11: Names

Memory and I suddenly found ourselves in the hallway outside Kind’s room. The windows at the end glowed with a soft white blur, and we could see nothing outside of them besides the whiteness. My hands moved faster than I could perceive, leaving faint, hazy traces. It took me a moment to notice Memory shouting at me, trying to grab my attention, but I couldn’t tell when his mouth opened or closed.

We had achieved astral projection somehow.

Suddenly, Kind opened the door, and the hazy and sunken feeling dissipated the moment we saw his face. His eyes were half-closed, and he wore the Joy Division t-shirt he usually slept on. I looked at Memory, hoping he’d confirm if any of what was happening was real, but his face was stuck, frozen in shock, with both eyes and mouth wide open.

“Do I look that bad?” Kind asked. “It’s like I died or something.”

He slapped Memory lightly on the face and pulled him inside by his shirt. I followed the two of them with the shortest steps I could manage. Inside, Kind grabbed the TV remote and played Memory’s favorite song, “Someday,” while Memory and I sat with our legs well closed and our shoulders well up.

“You two are too tense,” Kind said. “What do you want to do today?”

Memory gulped. “I haven’t seen a good movie in a long time. What’s your favorite one again?” he asked shakily after a few minutes.

Kind’s face lit up so brightly I thought I’d need sunscreen to look at him in the eyes. He eagerly explained to us his top ten favorite movies in avid detail, including release dates, actors, awards, and his own personal scores. We decided we should watch 1997’s “Cure.”

Kind eagelry sat between us on the bed, and we watched the movie in silence for an hour and fifty-one minutes. I wanted to confront him about what had happened, but every time I’d look at his face he’d be smiling from ear to ear.

“I love this movie so much,” he said. “You two are really the best friends ever.”

I turned to Memory, who was teary-eyed but was also faintly smiling. He noticed me looking and ran straight to the bathroom, embarrassed. Kind and I laughed it off, blaming the movie. I rested my head on his shoulder and wept softly.

“You know he’s always been in love with you, right?” Kind asked me. “He doesn’t show it, but he has a huge heart, and it all belongs to you.”

I woke up from the dream to a fuzzy feeling on my lips. When I opened my eyes, I found out that Memory was kissing me on my lips. His hands were holding mine in place and his knee was pressing my crotch slightly. It took me a second to process the horrors of what was happening to me before I screamed and slapped his face so hard he spat blood on the wall.

Scared, he jumped off the bed and ran, slamming the door open. I tried to chase him, but as soon as I stepped into the hallway I was faced with the dark beast, who was standing right in front of my face, engulfing me in its darkness.