Strangers In The Mist
It was pitch black outside. The air was empty. Life was tasteless. Nobody wanted to leave their homes. For they knew that if they did, something horrible would be outside awaiting them…and they might never come back. Laura turned her gaze away from the window and settled on a comfortable, overstuffed chair. Being an independent, sixteen-year-old, Laura had convinced her parents to let her have her own apartment. She thought this was the road to freedom, but she was wrong. Very wrong indeed. There was something about this place that freaked her out, and Laura knew she had to investigate. To find out the true story in order to ease the residents' nonsense. What was it that made them stay home at night? What was it? Laura prowled restlessly around the living room. Since she had arrived at this town, everyone was pointing fingers at her, muttering that she had the gift and she had to be kept safe. The question was, what gift did she have? Unable to bear the thoughts, Laura shrugged on her black, leather duster and scraped her car keys off the coffee table. There was this small thing that kept tugging at her, that told her to go out and settle the myths. Laura walked across the car park, towards her black GTX convertible. She got into her car without opening the doors, started the engine, and drove her way out with a loud screech. As she cruised along Santa Monica's silent streets, Laura began to wonder. She had lived in L.A. all her life, and the roads were supposed to be busy at this time. But why was it so quiet here? It was as if the people did not have any nightlife. Laura sighed with relief and happiness when she entered the heart of L.A. Now, here, nightlife was the important issue. Even though it was two in the morning, the streets were crowded with cars, taxis, and all sorts of other vehicles. The ride was a smooth one along Sunset, but suddenly, Laura realized she was driving in mists. What's going on? Laura thought frantically as she braked her car. Where am I? She blinked her azure eyes and when she opened them, she was in her car, on the same particular street. Laura glanced behind and started her car sheepishly when she heard motorists at the back pressing their horns and throwing swearwords at her. Feeling the need to freshen up, Laura turned left and parked her convertible at the parking lot outside a club. Laura ordered a glass of white wine and thought about what happened just now. The mists that were so thick, amazingly, only appeared to her. Could all those lost people back in her town were lost in the mist? "Thanks," she said when her drink arrived. Laura fumbled for some money and when she handed the money to the waiter… the vision hit her like an electrical shot. The waiter walking past Griffiths Park, whistling happily when he was suddenly taken by surprise by a gang of thieves, who demanded money from him, the waiter refused and he was stabbed to death, and his body was thrown into a drain nearby…… " Oh, my God," Laura whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. She looked up at the waiter and told him, " Don't walk past Griffiths Park on your way home, okay?" The waiter looked at her, clearly perplexed, but moved away. He probably thinks I'm a psycho or something, Laura thought glumly, sipping her white wine and tapping her feet to the music. But then, what if I'm right? What if I can see things? Laura laughed bitterly at the thoughts. How could she ever be able to see things? Moreover, why should it start now, not earlier? "But that still doesn't explain why I saw the waiter getting killed," Laura told herself. "What if the people are right? What if I have the gift?" "You do," said a voice, full of contrite. Laura whirled around and saw a handsome, young man clad in black standing behind her. His dark hair was naturally spiky, but it was one of his features that made him good-looking. His mesmerizing, dark eyes showed penitence as he looked at Laura straight into the eye. The stranger then gestured at the seat across from Laura. "May I?" he asked. Not getting a response from Laura, he cleared his throat and tried again, "Excuse me, but may I sit there?" Busted. His words caught Laura off-guard, and she did her best to mask it. "Of course. What do you mean? You know, you said that I have the gift? And if you don't mind, what's your name?" The stranger hesitated, then stated what had tube stated. "Well, my name's Angelus…and, well, you do have the gift. I just know it." "Okay, so you just…like, know I have the gift. And…Angelus?" Angelus laughed softly, and this made Laura's heart beat faster. Man, was this guy a hunk. His name even