Allyson Darke: Awakening (Allyson Darke: Awakening (Book One) 1) by David Moe

Author:David Moe [Moe, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: selfpublishing.com
Published: 2024-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

The pedestrian walkway on the High Line was crowded today. Allyson plodded numbly along, periodically wiping tears off her cheek as they trickled from beneath her aviator sunglasses. The sting of disappointment and self-pity still fresh in her mind, she walked aimlessly, weaving her way amongst nannies and young parents with baby strollers, tourists and students, senior citizens on their midday constitutionals. Everyone else seemed carefree, enjoying the crisp air, clear sky, and bright, sunny day. Allyson felt like a death-row inmate, doomed and hopeless, trailed by a gloomy storm cloud. She replayed the event in her mind. What could she have done differently or better? Why was this happening to her? A steady voice in her head droned on, rationalizing what happened, reinforcing every negative notion of self-doubt.

Allyson walked the High Line from end to end, back and forth, again and again. She stared into the sun as it passed from blinding white into an amber sunset. Time seemed to halt as people gathered along the railings to watch the sun fall below the New Jersey skyline. Allyson lay in repose on one of the wooden recliners lining the walkway. She finally cried herself out and sat listening to a trance track through the earbuds connected to her iPhone. Her mirrored glasses glowed, the setting sun appearing like demonic, fiery orbs in her eyes. Lying there, with her arms crossed comfortably at her chest and her sunglasses glowing, she looked like a dead soul, peacefully waiting to be ferried to her final resting place.

As the sun fell, the crowd dispersed, revealing the silhouette of a man holding hands with his young daughter, appreciating the last glimpse of the sun’s glow along the horizon. The little girl looked back at Allyson laying there motionless, before her father gave her a gentle tug.

“Time to go, Ally.”

Allyson shivered, hearing her name and seeing the girl. She thought of her own father and for a moment, her sadness returned. Suddenly, it was dusk, and the lampposts sprang to life, illuminating all at once, startling her. The man and his daughter were gone. She wondered if they were actually there or if she simply dozed off and was dreaming. She closed her eyes, and heard it again, louder.

“Time to go, Ally!”

It was Roberto.

“You found me. How?”

Roberto lay next to her on an adjoining recliner. “Not easy, but I know you, Allyson. You can run, but you can’t hide. Not from me, anyway.” He assumed the same cross-armed position as Allyson. “No matter where you go, no matter how far, I will find you.” He paused for effect. “So stay alive, no matter what occurs!”

Allyson smirked and let out a short chuckle. “Daniel Day-Lewis. Last of the Mohicans.”

“One of the many reasons I love you, Ms. Everhardt. But only one of the reasons.” He stood up and offered a hand. “There are so many.”

Roberto knew exactly how to comfort Allyson. The nurturing way Roberto reached out and the warmth of his hand grasping hers was the exact right thing she needed to return to Earth.

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