The Corrupted (Completed - editing)

Chapter 4 - "Blank Expressions"

I scream, automatically waking myself up. My eyes flash open, finding the room is filled with a weak but warm glow provided by the small portion of sun very near to being swallowed up by the mountains off in the distance outside of my window. I'm completely drenched in sweat, and my mind races a million miles an hour.  Ethan bursts through my bedroom door, with a gun in his right hand and a worried expression on his face.

"Eve... W-What's wrong?" He asks, the tense look slightly fading from his face.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm alright I just- I had a nightmare..." I reply, tearing my eyes away from Ethan and looking out the window instead. I close my eyes, trying to calm myself down but it doesn't work. Instead, the nightmare replays over and over in my head.  My best friend, my only friend, Simon... was gone. And instead was replaced with – with a stranger. I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and see Ethan was sitting beside me on the bed, watching me with a concerned expression. I had completely zoned out for multiple minutes, while Ethan had been trying to talk to me. I quickly wipe away the tear, trying to remove any showing signs of weakness.

"Eve? Hey, don't cry. Just talk to me. Focus on me." His voice is soothing and calm, the side of him I didn't think he had. He gently raises my chin to look up at him. His touch sends electric shocks running through my body, and I feel myself blushing.

"Tell me what happened Eve," Ethan says, with a sense of comfort twinkling in his eyes.

I take a deep breath, and try to pull myself together.

"S-Something isn't right... It's Simon... He-he was in my nightmare, but he wasn't normal. He- He looked corrupted – but he wasn't. His eyes... They were different. They weren't blank. They were pleading for help, Ethan. He needs my help." I close my eyes, and feel the tears trying to escape from my eyes, but I hold them back. I hate this feeling, like I am completely useless. The only person I have left was suffering. And it was all my fault.

"We'll find him, Eve. I promise." Ethan murmurs after a long pause of silence. I open my eyes in disbelief, to see him facing the other way staring at the wall. His expression is completely blank, come to think of it, most of the time his expression was blank. I wonder what he was thinking about.

"You promise?" I reply, the tears finally restraining.

"I do, Eve. I promise. If he really means that much to you, I'll do everything I can to find him."

I jump up, and throw my arms around him. Burying my face into his shoulder, I whisper slightly so he can just hear, "Thank you." He doesn't turn his body to face me, but I can feel him staring down at me. We sit there for a minute, until Ethan takes a deep sigh, moving my head and shuffling away from me.

"I should – um go get ready for dinner. Be downstairs in thirty minutes. Oh and, wear something nice. Everyone will be uh- celebrating I guess... It's kind of what we do when another person joins the household... As a sort of welcome party..." He says, his voice sounding monotone and somewhat annoyed. As soon as he leaves, I get up and out of the drenched with sweat sheets, and decide to have a shower in hopes of clearing my mind. As I get into the bathroom, I look at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was down, with small stray hairs sticking up everywhere, and I had dirt all over my face (not to mention the fact that I smelt worse than a rotting corpse). I look closer to the mirror, inspecting my facial features. My lips were cracked and dry. How long was it since I'd drank anything? And yet, I didn't really feel thirsty. Or hungry, for that matter. My eyes drag up towards my forehead and I notice something. My eyes...they're brighter. Maybe Ethan was right... Maybe my eyes were glowing? Suddenly catching my view from the corner of my eye, I see a clock. Shoot, I had already wasted 5 minutes checking myself out, I really needed to get a move on if I wanted myself looking presentable for these strangers. As I'm stepping into the shower, a million things run through my mind. But I can only really focus on one single thought...