A Good Night

“Here you go, Lil Bit,” the biker said as he handed over the small plastic baggy. “Since you been such a good friend to my boy, you can have these for free. The rest of you fuckers hand over twenty-five bucks!” The big-bellied man roared with laughter as the rest of the group started pulling out their cash.

Sawyer sat back on the couch, looking over the small brown mushrooms. Her heart pounded in her ears. She had never done anything stronger than pot before. The only reason shrooms sounded interesting was because she had read online that they could make a person more creative. To an artist and a writer, such as herself, that sounded like a pretty good deal.

Lonnie plopped down next to her; a big grin spread across his face, “Just pop ‘em in, Sawyer,” he said before taking a hit off one of the pipes that had been going around. The ring on his bottom lip clicked when he pressed the glass bowl to his mouth.

The stink of the marijuana filling Sawyer’s lungs as the flame from Lonnie’s lighter lit the bud. Sitting back, he tried his best to suppress a cough that threatened to break free. Once that was under control, he added with the exhale, “You might want to do what Cara is doing and put them in something.”

Lonnie had been her best friend for almost nineteen years. Ever since grade school. He looked almost nothing like his dad; tall and lanky with shaggy, muddy brown hair and a goatee. The skater and gamer type who always put parents off by the way he looked. Where his dad was the stereotypical biker with a large frame that filled doorways, taller, with salt and pepper hair hidden under a bandana.

“Yeah, these things are hella fucking nasty, Sawyer.” Cara, Lonnie’s fiancee, was in the kitchen preparing a heavily flavored sandwich.

She was a step in the opposite direction from Lonnie’s previous girlfriends. Those girls had all been stick thin and obnoxiously preppy. Cara was more laid back and more goal-orientated, which was a breath of fresh air, but Sawyer still turned a shade a green when she was around. She was a bigger girl with long tight curly black hair. Her near-black eyes were framed with thin wire glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose.

“Nah, just pop those suckers back, Lil Bit.” Sawyer turned back to face the leather vested biker, Lonnie’s dad Jedediah. He scratched his dark grey goatee and smiled at her, “Take a drink after you chew them up real nice. Take the whole gram. That’ll get you going real nice.” He ruffled her short hair and watched as the other kids started tossing back the shrooms.

Among them were two teenage boys who had taken to sitting in a couple of dining room seats. One had close-cut blond hair, the other dark brown curls that hung over his eyes. Tonight was the latter's first time taking mushrooms as well. He was already munching on his gram with a look of utter disgust lining his face.

On the second couch sat Jed, and on his right sat his youngest son, Ray, and his girlfriend, Kirsten. Ray was a heavier, more obnoxious version of his brother. More of a frat bro than a gamer, though. He always wore snapbacks and baggy shorts and had this laugh that almost made you hate him because it sounded condescending.

His girlfriend was the epitome of vapid, brainless arm candy. Though Sawyer has to say Kirsten was a cute girl, with long, straight, brown hair and bright green eyes that stared out into space. She nestled up against Ray with this empty smile spread across her face. The two of them had been pre-gaming before they came to Lonnie’s house. In other words, that poor girl was already so far gone she didn’t need anything else, but that sure didn’t stop her from throwing back the contents of the gram she paid for.

Sawyer shrugged, scratching at her knee. The action was an unfortunate tell when she was nervous. Forcing herself to stop, she unsnapped the bag and tossed back the little fungi. She gagged and almost spat them out. Good god, they were vile. Cara hadn’t been joking; these things were vile.

Lonnie slapped Sawyer on the back a few times, urging her to continue chewing and that it would all be over as soon as she swallowed. That got everybody laughing as she struggled to smile through the disgusting taste. As soon as the last bit of mush slithered down her throat, Sawyer snatched up her soda and chugged as much as she could. Anything to get that shit out of her mouth.

