The Soul Bounder

chapter two: don't dwell

chapter two: don't dwell

Serenity drove to the nearest convenience store, listening to her usual car playlist. She'd usually never really listen to music while riding around in a car, but silence has begun to scare her. Her childhood home was silent that one Monday evening, as she found the bloodied bodies of her parents. 

Anything, but the silence. She thought.

Serenity parked into a space that was directly in front of the store's entrance, to make a speedy getaway after purchasing the bulk of ice cream. She climbed out of the driver's seat, and the harsh chill of winter rushed into her face. As she approached the door, a group of teenagers who also attend the same school, exited. The group of four nearly halted, whenever they began to recognize Serenity, hearing about her parents' death via their local news.

Oh my god, isn't that Serenity?

How is she even able to leave her house, after what's happened to her? 

Hmm, I bet she probably killed her parents.

Poor thing, I feel so bad for her...

Thoughts began to force their way into Serenity's head, almost as if they were the thoughts of her peers that were leaving the convenience store. 

No, that can't be; I'm just imagining things. She thought to herself.

Serenity quickly entered the store, relishing the brief moment of warmth before she had to set foot into the cold again. She steadily walked to the frozen foods side of the store, locating the expensively priced tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Tossing aside her care for the cost, she grabbed two tubs out of the freezer, and made her way to the front counter. Once the ice cream was bought, she hurriedly ran to Sera's car, and revved up the engine. 

Nearly reaching Sera's home, a car accident came into effect, forcing all passerbyers to use an alternate route. This was a bit of a problem for Serenity, seeing as how she wasn't very keen on direction-awareness, let alone driving late at night. However, she wanted to avoid any conflicts, so she followed other cars along to a different road. 

Ten minutes had passed, and not a car was in sight. Serenity found herself stuck on a narrow two-way road, yet she had no idea if she was actually heading in the right direction.

"I'm getting lost, and I only took a trip to the convenience store!", Serenity exclaimed aloud. 

She longed to pull over alongside the road to use her cell phone's map feature, yet she was a bit paranoid of what consequences would follow if she did. Biting her lower lip in anguish, she managed to dial Sera's number, to maybe ask her where the hell she ended up at. Thirty seconds into the call, Serenity was welcomed by the automated voice messaging system. She cursed underneath her breath, and quickly ended the call. She would usually leave a message for whoever to call her back, but she believed that to be pointless at this time.

Serenity eyes grew tired from the exhaustion she felt, along with the anxiety she felt while trying to find the correct road home. Just as took one hand off of the steering wheel to rub one of her tired eyes, a flash of black skidded across her vision. This caused the teen to slam on brakes, terrified that she may have hit something or someone.

She didn't dare move the vehicle forward, yet she also refused to exit the car. Her blood rushed, and her head began to swell with pain. Lately, Serenity felt more aches and pains she should, especially at her age. Perhaps it was from the recent traumatic experience she's suffered from, or maybe her mind was just playing another trick on her. 

Five minutes have passed, and Serenity was still contemplating her next move. To move forward, or to move outside of the car. With that thought, a soft whimper was sounded. The redhead's skin turned cold, as fear consumed her. Her hands shook as she placed her hand on the door handle.

Well, maybe whatever I hit, is hurt?

Serenity's body quaked further, and not from the brisk climate. She hated the idea of anyone suffering, especially animals. The possibility of the groans being of an animal's grew higher.

Help me.

Serenity froze for a moment, hearing a soft spoken male voice within her head, as if it was next to her in the passenger seat. She was scared, yet she still put on a brave face, and quickly removed herself from the vehicle. Slowly approaching the front bumper, laying in the beaming headlights was a large black dog. A dog that resembled more of a feral wolf, but seemed more groomed for it to be domesticated animal.

Serenity heart cracked at the scene, a defenseless animal being harmed by her hand. Tears dared to ripple in the corners of her eyes, but she fought them away as she tried to think of how to help the animal. 

"I can't just leave you here..." Serenity mumbled to herself.

