Hero

 

     A Heart beats slowly. “Who is she?” an inner voice calls out of the sheer darkness as images of a beautiful dark haired female flash in and out of focus with each drumming of the heart. “What is she doing in my head?” The voice cries out as his heart begins to quicken. “There is something about her. Her eyes are daggers that pierce the very depths of my soul. Her smile, what a smile, it could brighten up a thousand homes and a thousand lives. And her laugh, it’s a sweet lullaby. Her voice is an angel singing. All of this from a girl that I’ve never met, a girl whose name I don’t know, someone that will somehow impact my life.” Chris jumps up from his bed, heart pounding in his chest. He quickly covers it as if to prevent the noise from waking his roommate, William. With his chest heaving he slowly lowers himself down, turning his head to see the alarm clock reading 5:25 am. There he lies staring as each minute passed, thinking about his dream. As the time passed, William wakes up to get ready for his morning classes.

“Yo man, you’re awake?” William inquires, as he rubs his eyes.

“Yea, I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.” Chris responds.

“And you don’t even have a morning class do ya?”

“No, not today.” Chris informs William, “Let’s go get some breakfast.”

     The two get ready and head out to the dinning hall on their campus. “Dude I had that dream with that girl again.” Chris says to Will.

“Ah man, not this ‘perfect’ girl that you dream about again.” Will whines, “Dude you need to get laid, or get something to take you’re mind off all that nonsense.”

“I just don’t understand why she’s in my dreams. I never met the girl, ya know, so what the hell is she doing in my head. Why can’t I stop dreaming about her?”

“Sexual frustration my man. You gotta ease your suffering.” Will tries to help, “There’s this party tonight, there’s supposed to be plenty of ladies there. You should find one and hook up with ‘em.”

“I don’t know. I’m not much of the party person.”

“But you’ll go and bitch about your dreams about a chick, c’mon man. Where’s your sense of reality here. It’s not like you’re going to marry her or anything, it’s a fling thing.”

“I’m not one for those ‘fling things’.” Chris does quote marks with his fingers, “I’m more of a relationship type of person…”

“This is why you’re doomed to die a virgin my friend.” They both laugh as they enter the dinning hall. They cease their conversation while waiting to get food. As they sit they begin to converse again. “So you’re coming tonight with me right?”

Chris lets out a sigh of agreement, “alright.” The two eat their breakfast and part ways for the time. Will going to his class and Chris wandering aimlessly around. He finds a nice spot under a tree overlooking a lake, about a quarter-mile off of campus. He pulls his sketch book out of his bag and begins to draw numerous portraits of his famed “dream girl” while contemplating where these visions have been coming from. They day winds on, and before Chris realizes it he has wasted the day at the lake and when he looks through the drawings he’s created, he can only recall the first two, one of this mystery girls sitting, staring forward, with an arm braced against a bent knee and her fingers through her hair and she’s smiling; a playful “I can’t believe you’re drawing me” type of smile. The other is more of a detailed drawing of her face, mostly focused on the eyes, as if they’re able to stare right through you and know every secret hidden within. As he flipped through drawing after drawing he tried to figure out what it was that drove his hand to sketch some amazing drawings. Drawings of full portraits with every little detail drawn to perfection, or some with her in a scene, standing in a meadow, on a cliff overlooking the sea. Chris was stunned and at the same time he was frightened with the idea of the games that his subconscious is playing with him. He headed back to campus, going to his room.

“Dude, where have you been?” Will asked, “I was starting to get a little worried about you man.”

“Yea I was at the lake…”

“All the way out there, what the hell were you doing way out there?”

“Well I went to draw a few things and to just think some things out, but I guess I dosed or something, zoned out maybe, because when I woke up there were like ten pictures I didn’t draw in there.”

“That’s pretty freaky man. You mean to say that you drew them in your sleep?”

“Something like that, I remember holding onto the pencil the entire time, and staring at the lake for a long time, I don’t recall drawing any of the ten sketches. What’s even stranger is that I must have washed my hands during this period because some of the shading that was done requires smudging, you know, using your fingers and such.”

“Whoa, that’s some pretty crazy stuff. But let’s take your mind off it and head to that party. You’re driving cause I’m drinking. Time to pick up some ladies buddy.”

