Monster Chapter 8

A billion thoughts raced through Sam's mind. What do I do? Should I lie? Damn it, this baby isn't helping. Maybe I'll pretend I am Melanie? No, he'd see right through that. Maybe I can pretend Sam isn't my name? No, damn, I guess it's time to face the music.

"Sam?" Freddie repeated, hesitantly. He inched closer to her.

Sam attempted to speak, but her words caught in her throat. "H-how, w-wha-"

"Sam, it's me, Freddie," Freddie began cautiously. He inched a few steps closer.

"Freddie," Sam whispered, the name rolling off her tongue without her consent. She snapped back into her senses. "H-how did you find me?"

Freddie looked down, "That's not important. What are you doing here, Sam? I mean, why didn't you tell us anything? I mean, Carly and me, we're supposed to be your best friends, right? I'm not mad, I promise, I just- I just think I deserve an explanation. I just want to know why you are here and what happened to your mother, and who were those ladies and I just-"

"Come inside, Freddie," Sam cut in softly, "Come in."

Freddie was surprised Sam had let him enter at all. His eyes scoped out the small abode. It was not too messy, but it was not the nicest of places either. As Sam led him to a couch, he noted the TV was playing softly in the background, drowned out by the baby's whimpering.

"So, were you, like, uh, pregnant?" Freddie began after an awkward silence.

Sam softly shook her head no before stating, "Let's make this clear though, I'm NOT answering everything and you have to SWEAR you won't tell Carly or anyone else a thing."

Freddie sighed, "Why, Sam? Why make this so difficult?"

Sam's eyes gazed long and hard into Freddie's, hoping to convey without speaking that she was terrified. After a long period of time, she replied, "No, I was NOT pregnant. This is not my kid."

Freddie breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God…so whose is it?"

"It's my uh-sister's," Sam answered.

"MELANIE? That's insane! I thought she was the-" Freddie sputtered.

"Not Melanie, my half-sister….she's only a little bit older than us and her name's Angela Simmons."

"Huh?" Freddie muttered.

"Yeah, I, uh, met her the other day and she kinda took me in," Sam explained nervously.

"How'd you meet her?" Freddie inquired.

Sam's eyes flashed darkly, "That's another story, Freddie."

They were both silent for a while as Freddie studied Sam as she absentmindedly watched the news. She just looked so exhausted. Not the kind that you could cure with a long nap. Not the type that just needed a quick vacation to the Bahamas and be fixed. This exhaustion was the kind that was rooted much deeper. The kind that was haunted and hidden in the darkest and deepest parts of one's body. The kind that could take months or years to fully heal. Her blue eyes were guarded and dull. They were sad and remorseful and pained. Freddie was so busy studying Sam that he winced when he heard a loud gasp. Sam clutched her hand over her mouth and began whimpering heavily. Her eyes flooded up with tears.

Freddie immediately rushed over to Sam's side. "What's the matter?" he demanded. "What's wrong?"

Sam, instead, pushed Freddie off of her and groaned, "Not again…not again…I think I'm going to be SICK!" She bolted past to where Freddie presumed was the bathroom. Freddie glanced at the TV just in time to see the news story of a car crash on the highway. The victims were Angela Simmons and some lady named Mariana. Freddie's eyes widened in realization. He ran to where he saw Sam run to moments earlier. She was a sweaty mess on the floor, her hair was tied in a sloppy bun and the toilet bowl was full if her earlier meals.

Freddie hesitantly sat beside her, "S-Sam?"

Sam's eyes were closed and her head leaned against the toilet. Tears streamed relentlessly down her face. She murmured, "Do you, d-do you ever feel, feel like just-just giving up?"

Freddie gasped, "SAM! W-what-"

"What if this is a sign, t-that, it's all over. S-she's gone, Freddie. S-she's all I ever had left. And now she's, she's g-gone," Sam mumbled, eyes still closed.

