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30“Holy shit, my girl nearly beat her stalker to death!” Brady exclaimed. He bounced excitedly across the pavement, escorting Sidney down the street from the police station. Sidney chuckled to herself and picked at the clothes that were not hers, a strange folded stack the officer provided when collecting her clothing as evidence. The cloth rubbed against her skin in unfamiliar patterns, draped from her shoulders in foreign angles.“Brady, stop,” Jordan scolded from Sidney’s other side. “This is not something to celebrate.”“Fuck you, it’s not! Some asshole from the internet stalks our girl, attacks our girl, takes her kid, kills Kendra, then comes for our girl. Then our girl almost kills this fucker!” Brady refused to contain his vibrating blend of glee and pride.“Almost,” Sidney echoed, not sure if she was smiling or grimacing.“I can’t believe you managed to stop yourself, Sid,” Brady continued, breathless. “I don’t think I could have after Kendra.”“I didn’t,” Sidney said
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 31
31Two months later, on the other side of the new year, Carla and Amy laughed together from Sidney’s freshly-shampooed couch, perched atop her freshly shampooed carpet. Sidney sat in the chair beside them, clutching her wine glass, trying not to see the ghosts of Oliver and herself beside them. Her brain cells were not nearly as clean as the floor and furniture in front of her. Carla leaned forward, swirling the remaining crimson liquid in the bell of her glass. The red in her glass matched the red on her lips matched the red of her snug and low-cut top. Her giggles lingered in a smile on her lips. She looked to Amy then across to Sidney before raising her glass.“Last drink of the night, ladies,” she said, the wine curling at the end of her words. “And it’s to Kendra.”Tears rushed to Sidney’s eyes at hearing Kendra’s name, at seeing three glasses converge when it should have been four, but she smiled through it as she brought her hand forward.“To Kendra,” Sidney echoed.“And
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 32
32Nine Months Later“Hey Mom, you know what I decided?” Cameron said, walking into the kitchen. “What’s that, buddy?” Sidney replied, digging popcorn out of the pantry.“Next time, I want a Black Panther room.”“Didn’t you just get a Spider-Man room? Don’t you still love Spider-Man?” Sidney planted a hand on her hip as she turned to him.“Black Panther is pretty awesome,” Adam said, following Cameron into the kitchen. “But it is hard to choose between him and Spider-Man. If you did an Avengers room, you could augment the Spider-Man you already have with Black Panther. And Captain America. And the Hulk.”“Yeah!” Cameron jumped.“Don’t encourage him,” Sidney laughed. “You’re new here. You don’t get a say.”“He’s here until Sunday,” Cameron countered. “I think he can have a say.”“Only because he’s saying what you want.”“Can we watch a horror movie tonight, Mom?”Sidney hesitated for a moment. Her hand hovering with the folded popcorn bag between her fingertips. Adam looked
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 1
1“Can you arch your back a little more, honey?” Brady said, peering around the barrel of his lens. “I’m getting a bulge in that position.”Sidney strategically pinned herself in the base of the large, empty bathtub. She rolled her hips forward to obscure her pubic hair with her thigh and draped her forearm across her nipples. She flinched at the word bulge, wanting to contort to smooth her side. Without unraveling the meticulous pose, she strained to turn her gaze toward Brady. She felt the sharp tug as her skin held fast in place.“Uh, no, I can’t,” Sidney replied. “I’m stuck.”“Damn it,” Brady huffed, placing his camera down on the bathroom counter beside him. “Is that blood dry again?”Sidney’s bare flesh glistened in a liberal coating of fake blood. The thick, red liquid drew patterns over her naked skin in drips and spatters. Stark, crimson smears tainted the garish white tub, evidence of Sidney’s every movement.Brady snatched the small spray bottle from beside his camera
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 2
2Sidney pulled abeer from the bottom shelf of her fridge. She cracked the bottle open, leaving the cap on the counter. Bringing the bottle to her lips, she reached for the bowl of chips with her free hand. She gathered her snacks and migrated to her favorite corner of the couch. As the opening credits of the horror movie flashed over the room, she took another swig and pulled her computer into her lap. The opening death of the movie screamed through the shifting shadows of her living room as she opened Brady’s email and launched the gallery from their photoshoot. Her naked form consumed the screen. Brady had cranked up the contrast, saturation, and clarity on the image, which paled Sidney’s skin and sharpened the lines. Her body lay unnervingly contorted in the base of the white tub, her eyes wild and face grimaced. He had enhanced the blood until it almost glimmered.The blood was the subject, and she was the landscape.She felt her eyes wander the curves of her own image,
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 3
3Sidney sat inher idling car, wringing her hands around the steering wheel. The early morning sun glared through her windshield, glinting along the cracks reaching out across the glass. She squinted behind her sunglasses but kept her fingers gripped to the wheel. The minutes closed in around her, banging away in time with her throbbing heartbeat.She hated coming to Aiden’s.He still lived in the small house they had purchased when Cameron was learning how to walk—the house in which they had been a family. After all the renovations he had made over the subsequent years, he had said she would have to pry the keys from his cold, dead fingers. If only it was all of those tireless renovations that had ended their marriage.As time collapsed on her and she ran out of seconds to stall, she took a deep breath and tapped her forehead on the steering wheel. Then she yanked the door handle and forced her steps to the front porch where Cameron used to color with sidewalk chalk in the s