Giving herself a good shake, Sawyer grinned at the others who applauded her. Her reward was one of the packed and smoldering pipes that had been floating around. Once a lighter had found its way to her hands, Sawyer put the pipe to her lips and lit up. The harsh smoke hitting her lungs made her feel ten thousand times better. With luck, these shrooms would prove to be as beneficial as she had read.

***

About an hour had gone by, and Sawyer had still not felt the effects. Disappointment had begun to worm its way inside her as she sat squat on her seat. She had transferred from her spot on the small couch to a desk chair in front of the television. Jed was entertaining them with a story about some road trip he had taken a few months back. He described the sights and sounds, even the smells of the road, in vivid detail. The whole room had taken a great interest, especially the two teens who had scooted closer and were on the edge of their seats. Sawyer could see the slight dilation of their pupils even from her spot across the room. It seemed she was the only one left sober.

With a huff, she leaned forward, resting her chin on her knees when she felt the weirdest sensation. Glancing down at her hand, she turned it back and forth. Yeah, that was her hand… but at the same time, it didn’t feel like it was her hand. She couldn’t feel her hand, and yet it moved when she commanded it. Sawyer pinched and caressed her skin with her other hand. Nothing. The feeling crept its way up until her entire left arm felt detached.

“Whatchya doing over there, Lil Bit?”

“My… hand.”

Jed chuckled, “What about your hand?”

“It’s not my hand, but it is!”

Lonnie and Ray cackled. A noise like that would have caused her to jump in a sober state, but instead, it felt like she looked up at them in slow motion.

“Sawyer, you high as fuck, bruh!” Ray slapped his knee; his face and eyes were red from both laughing and smoking.

Sawyer sat stroking her arm, laughing with Ray. She wasn’t sure why she was laughing, but he was laughing, so she needed to laugh too. Something must have been funny.

Lonnie leaned forward from his spot in his fiancee’s arm and looked Sawyer in the eye. The action wasn’t something she would have been comfortable with either if she were sober. The thought of someone looking her in the eyes gave her an anxiety attack. Yet, she couldn’t help but stare back into the deep recesses of her friend’s eyes in absolute wonder. His hazel eyes were like a galaxy of browns and reds and golds with little flecks of green exploding from the black holes that were his pupils. Around them, whitish-pink pools with red tendrils of blood reaching out from the corners of his eyes.

“There they go. Your pupils are starting to dilate.” He chuckled as he scooted closer to get a better look. “Man Sawyer, your eyes look like... Like ice or something.” Suddenly a thought struck him, “Hey, you guys want to stand outside? I hear a storm rolling in soon, and it’s supposed to be a fucking howler!”

The whole room sucked air like that was the most profound and exciting thing anyone had ever said to them. People were rushed to put on shoes, or at least attempt at it only to eventually give up and march or wobble out the front door. Jed’s heavy boots thudded on the wood floor, shaking Sawyer like she was in an earthquake.

He patted her on the shoulder and asked if she was coming.

Shaking her head, she forced words to come out, “N-no… I think… Going- Going to stay here. Inside.” She blinked and wondered how in the world she messed up such a simple sentence.

The older man laughed and told her to take it easy as he headed outside. “Oh and remember, if you go to the bathroom, don’t look in the mirrors.” Then the click of the door shutting behind him cut her off from the rest of the world, and she was alone.

Right. Mirrors made you freak out or whatever. Something about seeing yourself scared a person who was entirely out of it. No way was she going to put herself through that.

Tonight was going to be a good night.

*buzz buzz*

Without looking away from the door, Sawyer reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Before reading the message, she decided her small desk chair was far too uncomfortable. So, she gripped the metal frame, and ever-so-slowly slipped one foot to the floor. Once she was sure it was planted firmly, the other foot joined it. Sawyer scooched forward until her butt was barely on the edge of her seat and carefully slid over to the loveseat.

As soon as her body fell back into the cushions, she gasped and smiled at how comfy they were. She nestled herself deeper into the sofa then unlocked her phone. The bright LED light caused her to blink.

Too bright. Too bright! Much to her dismay, she couldn’t remember how to turn the brightness down. So she sat squinting at the small words, trying to read them as they squiggled across her screen.