The injured dog forced a pained bark, as if it was talking back to the girl. Serenity c****d her head to the side and raised a brow, as the dog blankly stared back at her. 

"I think there's a blanket in the trunk of the car." she said as if the animal could understand her.

Serenity quickly opened the trunk of the vehicle, rummaging through Sera's mess of belongings. She finally located the spare blanket, and began to roll back her jacket's sleeves. Surprisingly enough, mother nature allowed for the snow to be absent from the cold state, at least for tonight. Because usually, the city would be knee deep in the pale slush. 

Unfolding the blanket, Serenity prepared herself to pick up the animal into her arms, and take it home with her to bandage up. Before performing the action, Serenity peered her eyes around the fur of the dog, to make sure the cuts weren't too deep. She wasn't driving over the speed limit, and she only drove twenty miles per hour although it was a zone for twenty-five.

The coal-colored animal groaned again in agony, almost as if it was telling the girl to hurry up. Taking that as a sign to continue, Serenity gently picked up the dog, and placed it into the backseat of the moderately sized vehicle. 

"I'm so sorry, I'll fix you up as good as new as soon as I can" Serenity promised.

If I can find a way back to Sera's. She also thought.

Just as she returned to the driver's side, Serenity phone lit up with the caller-id reading Sera. Overjoyed, she answered the phone.

"Hey? What's taking so long??" Sera concernedly questioned.

"Hey! I'm so sorry, I left the store, and there was a wreck-"

"A wreck? Oh my god, are you okay?" Sera interrupted.

"Yes, yes; I'm fine. But I meant to say that there was someone else that got into a car accident, so I had to take a different road and now I'm hopelessly lost." Serenity sadly admitted.

This caused Sera to lightly chuckle, forgetting that having a sense of direction isn't her best friend's strong suit. "I should've known. Okay, where are you now?"

Serenity deciphered the green coloured street sign, and Sera gave her concise directions on how to return back to her place. This instantly relieved her, finally giving her a peace of mind. Nearly forgetting about the injured passenger in her presence, she mentioned the dog to her friend.

"Serenity, I really don't think you should bring it here. Especially if it's injured." Sera warned.

This certainly puzzled Serenity, considering that Sera loved animal, and nature alike.

"I thought the same thing at first, but... I don't know. I just really feel like I should, Sera."

Sera sighed over the phone, and caved in. "Okay, but try to not get blood all over my seats! It's gross and very hard stain to remove."

Serenity shivered at the thought of bright red bodily fluid, and mentally nodded at her instructions. She continued with adjusting the dog in the backseat, to where a mess would be avoided and it wouldn't be injured further. 

Finally reaching her destination, Serenity mentally screeched with joy. She speedily unbuckled herself, and carried the dog into Sera's family home. Sera opened the front door for Serenity and their unexpectant guest. The teens placed the animal onto the tiled flooring of the guest bathroom, quickly searching through the under-sink cabinet for anything to assist them better. The wounded dog began to howl in pain, as the two dabbed a hydrogen peroxide soaked cloth onto his cuts. 

"I know, I know. But this is going to help you, so please endure it a little bit longer." Serenity spoke softly. 

Once the wounds seemed to be rid of bacteria and germs, a bath was ran, and the two friends carefully placed their patient within the warm water.  Serenity thoroughly cleaned the pup of dirt and remnants of crusted blood. Sera fetched a towel, and began to dry off the animal. Once finished with playing nurse, Serenity laid the black dog down onto the floor with another towel to lay on.

"See? Didn't I tell you I'd fix you up right?" She mused.

The animal huffed a breath of air, and slowly closed its eyes and eventually dozed off to sleep. Serenity smiled, and found Sera in the kitchen, preparing two bowls of the recently bought ice cream. The two girls greedily consumed the dessert, as if it was their first time relishing in such a treat. Two bowls later, Sera decided to call it a night and retreated to her bedroom to retire for the night.

"Goodnight, 'rena. You should get some sleep too." her best friend suggested with a wink.

