I'm So Tired
by Senzu Bean
The sky was a deep velvet purple and the moon hung high above. Mist swirled carelessly between the wiry trees and danced playfully on the dirt horizon. Dust burst into the air, kicked up by the tires of the old jeep. Inside, four wanderers slept while one drove on, blinking haplessly, trying to keep his weary eyes open.
The steady rhythm of the car on the road nearly lulled him to sleep, when suddenly, it stopped. The jeep rolled a few feet before coming to rest in a muddy ditch.
“D..dammit!” Chris muttered under his breath. He glanced over at the passenger seat where his cousin, Meg Cicone, was stirring in her sleep. He sighed and looked in the rear view mirror. Behind him, Tony Montoya slept soundly, his face plastered against the fogged glass. In the center seat, Adam Goldstone was just opening his eyes, and on Adam’s right sat Karen Bradley, snoring loudly, her head rested against the window. They seemed so serene. Chris hated to wake them, but it was too late.
“Chris Maxwell! What the hell are we doing in a ditch?!” Adam growled, leaning forward. In this motion, his seatbelt broke open. Adam’s deep brown eyes glowed with the fury of having just been awakened from a much needed sleep.
Chris sighed and sat back in his seat. “The..the engine must’ve st...st...stalled...but...I’m sure Tony can fix it...”
“What’s going on?” Meg yawned, brushing her wild blonde hair from her eyes.
“Nothing–“ Chris started.
“Dumb ass here busted the car!” Adam interrupted.
“Aw darn. I guess we won’t get to Florida by morning then, huh. Where are we anyways?” Meg wondered aloud.
“N...n...North Carolina...” Chris offered.
“The middle of nowhere! Damn North Carolina! Damn country roads! Why the hell are we here anyways?” Adam spat.
Tony cleared his throat, “We are going through North Carolina on our way to Miami, stupid. And we’re taking the back roads so no one’ll recognize us.”
“Didn’t know you were up...” Chris said softly.
“Well, how could anyone sleep with you three yapping like this?” Tony snorted. All eyes fell on Karen, who continued to snore.
Meg giggled, “Aw, you’re so funny Tony!”
Tony grinned and nudged Adam, “Eh, she thinks I’m funny!”
“Yeah. A regular Jerry Lewis.” Adam said dryly.
This went right over Meg’s head. She continued to bat her eyes at Tony, “Hey Tony, baby, Chris says the car is broken. You think you can fix it?”
Tony winked at her, “‘Course I can, sweet pea. I don’t get called the best car jack in Brooklyn for nothing!”
Meg giggled wildly and the four stepped out of the jeep. Tony and Adam mused over the engine. Meg and Chris sat in the tall grass and looked up at the sky.
“Looks like it’s gonna rain soon.” Meg said, gazing into the horizon.
“You can’t see the...stars...” Chris lamented.
“Yeah...” Meg sighed, absently flicking a moth from her arm. The two sighed in unison, and the looked at each other. Chris leaned in close to her, wiping a moth from her hair.
“Meg...do you r...realize that we are wanted for m...m...–?”
Meg put her finger to his lips and nodded. “Yeah, they want us real bad, huh cuz?”
“Don’t it just make you wanna bawl? I mean, I pulled one tri...tri...–“
BANG!!!
The hood slammed shut. Tony and Adam angrily tromped through the grass to the other two.
“Well, we’re stuck, of course!” Adam whined.
Tony punched him in the arm, “Shut up already! Meg, go get Karen. We all gotta make a plan.
Meg nodded and went back to the car. Adam absently rubbed his arm, muttering foreign profanities under his breath. Tony paced the trampled grass until the girls returned.
Karen yawned and stretched, “What’s shakin’ babies?”
“Here’s what shakin’: Chris “the Dumb ass” Maxwell crashed the car and Tony can’t fix it.” Adam complained.
“Shut up Adam!” Tony warned, “Well, Karen, we’re stuck here in the middle of freaking’ North Carolina with no car and no where to go. You’re real smart. Got any suggestions?”
Karen stared into the distance, squinting and peering through the trees. She nodded and turned back to her companions. “Yeah, I got an idea. You see them lights over there?” She pointed to the place where she’d been looking before. “Let’s go get someone to help us.”
Adam gave her a dirty look. “Um, Karen, dear, if they recognize us, we’re in deep –.”
Tony punched him again. “Shut up, Adam. Karen, that’s a great idea. They probably won’t recognize us out here in hillbilly land. Let’s go.”
Karen smirked at Adam, "See."
He started off to the light. Karen and Meg quickly followed. Adam grabbed Chris by the arm and dragged him along. The five marched steadily through the mud and tall grass. No one spoke and the only sound was crickets chirping. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, they reached the light source.
“A church? Great, just great. Peachy . . .a church. What the hell are we going to do in a church?” Adam squawked. He growled, muttering things in Hebrew, and turned back to the car.
“Adam, get your ass back here,” Tony grabbed him by the arm, “You ain’t going nowhere. We’re in this together, man.”
