Depths of Darkness

The doors slammed shut in time with the feeling of dread dropping even deeper into Morgan's stomach. She skidded to a stop just before nearly colliding with a random high schooler. She glanced at him, not even thinking about him, which in another time, maybe a few hours ago, Morgan's dread (which technically wouldn't have existed those few hours ago) would've been replaced with confusion. Normally Morgan had a very good eye for things that are out of place. If she'd been in a better mental state, she might have noticed that she'd never seen this boy before and that it was too late in the school year for someone to join. Instead, Morgan pushed past and stumbled through the crowds to the curb. At least there, she could catch her breath. The feeling of fresh air let her breathe easier, yet her anxiety was still shooting through the roof. Quickly, she pulled her backpack to the front of her chest and fumbled through it, trying to find something she knew was not there. She had to go home.

She stood up. Uncertain, yet knowledgeable of what needed to be done.

Running amongst a crowd of high schoolers is no easy task, and it's even harder when you have to do it a second time. The problem is mainly energy, which Morgan was very short on. But, unfortunately, she needed to get through that very moment.

Morgan, frightened out of her mind, managed to pull her strength together to push through the crowd until she stumbled back inside the school. She couldn't go the way of the roads, it was too crowded, and too many people and friends who could distract her. Morgan needed another way out, and luckily, she knew one. 

The cafeteria led away to the outside world, an escape, that not many used, even though everyone knew it existed. There were small doors that lead to a side yard in the back, and it was often used by Morgan and her friends. The side yard had easy access to the street on the other side of the field. This led to a busy intersection, where obviously people wouldn't park. Luckily, at this time of day, there weren't a lot of people driving, either. Morgan rushed down the sidewalk gasping for breath mid-run.

Some people cast her sidelong glances, most wondering why she was out of school. She brushed past them, until, after running for what seemed like hours but was really minutes, she was on her street. Panting she raced to her yard but avoided the front door.

Too obvious, and her mom and other prying eyes might notice. 

Glancing up and down the street, she vaulted her own fence, then raced around the back. A clamor of barking broke out. "Down Neo!"

Morgan cried. She had enough going on right not to worry about a dog underfoot.

Neo only continued barking. 

“Sweetie? Is that you?”

Uh oh. 

Morgan thought quickly.

“Yep, just about to head back out! There’s an, uh, school project thing my friends wanna work on”

Her cheerfulness caught in her throat. 

“Are you alright? You sound weird.”

“Yeah- I’m just, I mean, just tired of school and everything, you know”, Morgan said.

There was a pause, then: “Alright, if you need anything let me know!” 

Phew.

Morgan mumbled something, not even vaguely remembering what she said, and hurried up the stairs. She reached her room, bolted through the door, and gasping, stumbled in.

The whole room was turned upside down. Her mattress was on the floor, her bed pulled out from the wall and papers were everywhere. Someone had clearly been there. Hurriedly she scanned the room. One place seemed too pristine to be true. Had they really not looked in her pillow?

She tussled with the pillowcase until she was reaching inside and pulling out her journal. “Thank goodness!” She clutched it to her chest, closing her eyes and sighing happily. She had gotten it. Not all was lost. Yet. 

“Ah, so you found it for me.”

Morgan slowly turned around. “Mom?”, she said quietly, hoping, praying, that what was happening was all just a dream, a brief daymare that happened in class. 

But her mother was standing there, leaning in the doorway. 

Morgan gritted her teeth and said, “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry honey, but I need to take that from you. See, you wrote down some private conversations I had between my friends in there.” “How would you know that?” “How would you know someone was looking for your journal?” Morgan bit her lip.

Whatever her mom was up to, she didn’t know what could help what she was doing.

“I had a feeling.”, Morgan said.

Her mom sighed. “We both know you’re lying. Come on honey, sit on your bed, and tell me the whole story.”

“I don’t really have a bed right now.”

Her mom surveyed the room as if it was the first time ever seeing the mess. She seemed genuinely surprised for the moment, then smiled and said: “Ah, yes, just sit on the floor then.” Morgan slowly slid to the floor, realizing her legs were so tired they just about buckled.

“Now, how did you know?”