“Hold still words…” she heard herself mumble. Part of her wished her girlfriend had chosen a better time to message her. However, how was Sawyer supposed to tell the straight-laced woman that she was currently too high to read?

Too much thinking for now. She shot back a quick reply, then killed the horrible LED torch and sat back.

So quiet.

Very quiet.

No sounds- Wait.

What was that?

Sawyer snorted when she realized it was just her breathing. That was loud. She ran her hands over the soft fabric of the couch. How come she never noticed how soft it was? She had sat on this couch dozens of times and never felt it like this.

Soft.

Silky.

Her hair was soft too. Sawyer tugged on a few strands trying to see them in front of her face. It was too short for that, and her rational mind knew that. She patted the couch giggling at the dull pap sound her palms made.

Pap, pap, pap-a-pappapap.

Why hadn't her girlfriend replied yet? It’s been a least forty-sixty-- forever since her phone last went off. And where was everyone else?

*buzz buzz*

Finally! She blinked at that stupid light again and sent back a reply. This time, she checked the timestamps of the messages before turning the phone off:

Nicole- 7:46 p.m.

Me- 7:49 p.m.

“Huh...? That can’t be right.” Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the numbers as they shimmied across her screen. “No, no, no, no, no.” Another terrifying thought struck her mind.

The door opened. Cara was just barely inside when Sawyer grabbed her arm and held up her phone, begging,

“Cara, what does this say?!”

“Wha-”

“Is everything spelled correctly?!”

Cara stared at Sawyer before glancing down at the phone, reading over the messages. “Yeah,” she assured, standing back up, “Everything’s fine, hun.” Her eyes became concerned, and she leaned closer. “Are you alright? You look really freaked out.”

Sawyer sighed and sat back, nodding. Her heart was still pounding in her ears. It felt as though she couldn’t get enough air. But still, she nodded.

Tonight was going to be good once she was calm again.

“Do you need me to go get Lonnie or Jed?”

“Nah.”

Cara didn’t buy it. “Look, stay right there. I’ll be right back. Do not move.”

She was out the door before Sawyer could even form a protest. Cara could move faster than the speed of thought. How did she do that? Sawyer snorted as she struggled to breathe. That girl worried too much, and damn, Sawyer had to pee! Where in the world did that come from? One moment she’s fine; next, her bladder is full to bursting.

She struggled to accomplish the art of standing. The couch didn’t want her to leave; holding her in a cushy vice gripe. Once on her feet, she struggled to remember why she needed to stand in the first place.

Right, she had to go to the bathroom. Walking was easier said than done. With the added struggle of trying to breathe, Sawyer did everything in her power to not collapse on the ground. Or puke. That would be embarrassing. Maybe not as much as pissing her pants when she fainted. OR BOTH! Puking and wetting herself would be horrifying!

The room waving around wasn’t helping either.

Right foot.

Left foot.

Right, left, right, rig- No! Left.

It was like being a toddler again. Only this time there was no one around to catch her if she fell. She was a traveler adrift at sea with no one to toss a line if she drowned. All alone.

It was too dark.

Pitch black.

Light, light, light-switch! She flipped on the kitchen light and continued her pilgrimage to the bathroom.

Stopping in the middle of the kitchen, she turned and glanced back to the living room. Not even fifteen feet, yet it felt like she had been walking for five miles. Squinting, she lifted her finger and pointed to the room. It needed to chill out and stay put. Continuing her journey, she wobbled to the bathroom, turned on the light, and shut the door.

“GAH!”

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw herself on the back of the door. “No!” she shouted while looking down at the floor. “You can’t be here!”

Unbuttoning her pants, she lifted the lid and sat down. At least she had enough sense to do that! She had to avoid looking straight ahead at yet another mirror that hung on the wall. Nope, not gonna look. Nope, nope.

Nope.

That word sounded funny. NooOOPe! She popped her lips a few times before cleaning up and flushing the toilet. Tugging up her pants, she sidled over to the sink, careful not to look at the mirror that sat above it.