Adam’s face relaxed. He sighed and nodded, “Yeah, I guess.”
Karen and Chris looked up at the towering sight before them. It was an old church. The walls were decaying. A thick layer of dust draped the large iron door knobs. It seemed like no one had been inside for several decades. It even smelled old. Its thick dusty smell stung at the nostrils. Chris sneezed and wiped his eyes. Oh, yes, his allergies would be in over-drive tonight.
Meg wandered around the church. Large faded stained glass windows framed the side walls. She reached the back of the building and let out a blood curdling scream. The other four raced back to the spot where Meg was standing. She pointed helplessly, stammering, “There, there, it’s a . . . .” Meg nearly fainted into Tony’s arms.
The others stared in confusion at the sight before them. “A, ah, graveyard,” Karen murmured. The three men just looked on. Tony held Meg in his arms and Adam and Chris just stood still, trying to keep their cools.
The church cemetery went back for about a mile. Little headstones peaked out from the tall green grass. Most legible stones were dated 1863. Weeds had overgrown many of the stones and mosses covered some names.
Chris staggered backwards, “C’mon, guys. Let’s...let’s go. Anyone can see the girls are sca...sca...scared.
“I ain’t scared,” Karen gulped, “I just want to go inside is all.”
Chris nodded as Adam grabbed Karen’s hand. Tony picked up Meg and carried her over his shoulder. The five went back to the large frontal doors.
“Let’s just go back to the m...main road. We can walk to the nearest t...town from there. C’mon guys.”
"No, Chris,” Karen said, looking at the doors. “We walked this far. I want to stay here tonight.”
She let go of Adam’s hand and wiped the cobwebs from the knobs. The petite brunette shook the doors, trying to force them open. Adam joined her, finally causing the doors to burst inward. Swirls of dust danced into the air. The floor was covered by layers of virgin soot and cobwebs. A few bats flew over the groups heads. The party ducked, cowering at the little flying mammals. After a few moments of recovery, the five regained composure. Adam blinked, “Oh my god, bats. Bats! Oh my god.” He backed slowly out of the doorway, straight into Chris.
“Cool it, man,” Tony said calmly. “Let’s go inside. It’s getting cold out. We can stay here tonight.”
The other nodded and stepped into the musty building. A sudden gust of wind blew the double doors shut. Meg let out another scream. It was quiet, save the heavy breathing and Meg’s stifled cries. The air was still until a breeze pushed past them. Meg began to whimper, “Oh, god. Oh, Tony, please, let’s get out of here.”
A lighter flicked a few times before creating a tiny, steady flame. Tony held the lighter in front of him, shining the light around the church. Several broken pews lined the dust covered aisle. At the end of the aisle was an altar with a massive crucifix attached to the front. Against the back wall was a large antique pipe organ. It was made of carved chestnut wood and smothered by cob and spider webs. Above the five was a balcony containing several seats and the largest pipes. Everything inside was drenched with the talc of time.
“Kind of messy, huh?” Tony said, releasing his thumb from the lighter tab.
“Oh shush. Let’s just lay down on those pews and get some sleep,” Karen said, stepping forward into something hard. “Sorry for bumping you Adam.”
“Don’t worry babe, you didn’t,” Adam replied, his voice coming from behind her.
Karen froze in fear. She put her hands out in front of her. She felt nothing, “Guys . . .?”
She was cut off by a resonating low bass sound which slowly worked its way up a scale. It soon was fully recognizable. Someone was playing the organ.
Meg began to sob even harder. She clutched Tony tightly by the arm, “Come on! Please!”
Chris agreed, “Yeah, let’s go guys. This is creepy.”
“Alright, come on guys,” Tony said, turning back toward the door. Meg still grasped his hand and followed close behind. He felt the wall for the door knob before finally locating it. He rammed his should into the door several times before, finally, it opened.
“Thank God!” Adam exhaled, following his companions out into the mist. He stopped them, a sudden anxiety swept over him as he stared into the distance.
“Wasn’t that b...behind us?” Chris choked. “Wasn’t that–?”
“Shh, Chris, “Tony said, his arms tightly around Meg, “Let’s just ignore it and go back to the car.”
Chris nodded and followed Tony and Meg through the newly-placed cemetery. Karen grabbed Chris’ hand and bit the nails on her free hand. Adam rounded out the herd of people, sometimes pausing to reading the headstones.
He had just stopped to read one, when he noticed that the others were gone. Mist slowly worked its way around him. He look desperately around. He ran forward, blindly searching for his friends. He stumbled forward and braced himself for the ground. But he didn’t hit that ground immediately. He fell, hard. When he finally hit the ground, he came to the full realization of what just happened. He was in an open grave.
“Oh God! Get me out of here! Help me! Please God, please!” Adam screamed into the silent night. There was no reply. He clawed at the walls of the grave, trying to pull himself up, but he failed miserably. He hit the muddy ground with a thud. “Guys! Come back! Come help me! GOD! Someone help me! Please!”
