The "Last" Night Out
January 12, 2002, 12:02 a.m.
Sixteen-year-old Sammy enters her home quietly, wondering where her parents might be. Undeterred, she heads to the kitchen and prepares a meal her friends had given her after a night out. Still feeling unconcerned, she sits down to enjoy her favorite dish, mac and cheese. It isn’t until she returns to the kitchen that she notices the mac and cheese expired in the year 2000. Alarmed, she dashes to the bathroom to vomit. Once she is done, she hears a knock at her door.
She wonders, “Who might be knocking on my door at this late hour? I’m not anticipating any visitors..” When she swings the door open, it’s her close friend Malcolm.
“Hey Malcolm, what are you doing here so late?” She grins and waits for his response, but he hesitates for a few moments. After a short while, he attempts to respond, but it only results in stammering.
“..Uh.. Uh...I came over here because I’m v..very tired and was looking for a place to hang out.” He speaks, but Sammy finds it hard for her to comprehend what Malcolm is talking about, so she asks him to repeat it. However it comes out in stammers again, so she tries hard to comprehend what he’s saying to her.
She pauses for a moment and replies, “I see you’re looking for a place to stay or..? She talks to him with a light-hearted tone. Malcolm turns back to her and gives a warm nod. Her grin widens once more at the sight of his smile.
She lets out a sigh and replies, “Alright. I suppose you can hang out here for a bit.” She gives him a playful look while speaking. He beams at her with joy and glances at her before taking a seat. She had never witnessed him looking so joyous before.
“Do you want some water? You seem a bit out of it.” She laughs at him. He teasingly sticks out his tongue at her and then gives a playful nod. She returns to the kitchen and brings back two glasses of water, one for herself and one for Malcolm. She hands the glass of water to Malcolm.
He lets out a quiet, “Ahh...” He smiles at her and thanks her for the drink. Sammy yawns and informs Malcolm that she’s heading to bed since it’s late. He nods with a grin, softly murmuring, “Goodnight,” then lets out a yawn, and finishes with a drowsy smile. Sammy heads to her room, inhaling and exhaling deeply as she lays on her bed and starts gazing at the ceiling.
January 12, 2002. 3:07 a.m.
Malcolm and Sammy are fast asleep at the moment. While Malcolm remains on the couch but has rolled off during his slumber, Sammy is in a dream state, her voice taking on a distorted tone of voice. She continuously says the phrase, “There’s a dead girl in my closet, there’s a dead girl in my closet.” She quickly awakens from the terrifying dream, crying out, but Malcolm is unaware, so she attempts to fall back asleep.
