The Brothers and I

Chapter 24

I tuned out. He was just like the rest of them. He didn't care. None of them do. Why was I feeling this way in the first place? Know what...Fuck this! I realised at that moment, that the only person who I could completely trust and rely on, was myself. And once that truth took hold, the inner conflict began. My mind swung back and forth dangerously between staying put or making a run for it, the odds staggeringly stacked against me as my eyes scanned the barren room for a means of escape.

There were two doors. One in the extreme end to my left and the one on my right that connected this room to the one I had been in before. And I knew that one required a thumb print to open. But what about the other one? My eyes went back to the door on the left. There was a high possibility that this door would also require a finger-print scan but it was either take that chance or wait here for the heated discussion to end, before they all turned on me and ripped me to shreds.

Sweat began to trail down the sides of my face as my breathing picked up speed. The men's voices were beginning to get aggressive as each second passed. My legs were itching to kick into gear at a moment's notice while my heart thudded nervously at the prospect of getting caught or the door being locked. But before I could make up my mind, a ferocious snarl ripped through the air freezing any and all coherent thoughts. And as if this was the cue that I had been waiting for, my body automatically propelled itself to the side and towards the door that stood between me and my path to freedom.

The air rushed past my face as I pushed my legs forward with everything I had. And as the door came within reach, my vision narrowed in on the handle while everything else appeared to slow down. My whole world funnelled into that one moment as I prepared myself for the next move. And just as my fingertips grazed the cold steel, my body was pushed forward as a weight crashed into me from behind.

The last thing I felt was a hand grasping my hair and forcefully slamming my head against the door before my world succumbed into darkness.

****

The first feeling to reach my groggy senses was the faint sound of restless feet tapping on the floor, the synchronised rhythm standing out amongst the faint beeping and the odd clicking noises. I felt my limbs twitch convulsively, the first signs of my body beginning to wake up while my mind pushed through the darkness, in search of the light. I could feel my heart pick up speed along with an odd sensation of the blood rushing through my veins, spreading warmth in its wake and reviving my body from its state of forced stasis. And as my senses began to sharpen, a sterile smell hit my nostrils while my fingers traced the soft surface that I was on, trying to gather my bearings.

"You're awake"

My eyes flew open before I winced and shut them again, not having expected the harsh white light glaring from the ceiling to be the first thing to come into focus. I groaned, the effort to open my eyes draining the little energy I had left. But as much as I wanted to go back to sleep, the need to work out where I was and what was happening, gave me the determination to try again. Taking a few deep breaths, I gingerly turned my head to the side before trying to refocus.

I was met with a bunch of monitors stacked to one side, emitting loud beeps every time the neon readings changed and the squiggly lines broke formation. Was I in a hospital? Several tubes ran from the machines to the bed before disappearing under the covers. Raising the sheets, I noticed that I was dressed in a thin white gown with the tubes attached all over my chest and arm. What the hell happened? I forced my mind to recall the last moment prior to this and to my utter horror and dismay, I drew a blank. An involuntary huff of frustration escaped my lips, earning another worried question to be thrown in my direction.