TRAPPED

Chapter Twenty-One: Awake

NIGHT

After hours of everyone explaining in detail what happened to them while everyone was separated, it was time to sleep. Each and every one of them was exhausted from the day's events. June and Sam are the first ones to knock out. Then, Penny and April. Asher and Brooke are the only ones left awake.

Brooke is tending to Phoenix's wound as Asher sits in front of them, watching Brooke check on the stitches and replace the bandages with fresh ones.

"What is it?" Brooke asks, feeling Asher's eyes on her movements.

Asher waits a moment before answering.

"Just..watching."

Brooke releases a short, breathy laugh.

"Is that it?" She asks, finishing wrapping up Phoenix's arm.

Asher nods. Brooke notices the worry in his eyes simply through her peripheral vision. That's how you know it's serious. She sighs and sits down in front of him. His eyes travel away from Phoenix's arm to Brooke.

"Tell me something. Do you think it's your fault?"

His eyes wander to the floor.

"So you do," Brooke gathers.

Asher waits for a split moment before nodding smally. Brooke tilts her head to the side and narrows her eyes as she analyzes the expression painted onto Asher's face.

"There's something more," she states.

Asher looks up at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"Your face. It's showing something more than just guilt or innocent worry, but I don't know what."

Asher scoffs.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Brooke sighs and shrugs, letting it go.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now. You should do the same," she says.

She gets up and wanders over to collect a few blankets and places them down not too far away from Phoenix.

"In case something happens in the middle of the night," Brooke explains, feeling Asher's curious gaze on her.

He chuckles.

"You got eyes on the back of your head or something?"

Brooke shrugs.

"Something like that," she smiles.

He returns the expression, then stands up and walks over to his own sleeping area. He grabs his blankets and pillow and walks back over to Brooke and Phoenix. He sets his blankets down next to Phoenix's other side, opposite of Brooke. He's a bit farther from Phoenix than Brooke is, but he's still relatively close. The two eventually fall asleep, both coincidentally thinking about the same thing. Was there really something more there?

PHOENIX

My eyes jolt open. I quickly sit up, gasping for air. The stench of blood immediately fills my senses. I look down at my arm and notice the huge gash in the middle of it. Oddly, it's not pouring out. In fact, it's stitched. The hell?