2

He took his sleeve and wiped his mouth, his lips chapped and face glistening with sweat.

"Hey Jr. Can you promise me something?"

I looked at him and took a step back. I did not mean to, it just happened.

"Jr? Look at me! LOOK AT ME!"

Uncle grabbed me by my shoulders and started squeezing. He was angry, or he was scared. Whatever it was, it was scaring me.

"I promise! Stop squeezing me!"

I stepped back and wiped his arms off me. Uncle was covered in sweat now, drops running down his face. He licked his lips and was breathing heavily. I mean, there is nothing out there but the shop. What was it that was making him act so on edge? Why is he scaring me, this is not the Uncle I know?

Uncle walked past me and into his room. I never turned around; I was trying to process what had just happened. Uncle closed his door with force, echoing a bang throughout the house. I wonder what he saw. Was the sun red or a light outside had caused it. It would make sense if it was a fire. Do not go outside and inhale the smoke. But why not look outside? Why did we have to cover the windows?

I went upstairs to go to sleep. When I laid down it had gotten dark outside, no more light snuck out the curtains. I did not hear Uncle leave his room. It took a while, but I eventually doze off. I slept well that night. Mostly due to the silence, and that dog across the street had stopped barking.

Jr. Do you see them? The angels. They are so beautiful. Look, Jr.

I woke up drenched in sweat. I ripped the blankets off my bed and sat up. My eyes burned, dry and dehydrated. I already had forgotten what the nightmare was about, but it must have been bad. I grabbed my leg, it was hurting. It felt as if someone hit it with a hammer.

I got up and walked to my light. I flicked it on and blinded myself for a few seconds. I wondered if it was daytime yet. The curtains kept the light out so well, I would have no idea unless some light creeped through. The clock on my dresser had said 3:45. As I sat down on my bed again the sharp pain had returned.

I slid my pajamas off to see a huge purple stain on my thigh. It was dark, I must have hit my leg hard to get something like this. I do not remember ever hitting my leg. Tonight, had been a strange night.

I looked up to see my door had cracked open. I kept that closed at night. There is no way I forgot, or I did. I am not too sure. The pain in my leg kept on throbbing. There is no way I could have gone back to sleep with this. "Perhaps we have some muscle cream in the bathroom." I got up and walked out my door onto the staircase. Every step down the stairs I took sent a shock through my left leg.

It was dark downstairs. I only was able to see some outlines of the furniture. I could walk through this house with my eyes closed though so it was not the biggest problem. The thing is, I was not a huge fan of silence. Often my heartbeat filled the void. The house seemed too quiet, and it caused my brain to make its own sounds.

Ring. Thump thump

I creaked the bathroom door open and flicked the light on. I slid the cabinet under the sink. The floor had black and white tiles, leading to a pink shower curtain. I remember we received it as a gift. It never really bothered Uncle since he had his own shower in the master bedroom. It was slightly clear, so I always felt like I was being watched.

Digging through the cabinet, I found bandages, soap, toothpaste, all you could need in a bathroom except the muscle cream. I slid everything back into the cabinet and shut it up.

There was an ice pack in the freezer that could subside the pain until morning. I turned off the light in the bathroom and shut the door quietly.

Turning toward the kitchen I saw a light. It was dim but it was not there when I came down the stairs earlier.

I had woken up Uncle?