SATURDAY

Lucas was reading a book while Penny sat on her bed texting. 

“Mark wants to do a game night tonight.” Penny said, looking up. 

“Where?” Lucas asked, putting the book down.

“Just my place. It'll be fun. Some other gus from school will be there.” She said cheerfully.

Lucas sighed, but nodded. Really he hated those kinds of things. Why waste time with friends you're really not close to? But if it made his friends happy why not. He left a note for his dad just in case he got home early, saying that he was out with friends then they went down stairs. Lucas hates that he needed help standing to sit in the car. The wheelchair folded and was out in the back. He hated the wheelchair. His back cracked all the time, people would stare. He didn't want their sympathy. He hated it. It had only added to his dislike of seeing anyone from school earlier. He knew people would be asking about what happened. He would just try and say hiking ascendant. Most people would get the gist he didn't want to talk about it but there was always that one person who would keep pushing like they wanted some gory war story. WHich funny enough he had. But of course he couldn't say he had been fighting some satanic creature and pushed it off a bridge falling himself and had only lived because he most likely landed on it. Sometimes he was half tempted to though. But he would make the most of it. Pulling up to the house he sighed a little. Penny gave him a weak smile. He smiled back.

“Oh I'm sure it's not going to be that bad.” Lucas saigh laughing. 

Penny laughed in relife, she was always kind of nervous that Lucas would crack or something. SHe knew, she knew he was still struggling but everytime she had brought it up she had been shut down immediately. Still, all she could do was be there for him. 

The part was going ok. Not too many people, so far no one had pushed on the wheelchair thing. Lucas had played  a few games but ended up just sitting back and watching Mark and Roxna fight on some average fighting. He winced, rubbing his temple. He could feel a painful headache growing. Penny had apparently noticed appearing behind him. 

“You feeling ok?” She asked, leaning down a little bit. 

“Um, yah just a little headache that's all.” Lucas shrugged.

“You want to go home?” Penny asked, checking her phone.

“Um no it's fine, dont want to drag you away.” 

“No no it's fine, don't want you here feeling bad.” Penny said, smiling.

After dropping Lucas off she stayed for a short while but rally not to long as his head ake was not going away. Lucas made himself a cup of tea and tried to sit and read for a little while but it was not really helping so he just decided to go to bed earlier. Laying in the dark helped it a little but not fully dissipating. But finally he was able to fall asleep. And he began to dream. The dream was strange, he was walking again, and it was dark. He looked around but only saw buildings. He had an odd sense that something terrible was going to happen, but also that it was going to be ok. Not just ok, but possible good. But as he walked there was kind of this pain in his shoulder, he kept scratching it, but it still hurt. Like an ake and a splinter all at once. Finally in frustration of the pain he pulled his sleeve down a bit to look. And there coming out of his arm was a bone white spike. Blood dripped from the spot were it was poking out of his body. Lucas screamed falling to the side grabbing at the spike as if he could just pull it out. But it was in his body, it was a part of his body. And then as he lay there he heard a giggling and laughing. He looked around and saw it, only a few feet away was the monster. Looking down at him. Blood was still dripping from all the wounds and it seemed to have patches of mold growing on its skin. But it stood there grinning and laughing and screaming. 

SUNDAY

Licas screamed. 

“Lucas!” Someone was shaking him, he sat bold upright. 

in front of him was his dad. Lucas looked around wide-eyed, half confused for a second but blinking slowly came to realize that this was his own room. He was home safe. 

“Lucas you ok?” His dad asked, looking concerned.

“Um, yah just bad dream.” He said, rubbing his forehead. He was covered in sweat and felt cold. He dreamt about the monster nearly every night. But something about this dream had been particularly disturbing. It had almost reminded him of the drugged up dream he had back months ago in the hospital. He tried to shake it off. But something about it clung to him, making him feel cold and alone. A feeling he had been trying to fight off for months, ut know it seemed all his progress had gone. He felt pulled back into the emotions he had been fighting for so long. He felt his skeleton feel as if it were vibrating inside him and his shoulder seemed to ache were the bone had bursted from. 

A few minutes later he emerged from his room. He purposely kept his eyes up from the floor. He hated the apartment they were in now. Too many memories of his grandfather. But his dad insisted on staying. saying the cost of any other apartment was just too high. Lucas had begged him but he had refused. Another tally to the longer growing list of grievances towards his father. Lucas poured himself a cup of hot coffee then moved towards the living room. He half flinched seeing his dad sitting on the couch.

“Hey.” His dad said dryly, nodding.

Their conversations as of the past few months had all been dry and kind of awkward. It seemed that the days of father son love had seemed to die. It hurt Lucas, but the seed had been plated and neither son nor father seemed to be working very hard to kill the growing weed.

“What's up?” Lucas asked, still feeling stiff.

“Well, it's about work.” His dad said rubbing his hands together.

“I thought you said you weren't leaving again.” Lucas said, gritting his teeth. 

“Lucas, let me talk first.” His dad said, raising his voice slightly.

“So your telling me your not leaving then.” Lucas said, eyeing his father through heavily lidded eyes.

“Well, not exactly.” His dad muttered, seeming to deflate as he spoke.

