• “Hurry up, Heather!” Brian yelled impatiently. He rolled his eyes in frustration and grunted. Shes always making me late, he thought.
    “I’m coming, I’m coming, sheesh,” Heather huffed, attempting to pull on her heel as she hopped to his car. Stopping, she buckled her shoe and looked at the horizon. The sky shone an orange hue, with splashes of pink.
    “C’mon, will ya?” Brian started his car, partially as a hint to get her moving. “Sorry,” she pitifully apologized. Opening the door, she pulled up her skirt to avoid getting it caught in the door as she slammed the door shut. Brian looked at her, “you ready?”
    “yeah,” she replied. Looking backwards over his shoulder, Brian pulled out of the driveway slowly, while Heather observed the houses as they drove by. Her neighbourhood was quiet and small, as well as colorful. The houses were brightly painted, and most of them had gardens with many assortments of wild flowers. In between gardens many yards were home to small statues or fountains.
    “Are you excited for the play?” Brian asked.
    Heather looked at him with surprise, “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
    He shrugged, “you don’t seem all that enthusiastic about it, that’s all”
    “Well I am, I guess I’m just a little preoccupied with my thoughts.” She felt his concerned gaze on her and shifted uncomfortably. She then primped herself vainly.
    “Why?” he demanded. Heather wasn’t sure how to answer, nor was she inclined to sharing her thoughts with him. She considered why her uneasiness quelled her. Five years ago, she had received a kidney transplant after years of discouraging dyalasis. Though she had been annoyed that she was to have the surgery on Christmas Eve, she was glad to be having it at all, and she considered the new kidney as the best Christmas present she had ever obtained. The surgery went well of course, no complications. Her body accepted the new kidney with no problems. She would always ask who the donor was, but the nurses would refuse to tell her. All she ever heard about her unknown donor was that it was a woman, and she had been braindead before the surgery. When she asked, they told her braindead simply meant the persons brain had ceast to work, but the rest of her body worked perfectly fine. But, what confused Heather was that every Christmas Eve since then she would feel a strange internal heat she couldn’t explane. It began as a sharp burn, but then lulled to a painful throb. Eventually, it became part of her and she hardly noticed it, but it was still enough to prove annoying, especially when she was trying to enjoy herself.
    She had the usual pain this year, which made her especially irritable, but she was also filled with anxiety. Her skin felt itchy, while her legs felt as if they couldn’t move enough, even if she needed to run a mile. And although her mood wasn’t great, she made herself feel better by admiring herself in the mirror.
    “Heather?” Brian postulated.
    “It’s nothing,” she finally responded, keeping her mood in check, though she was irritated.
    Brian halfheartedly accepted what she said as true, allowing an awkward silence over the car. The uneasiness Heather was feeling was growing as she attempted to block it from her mind. She looked out the window and blinked solemnly. The grass and streets shone in the fading light of the sunset. She saw the moon peaking out from the mountains as it rose. Heather sighed.
    “So,” Brian finally said, “do you remember that water balloon fight we had a few years ago?” he was attempting to get Heather’s mind away from whatever was troubling her.
    She smiled, “Haha, of course! That was fun… and when we went to the park to play football in the dark. It was kind of cold though,”
    Brian laughed slightly, recalling the memories they had shared from years ago. “Do you also remember that one night when the moon was especially big, and the stars were brighter than ever? It was beautiful.”
    “Yeah…” silence fell between them, but this time it wasn’t awkward. Their friendship had grown so strong over the years, nothing could break it, or so they thought. Often they had issues, either they wouldn’t talk for one reason or another, or they had so much work to do they couldn’t see each other. Heather had feelings for Brian, and doubted he felt the same way, which was the only thing that kept her from telling him. What she didn’t know, is he felt the same way, too.
    She looked sweetly up at him, her bright green eyes flashing, “Brian, you know… I enjoy being with you.”
    Her sudden comment caught him off guard, and he looked at her with a strange expression, “Well, me too, I guess. Why the sudden appriciation?”
    A slight chuckle came from her, and she smiled at him, “there has to be a reason to dote on a friend?”
    “I guess not…”
    Then, just as they were passing through an intersection, Heathers heart jumped as she saw a suburban racing toward them at full speed, headlights blazing.
    “Brian-“

    * * *


    Heather opened her eyes drowsily. What happened… she thought. She felt the cold wet concrete under her, making her all the more confused as to what had transpired. Examining her surroundings she saw blood pooled around her and soaking her clothes. Brian was laying yards away from her, unconcious. Wreakage littered the ground, and cars were sprawled around her, crushed. Bystanders were standing around on their cellphones. Trying to move, pain shot through Heather’s left leg and arm. She tried to cry out, but only a groan came from her mouth. Someone ran towards her, saying something. Heather couldn’t understand what was being said. Her mind was dazed, and she barely knew what was going on.
    “Are you okay?” the man repeated. Turning his head. He yelled, “We need help over here! Now!”
    Heather’s mind went blank and pain subsided as shock soothed her body. Her breathing began to slow, and her extremedies went numb. Her eyelids grew heavy, but she didn’t fight to stay awake. Giving Brian one last look, her heart gave one last beat.


