Notable Occasions on the Calendar of Dread

Twirling down city streets and having the facility no longer in view, our bodies told us to stop. Hanging in a dark alley corner, I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the cracked pavement. Genevieve stalked over to the payphone, and pulled change from her pocket, pushing it into the device.

"Where the hell are you?" she spat into the phone.

"We're on--oh wait, I know where you are," she said and quickly slammed the phone back into the receiver, taking the extra precaution to wipe it with the sleeve of er shirt. I followed her down the side of the road, my body protesting all movements until we came to an intersection. I considered throwing myself in front of any passing cars, it seemed easier than what I was enduring.

We came to a small park, and walking through some foliage, I stepped on a dry stick, the sound echoing like a gunshot, causing me to mentally prepare for the worst. Only then did we see the golden car with its blinking hazard lights.

I slid into the back seat while Genevieve slid into the passengers seat, only to lock lips with Jake as if they were still dating.

"Thanks for this," she muttered.

"I got two fake IDs and burn phones, mainly to keep in contact with each other if you part ways. There's money in there, what I managed to scrape together, plus the money you have been saving from the hospital," Jake said, probably out of spite of the manipulation from Genevieve more than anything.

"Where are we headed?" he then asked.

I scanned the contents of my bag, loose change and bills, my ID and a small smart phone I knew I would not be using. I looked over my new identity: Lacey Holland, and smiling in the picture of a girl whom looked like a hollow version of me. I also noticed there was a notebook in there, and head phones. At least Genevieve had the decency to think of me. I didn't bother to ask what her new identity was.

I didn't know where we were going to go; Genevieve said something about staying with Jake or that we could rent a hotel room with the money we had, for a couple of nights, if we lasted that long.

"Drop me off a couple streets over, I'll manage on my own," I spat and Genevieve looked stunned.

Jake drove slowly, trying not to account for the fact he had two escaped mental patients in his car. I watched the buildings go by in a steady rhythm, trying not to lure myself to sleep, realizing just how tired I actually was. I could hear the faint breathing of Genevieve, indicating she had passed out in the front seat, her head resting against the window.

He stopped the car where I demanded and I got out, thanking him quietly for the ride and smiling at him, he blew me a kiss and drove away, wherever he was luring Genevieve too. I almost thought to stop the car, but I didn't.

I knew right where I was in the city, watching the taxis go by, and people hustling about their afternoons, my among them, my past unknown to them. I stalked down the street and turn the corner, walking into the store as soon as I saw it, the scent of cigarettes perfumed my surroundings and an array of hunting knives spilled across the walls. I walked over to the case, and pressed my body against it, examining what was there at my display.

"Can I help you dear?" the man said to me, while hidden behind the newspaper he was reading. His face was calm, the features steady, behind his thick glasses were warm, welcoming brown eyes.

"I'm looking for a hunting knife, for my father's birthday," I lied. It was the first excuse that popped into my head, and I went with it.

"What are you looking for in its features?" he asked me, and I knew I was suddenly out of my element.

"Anything that can cut through skin easily, I suppose," I said, trying not to sound too eager.

"Well, we carry the Diamond Blade Pinnacle I Skinner, if you're okay with dropping some money on a knife, this is an incredible option and regarded as one of the world's best hunting knives. The short 2.55 inch blade it designed especially for skinning, and it can be used for a lifetime," he said.

"That sounds like the one," I smiled. He typed something into the register, and I handed him the money and my ID so he could verify it. He then handed me my respective items, and I muttered a thank you.

Back out on the street, I mentally mapped out the road in front of me, knowing there was a hotel not too far from where I stood, and I thought I could go there for the time being. I began to walk and my body protested it, immediately I held out my hand and a taxi came to my emand.

"Ma'am?" the driver asked in a thick accent.

"That hotel, a couple blocks over, where a lot of celebrities stay. I thin there is a venue where they do live music?" I said quickly. He knew of what I was describing and pushed the accelerate to leave the curb behind.

We arrived in no time at all, and I got out of the cab paying my respective dues. I slid through the revolving doors to meet the lounge. My eyes darted around it, bouncing off faces that I didn't know. A man with obnoxiously, unnatural red hair sat in one of the chairs of the lounge, eyeing my every move. I urged my best attempts to ignore him.

Walking over to the main desk, I asked if there was a room available, anywhere, and the man said they were booked for the night. I sighed and turned away defeated.

I looked back around the lounge, swung my backpack over my shoulder and I heard her voice in my head: you're wasting time! You're out, alone, unmonitored. What are you waiting for?

Her voice was loud, almost a yell, but seemed like a dull whisper as used to her as I was. I looked around again, my eyes moving from face to face, the man with the red hair watching me again.

I located the bathroom and pushed my way there, brushing up against people, trying to navigate my way through the crowd. Exiting the adjacent bathroom, I brushed up against besides a man in a green zebra shirt, eyes covered with sunglasses, without saying a word.

I snuck into the bathroom, looking under the stalls for anyone, seeing no beings there. I thrust my bag up onto the porcelain and marble counter and dig around for my recently acquired knife.

The blade it cold, but the blood pooling from the wound is warm, the sensation feathering around my body, locking me with pleasure. The puddle soon becomes big enough to splash in, and I can hear her voice singing to me, just before my body slumps onto the floor. All sound and sight leave my body and I am consumed by total darkness.

Notes

Trigger warning.