Read Online Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts - Free Book Online

and I don’t feel a thing. Mom’s dying and all I can do is come down to the school and pick up a pencil case? What the hell’s wrong with me? It’s like they never existed.
    There it was again, that feeling as if he were in someone else’s dream.
    “Hey, you.” A voice broke through his daze. Off in the distance a fireman was moving steadily toward him. “This is a restricted area. Get the hell away from here.”
    Mason turned and sprinted toward the parking lot. He found his car exactly where he left it that morning, right beside the blue truck with the broken window. Less than a day had passed, but it felt more like weeks. He’d been happy this morning. Hadn’t Tom told him that great joke and madehim laugh? They’d been planning a camping trip to Chestnut Lake for the weekend. Swimming, camp fires, some hiking—the kind of stuff he and his friends loved doing.
    How did the world change so quickly?
    He knew he probably shouldn’t be driving in such a weird condition, but it didn’t stop him from starting the ignition and pulling the car into reverse. Wheels squealing, he tore out of the parking lot, putting on the sunglasses he’d left on the passenger seat a few hours ago.
    He didn’t go home. Instead he drove around until his gas tank was nothing but fumes. Stopping to refill, he grabbed a bag of chips that he ate but didn’t taste. Glancing at the clock, he decided he’d spent enough time away as the doctor ordered. He headed back to the hospital because there was nothing else he could do.
    His mother’s hand was so cold. Her body was relaxed; most of the wrinkles she fussed about had disappeared from her motionless face. Her hair fanned the pillow, dark brown like his own, thick and shiny, only a few gray hairs showing her age. She was beautiful, his mother, the woman who’d always been there for him. Two weeks ago he’d given her roses for her birthday and she’d been so happy. They’d gone out for dinner together, but she’d paid the bill. She wouldn’t let him treat her when she knew he was saving his money for college.
    Gently he touched her cheek and pulled the covers up to her shoulders before he turned off the light and left the hospital.
    It was quiet outside. The night air was cool on his face and the moon was half a sliver in the sky. He got into his car and was surprised to see the cashier booth unmanned, with the barrier open. He’d been at the hospital for several hours and probably owed at least twenty bucks for parking. But since no one was there, he left without paying a dime.
    There were very few cars on the streets. Everyone was inside, glued to their television or on the phone, desperately trying to reach foreign relatives in faraway places. Hadn’t he heard something on television about the phone lines being down in several countries? Could the earthquakes really have caused all that? How many people were out there dialing and getting nothing but dead air? Hundreds or thousands must be desperate for news on their loved ones. Lucky them, at least they still had hope.
    Diefenbaker Park was dark and silent. Normally there would be dozens of cars filled with teenagers drinking beers and having a good time. There would be couples parked in the lot that overlooked the river, sharing intimate moments before curfews called them home. Mason came here often with his friends; it seemed natural to him to be there now, and that’s why he’d pointed the car in its direction. He hadn’t even realized it until he pulled through the gates. Good thing his subconscious was paying attention to the roads. At least he’d put on his seat belt. His life might be over, and everyone he knew might be dead, but at least he didn’t seem to have a desire to join them yet.
    That had to be a good sign. Right?
    He parked the car over by the train bridge and turned the key. The silence filled the car. He had to roll down the window to let some of it out. Is this what going insane felt like?
    Eventually