Serenity rolled her eyes at the pet name she'd been called, and plopped down onto the living room couch. She'd been keen on reading lately, whenever she wasn't busy with school. Or escaping the inner demons that clawed inside of her. 

As she flipped a page of her book to continue to the next chapter, a stir of strange noises sounded outside. Serenity quickly shook the sound off, and continued her task. Yet, another harsh knocking slammed into the back door window of the living room. The red headed girl flinched, obviously not expecting for another occurrence like this to happen.

Open. Open the door. Now.

Momentarily forgetting the presence of her book, Serenity's heart began to race. Just as she was about to rise to her feet to investigate the racket, the once asleep dog speedily made an appearance and took stance before her. Shocked at the sight, she sat still. At least as still as she could manage. The dog growled angrily, as if it was warning whatever was present outside of the house. Its darkened fur rose, and it took a few paces forward, warding off whatever was there. 

Serenity's hands shook, and her temples began to pound with ache, and she dropped her book and ran to the guest room she was occupying while staying in Sera's home. The girl crept into the queen-sized bed, and hid under the thick quilt that dressed its surface. Her head continued to violently throb with pain, and sudden murmurs peaked inside her mind. The voices all spoke at once, all chanting inaudible nonsense. But the words the really clung to Serenity's memory were beginning to frighten her more that she has been lately.

You can't run away anymore.

You can't escape us. 

You can't hide anymore. 

Your time is nearing its end. 

Just as Serenity began to enter another panic attack, an audibly made scratch was made at the bedroom door. Engulfed with fear in her veins, she was much to afraid to even look at the door without worrying that the voices were just a mere warning. That was until another scratch was sounded, along with a pitiful whimper. 

The dog?  Serenity thought.

Serenity hurriedly climbed out of her blanketed fortress, and cracked open the door to peer outside of the room. There sat the dog, c*****g its head to the side, almost like it was waiting for Serenity to grant it entry into her room. With a huge sigh of relief, Serenity allowed the dog to enter, commanding it to lie at the foot of her bed. The dog complied, and curled up into a ball to fall asleep. With this sight in mind, Serenity's stress-induced migraine reduced to a few pricks at her forehead, and she finally relaxed into a deep slumber. 

Dark waves of uneasiness painted the room. 

The room? Just where am I? 

An unfamiliar setting encircled Serenity, as she sat on the cold earth, knees fixed against her chest. Snow decorated the grass, trees, everything. Except for where the girl sat, where there was no source of unpleasant dampness. She was dressed in her usual winter attire; a pair of sturdy blue jeans, a pair of plain black snow boots, several layers of long sleeves, and an oversized forest green puffer jacket to conceal her skin from the frost. Her red head shone in contrast from her colorless surroundings, which was nothing new. The endless red waves fell delicately past her underarms, leaving it in a sea of crimson. Serenity finished her observations, of the oddly place scenery. There was no sign of wildlife, whereas she'd usually hear the chirping of songbirds cold with dismay. She slowly walked down a neatly manicured path of leaves, that seemed to scream to Serenity, "follow me!" 

The wind began to pick up its pace, which led to Serenity adding the protection of her coat's hood to her head. Snow fell harder, as it clouded the girl's vision. She had no idea where she was headed, but it seemed forbidden. 

Like the forbidden fruit of Adam & Eve's sanctuary.

Serenity carried on, with the wind whistling into her ears. It was strange, as she was following a trail of leaves, yet the wind should've long blown them off their course.

Just what is this place?

She should've taken that as a sign to turn back and to never look again, but she ignored the mental warning her inner self would've already given her. A few more steps left, and the trail ended, leaving Serenity in the midst of nothing but trees. A sort of pattern of trees that would seem wonderful to any nature-lover, but Serenity was much to jittery to think anything about its brilliance. She paced forward, eyes straight to the ground before her. Her eyes trailed along the dead grass, and paused once she found something out of the ordinary. 

A pair of shoes.

Serenity froze in her tracks, and slowly gazed upwards, fearful of what her eyes might find. It was a tall man, with broad shoulders. With his back facing the troubled teenager. 

