Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 2: Not Much of a Talker

Was I dead? I couldn’t tell. But surely I couldn’t be in Heaven; I was in too much pain. I must be in Hell. Or didn't people who committed suicide go to Purgatory? 

My entire body felt frozen, as if the blood that ran through my veins had turned to ice, freezing me from the inside out. I couldn’t feel my toes, my fingers, or anything at all. There was a pounding on my chest, and something touching my face, but I couldn’t distinguish what.

I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t see; there was only blackness, faded shadows that danced across my vision.

“I told you so,” a voice whispered in my ear. Lily.

Air suddenly rushed through my mouth and down my throat before the pounding on my chest continued. 

I gasped then choked, rolling over as I coughed up mouthfuls of disgusting, icy water.

“Thank God,” Penn whispered.

“Are you okay?” another concerned voice asked, but I couldn’t work up the energy to look at who it was. Something touched my arm; I barely felt it since I was so cold.

Even if I wanted to see who it was, I couldn’t stop coughing up water and once I was finished my throat felt sore and dry, like sandpaper. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I tried to clear my throat, but it only hurt more.

Turning my head, blinking through the light rain that was now falling, I looked at the person who’d spoken. I couldn’t see very well in the dark, and my vision was still too blurry, so I couldn’t make out much.

“Are you okay?” he asked again.

I only nodded, my teeth chattering uncontrollably as I looked around wildly. I saw Penn standing behind…whoever this guy was that apparently saved me…and relaxed slightly. I wasn't alone.

But the look Penn was giving me, one of pure anguish and hurt, made me feel guilty. I couldn’t say anything to him, not with this man here, but I gave him a look that was as apologetic as I could manage.

“Come on, we should get you out of the rain. My place isn’t that far from here, but I’m afraid you’ll have to walk,” the guy said, holding his hand out to me as he stood.

Normally, I would be wary of strangers in the dark asking me to come to their place, but I was far too cold to protest. I reached one hand up to take his, but my hand was too frozen to curl my fingers around his.

I trembled from the cold, and when he realized I couldn’t take his hand, he stooped down and picked me up. I curled into his chest, not caring if this was a complete stranger and possible murderer. He was, at the moment, one of few people who’d actually been kind to me in my entire life.

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on his even walk, the slight swinging motion of his gait, to calm me down. We walked for what felt like hours before I suddenly heard someone gasp and a huge wall of heat hit me.

There were voices, but I couldn’t focus enough to catch the words being spoken. I was cold, so so cold.

The stranger tried to set me down but I clung to his shirt weakly with frozen fingers. Warm fingers gently pried my frozen ones off of him, and I felt myself being laid down on something warm and soft. I curled even further into a tight ball, trembling so much that I couldn’t even think straight. I welcomed the warmth around me, but I was still too cold.

Something heavy and warm fell around me, and I felt hands adjusting what ever it was so it covered me properly before I felt somebody pull off my shoes and socks. Whatever I was sitting on suddenly dipped slightly, as if a weight had been placed beside me. Something moved me, pulling me sideways as I felt two hands rubbing up and down my arms, trying to warm me up.