Nepenthe | Sapnap |

Secrets Spilled Equals Trust Earned

The second Kristin opened her front door, I couldn't help but blurt out the question, "Where's your bathroom?" as I fumbled through the doorway, trying to place the rifle down only for it to tumble down and crash against the hardwood floor.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she hopped to the side while pointing down the hallway, "Second door on the left."

I nodded as I clamped my hand over my mouth and fucking sprinted to the bathroom, making it just in time to lose whatever food I had in my stomach from the night before.

Kristin came in a minute later, placing a glass of water on the bathroom vanity. She kneeled down next to me and collected my hair, pulling it into a makeshift ponytail and swiping my baby hairs away from my forehead.

"Easy, don't force it." She said softly as my body heaved and shuttered. "You're okay."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that as my knuckles were starting to turn white from the grip I had on the porcelain. "Are we sure about that?" My mind flickered back to Techno, picturing him all slumped over with a part of his head gone and bleeding, and I was back to dry heaving and gagging.

"It's okay," Kristin was now rubbing my back after she slowly removed my backpack that I forgot I still had on as I leaned my forehead against my arm, trying to get air through my mouth and into my lungs. "You all barfed out?"

I nodded, "I think so, but I think I'm just gonna sit here for a second." My face was all clammy and my hands were sweaty, and I really just didn't want to move from my current position.

"Okay, honey, take your time and try and sip some water." She rubbed my back once more as she rose to her feet and walked out of the bathroom with my pack in her hand, but not before moving the glass of water on the floor next to me.

Sighing as I rubbed my face against my shoulder to try and wipe the disgusting sticky feeling from my skin. I took a couple breaths before leaning over to take the tiniest of sips from the glass to rinse my mouth out.

Techno's dead. I have a target on my back. And here I am in a bathroom vomiting. I'm such a fucking coward.

I should have done something. I should have just walked straight through those gates and let her kill me so her and her group would leave and go back to Pittsburgh. Techno and I were the only reason why she's here. Phil and the others shouldn't be risking their lives to protect me when Techno just paid the price for doing that. He shot and killed that fucker all those years ago and now he got killed because of it.

Taking a deep breath and drowning the rest of the glass, I flushed the toilet and stood back up on my feet. Exiting the bathroom and taking a pause in the hallway, I could hear some tinkering and small clangs of pots from the direction of what I could only guess to be the kitchen.

I've never been in Phil's house before. I've stopped by a couple times to drop things off or said hi when passing by if someone was sitting outside on the porch, but this was my first time past the front door. There had to be rooms connecting to each other from the inside since this hallway seemed to be nothing but closed doorways.

Wandering into what looked like a dining room, I placed my empty glass on a cabinet that probably used to hold chinaware but now it was filled with photos and small journal-like books. There was a door slightly ajar that had no handle; the kitchen had to be past there and it must be a double hinged door.

The back wall was nothing but windows that had various knickknacks and plants in front. My arms were folded, and my hands were flat against the sides of my torso as I walked over to the window. I didn't know if they were still shaking or not, but I wasn't going to pull them away to find out.