     The two got ready and headed out to the party which was a good twenty minutes away, and through a wooded area. Along the way, Chris paid very little attention to his roommate as he ranted about how great the party is going to be and about plans for the next day. Chris was somewhere else in his mind, he now couldn’t even get the thought of this woman out of his mind, she was there all the time. The two arrived at the very full party and began their mingling process. The night continued, as more and more people drank some not so much as others and other as more then their stomachs could handle. As Chris wandered from group to group, talking about this and that, he soon discovered his passed out roommate lying on a couch. Some people thought it would be funny and had drawn additional characteristics on his face, as in a maker goatee and evil eyebrows as well as other additional markings. Someone even went through the great length to put a very nice and intricate patter on the whole length of his right arm, from his fingers up to his shoulder and part of his neck. Chris let out a sigh and picked up his big friend. It was clearly time for them both to get home, the party winding down and many people falling asleep, due to the fact that it was three o’clock in the morning. As Chris stepped out of the house with his drunken friend he overheard a couple arguing just before the doors closed to the car. He shrugged it off as something normal. As he got to his car, he saw the car with the couple that was arguing, fly past him heading in the same direction he was going in order to go home. Now the road used to get to this house was a very nice scenic road with one sharp turn in the middle of it. Chris didn’t give it much thought until he got into his car and soon had a feeling that something bad happened with the couple and that turn. He quickly took off after the other car, his friend out like a light in the back. It took Chris 5 minutes to catch-up and see the damage. The car had flipped on to its hood and crashed into a tree. He quickly pulled over and ran to the car. Right as he approached, the car burst into flame. He couldn’t open the driver’s door, so he kicked in the window.

“You alright,” he called out to the individuals inside the vehicle. He heard the cry of the female in the car. He climbed into the window and, fortunate for him yet unfortunate for the victim, the driver was not wearing his seatbelt. Although he was still alive; however, he was not in good shape, bleeding from many cuts and an easily visible broken arm. The flame roared as it grew; the car was going to explode. Chris couldn’t get to the other door, it being pinned to a tree. He quickly dove back through the driver’s side window, where he was able to see the girl hanging, too much smoke to make out a physical description. He struggled with the belt as the car became an oven and the flames grew even higher. With one more tug the belt freed and the girl collapsed to the roof of the car. “C’mon,” Chris said, yet through all the chaos he didn’t realize that the girl had passed out from fright. He began to pull her from the accident. Just as he reached safe distance from the car, it exploded in a huge blaze, the car being consumed completely in fire. Chris collapsed, the girl lying in his lap, both gasping and coughing for fresh air. As he looked down, his eyes widened as he gazed at the sleeping beauty that has appeared in his dreams on countless nights. “Ah, um, are… are you alright?” He stammered out as her eyes began to open slightly.

“Yea,” she answered along with a series of coughs. “Thank you. You saved my life…” her voice trailed off as her hero came into focus.

“Yea, um, it was nothing. We need to get that guy some help, he’s pretty banged up.” Chris pointed to the guy taking his eyes of the damsel, hoping at the same time that she would do the same. As he pointed he thought, “Those eyes, they’re looking right into me, beyond me, searching. Damn those eyes, how I want to just gaze upon them, but can’t, not now.”

“Yea,” was all that she could say. The two got up and as the girl ran to the car Chris ran to pick up the driver. Chris had to quickly move will around so that he had a seat instead of the entire back and that the driver, who’s name is Mike, had the other seat. Chris pulled out his cell phone and called 911, as he took off. He reported where the accident occurred and as much information as he knew, as well informing them that he was driving the two victims to the local hospital which is a half an hour away from the school. He drove fast not caring if he got pulled over, knowing that he wouldn’t even stop if the lights came on behind him. “The police can arrest me after this guy gets to the hospital,” was the thought that was running through his head. He didn’t say a word, even though the girl that has been altering his sleeping habits was sitting in the car not more then two feet away. He wanted to ask so many questions, wanted so many things answered but knew that now was not the time to barrage her with questions. “My name is Jane,” she said, her face being hidden by her long hair. Chris knew that she was distraught over it all, surprised that he hadn’t seen any tears.

“I’m… I’m Chris,” he was able to blurt out.

“It’s amazing isn’t it? How things work out. I mean had you come two minutes later, I would have died.” Her voice seeming to crack.

“But you’re alive and that’s all that really matters.”

“Yea, I guess you’re right.” She let out a little laugh and fell silent. The two remained silent for the rest of the ride.

    They arrived at the hospital, Mike getting rushed off into the emergency room and Jane in a check up area. Chris asked for some towels or something to clean his car after he explained that his friend was just tired. After he finished cleaning what mess was left in the car he headed in to see how the two were doing. He arrived in the waiting room as a doctor was coming out of the ER. “He’ll be fine, lost a decent amount of blood, but he’ll be alright. He had broken his arm in two places as well as his ankle. He’s lucky to be alive, from the type of accident that he was in.”