    * * *


    Amy pulled down her silk dress impatiently as she waited for the traffic light to change to green. Sighing in annoyance she checked her watch. 6:21 p.m. Nine minutes until Les Miserables started. Traffic was particularly backed up today. There must have been an accident, she thought. The streets shone gold from the streetlights. Steam and exhaust from the cars in front of her danced in healicle swirls against the dark wet concrete. Just then traffic seemed to pull forward and she made it to the theater parking lot within minutes. Amy stepped out of the car and ran her fingers through her rich brown hair. Her appearance was unique, if not strange. Her eyes shone a bright iridescent aqua-blue, while her hair was naturally light brown. It was long, down to her mid-back, and strait.
    Man, she thought, I’m so glad I get to blow off steam. Her waitressing job was especially hard the last few weeks because she worked at one of the nicest restaurants in town, and it was near Christmas, which always meant big family crowds.
    Yawning, Amy made her way across the sidewalk and into the main entrance of the theater.
    “Ma’am,” a man walked toward her. She looked at him with a questioning gaze. “Would you like me to take your coat?” He appeared kind, but weary.
    Smiling, Amy replied, “No, thanks.” He nodded and walked off.
    Looking around, Amy hadn’t realized how ravishing the foyer was. Lights from the golden statues and crystal chandeliers danced off the walls, which were a subtle cream color. The carpets were brilliant red, which contrasted the pale walls pleasantly. The whole ensambel appeared as a very victorian style all together.
    People began to push by Amy, so she decided to buy her ticket. After that was acomplished, she meandered into the auditorium and sat, waiting. She checked her watch again; The show should be starting soon, she thought.
    While letting her gaze linger on random people, she saw a woman about the same age as herself. Amy automatically recognized her; she was a graduate from the same High school as Amy, and her name was Heather. Her hair was dark, her eyes just the opposite; They were bright green. Her skin was pleasantly tanned, which made her look exotic. Suddenly, the girl looked back at her. Just then, a bright heat burst from Amy’s inside. Gasping, she clutched her lower ribcage as a reflex. The shock of the sudden pain caused her thoughts to blur and her vision to darken. After a couple of seconds, the pain subsided to a dull throbbing and her sight went back to normal. As her thoughts cleared she tried to unravel what had occurred. Nothing came to mind, so she assumed ignorantly that she had just had a bodily spasm.
    Blinking off the shock, she felt her head. It was hot to the touch, and slightly damp from perspiration.
    “Something wrong?” A slightly doughey man who had been sitting next to her touched her shoulder. She flinched in surprise, but then calmed as she realized he had been sitting there for minutes now.
    “Yeah…” she replied cooly, “I’m fine.”
    “Well, all right,” he didn’t look completely convinced, but he didn’t push the matter any more.
    Just as Amy settled in comfortably, the lights darkened. A man, garbed in a dark tunic and a loose white shirt walked onto the stage. He began to sing, and his deep warm voice calmed and comforted Amy. Though his voice was enchanting, the song he was rendering was doleful.
    Some other people, dressed in drab uniforms walked onto the stage singing along with him. Some women held babies, while some men held tankards of assumed ale. Their voices melded together into a large beautiful melody. The undulations of their song rose and fell like waves of a very heavyhearted ocean. As the pleasing noise filled every corner of the auditorium, the man Amy had previously conversed with broke her solace with vast coughing. It wasn’t normal coughing, otherwise Amy would have shrugged it off. His coughing was filled with flegm. His coughing increased to the point where Amy couldn’t concentrate on the play.
    Just as she was about to ask if he was okay, his eyes burst open. Surprise flashed to her face as she saw strange goo ooze and crawl down his face from in between his fingers covering his mouth. From what she could see it was beige-red and very thick. The mans face became strained as he fought to hold back convulsions. He then clutched his stomach. Obviously unable to suppress the intensity of his condition, his hand flew away from his face and the goo immediately began to spew from his mouth. Amy drew back, terrified. Then, he passed out.
    While she was riveted with the man, she failed to realize other people had begun coughing, as well as vomiting the strange goo. Looking around, Amy realized more than half the auditorium were passed out, coughing, or looking around in surprise. Then she turned back around and felt the man’s pulse. Nothing. She dropped his hand in disgust. Fighting back nausea, she stood and fought her way passed panicked people to the aisle. The play had ceast, most of the audience were dead or dying, many weeping as they coughed themselves to death.