Freddie felt his own eyes begin to fill with tears, "S-sam! N-NEVER say that, okay? Don't you DARE! Okay, you have Carly, Spencer, Melanie, and you have ME, Sam!"

But Sam just shook her head, "No, Freddie, don't you see. I'm just ruining everyone's life, I-I don't deserve anyone. Everytime I get i-involved with a-anything, well, i-it never goes right. I-I'm unnecessary. I-I'm a life ruiner." She opened her eyes, but she didn't meet Freddie's eyes. She whispered, "I'm a monster."

Freddie pleaded, "Sam, PLEASE, y-you can't be serious! This is NOT your fault, Sam. Y-you're NOT a life-ruiner, you-"

"It's okay, Freddie," Sam grumbled darkly, "You don't have to lie for my sake. You're so sweet, you know that? But you don't need to spare me. You don't have to….You don't need to…You don't….you don't….."

Sam awoke on the couch. Freddie sat beside her, his eyes red, his face worried. Junior was evidently asleep. "F-freddie?" she murmured.

"Sam? SAM! Oh god, you're awake! I was so worried, I wasn't sure, I didn't know what happened to you," Freddie exclaimed.

"So, it wasn't all a bad dream, huh?" Sam whispered.

Freddie sat beside her, "Sam, I'm so sorry." He turned her head so that he could look right into her eyes. "I want to help you, Sam, but you NEED to tell me what happened."

Sam took a deep breath and replied, "I'm sorry, Freddie. But, I just can't. Not now, at least. I-I just n-need some space, okay? For a while, I'm going to need you and Carly to leave me alone, okay please? For the little sanity I have left!"

"No, SAM! Goddammit, why do you have to make everything so hard? We are your goddamn friends and we want to HELP you! Why is that so foreign for you? We miss you! Why won't you just come to us, confide in us? Do you not trust us or something?"

Sam answered, "You know that it's not-"

"Do I? Do I, Sam? Because we don't know anything that's happening to you! We just want to be there for you and you won't let us do that!" Freddie exclaimed.

"GOOD! Because I ruin everything! The sooner you guys forget about me the better. I love you guys too much to hurt you anymore! Trust me, this is best for everyone," Sam cried.

"H-how can you say that?" Freddie replied both angry and sad.

"Freddie," Sam began.

"You know what? FINE! I-I don't know why we tried for so long. Me and Carly have been trying for so long, but, you obviously don't want us. I-I'm sorry, Sam. But, I can't keep doing this. I-I'm done," Freddie shouted. As he stormed out of the door, he whispered over his shoulder, "You're weak, you know that? Not facing whatever 'it' is makes you weak. Call us when the real Sam comes back."

Sam wiped tears that she didn't were there as she hoarsely whispered, "Goodbye, Freddie."

Carly demanded as soon as she saw Freddie return to Bushwell Plaza, "How'd it go? Where's Sam? What happened?"

Freddie just growled, "Our Sam, she's gone. There was just some blonde who looked like her."

1 Week Later

"Freddie, please! Just take me to the place where you followed Sam to. I'm telling you, I can talk to her. PLEASE!" Carly pleaded with Freddie one day as the bell rang. Sam hadn't been in school that whole week and Freddie suspected why. Carly had been begging to see Sam but Freddie blatantly refused.

Freddie sighed, "Fine. You know what, FINE! But when it fails, I'll say I told you so."

Carly smiled hopefully, "C'mon, Freddie. Let's go."

Carly and Freddie were aghast at the sight in front of them. They had reached the spot where Freddie was a week earlier. They had hiked through the turns and trails only to find a horrifying sight. There were no birds, no animals, and no sunshine. Just overcast. A soft, but uncomfortable wind blew slightly to the left, drying Carly's tears. Freddie couldn't cry. He couldn't comprehend. His mouth opened slightly. The sight in front of them was a blackened mess. A blackened mess of cinders and ashes.

Not too far away, a teenage girl lay in a ditch, tenderly hugging a small, coughing baby boy.