Categories > Original > Romance > Dancing with Death
“Hey.”
“Um…hi.”
“Wanna go hiking?”
I had to laugh at Gerard then. “Hiking?”
“Hiking. There’s an awesome place I wanna show you.”
I shivered. “Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up in two hours. See you then.”
I shut my phone and swallowed my rising nausea. This was it. He was going to kill me…while hiking? I tried to tell myself that this wasn’t it, that he was taking me hiking as a way to say goodbye, and next time he took me out I’d be good as dead. But I couldn’t stop the shaking that began when I got in the shower. When I was all dressed in jeans, a Panic! At The Disco t-shirt and my best hiking boots, I waited by the window until I saw his car pull up.
“Easy girl,” I murmured, getting up to open the front door. “If you’re gonna die, at least move towards your death bravely.”
“Hey,” Gerard said, pulling me into his arms when I opened the door for him.
“Hello.” I couldn’t help but get a little happy when he touched me.
Soon we were on the road heading to the most rural area in town. Soon we were in Bear Hill State Park, a small park with exactly two hiking trails, both leading up and down tall cliffs over and over again. “After you, malady,” Gerard said, smiling as he opened the car door for me. He’s either a great actor, or has convinced himself that this is for my own good, I thought as we started towards one of the trails.
“So…” he said as we began the walk up the first trail. “You look great.”
I laughed out loud, the trees nearby echoing the sound. “I’m wearing jeans, a tee and no makeup. That’s ‘great’ to you?”
“Every time I see you, you seem a little more beautiful to me.”
I sucked in a breath as he took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. I wanted to break down and cry right then. I wanted to scream loud enough that all the birds nearby would fly away and Gerard would realize that if I was so gorgeous to him, he shouldn’t kill me. So I mumbled a very lame, “Thanks.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling me to a stop next to him. “You’re so quiet. It’s not normal for you.”
I looked at him then. I could tell him what I’d heard, if I wanted. But no. I couldn’t spit it out just yet. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he said, walking again.
We walked in silence. I felt like I was choking on the clean air surrounding us in the middle of the forest. Slowly suffocating as Gerard’s hand made me feel happy in the deepest parts of me. It was the most bittersweet time of my life.
We got to the top of a cliff after about an hour of that quiet walking.
“Okay. Speak up. Something’s wrong. What is it?” he asked.
“I…” I knew I had to tell him then. “I heard you talking to Lucifer last night. I know you’re going to kill me and I can’t…I couldn’t sleep last night and I’m trying not to lose my head and start screaming right now. Please, Gerard, tell me you aren’t really planning to do it.”
His eyes turned black, and I stumbled backwards, closer to the edge of the rock. “Why were you there at that time of night?”
“I just wanted to go for a walk. I wanted some air…”
He punched a tree. “You need to learn to keep your nose where it belongs.”
“I didn’t mean to!”
“You shouldn’t have heard that!” he yelled back, running a hand through his hair.
I grabbed a tree to keep my balance. “No, Gerard. I’m glad I did. At least now we can work through this. Together.”
“Work through this?” he laughed out loud. “You are so naive. It can’t be done, Samantha.”
“Why not?”
“Do you have any idea who we’re up against? This is the freaking devil!”
“So? You said he has no power over us!”
“But he has power over other people. And I was stupid to think that. I let my head get filled with these ridiculous notions. Look, can we please just do this before I lose my nerve?”
“No. Please.”
He stepped closer to me. I gripped the tree tighter. “Why are you doing this?”
He stepped into the sunlight so his eyes looked darker than before. “Because death is evil. Death is unforgiving and hauntingly hateful. Death does nothing but leave you broken in the end. I’m sorry, Samantha. I actually thought we could avoid this. But…”
“And we can! Please, we can find another way. Don’t…don’t do this. I—I love you,” I murmured softly, my throat closing up with the threat of tears.
“I love you too,” he said, as if it were something he was already looking at in hindsight. Then he pushed me, ripping me away from the tree and sending me toppling off the edge of the cliff.