meant "the one with the angelic face." " I know, I know," he said in his characteristically soft voice. "It sounds like the Angelus-turned-Angel in the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but really, my name is Angelus, not David Boreanaz. Furthermore, David's married, but I'm still single and eighteen." A soft, shy smile crept over Laura's face as she pushed back her long, blond hair. Angelus and David looked so much alike; it almost made Laura think that the guy in front of her was David Boreanaz. But that was not going to happen, so it was best if Laura concentrated on this guy instead. "I'm Laura," Laura introduced herself. "So…why suddenly, out of the blue, you come here and tell me I have the gift?" Angelus set his eyes on hers, gazing into her eyes intently. "I need you to help me, Laura," he said, merely in a whisper. "I need you to help me find my sister, Gwen. I know you know about the mists. Laura, Gwen's trapped there. She's trapped in there." He lowered his head, obviously in distress. Laura placed her fingers underneath his chin and lifted his face. The unmistakable pain was so blatant in his eyes; it made Laura wanted to help him more. "We'll find Gwen,' Laura said gently. "But first, how do we save her?" "Get into the mists," Angelus replied simply. With that, they left the club and got into Laura's car; this time, Angelus was the driver. "Lead the way," Laura instructed. Half an hour later…… Laura and Angelus walked close together, hand in hand, for both were afraid to lose each other. They had gotten into the mists at an alley in Sunset, and now Laura was embarking on her quest in this impenetrable mist with Angelus. "Gwen!" Angelus called out. "Gwen! It's me, Angelus!" The answer to his calls was only silence. As they walked on, the mists became thicker and the pair tightened their grip. Soon, the mists lessened and the duo could see a young kid with dark hair that rested on her shoulders in lovely curls sitting under a willow tree. Angelus ran forward to hug his sister but froze in mid-tracks. From far, Gwen looked like as if she was alive, but when he neared her, all he could see was the remains of Gwen's skeletons. Looking around him, he yelled: "What have you done to Gwen? What have you done to her?" Laura ran forward and pulled Angelus away. The place was crawling with little, ugly creatures that reminded Laura of Furbies that had just emerged from Hell. "Angelus, run!" Laura screamed out. "Hurry!" Hand in hand, they ran together at the same, fast speed through the mists. They barely noticed the creatures following them. Their focus, their heart, was on fleeing from this undesirable place. One of the creatures shot an arrow at Angelus, who caught it in one, single sweep and broke it into half. The pair continued their run, and as they ran, Angelus and Laura both realized the need for each other. They both need one another. After they had ran for almost two kilometres in the mists, they found themselves in front of Laura's GTX. Amid their terror, they climbed into the car and roared off. At first, Laura drove at ninety kilometres per hour, stepping on her accelerator hard that Angelus was worried that the convertible would blow up. Later, she slowed down along the street facing Griffith Park. Seeing the wet blood on the grass, Laura knew her premonition had came true. After driving past Griffith Park, Laura began her normal cruise. She looked over at Angelus, who was deeply hurt by Gwen's death. Pulling a brake at a red light, Laura turned to look at Angelus and slowly touched his arm. Angelus woke up from his daze and turned to look at Laura. "Thank you, Laura," Angelus said quietly. "Even though Gwen's gone, I really appreciate your help." He paused, and then continued, "In our quest to save Gwen, I knew a whole load of things about you." "Same here," Laura replied, glancing up. The lights had turned green. Laura drove a few miles before parking her car at one side of the street. "I knew a whole lot more about you, Angelus," Laura whispered. "I did." They leaned in closer, and their lips met. It went on for another five more seconds before they drew back. For the moment, they both sat in silence, gazing out, wondering, is this the last time we will meet? "So," Laura said in a cheerful tone, breaking the silence. "We're done with our quest, right? But even if we've finished with it, that doesn't mean we can't hang out. Get what I mean?" Angelus looked at Laura in amazement. "Yeah," he agreed. "You free tomorrow night? If you are, why don't we go over to that new club on Sunset?" "Thought you'd never ask."
Copyright © 2004 Nur Syafiqah A Jaaffar |