“Thank you,” Jane said as she stood up. She turned to Chris, “Could you give me a ride home? I live in an apartment that’s only a few minutes away in the direction you’re heading. You are going back to the college right?”

“Yea, I am. Yea I can give you a ride home.” Chris said trying to fight back his nervousness. The two left the hospital, with Will still out like a light in the back.

“You know,” Jane started after they started driving away, “I feel safe around you, like you’ll save me from everything. Maybe it’s because you actually did save me and my mind is now giving me the impression that you’ll always do that. But I feel something else, another sort of connection.” Jane finished, never looking at Chris, just staring out of the window up at the starry night. Chris was speechless. Not knowing what to say, his mind wandered as he began to speak.

“I’ve been having dreams about you.” Chris said, realizing he was actually speaking held his breath in anticipation of something negative.

“Interesting…” Jane paused, “Cause I’ve been having dreams about a shadowed man, I can’t make anything out about him, but he is everywhere I am when I am in trouble.” Chris sighed in relief.

“I understand what you’re saying. I mean about the connection sorta thing. I felt it when you opened your eyes before.” Chris realizing what his mind was leading him into he stopped speaking. Sensing something else behind Chris’s words, Jane stayed silent, only speaking to tell him when to turn. They arrived at the apartment and as she was about to leave Chris breaks the silence, “Here, let me give you my phone number for you to call me if you ever need me.” He quickly scribbled down both his cell number and his room phone number and handed it to her. She gave a little smile as she scurried to the apartment. Chris drove home, lugging his friend to their room and tossing him into his bed. Chris lay down not to go to sleep but rather to recall what had just occurred. He got ready when it was time to go to class leaving his drunken friend to sleep it off. All day he couldn’t stop thinking about what happened. Soon he looked at it as a whole and realized that this girl that he has seemingly fallen for was already with another guy, Mike. His spirits lowered and the day seemed to get grey just to match his mood. As he began to walk back to his room, it began to pour. Not just a light downpour but rather a curtain of water which made it so that you couldn’t see more then five feet in front of you. He walked as if life seemed to have lost it’s meaning and walked into his house and finally to his dorm. As he opened the door, his roommate looked up.

“Man what happened to you? You do know it’s raining outside right? Or did you decide to jump in the pool with your clothes on?” Will jibbed. “Oh by the way, some girl named Jane called, she left her number and wants you to call her back whenever you can. So who’s this girl? She was at the party right?”

“You’re a funny kid you know that. And yes she was at the party and no I didn’t get with her. You were so out cold man; I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Chris said as he walked over to the phone taking off the majority of his sopping wet clothes. He picked up the phone and looked at the number. His hand was shaking, maybe from the cold, maybe from his nerves, as he dialed each number. The two began to talk as if they were close friends, learning a little bit about each other, as well as some personal information. Before departing after about an hour long conversation, Chris remembered to ask about Mike.

“Oh yea, he’s fine. He’ll be back at school in a couple of days.” Jane said “Well goodnight.” And the two hung up. The two kept calling each other three or four times a week, getting to know more and more about each other. Before too long they were each other’s best friend, one to turn to for something as small as a bad day, just cause of a feeling, to that of an ill family member or something in equal seriousness. One topic that Jane had seemed to stay away from was her relationship. Now weeks have gone by and one day, while the two were on the phone, Chris asks, “So how are you and Mike?” and realizing his boldness in the question fell silent as if the conversation was just shot out of the sky.

“We’re alright.” She said, hiding something.

“I’m sorry it was really bold of me. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No it’s alright; I don’t mind talking about it.” She said, thinking that it has ended there.

“Well if you really don’t mind, may I ask what you’re hiding then?” Chris, still not feeling right about it, but wanting to uncover the truth even more so.

“I…uh… well… alright, well it’s not like he doesn’t care about me, even though it may seem like that from other people. I know he cares about me. He just has problems expressing it and all.” Jane confessed.

“I won’t judge your relationship, but it doesn’t seem right. It seems like he’s not treating you the way you should be treated.” Chris tried to assure her.

“No, he’s alright.” Jane answered.