Three.

Three mirrors.

Lonnie had three in this little room.

The water felt amazing on her skin. Cold. Shiny skin. What would a shower feel like right now? Maybe Lonnie would let her take one. Yeah, Lonnie would let her do that. He- He would-

She closed her eyes. Her chest was still heaving, and her head was spinning. Thoughts were too hard to create right now. Thinking really, really didn’t help her breathe. Shaking her head, Sawyer turned off the water and tried to remain calm.

Wiping her hands off on her pants, she unlocked the door. The knob had a nice texture. Smooth and beveled. She ran her fingers over the dents as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning behind each bump. Sawyer grasped the cool handle and turned it.

The soft click was loud in her ears and caused her breathing to shorten once again. She closed her eyes, telling herself to calm down. Her heart beat like ten thousand drums in her ears, and the darkness of her eyelids caused only more tension. Deciding she needed to get out of there, Sawyer yanked on the door, but it refused to open.

She gave a few tugs, and the door rattled but stayed firmly in place. Releasing the handle, Sawyer took a couple of steps back. Her chest was tighter than ever, and her heart was pounding at an alarming rate.

She looked around the incredibly tiny room. For what she had no idea, but her eyes just flew across the room, scanning for something. Taking another deep breath, she stepped up one more time and gripped the handle yanking as hard as she could to try and open the door.

“Ah, what's the matter, little Sawyer? You stuck?”

She heard her own voice say. But she didn’t open her mouth! Turning her right, she broke the rule and looked at her reflection. What she saw was this thing that was her but not.

It was looking at her with this big creepy smile spread across its face. The pupils were huge and encompassed the entirety of what should have been blue. The whites had faded to a dark grey making the red veins in them glow brightly. The freckles on the reflection’s skin were moving all over her face like millions of ants.

“Why don’t you stay with me awhile?” The mirror Sawyer lifted its hand and appeared as if it would reach through the glass.

Too scared to scream, Sawyer ripped open the door and ran out of the bathroom. She could feel the bugs crawling on her arms and face! Wiping at her skin trying to get the invisible pests off on her, Cara jumped out and caught her by the arms,

“Sawyer, where the hell have you been?! I told you not to move from that spot!”

“B- Bat- Bathroom..? I was- Just five minutes.”

Cara let go of one arm but held tight to the other, leading Sawyer back to the living room, “We couldn’t find you for twenty minutes. Man, you scared me half to death!”

The living room was so much darker. What happened? Sawyer stopped in the archway between the living room and dining room and stared at everybody.

They had all come back inside, talking about how the wind was just going outside, but their voices. Sawyer didn’t like the drop in everyone’s voice.

Low like demons.

Even Lonnie’s was too deep for comfort. The room itself was lit like a high contrast photo; Pitch black in some places and bright like the surface fo the sun in others, with no in-between.

The faces of her friends were in that same light. The shadows on their faces made them look like skeletons, their eyes hidden in the recesses of the darkness. Glancing back at Cara, Sawyer noted that she seemed just fine.

Same old Cara.

Good. That was good, but why?

Sawyer shuffled to the larger couch, her eyes wary on the wraithes that wore her friend’s skins. She took a seat next to Jed; he was the second least terrifying of everyone there. He patted her on the head and asked her how she was holding up.

Her words were an incoherent mumble, just barely above a whisper, “Bad. Shadows. They’re everywhere one everyone. The room is filled with shadows and dark spaces.” Her eyes scanned the room. She wanted to be ready if any of these creatures jumped at her.

The brunette boy was sitting in his old seat, staring into the void. He looked both startled and content at the things only he could see.

Ray and Kirsten sat on the small couch huddled together. He was trying to get her to freak out by saying there was something under her seat. She swatted his arm and spoke in gibberish. He laughed as she struggled to form words that made sense.