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 4
4“Mom, I’m so hungry!”Cameron whined from the couch. “Baby, the food is finally here. I just have to unbag it,” Sidney said, unpacking the steaming boxes onto the coffee table.“Can we watch a scary movie?”Sidney hesitated, stalling by continuing to arrange the food on the table and extracting chopsticks and condiments from the brown paper sack. She kept her eyes down on her hands.“Mom! Can we watch a scary movie?” Cameron repeated, louder and with an edge.“Your daddy doesn’t like it when I show you scary movies,” Sidney finally replied.“Daddy just doesn’t like scary movies.”“Also true.”“Please!” Cameron sat up straight and opened his eyes wide at his mother.Sidney smiled, helpless.“OK, bud,” she said, “but not a really scary one.”“Yes!” Cameron threw his fists into the air.He popped up from the couch and moved to snatch a box of lo meinand a set of chopsticks. He nestled back on the couch cushion as Sidney summoned the movie on the flatscreen.“Wh
Last Updated : 2022-07-20Followers 5
5“Girl, your Instagramfeed is about to give me nightmares,” Kendra said as she scraped her spoon along the inside of her coffee cup. “You know I do that just for you,” Sidney replied, shuffling into the kitchen beside her.“I know you do.”“Yep. I pick a picture, and I think, this is going to get inside Kendra’s head. Then I sit up on the couch, listening for you to scream in your sleep.”“I’m not even surprised.” Kendra smirked as she sipped from the steaming cup. “Let me pour you a cup. You look like you need it.” “I woke up like this.”“Did you even sleep like this?”“Not really.” Sidney ground her knuckles into her eyes. “I had to get the rest of my reviews from Nightmare Film Fest drafted.”“You don’t have to do anything. You’re not getting paid for this.”“I’m getting paid a little. Just not enough to live on.”“Either way, it’s a side hustle.”“Yeah, and if I hustle hard enough, it can be the main hustle. So, I had to finish the reviews.”“And post creepy a
Last Updated : 2022-07-20
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32Nine Months Later“Hey Mom, you know what I decided?” Cameron said, walking into the kitchen. “What’s that, buddy?” Sidney replied, digging popcorn out of the pantry.“Next time, I want a Black Panther room.”“Didn’t you just get a Spider-Man room? Don’t you still love Spider-Man?” Sidney planted a hand on her hip as she turned to him.“Black Panther is pretty awesome,” Adam said, following Cameron into the kitchen. “But it is hard to choose between him and Spider-Man. If you did an Avengers room, you could augment the Spider-Man you already have with Black Panther. And Captain America. And the Hulk.”“Yeah!” Cameron jumped.“Don’t encourage him,” Sidney laughed. “You’re new here. You don’t get a say.”“He’s here until Sunday,” Cameron countered. “I think he can have a say.”“Only because he’s saying what you want.”“Can we watch a horror movie tonight, Mom?”Sidney hesitated for a moment. Her hand hovering with the folded popcorn bag between her fingertips. Adam looked
Followers 31
31Two months later, on the other side of the new year, Carla and Amy laughed together from Sidney’s freshly-shampooed couch, perched atop her freshly shampooed carpet. Sidney sat in the chair beside them, clutching her wine glass, trying not to see the ghosts of Oliver and herself beside them. Her brain cells were not nearly as clean as the floor and furniture in front of her. Carla leaned forward, swirling the remaining crimson liquid in the bell of her glass. The red in her glass matched the red on her lips matched the red of her snug and low-cut top. Her giggles lingered in a smile on her lips. She looked to Amy then across to Sidney before raising her glass.“Last drink of the night, ladies,” she said, the wine curling at the end of her words. “And it’s to Kendra.”Tears rushed to Sidney’s eyes at hearing Kendra’s name, at seeing three glasses converge when it should have been four, but she smiled through it as she brought her hand forward.“To Kendra,” Sidney echoed.“And
Followers 30
30“Holy shit, my girl nearly beat her stalker to death!” Brady exclaimed. He bounced excitedly across the pavement, escorting Sidney down the street from the police station. Sidney chuckled to herself and picked at the clothes that were not hers, a strange folded stack the officer provided when collecting her clothing as evidence. The cloth rubbed against her skin in unfamiliar patterns, draped from her shoulders in foreign angles.“Brady, stop,” Jordan scolded from Sidney’s other side. “This is not something to celebrate.”“Fuck you, it’s not! Some asshole from the internet stalks our girl, attacks our girl, takes her kid, kills Kendra, then comes for our girl. Then our girl almost kills this fucker!” Brady refused to contain his vibrating blend of glee and pride.“Almost,” Sidney echoed, not sure if she was smiling or grimacing.“I can’t believe you managed to stop yourself, Sid,” Brady continued, breathless. “I don’t think I could have after Kendra.”“I didn’t,” Sidney said