"Excuse me? But who are you?" Serenity couldn't help but ask.

The unknown pair of feet turned towards the voice, and met eyes with the girl. 

His eyes. Almost ungodly, too stunning to see as if she were staring into the sun.

Crystal clear blue eyes bore into Serenity's plain green ones, as if they were searching for answers. The shade of blue was so indescribable; almost as if they were portraying a lightly colored sapphire. 

Serenity snapped out of the trance the man's eyes tricked her into, earning her a frown. This confused Serenity, wondering what she did to earn such a reaction.

The man blinked and then his once sparkling eyes quickly turned into the brightest shade of red. 

Blood red. 

The transition shocked the girl, and she flinched as if he was about to strike her down. As she opened her mouth to speak, the man also did the same. But the two had very different things to say.

"No more running away, Serenity. I've finally found you."

Serenity's eyes rushed open, her heart beating rapidly from the bizarre dream she'd just had. Beads of sweat spread across her forehead, her blood rushing. Serenity quickly looked around the bed, and she laid back in relief to see that she was still in Sera's home. As of late, her dreams became stranger and stranger; almost as if it was a warning of some sort. Speaking of bizarre, Serenity quickly remembered the occurrence that happened just before she went to bed the previous night. 

Wait, where's the dog?

Serenity threw the quilted comforter off of her lap, and swooped off of the mattress. Throwing the door open, her eyes met with Sera's as she was about to reach for the same door's knob.

"Well, goodbye sunshine!" Sera exclaimed with a perky smile.

Serenity rolled her eyes, then sat herself in the living room. "What time is it, though?"

Sera's phone lit up as she checked for the time. "It's 11:34 a.m."

Serenity eyebrows furrowed together at the response she'd been given. It was Sunday morning, yet she didn't mean to sleep in that late; Alas, it wasn't noon just yet.

"Hungry?" Sera asked, breaking her friend out of her crowded thinking.

Before the sleepy-eyed girl could open her mouth to reply, her stomach interrupted with a snarl. This earned a chuckle from Sera, who took this as a sign to begin cooking food. Serenity followed Sera into the kitchen, and offered to help, but she politely declined. 

"You just woke up, so you should go shower and whatnot." Sera added.

"Oh yeah, true." Serenity agreed, and turned on her heels to the guest bathroom that sat across from her room.

Sera's parents were both at work, as they worked rather busy jobs. Her mother was an EMT, and her father was a police officer. As the two grew up together, Serenity always wondered how Sera was so tranquil about her parents' professions, seeing as they were both so dangerous.

Just as she reached the bathroom, a specific detail of absence reminded Serenity of another pondering she had. Turning back to walk into the kitchen, she asked.

"Oh, hey; I almost forgot to ask you. Where's the dog?" 

Sera froze in her movements, as she was about to crack open an egg to fry. "I drove him to his owner's house."

His owner's house? How did she know it even had an owner?  Serenity wondered.

"It had a collar on, and there was a tag attached. I guess you didn't notice it after I removed it last night, before giving it its bath." Sera quickly added.

Serenity frowned at the thought. Perhaps she was so worried from being lost, that her scatterbrained-ness misplaced her actually seeing the collar. She shrugged, and continued to the bathroom to shower. 

With a full belly and freshly bathed, Serenity felt pretty content. She managed to sleep in, and was able to achieve completing all of her assigned homework from the previous Friday. Now with that out of the way, Serenity began to think more on what to photograph for the upcoming art show. Her home had been empty for a week, and Serenity dearly missed her childhood home. Sera offered to stay with her until she was able to be alone, but she decided to flee to her house instead. The closer it got to Christmas, the more she wanted to go home. 

After consideration, and a quick discussion with her best friend, Serenity decided to pack her belongings, and move back home. Sera's offer still stood, and she gratefully accepted. Sera packed a few week's worth of clothes, including hygiene products. She'd previously gotten permission from her parents, seeing as how her best friend recently became an orphan. The two placed their bags in Sera's CRV, and began the drive to Serenity's house.