Footsteps filled his ears. He heard voices. They were coming back for him! But the sound faded into laughing. It was an unfamiliar, sinister laugh. Adam sank back in fear. The footsteps came closer in the mist above. Adam silently prayed for his life. He opened his eyes and looked up at what had to be certain death. Instead he saw Tony’s smiling face.
“I see you got yourself in a bit of a mess eh, buddy?”
Adam glared at his friend, “Oh God. Shut the hell up Tony. Just get me out of here.”
“Ok, ok, cool it man. Hey Chris, come help me get stupid out of this hole.”
Chris appeared from the mist and he and Tony pulled Adam from the grave. Adam tried in vain to wipe the mud from his clothes. Karen ran up to him and gave him a hug. “God, Adam, you had me so worried. I thought something real bad had happened to you. Don’t you wander off like that again!” Karen said, gazing into his eyes.
“Alright,” he nodded, kissing her hair.
Meg peered through the mist as it slowly rolled away. “Uh, guys . . .?”
The fog had gone, yes, but what it revealed was even worse. The party was right in front of the church again.
“Oh no!” Karen gasped.
Thunder rolled on the horizon and suddenly they were being drenched with stinging rain.
The surrounding graveyard went out in all directions. A dog of some sort howled in the distance. Karen held Adam tightly and buried her face in his chest. “Oh Adam, what are we gonna do?” she sobbed.
Adam looked from Chris to Tony. The three came to a silent agreement. Chris and Tony pushed the large church doors open. Meg ran after them, trying to get them to stop.
“No Tony baby! Please! We can’t go in there! Please! I can’t! Please! Tony I’m scared! No! Please!”
Tony grabbed Meg by the arm. “Meg, hush, quiet now. We can’t risk getting lost outside again. Let’s just try and get some sleep. Please sweet pea, please.”
Meg cried and finally nodded. Chris and Tony escorted Meg into the church. Adam picked Karen and carried her in. Once all were inside, the doors blew shut. Then, from nowhere, light poured into the rooms from the stained glass windows. The golden light seemed to clean the church of the dust and grime. The pews, once covered with filth, were cleansed and replaced by function gorgeous benches. A long red carpet went down the aisle to the altar, where the drab crucifix was polished and clean. Even the organ was sparkling and new looking. The deep bass sound started again, filling to room with melancholy tone. Gust of winds pushed past them and formed glowing beams which rested on the pews. Another gust went by, stopping behind the altar. Meg started screaming. She dropped to her knees, holding her arms close to her rib cage.
“The pain! My God! The pain!” she wailed. She looked up at Tony, horror in her eyes, “Oh God Tony! Your face! Your face! God!”
Tony blinked as blood filled his eyes. He reached for his forehead and felt a long deep gash which poured blood all over his hands and face. “What the hell?”
About that time, Karen fell from Adam’s grasp and hit her head on the floor. A large purple bruise suddenly appeared over her left eye. “Karen?” Adam said, kneeling to her on the floor. “My head,” she said, saliva and blood dripping from her lips, “I can’t, oh God!”
Chris stood in shock as Adam’s neck began to gust crimson blood. Adam held his neck and writhed in pain. Chris knelt to help him, but he was swept over by a sudden feeling of pain in his limbs. His feet went out from under him and he was face down on the floor. He closed his eyes and gave in.
All he heard was voices, singing, chanting, laughing. One voice, though, was more clear than the others. “Welcome to Saint Christopher’s. You’ll be alright here.” The voice said. It was pure feminine and eternally good.
Chris sighed. He had died, of that he was sure. But if he was dead, where was St. Peter and the gates? Why was this taking so long? His thoughts were interrupted by his watch alarm. It was midnight. And he was still alive, that meant. But why? The pain was draining him.
The voices continued their chattering. Chris dared not open his eyes. God, he was tired.
He heard crying, screaming, and then, the angelic voice spoke, “It’s alright Chris. You can open your eyes now. The pain will soon disappear. You’re safe here.”
Chris slowly opened his eyes and he saw her. A beautiful lady in white, “You saved me. You’re an angel. I’m in heaven.” He stammered, his speech slightly slurred.
The woman laughed, “Oh no dear. I’m Dr. Edmund. You were in a car accident. You fell asleep at the wheel.”
Chris’ jaw dropped, “No. . . oh God! What about Tony and Adam and–?”
“Shhh. It’s alright. They’re fine. Tony has a large gash in his forehead. Karen has some head injuries and bruises from hitting the seat in front of her. Meg has some broken ribs and internal bleeding. Don't worry, it's better than it sounds. The prognosis is good for all of them.”
Chris sighed in relief. Then, he grew worried again, “Wh...what about Adam?”
“His seatbelt broke and he went through the windshield and hit a pile of dirt. Thankfully, that cushioned his fall. He has some neck wounds from the broken glass, as well as some nerve damage. But we think that with proper rehabilitation, he should regain most of his normal functions.” the doctor said, wiping sweat from Chris’ brow.
“And me?” Chris sobbed.
“You broke both arms and legs, but in time, you’ll be fine.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear anymore. They were all fine. Safe and snug in bed. Now he could finally get some sleep.
