Never Sleep Again

Preface

~Wednesday~

PAIGE MERIL KNEW she'd die soon. If it wasn't because of some epic tragedy like dying in a burning building, getting hit by a truck, or some weird way in her sleep, it would be by her mother who rang her phone nonstop, wondering where she was.

Staying out this late on a school night was forbidden in the Meril household. Staying out this late at her boyfriend, Felix Millard's house was even worse.

"Hey! Let me at least give you a ride. It's pretty dark out," Felix pleaded, but she was already sitting on her bike, strapping her helmet over her cropped blonde hair.

"My bike can't fit in your Camaro. Besides, this is Amberwood. What's the worst that can happen?" She blew a kiss to the boy she promised she loved and pedaled from his house, under the sea of darkness and white stars pulsing in the sky.

Tonight was perfect. She'd count her blessings as she raised the volume on her phone to the pop song she pedaled to the beat with. One wired, black headphone was wrapped around her pierced ear, the other one tossed over her shoulder to keep it from bumping against the metal bar of her bike.

The winds talked tonight. She'd missed the whisper of her name, brushing it off as if it were a secret message in the heartbeat of the melody. She puckered her lips out into a crinkly letter-shaped "o", whistling along to the voices that commanded her to bob her head on the beat. Normally, she'd take the long way to get home to let her thoughts run free, but as her phone read 10:47 PM, she knew the alley down on Breckonsel Avenue was her quickest route.

Mom's going to kill me!

Tonight, she was fixated on creating the perfect excuse as to why she was out this late on a school night with no call, no text to let her mom know that she was okay. It was her fault for losing her phone underneath Felix's covers when they were caught up in the moment of heated make-out sessions and perfumed cuddles of love.

She loved how the spring air stung her eyes, how the blossoming wildflowers made her sneeze. Spring nights were nights of bonfires and laughter.

But tonight...

The song on her phone froze and the streetlights shining over her flickered off. The buzzing was no longer present, the light bugs disappearing in the core of darkness. Paige squeezed the brakes on her handlebars and her tires screeched to a stop on the dampened alley. Hints of soaking old, burnt-red bricks, wet alley cats, and tossed-out leftovers married with mold over the course of weeks made her gag.

She brushed her forearm up to her nose, searching for Felix's scented kisses tattooed into her arm to hide behind the foul smell beaming with radiance from the nearby dumpsters. "What the hell?" She pulled out her phone, the screen bright white for seconds until it flatlined into blackness.

Paige's eyebrows angled inward as she smashed her thumb repeatedly into the screen of her phone, praying it'd light up. But it was a waste of time.

She wrapped her headphones around her phone and slid them into her back pocket.

The wind whispered her name again, and this time she heard it clearly. This time, she paid more attention as she was rid of her musical distractions. "Is someone there?" Nothing but the sound of her own voice echoed in response.

Paige lifted her right foot and placed it on the pedal. What stopped her in place wasn't because she had suddenly become afraid of the dark, but it was the black-feathered creature that fluttered overhead and landed on her handlebar, staring and gurgling at her.

She gulped. Crickets chirped in the background, air fumed with an eeriness that made the hairs on the nape of her neck stand with no hesitation. The taunting winds blew behind her, creating stick monsters on the asphalt before her.

The raven purred. Paige swore it was promising that it wasn't a harmful creature at all, but its lies were as poisonous as the stinger of a scorpion, paralyzing her so.

"G--go away," she stuttered and swatted at it. The bird flew away and her clenched breath released tightened spasms webbing across her chest.

The street lights flickered back on one by one. The music from her phone blared through her headphones for the second time tonight, only this tune carried the weight of death, a melody of strings scratching, piano keys being pounded on, trumpets blaring in the name of fear.

It didn't matter how hard Paige tried to convince herself that she was going to be okay, because deep down, she knew she wouldn't be. "Besides, this is Amberwood. What's the worst that can happen?" Her words reverberated in her head. Everyone knew that saying, "I'll be right back," in a horror film was bad. It was the twin of, "What's the worst that can happen?" She sulked in regret, her hands trembled over the handlebars after she managed to turn the song off.

She lifted her foot and lightly placed it on the pedal again. "You'll be home in no time," she said to herself. Paige took a deep breath and continued on her journey. The wheels spun, creeping deeper into the alley until a sharp sound in the distance took control over her body as she clenched the breaks yet again.

She swallowed, eyes jagged in every direction.

Dark wings fluttered about, creating a black feathered cloud above her. The bird had returned, only this time it brought its friends. Paige screamed and loosely swung her arms over her head. The creatures danced around her, darting at her like bullets. She swatted, yelped, and searched for air above the oceanic waves of wings. But the birds, they scratched her up with the devious pecs of their half-hooked beaks.

She'd gotten tied up with her bike, falling into the clutches of the cold alleyway asphalt. The back of her head vibrated in ounces of pain as her eyes rolled back.

Paige was unconscious.

Her pulse was weak.

The birds settled and landed beside her. The one she shooed away moments ago trekked up her chest and peered at the soft parting of her lips. It cocked its head, purring in victory.

The raven opened its beak and drew near her mouth. It inhaled.

A bright blue stream of light fluttered from inside of Paige and into the heart of the bird as it swallowed her dreams whole.

Paige Meril thought she'd die soon. But death would never be soon enough.