Lonnie and the other boy took Cara to the kitchen. They talked about the beautiful colors the oncoming storm was providing them in their delusional state. Their arms were moving to show the flow of what they could see. But to Sawyer, it looked like a dance of demons.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Jed’s thunderous rumble broke through the ragged sound of her breathing. “Let’s get you some fresh air. That’ll make you feel better. Oh, and take your shoes off. Cool air on the toes will help.”

She kicked off her sneakers and socks and reached out to take his outstretched hand. He led her out of the house into the cover of night. A sharp wind whipped around them; the humid summer heat blown away by a cool southbound storm. Trees bent at dangerous angles, and cable lines snapped and swung wildly, testing their fixings on the poles.

Jed sat back in a flimsy camping chair that strained under his bulk and lit a cigarette. Sawyer stood watching the dark as it moved around her. She no longer felt as nervous but still couldn’t fill her lungs.

The wind felt nice against the small film of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Smells were intensified. The earthy scent of the grass and dirt hit her nose with such force she had to sneeze but, it was so nice. The most comforting thing she had ever smelled, then her nose was assaulted with the burning smoke of tobacco. It was foul but familiar. She watched as the smoke barely had a chance to live outside Jed’s lungs before the wind destroyed it. But she could feel the heat of it hit her face. A sharp contrast compared to the chilled storm.

“How you feeling, sugar?”

Sawyer nodded. Words no longer wanted to form.

He smiled, “Yeah, sometimes these things bring out some really nasty shit. Some people say that when you have a bad trip, you’re really just seeing the darkness in yourself.”

The door opened, bring out a yellow-white glow to shoo away the dark. Lonnie and Cara stepped out onto the wood porch causing a part to buckle under Sawyer’s feet. With a yelp, she dropped to her knees, more than positive that it would collapse and she would fall into the pits Hell.

Lonnie lit his cigarette before passing the lighter over to Cara, “You alright, bud?”

“She’s spooked.”

Cara sat beside her and rubbed her back. The sensation felt weird and yet comforting. The heat radiating from Cara’s palm felt soothing, and the panic Sawyer had felt began to subside.

Taking a deep breath, trying still to fill her aching lungs, she stood and leaned against a support beam. Arms crossed in front of her chest, and Sawyer listened to the thundering of her heart in her ears. The beating felt like it could flying out of her chest at any second.

The others lounged in the camping chairs, smiling and talking about the vividity of everything around them. Jealousy crept up from the pit of her stomach as her friends smiled their twisted smiles. Why couldn’t she have nice visions like everyone else? Why was everything so dark and terrifying?

She remained outside until the rain started to pour. Sawyer watched from her place on the porch as trees and buildings blended and bled together in the deluge. The scene looked like a strange painting. Leaning into her beam, she gripped her knees to her chest and just wished that this night would end.

Someone patted her on the shoulder and led her into the house. She was cold and wet, and laid on the loveseat with a blanket. She stayed there for the next couple of hours, immobile and oblivious to the chatter around her.

More people showed up later. They said hello to her, but she didn’t hear them. They, too, began their journeys as they traded paper for fungus with Jed.

The brunette boy had never left his spot on the dining room chair but now the dark pits of his eyes were fixed on Sawyer. He stared at her as though he was looking into her soul.

Judging her.

That was the final push, and the first tear dropped onto the couch. She curled up tighter and wept silently, her eyes locked with the boy’s. Her own demons staring back at her, making her feel small.

Lonnie spotted her and came over to ask if she was okay.

“No.”

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“No...” Her best friend of so many years and right now, Sawyer wanted nothing to do with him and his soulless black eyes.

He scratched his chin beard. “You want to see Cara?”

That name… One that she has disliked when she first came to the house. She nodded, her shoulders trembling.

Lonnie pulled her from the couch and guided her to the kitchen. Lonnie called to their attention, saying that Sawyer wanted to talk to Cara. When his fiancee asked what was wrong, Sawyer just stood weeping and buried her face in her hands.

With a small “Oh honey…” Cara wrapped her arms around Sawyer and held her as the tears fell.

Tonight was supposed to be a good night.