“One of my friends came home before me. They were sick, and their mom wanted them home. They drove down our street and saw people running into my house, then texted me about it.”

“And how did you know they were after your journal? Did you know those conversations were not yours to jot down?” 

Morgan shook her head. Then dropped it. “I- I mean a kid at school had asked about them, seen them over my shoulder, and I was worried he’d told somebody. How did you know though?”

Her mom laughed.

“The people who came to work had someone in the school for a few days, checking to see if you had. As for me, I had some suspicions.” 

Morgan clutched her stomach, all was coming clear to her. 

After a few more minutes of conversation, and Morgan’s mother was taking her journal from her.

“Thank you, darling.” She said with a sideways smile, leaving the room. Spinning around Morgan shut her door, and locked it.

Hours passed.

Morgan lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She knew her mother would be back soon, to drill her or to punish her. she didn't know which.

Questions swirled in her head:

Who was her mother working with?

Who had her mom been talking to, when Morgan had written down the conversation? She'd just found the conversation interesting, as she'd heard mention of her father. He'd died when she was young, and she'd always wanted to know more. So she'd written down the questions asked and what her mother said. But she hadn't paid attention. And had never looked back.

She now wished she'd memorized what had been said so that she could turn it around in her head, reveling and questioning what was said. But now she could only remember snippets, and she clung onto them like lifesavers.

Soon it was getting late, almost dinner time.

Nothing.

Morgan stepped out into the hallway.

Silence.

She slowly descended the stairs, which creaked and groaned. When she reached the landing, she heard sobbing. Slowly, she advanced, until she reached her mothers' open study door.

There her mother sat. Desolate and bewildered, wailing.

When she noticed Morgan in the doorway, she beckoned her in.

"Wha-" Morgan asked.

"I- I'm so sorry!" her mother said, tugging on her sleeve till she sat down.

"What happened?" Morgan asked, confusion racing around. One second her mother was threatening her, the next she was apologizing.

"I- I frightened you. They made me, they made me!"

"Wh- Who?"

"Your father, he worked with them- then he died on a mission and-"

"Papa?"

Now Morgan was speaking in a whisper.

"Yes. Your father- he, oh he was a wonderful man, She said. But he worked with the wrong people. One day he was dispatched on a mission and never came back. I grew angry at the agency. Days turned into weeks, weeks into years, and my wrath slowly died away. But a few weeks ago they came. They questioned me, asked me about him, and made me promise to keep quiet. But you overheard. And you wrote it down. They came after you and I couldn't stop them. They threatened me, forced me to get the journal, or else grave consequences would come to us both. I did what I had to do to keep you safe."

Morgan's mother paused to put her hand to Morgans' cheek, which was now stained with tears.

"And now they're coming again. To steal you from me.

brainwash you or whatever comes into their mind to keep you quiet.

I don't- I don't- know what to do.."

Morgan wiped her eyes and slowly whispered, "Hold down the fort. When they come, we can call the cops or something I promise. I- we need to sleep though mama. They can't know that you found it yet."

"They have eyes everywhere.", her mother said.

Morgan drew back, scared to leave her mom yet also scared of her, and everything else in her world that didn't make sense.

She spun around and raced up the stairs.

Finding Neo in the hallway, she scooped him up and brought him into her room. She collapsed on her bed, Sobbing.

A shuffling could be heard downstairs. Morgan sat up, then carefully grabbed a coat rack. It was the only weapon she could find, but she would use it.

She crept down the stairs, as an eerie shiver ran down her back.

She reached her mom's office and peeked in.

It was empty.

On the chair was a letter.

The coat rack clattered to the floor, forgotten in a moment of pure worry. Morgan practically flew across the room and picked up the letter. On the front was written, "I'm sorry".

She ran out the front door, unlocking it and racing out into a pelting rain. Through the rain, she saw a car pulling out of the driveway, her mother in it. The car rolled down the street, and morgan chased after it.

She didn't care that she was soaked. She didn't care the tears that were running down her face were making her vision blurry. She just wanted to catch up with that car.

Her knees buckled underneath her, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

Slowly she unfolded the letter.

Tucked in it were her journal and a note saying:

"I'm the distraction."