“Um…hi.”
“Wanna go hiking?”
I had to laugh at Gerard then. “Hiking?”
“Hiking. There’s an awesome place I wanna show you.”
I shivered. “Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up in two hours. See you then.”
I shut my phone and swallowed my rising nausea. This was it. He was going to kill me…while hiking? I tried to tell myself that this wasn’t it, that he was taking me hiking as a way to say goodbye, and next time he took me out I’d be good as dead. But I couldn’t stop the shaking that began when I got in the shower. When I was all dressed in jeans, a Panic! At The Disco t-shirt and my best hiking boots, I waited by the window until I saw his car pull up.
“Easy girl,” I murmured, getting up to open the front door. “If you’re gonna die, at least move towards your death bravely.”
“Hey,” Gerard said, pulling me into his arms when I opened the door for him.
“Hello.” I couldn’t help but get a little happy when he touched me.
Soon we were on the road heading to the most rural area in town. Soon we were in Bear Hill State Park, a small park with exactly two hiking trails, both leading up and down tall cliffs over and over again. “After you, malady,” Gerard said, smiling as he opened the car door for me. He’s either a great actor, or has convinced himself that this is for my own good, I thought as we started towards one of the trails.
“So…” he said as we began the walk up the first trail. “You look great.”
I laughed out loud, the trees nearby echoing the sound. “I’m wearing jeans, a tee and no makeup. That’s ‘great’ to you?”
“Every time I see you, you seem a little more beautiful to me.”
I sucked in a breath as he took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. I wanted to break down and cry right then. I wanted to scream loud enough that all the birds nearby would fly away and Gerard would realize that if I was so gorgeous to him, he shouldn’t kill me. So I mumbled a very lame, “Thanks.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling me to a stop next to him. “You’re so quiet. It’s not normal for you.”
I looked at him then. I could tell him what I’d heard, if I wanted. But no. I couldn’t spit it out just yet. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he said, walking again.
We walked in silence. I felt like I was choking on the clean air surrounding us in the middle of the forest. Slowly suffocating as Gerard’s hand made me feel happy in the deepest parts of me. It was the most bittersweet time of my life.
We got to the top of a cliff after about an hour of that quiet walking.
“Okay. Speak up. Something’s wrong. What is it?” he asked.
“I…” I knew I had to tell him then. “I heard you talking to Lucifer last night. I know you’re going to kill me and I can’t…I couldn’t sleep last night and I’m trying not to lose my head and start screaming right now. Please, Gerard, tell me you aren’t really planning to do it.”
His eyes turned black, and I stumbled backwards, closer to the edge of the rock. “Why were you there at that time of night?”
“I just wanted to go for a walk. I wanted some air…”
He punched a tree. “You need to learn to keep your nose where it belongs.”
“I didn’t mean to!”
“You shouldn’t have heard that!” he yelled back, running a hand through his hair.
I grabbed a tree to keep my balance. “No, Gerard. I’m glad I did. At least now we can work through this. Together.”
“Work through this?” he laughed out loud. “You are so naive. It can’t be done, Samantha.”
“Why not?”
“Do you have any idea who we’re up against? This is the freaking devil!”
“So? You said he has no power over us!”
“But he has power over other people. And I was stupid to think that. I let my head get filled with these ridiculous notions. Look, can we please just do this before I lose my nerve?”
“No. Please.”
He stepped closer to me. I gripped the tree tighter. “Why are you doing this?”
He stepped into the sunlight so his eyes looked darker than before. “Because death is evil. Death is unforgiving and hauntingly hateful. Death does nothing but leave you broken in the end. I’m sorry, Samantha. I actually thought we could avoid this. But…”
“And we can! Please, we can find another way. Don’t…don’t do this. I—I love you,” I murmured softly, my throat closing up with the threat of tears.
“I love you too,” he said, as if it were something he was already looking at in hindsight. Then he pushed me, ripping me away from the tree and sending me toppling off the edge of the cliff.
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