“Uhhh hu… So when you going.” Lucas asked folding his arms.

“I, I haven't said yes yet.” 

“Yet of course. Well, just go go say yes. There's no point in pretending I really want you to stay. To be honest dad. I kind of hate you.” Lucas said. His dad visible flinched. Lucas felt taken aback. WHat had he just said was a total lie. But he just felt so angry. He felt like there was just this pain. This never dying presence, it haunted him, it made him feel so mad. He wanted a break. But he didn't want him to leave. He felt betrayed and abandoned. No one would understand. They only saw the kind man that he showed the world he was. 

“Lucas.” His father said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Listen, I'm sorry.” Lucas said, leaning forward, head in his hands.

“its, its alright. But this is what I mean.” 

“What?” Lucas asked voice cracking.

“Im, im saying. Lucas, I think we need to get away from each other.” His dad said, pursing his lips.

“That's what.. that's what Fra- Mrs Lane recommended. She's offered to take you in. And I mean. We could get some extra cash by selling this place.” His dad said shrugging.

Lucas thought for a moment.

“I mean, if you think it's the best option…” Lucas shrugged. 

Well. We then. I need to. I need to call the place back. Th-thank you.” He dad stuttered out running off to his room.

Lucas sat for a moment alone in his room. He closed his eyes, sighing. Trying to calm himself. He felt so angry. How could his dad leave him again? Did he really not care? He tried to shake the feeling. he needed  the money. Yah he needed the money he told himself again. But still the anger burned strong in him.  He tried to reason with himself. If he really didn't want him to. He could just ask him, he could beg from him to stay. No no he would not. His dad would leave and probably never come back. Just like his mom. Dumping him with another family. No one really wanted him. He wanted to scream through the coffee cup into the wall. But he did not, he only sat there staring into the air. Feeling dead. 

MONDAY

Lucas was putting his things into boxes. He was really moving out. Part of him was almost happy. He hated the apartment. He would be with Penny. He felt safe with Penny. But he did not want to. He did not want to live with her mom. He did not want his dad to leave him. He wanted to be able to walk away from all of it, but he could not. He was stuck there. Unable to change anything. Stuck in the wheelchair. Stuck, stuck, stuck. 

“Lucas?” Penny asked, sitting on his bed, she had gone to help him pack.

“Yah?” He asked,

“You, you ok?” Penny asked tentatively.

“Um, yah i'm fine.” He answered smiling.

“It's just, last time your dad left, and I can see it. Your not even looking at him know.” Penny said, folding her hands.

“Really, and I thoughtI was doing so well in hiding it.” Lucas said darkly.

“Is there something more? I mean. Do you want to talk about it.”

His mind screamed yes. He wanted to beg Penny to not abandon him like everyone else was. But he only shrugged saying,

“It's just, I feel like he doesn't really care.” 

“Lucas, he does, it's just hard.” Penny said coming over.

“I know he does, I know he cares, it's just. I just feel like he dont sometimes, but it'll be fine, this break will probably be good for us.” Lucas said laughing.

Penny laughed too, but she felt nervous. 

Later that night Penny and Roxanne were hanging out. 

“Roxan, you've known Lucas a lot longer than I have,I just wanted to ask…” Penny asked nervously.

“What? If I think he's ok?” Roxanne finished.

“Well, sort of. I mean it's not like I can really see if he's gone back to normal, because I've never really seen him fully normal.” Penny said, shoulders hunching. 

“It's weird, I mean he's kind of hard to read. I mean really he's a really good liar. But I mean i dont know. He might just need some time, but something's wrong. He's lost his optimism.” Roxanne said, looking at her hands.

Penny nodded, not too surprised. Before she had met Lucas she had seen him. She had never really been able to approach him but she had seen Jasper Roxanne and Lucas all laughing carefree. Lucas laughed now, and when it did not come off, it never seemed to last. It was like he remembered what had happened and then it died. Something haunted him.

“Do you have any ideas what we can do?” Roxanne asked, breaking the silence.

“I'm not sure, I guess just be there for him.” Penny said.

“Yah, I mean. He does like you.” Roxanne said half smiling.

“I mean if you're nervous it's just trauma bonding or whatever. It's not like that, he does like you. I've never seen him look at anyone like that.” Roxanne said nodding and grinning.

Penny staired for a moment. Then I laughed.

“Honestly, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me.” Penny said, laughing a little. 

That night Lucas lay on his back. Most of his things packed up. All neatly packed away. He didn't want to sleep. Sleep brought with it bad memories. Demons stalked his mind. Creeping through it. He only started at the sealing. Too many thoughts to think flooded his mind. He felt like he was drowning. He reached up, rubbing his eyes. He only felt half surprised to find himself crying. He felt he was always crying now.

TUESDAY

Nothing much happened tuesday. More packing. His dad on the phone a lot. More packing, selling some things. His dad left to make a storage unit to hold his grandpa's things. More packing. He found he could not look at his dad. Something about the way his dad acted, it felt wrong. Like they were breaking some unspoken law. Something unsaid was breaking. The house was eerily quiet when Lucas was home. He missed the days where his dad had hugged him and they had laughed together, and played games. But again, those days were dead.