Darkness

A quiet morning at school left Matej idle and contemplating after Sarah had arrived at 8 and strolled to the second floor with only a sad nod in Matej's direction instead of her usual bubbly greeting.

She was mad at him. No doubt about it. He didn't need to know much about a young girl's mind to understand that finding him in bed with her father would not go over well with her. It wouldn't with any child, he figured. Bad enough to have her parents divorce, but her dad replacing her mother with a guy was a bit more than a ten year old could stomach.


Was Eric actually doing that? Expecting him to become his partner after just one date? Okay, maybe two, if you counted the awesome sex that their first encounter had led to.

Did Matej want that? Be a boyfriend? A partner? A second father figure to a young child? Jesus, that was a bit much to take in for a guy who never knew anything other than frantic moments of passion in some dark corner. He didn't want to remember Andrej. Especially not now. After all that time he still felt guilty having romantic feelings for a guy.


In a few minutes, Elementary School would have another break and students would rush towards the canteen, flooding the reception area like a tidal wave rushing in. He glanced at his watch. Usually, Sarah would spend five minutes by his side for idle small talk before returning to her classroom. He wasn't sure if the girl would show up today. And if she did what would he say? Sorry that I'm sleeping with your dad? Not gonna happen.


He walked slowly towards the glass doors at the entrance, frowning at an usual exchange outside. A dark haired guy with olive skin and a slightly deranged look about him was talking to a group of 15 year olds right on the sidewalk outside the school.

The hairs on his neck stood up. The guy gave off a weird vibe. He was fidgeting slightly, Matej noticed when he stepped outside and approached the group.

"...any Americans in your school?", the stranger asked the children in accented English. The kids looked at each other, shrugging in confusion.

"Sure, we're an international school", a female Grade 10 student Matej didn't know by name answered.


"Hey!", he yelled, feeling his belt in a well trained reflex, the skin on his neck prickling when the hand grabbed thin air instead of a gun holster. Right, unarmed guard. Damn it!

The stranger - he was clearly Arabic - held up both hands in a soothing gesture.

"Alright, alright, no harm done, man", the guy said when Matej stepped into the circle and nodded to the students to walk back inside.

Turning to the man on the sidewalk he gestured toward him to walk on and leave the premises, but the man stood still when Matej walked up to him. Matej touched his shoulder and crowded the man, shoving him back to leave the entrance area of the school building.

The man bumped against him and smiled before turning around and walking away.

Matej followed him until he turned around the corner and entered a bus that just happened to arrive at this very second. Convenient. At least the asshole was gone. No harm done, but it still meant some paperwork. He neede to write a report and question the students about what the man had said to them. The whole standard procedure for such incidents. He should also give a description of the man to the police. Perhaps Eric could...

Matej scratched a sudden itch at his side. He pulled the glass door open and walked into the reception area when he noticed that his fingers came back wet. Wet and red. His eyes widened and he tried to make sense of it, looking down at his side.


"What was that all about out there?", Leo the receptionist said from behind his counter. Matej looked at his colleague who continued typing on his keyboard and then glanced over to the group of students who stood in a corner, chatting excitedly.


"Matt? What is that?" Sarah stood on the top stair and pointed toward the glass door. She did come. What did she say again? Matej turned around, a sudden pain in his side sending a blinding jolt through his body. A trickle of blood led from the glass door to the reception desk where he stood.

"Oh my God!", a girl screamed from the corner pointing at the growing stain on Matej's shirt, blood seeping through the tissue and pooling around his feet. Leo jumped up, looking over the desk at Matej's lower body. "What happened?!"

Matej felt cold all over. He gripped the desk with his left arm, his right hand pressing on his side.

"I think I got stabbed..", he whispered, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He sagged down on his knees, staring unbelievingly at a trace of blood on the reception desk. So much blood.

"Matt! Matt, please get up!" Sarah grabbed his cold hand. Feeling tired all of a sudden, Matej rested his head against the wood in front of his face. He needed to wait for help. Sarah's mouth moved, tears spilling from her widened eyes. Matej noticed how the girl suddenly loomed over him. Had he slipped to the floor? Leo appeared next to Sarah looking frantically at Matej, rearranging his numb limbs, settling him down on his back. Sarah held his hand tightly. She pressed the back of his hand against her tear stained face. Why couldn't he feel it? Why couldn't he move?

He was still contemplating these questions when darkness descended upon him and the world drowned in a sea of darkness.




***




"Sarah! What's wrong?"

Eric practically ran into the reception area, a growing sense of panic rising in his chest when he saw Sarah sit on a desk with the school's Social Emotional Support specialist holding her hand and talking to her in a soothing voice.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Mr Maisano", the lady said, getting up, her eyes glancing at his blue police uniform and the white peaked cap he wore. He had even come in a police car, wanting to show up as quickly as possible when he got the call.

"Have you found out something this fast?", the guy from the reception area walked up to Eric, his hands gesturing excitedly in front of him. "Your colleagues just left a minute ago."

What the hell was going on? He looked back at his daughter. Her eyes puffy and wet.

"What happened, hon?", he knelt down and took her hands, ignoring the two adults vying for his attention.

"Mr Maisano, Sarah is in deep shock after having witnessed an attack against our security guard...", the lady began.

"Security... where's Matej?", he looked around, frantically searching for a familiar face.

"He's dead, daddy", Sarah cried, tears streaming down her face.

"He's not dead, Mr Maisano. At least he wasn't when the ambulance picked him up fifteen minutes ago. He's on his way to the hospital. He got stabbed outside the building." Eric didn't hear the Social Emotional Whatever lady. The world tilted and he had to grab the bannister to keep himself from sitting down on the stairs.

"He was so cold dad. His hands were so cold", Sarah cried. This was a nightmare. Had he gone to sleep and was imagining his worst fears come to life? Sarah. She was alright, wasn't she?

"Are you hurt, Sarah? Did someone hurt you?" He grabbed his daughter and lifted her up in his arms, holding her toward his chest. Shit, she was way too old and heavy for this. But holding her in his arms, feeling her tremble, grounded him.

"What hospital?", he asked the lady, swallowing down the bile in his throat.

"Lorentz Boehler. Your colleagues went with the ambulance. They wanted to question our guard when he woke up", she stammered.

Eric frowned at her words, flashing his teeth in an angry snarl.

"Matej. Your security guard's name is Matej!"

He let Sarah down and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the police car waiting outside, leaving a shocked emotional support specialist and a stunned receptionist behind.


Securing Sarah in the back seat of the car, he switched on the siren and hit the gas. Regulations be damned. He would find Matej and make things right again. He couldn't lose him. He just couldn't.




***