“Alright, if you’re happy then that’s alright.” Chris said as he left it at that. The two hung up after that brief discussion. One day, Chris had gotten a voicemail on his cell phone from Jane. It said: “Hi Chris,” sadness in her voice could be clearly made out, “I wanted to call you to tell you that I can’t speak to you anymore. It has been really great talking…” she had to stop getting choked up while speaking, “It has been really great talking with you and you’ve always been there. So I guess I am just calling to say good-bye and I hope that you’ll be very happy in the now and future.” Chris stopped dead in his tracks, feeling as if someone has taken the strength out of his legs. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground. He dialed her number, tears beginning to form in his eyes. A guy picked up

“Who is this?” Came the voice, the same voice that was yelling before the car took off weeks ago. “Hello? You better answer… this is that punk that’s been calling Jane and that she’s been calling. I swear you call again and I’ll kill you.” There was a clang as Mike hung up. Chris not knowing what to do, decided that he couldn’t let something so special go. He’s had nothing like this before and wasn’t about to let it go because of a jealous boyfriend. He got into his car and drove to where she lived. Right as he pulled up he heard yelling coming from the small apartment that Jane lived in. He walked up to the door and knocked. He heard the voice from inside. “That your hero? Huh?” the voice yelled. There was a slapping noise, and with that sound Chris ran strait back until he heard the first click to unlock the door. He turned around and began to run back at the door. Mike swung open the door to see Chris jumping in the air. He couldn’t react being completely taken off guard. Chris used both feet planting it in his chest. Chris looked to see that Mike still had a cast on his arm but a boot for his ankle. He felt no pity for the man now lying on the ground unconscious. Chris ran into the apartment searching for Jane.

“Jane! Jane!” he called out. He heard the sound of light sobbing coming from the bedroom. Jane was sitting on the ground holding her cheek. “Jane, no man is worth staying for if he has to hit you in order to keep you. I’ll take you out of here.” She looked up just in time to call out his name.

“CHRIS!” she yelled as mike cracked Chris in the back with a baseball bat. Chris fell to the floor in pain and shock. Mike began to laugh preparing for another downward swing. “Chris! Mike stop!” with Jane sounding the next attack, Chris quickly rolled over and planted his foot strait into Mike’s groin. He then rolled to his feet grabbing the bat. He rolled Mike onto his back and put the bat right into Mike’s throat.

“Now I am not one for violence. I am a pretty easy going sorta guy, always looking out for others. But one thing I will never tolerate is the abuse of a female.” He pushed a little harder, enough to cut off his air supply. “Now I want you to get up and I want you to leave. If it happens that I even see you give this place a second look I’ll come for you and remove what you’re acting like and his little friends to. In case that didn’t connect in your head,” He pressed a little harder making Mikes face turn red, “I’ll come and castrate you, you loathsome son of a bitch.” He released Mike, Mike coughing and gasping for air. He stumbled to his feet and wandered out the door. Mike never showed up at the house again, maybe he took the threat seriously. Jane rose to her feet and gave Chris a hug.

“Thank you,” she said “thank you for everything. See you’re my hero, my protector.” Jane said with tears flowing from her eyes.

“I wasn’t about to let someone as special as you out of my grasp because of some chump that’s jealous. You mean too much to me now.” Chris said, holding her, comforting her.

She looked up at him, “Could you stay here for the night?” those words were what Chris heard for the next week, “Could you stay here for the night?” He obliged her request, every time she asked, knowing that she’d feel better with him around. He took the extremely small couch even though she invited him to sleep in her large sized bed. As time went by, the two grew closer. Even though they weren’t officially together, they just about acted like it. One day they were walking down the street, traffic was decent and there was a wall along their side as they walked. As they were about to round the corner, Mike came around from behind it, and, again, swung a baseball bat right into Chris stomach. Jane screamed as Mike swung again taking Chris to the ground. Mike pushed Jane to the side and moved to get a better shot at Chris. Chris quickly kciked Mike’s legs, making Mike run into Jane. Jane fell to the ground in the middle of the street. Jane just scrambled to her feet as a car was coming strait towards her. The driver slammed on the breaks, but the car wasn’t going to be able to stop in time. Chris ran and pushed Mike into a sign post, cutting his face, and bolted toward Jane. He grabbed her and threw her toward the curb as he took the full blow from the car, rolling up the windshield and down the back. The car stopped ten feet afterward, windshield shattered. Chris didn’t move. He lay still not even a breath filled his lungs. Jane burst into tears as Mike ran away, scarred for life. We must live each day to its fullest, doing what we can to achieve happiness, and most of all expressing ourselves, because we never know if we’ll ever get that chance to tell that person how much we care about them.