Far From Home- Part 1

    I looked out the window and watched the green hills seemingly fly by the bus's window. We had just gotten done with The Black Mass tour, and we were on our way back to L.A to rest for a while before Warped Tour later this summer. My things were already packed and were waiting patiently next to me while Five Finger Death Punch poured into my ears.
    Another day in this carnival of souls/Another night settles in as quickly as it goes/The memories of shadows, ink on the page/And I can't seem to find my way home
    We got into city limits and soon paused to wait for a red light to turn green. There was still nothing interesting to do, so I continued my staring match with the concrete jungle. A flash of movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I turned to try and spot it.
    I couldn't believe what I had seen.
    It looked like a rabbit, but I knew there was no way that that's what it was. It was wearing a colorful tailcoat, a top hat, and a monocle. The thing looked straight into my eyes, pulled a golden watch out of its pocket, and tapped the seemingly delicate glass face violently, giving me a warning glare. I sat up in my seat, my interest now perked up as to what it was trying to tell me. Was it trying to warn me? What was it trying to say?
    I jumped about five feet into the air as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to look at him, pulling out my earbuds.
    "Hey man, what the hell?"
    Andy gave me a look, his bright blue eyes full of concern, and said, "I was just wondering what you were looking at."
    "Oh," I said, a little sheepishly. "I wasn't really looking at anything." As I was saying this to my friend, I turned back around to see if it was still there.
    It wasn't.
    Andy followed my line of sight, and when he saw nothing, he patted my shoulder. "It's okay, bro. It's amazing what months on the road can do to you." He began to walk away, but the turned around. "Oh, and by the way, we're almost to your place." I nodded silently as he turned back away and walked to the front of the bus.
    The bus pulled up next to my place, and I grabbed my things. The other guys that were still on the bus- Andy, Jake, and CC- said their goodbyes and told me that they would see me in a month or two. I got off the bus, and as it pulled away from the curb, I looked at the large, blue* two story house in front of me. Instinctively, I reached up to my chest and got a hold of the tiny, silver house key that I kept on a lanyard around my neck when I wasn't performing and took a deep breath. Home sweet home at last.
    I soon found myself in my living room. A couch and a loveseat sat invitingly in front of a TV and my Xbox** and the table was not too far away. I turned on the TV to an episode of Family Guy and slowly walked around my house, getting back the feel for it I had lost over the few months I was on tour. I let out Tokio and Killer from their kennels and they lovingly attacked me, barking and whimpering excitedly. I let them outside and grabbed a quick snack to eat.
    I sat down next to the window and looked outside. Grey clouds moved into the sky at a snail's pace, and within five minutes, rain had begun to fall,  drumming gently against the glass separating me from the rest of the world. I got up and let the dogs back in before putting my dishes into the sink. It had begun to get chilly, so I grabbed my favorite Hustler hoodie and sat back down at my place by the window. Tokio jumped up onto my lap and laid down, so I gently stroked her fur and looked back out the window.
    It was there again.
    It stood up next to the stop sign across the street, staring at me intently. Pulling out the watch again, it held it up to me and once again started to tap it furiously with its sharp nail. Lightning flashed across the sky, and it disappeared.
    I sat up, heart pounding in my chest as my dog jumped off my lap and the thunder ricocheted against the walls. What was that thing?!
    And what did it want with me?

    I woke up to a loud crash of thunder later that night. It was pitch black outside, the bright white lightning giving its share of light every few minutes. The rain pounded in sheets against the window, making it almost impossible to see the world past my yard. The wind howled ominously and the thunder rolled loudly like CC's bass drum, making the storm even creepier.
    I tried to turn on a couple lights, but they wouldn't budge. I sighed in frustration as it dawned on me that the fierce California summer storm had knocked it all out. Making my way through the halls slowly, I grabbed a pack of matches from the kitchen and managed to light a few candles.
    As I lit the candles in the living room, movement in the corner of my eye caught me by surprise. I turned to look at it, and my eyes widened in surprise.
    It was a small, white rabbit.
    What the fuck is a rabbit doing in my house?! How'd it even get in?
    Its nose twitched as I tried to creep up to it. I was going to pick it up gently so I could take it back outside, but as soon as I got only five feet away from it, it jumped and ran away from my reach. Cursing under my breath, I followed it as it ran throughout my house. As I passed throughout my house, the candles went out one by one as I flew by, trying to catch the rabbit.
    The thing flew out the suddenly open door, and I skidded to a stop at the doorway.
    I can't go out there, it's pouring rain! I thought exasperatedly. I fought with myself desperately, trying to decide whether to stay or follow the rabbit. Trying to see if I could find out where it went, I was surprised to find him sitting at the edge of the trees, nose twitching as it watched me carefully with its beady, black eyes. It's almost like it was waiting.
    Waiting for me.
    Finally, I thought, Fuck it, shut the door, and ran towards the animal, bracing myself for the rain's icy bite.
    I felt nothing.
    Surprised, I looked up to the heavens. The rain was still falling, yes, but it was stopping about a foot above me. My invisible force field circled me about five feet in any given direction and was about seven feet high. I watched a car pass my house, and the huge, transparent drops trailed down the windshield, being shoved off by the windshield wiper every few seconds. A loud clap of thunder caused me to turn my attention back to the sky and then back to the rabbit. It still sat there, its fur dry as well. With what seemed like a nod of the head, the small creature turned and hopped away into the woods.
    It only took a few seconds of hesitation for me to run after it, anxious to see where it would take me.