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29Sidney took adeep breath as she sank into the couch cushion in her basement. The house around her remained unfamiliar and hollow, yet she felt different in it now. Her mind clung to its reinvention, and she finally inhabited her new space. The nervous flinch threatened at the base of her spine, coiling then relenting enough for her to breathe, for her to simply be. She closed her eyes and took yogic breaths then opened them gently, looking around the room to remind herself how normal it was. The customary popcorn and beer perched on the table between her and the television. Her laptop glowed from the cushion beside her, cursor blinking anticipant of her words. She held the remote as her thumb traced the Play button, watching the sweat trickle down the side of the beer bottle. It all looked the same, but something felt off.“You’re being ridiculous,” she said to herself. “It’s just a movie. Movies didn’t get you into this. It is for the 12 Slays of Christmas; you are watchi
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28“Don’t say it,” Sidney mumbled as she approached Brady. She could already see the sympathetic, assessing look in his eye as he tipped his thin-rimmed sunglasses. He leaned his yoga mat against the glass windows of the studio and snatched her into a hug. She clutched him tightly for a moment then stepped back.“Say what?” he asked, innocently.“That I look like hell.”“Oh honey, you already know.” He smiled playfully. “And it doesn’t matter. It only matters if you’re OK, and I’m glad you came out this morning. Have you left the house since it happened?”Sidney shook her head. “I haven’t been able to. The store is still closed. Cameron is still with Aiden. I’m not really eating. So there hasn’t been a reason to.”“Well, you have a reason today.” Brady stooped to gather his yoga mat onto his hip. “We are going to breathe through all this bullshit and find your center.”“What if there is nothing good at my center?” Sidney said before catching the words on her tongue.Brady tur
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27Sidney staggered downthe concrete steps, clutching the metal railing. The interior of the police station had become too familiar, haunting her dreams after all these successive visits. It felt like she had never left after Kendra’s death, and even as she stumbled out now, part of her lingered back in the drab room where she was questioned. Her face hurt. Her cheeks stretched taut over the swelling. Her eyelids were puffy, cumbersome when she blinked. Her eyeballs themselves felt raw and exhausted, the same as every cell in her body. Her skeleton was heavy to move, like it would be better placed somewhere dark and final.Her mind did not form thoughts. It could not. The echoes of the police inquiries orbited around Seth’s slumped body in the backroom of the store. The lines of questions reached back and arched into concentric circles, running laps around all the terrible things that had happened. All the events at which she had been the center. Why had she been in the middl
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26The trail grewdarker as Sidney ran across the dirt in a panic. She craned her neck to glare at the creek behind her. When she turned back, the night blotted out the light to consume her. The nightmare became only the sound of her crunching footfalls. She sprinted blindly into the black. Then the streetlight appeared. She leaped toward the light, and when her foot landed in the circle of illumination, the ground went liquid beneath her. Her shoe vanished beneath the gravel like quicksand. Before she could stop it, her other foot followed. The ground swallowed her feet, slurping greedily to her waist. She could not move her legs or fight against the pressure crushing her beneath the surface. She screamed and howled into the empty night, clawing desperately at the dirt as it climbed her body. As the edge reached her chest, something crashed down on top of her, pushing her deeper into her struggle.Kendra’s limp and lifeless corpse landed on her head, blocking out the streetli
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25“Mommy!”Cameron hollered as Sidney opened the front door. “Cam, baby.” Sidney dropped to one knee so that she could swallow her son in a hug.With Cameron pressed into her chest, Sidney closed her eyes and took the first real breath she had in days. When she exhaled, her shoulders finally lowered. She melted into him, and when he went to release her, she clung to him an extra second longer. The house around them instantly felt smaller, less cavernous and vacant.“Hey, Sidney,” Aiden said as he stepped in behind Cameron.“Hi, Aiden.” Sidney finally released Cameron, her fingertips still lingering on his shoulders. “Thanks for bringing Cam over.”Aiden awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pockets and moved his eyes around the living room. “It looks good in here,” he said. “You’ve already unpacked a lot.”“I couldn’t really sleep.”Aiden nodded but did not step further into the house.“Cam, buddy, I’m going to put your bag right here,” Aiden leaned the backpack against th
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24The new housewas too quiet, as if the boxes lining the room absorbed the sound and sucked up the air around Sidney. She felt like she could not breathe so alone, in such oppressive silence. Sidney stood uneasy inside the front door, shoes squeaking on the tile under her, fingers fidgeting in her keys. She did not know how to be alone in this new place, herplace. She could not stand how loud it all seemed in silence. Cameron and Savannah not giggling as they ran through the hallways chasing each other.Kendra not in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine and talking about her ex-husband.No one. Nothing. Just unfamiliar rooms filled with Sidney’s possessions hastily crammed into wilted boxes.When Brady and Jordan ran out of enthusiasm for moving furniture and even free pizza could not rekindle them, Sidney had told them she would be fine. When she kissed Adam goodbye in the departure drop-off lane at the airport, she had told him she would be fine. She was not fine. N
