Your Choice

15 - No Escape

TRIGGER WARNING!!! MURDER!!! If the subjects of this chapter may bother you, I shall see you in the next one. Stay safe <3

Sleep rejected you. Quite often as well. The past couple nights were spent lying atop your springy uncomfortable mattress and underneath your duvet. No matter how comfortable you may be, thoughts of Jax pricked at the back of your mind, reminding you to stay on your toes as you would never be safe. 

Exhaustion plagued you. Your eyes could barely stay open but they refused to close, no matter how hard you tried. The occasionally blink brought some quick relief, and each blink was slightly lengthier than the one before it. But you knew that even if you tried to fall into the realm of blissful unawareness known as your subconscious, you would fail. 

Rest tempted you. Even sleeping on a rock would be enticing compared to this hellish sleep deprivation. Your back ached and your body felt sore, as if you had just been hit by a sledgehammer. 

Awareness returned to you. Your eyes fluttered open, deep down hoping to see the light that signified early mornings. You hoped you had gotten even the smallest ounce of rest. But hope holds no power. Life was unfair. And together they decided that rest wasn't justified. As quickly as you had fallen asleep, you awoke. 

You sighed, shifting in your bed. It had been a couple days since you had encountered Jax in the prison cell. That didn't mean that every previous interaction ceased to invade your mind. Pinned against the ground with your arms held behind your back. A cold sharp blade held across your throat. Outside the bars of a prison, a lunatic resting inside who seemed a bit too eager to see his victim. His survivor. But you didn't really escape, did you? He may be locked up physically, but he roamed free in your mind. 

You felt off at the moment. You felt weak and helpless, yet also strong and powerful. There was no happy medium. No perfect balance. Your thoughts were scattered. While in the past you could have a whole conversation with yourself that lasted multiple paragraphs, each sentence seemed to be short and brief, with the next line of thought processes being unrelated. No, you weren't off. The world was. Something was wron-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

You sat up in bed, your limbs feeling heavy and your head clouded. The only thing you could think about was the wooden door. Ragatha and Pomni wouldn't be awake this late, you knew that for sure. Maybe it was a figment of your imagination. Maybe these insomniac nights started taking a toll in the form of hallucinations. So, hoping that perhaps you were losing sanity and someone wasn't actually there, you lied back down. Eyes open. Refusing to close. Refusing to offer you peace.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Your eyes shut tighter. The knock sounded louder, echoing throughout the room before fading away. The blanket resting on you was pulled higher. A sheet of fabric wouldn't keep you safe, but sometimes it felt that way. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Your breath got caught in your throat. The knocking against your door sounded less and less passive and much more hostile each time it echoed against your walls. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Happening more and more often, you couldn't escape the pounding of your door. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

So often there was no time to think.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK