There are only pictures half way through this as my game decided it was going to crash.----------------
She left them, she didn’t say a word, she just ran away and out of the club. The air outside was warm, but she was cold as she ran all the way back home, her heart breaking.
Amanda was home when Dani crashed through the front door.
“Dani, what’s happened?” asked her friend as she saw her. “Are you ok?”
“What…are you…doing home?” asked Dani through crying.
“Carol needed this afternoon off so we swapped shifts. What’s the matter?”
Amanda didn’t know what to do as Dani sank to the floor. She leant her back against the wall and hugged her knees to herself.
“Dani, please talk to me, tell me what’s happened.”
“He’s married.” She muttered.
“Married? Whose married.”
“Jerry.”
Amanda had no idea what Dani was talking about, she didn’t know a Jerry and she certainly didn’t know her friend had been dating someone, it wasn’t like Dani to keep a secret.
“The guy we found.”
Suddenly it sank in. Amanda reeled back as she realised who Dani was talking about. Although she was still wary about their hunter visitor she was beginning to relax again about it. It had been ages since he had been here, and she thought he was long forgotten.
“You’ve been dating a hunter? How could you be so stupid.”
“I haven’t and I’m not.” Dani yelled and cried back. “He’s married so you don’t need to worry about it. Ok?” she got up and ran up the stairs to her room.
The house was quiet when Jerry and Sarah arrived back, all except for the conversation coming from the main office. Jerry entered, not bothering to knock. Right then he didn’t care if he was killed or punished for his disrespectful entrance, in fact he hoped for it.
“Ah your there.” Said Aboas from his seat behind the desk.
“You always know where I am, don’t act so shocked.”
“Very true.” He said as he leant back in his chair and clasped his fingers together. “Something appears to be troubling you.”
“You are all the time.” Said Jerry his voice laced with anger.
Aboas looked past Jerry almost through him. “Sarah my child, you may enter.” He called. “At least one of my children has manners.”
Sarah entered the room, nothing scared her, normally, but Jerry could see the terror on her face as she met Aboas’ gaze he knew damn well what his master was doing.
“Stop it now.” Yelled Jerry as he smacked his fist against the desk.
“When are you going to give up Jerry? When will you realise that you can’t fight me?”
“And when are you going to realise that I do not want to be a part of this thing you are playing.”
“You wont get rid of her that easy Jerry. How long do you think she’ll believe the married story?”
Jerry ground his teeth as he felt himself boil inside. Right at that moment he wanted to run over to Aboas and drive a stake right through his chest. He wanted to make him go away and stop this. He did not want to be made to kill Dani.
*****
Apart from eating and necessity, Dani hadn’t left the confines of her bedroom in nearly a week. Not since that night with Jerry. In her dreams she ran away from their meeting places. Hiding so that the dream version of him couldn’t find her.
She so wanted to confront him in her dreams, ask him why he never said, but she knew the answer to that one and also whatever he said would just be the subconscious answers she was looking for.
Amanda didn’t understand. How could she? How can anyone be in love with someone they had only met once in the flesh? And how could any human love a hunter? It was absurd, but it didn’t stop it being true.
The lids of her eyes began to drop as she fought to stay awake and watch the meaningless program on the television, anything but sleep. She stretched her eyes open wider, but it was no use fighting against them, they closed and she finally slept.
He was there; she could feel him, as always, his presence seemed to have an entity of its own that called to her, screaming for her to go to him. She backed away, hiding herself behind the wall of the imaginary house. The garden was so bright with colour, even in the dark. It was decorated with red and white roses, the scent of them filling her nostrils.
A slight snap sounded round her and seemed to echo as she looked down and saw the rose that she had broken, she bent down and lifted it from the ground, its stem was crushed, but the head of the rose still remained bright and alive. Cradling it in her hand she went to the front of the house and sat on the step, leaning her back against the door.
The delicate petals felt silky and smooth under her fingertips. The stem was wet where it had broken, she looked down at her fingers, they were red, the rose was bleeding.
The bitter memory of seeing Jerry with his wife tore through her and she clasped her hand shut around the bleeding flower. Its thorns dug into her palm in protest as the delicate bud fought for life.
“I never meant to hurt you.” Said Jerry. He was stood at the gate at the foot of the path, dressed in a grey jumper and pale jeans. It made his deep red hair seem brighter.
“You could have told me.” Said Dani. “Instead of leading me on and making me think that we had a chance at something good.”
“How could I tell you if this is your dream?”
She looked up at him, tears staining her fair skin. “Then how can you truly be sorry if this is my dream?”
Her words stabbed through his chest like a frozen sword. He’d come to apologise, to make it right and to just see her on last time to say goodbye, he didn’t mean to cause her more pain.
Jerry walked towards her, she stood. He reached out and to trace the bottom of her jaw with his fingers.
“Please don’t.” she said. “I don’t think I could cope if you touched me.”
She held the rose out to him and he took it, its petals crushed.
“Goodbye Jerry.” She said as she walked past him and out of the garden.
“Goodbye Dani.” Whispered Jerry as watched her leave.
“Wake up, wake up.” Dani repeated to herself with each step she took away from Jerry, the desperation in her voice getting louder. “Wake up.”
Her eyes sprang open. She was back in her room, awake and in the real world. Her heart was pounding and she could still feel the frustration gnawing at her insides from trying to wake herself up.
She rubbed at her eyes. Her hand felt warm and wet. She brought her palms up in front of her face. Smears of blood stained her skin. Something stuck out from one of the small wounds and she plucked it out. A thorn.
It wasn’t possible. She had managed to bring part of the bleeding rose back with her. Its blood, its thorn and the damage to her hand.
Almost throwing herself out of bed. Dani raced to the bathroom and ran her hand under the cold water to clear the blood. Two marks pierced her skin from where the thorns had bitten her when the rose was fighting for its life.
