sound of sweet melodious music while she drove towards their destination but as Emily looked ahead, she couldn't help but feel she'd made a terrible mistake.
And as the brothers drew nearer to their destination, speeding to beat the blood moon that was rapidly approaching, destiny smiled. For fate, although not set in stone, has rarely ever been changed.