Chapter 6
Timothy’s POV
I pull away from him, and turn to the others. There are three masked people standing before me, and my breath catches as they each take their mass off. Danielle’s hair falls into its normal fashion, as the mask leaves her face, Madi’s brown curls bounce off her shoulders, as she throws hers to the floor. When the third mask is removed, I stare dumbfounded at Wesley. Tears flood my eyes because until now, I had believed he was gone. Then I remember Seth.
Just before I turn to them, and ask about Seth, I hear a noise behind me. Seth is limping across the room, while also holding Michael’s half-conscious form up. I smile at the people in my life because I was afraid I would never see them again. How did they escape Bruening, and where’s Alex?
“How?” I ask, and Sean puts an arm around me, before whispering in my ear.
“Later” he says it in such a sad voice, that I know something isn’t right.
“Where is she?” I say. They all look at me, but Seth is looking for her as well. What do they know that I don’t? “Where the hell is she Sean?” I demand, and he looks down at our entwined hands.
“Bruening produced a likeness of her, so you would cooperate in the games. We were never captured. It was all fake” he says, and tears run down my cheeks. I grip his hand tighter, and close my eyes. I knew it was too good to be true, thinking that I could have Alex back.
I drop Sean’s hand, and walk over to Michael. His eyes are half open, and he’s sagging against Seth. I squat slightly, so our eyes are meeting, and I put the back of my hand against his forehead. He’s clammy, but he looks as though he’ll be okay.
“What’s wrong with him?” I say, turning to Wesley. He is in fact a doctor. He strides over to my side, and begins to check Michael’s vitals. After a fe minutes of concentration, he pulls away and shakes his head.
“There’s nothing wrong with him, as far as I can tell. He might have been drugged with something, let’s get him back to the ship, and look further. Can we trust him?” he asks, and I nod. I trust Michael with my life. I’m so relieved that he wasn’t killed in that massacre at the train station. We all gather our things, and turn away from the scene of carnage before us. We’re just walking out the door, when I remember what we came here for. I pull three grenades, and toss them on the desk full of computers.
When Sean looks at me strangely. I explain with one word.
“Hard drives” I say, as we run from the building. Just as we reach the tree line, the building explodes, and with it, all of the government’s power. We’re one step closer to defeating them. Now all we have to do is find Bruening. Wesley pushes a few buttons, and the ship appears. I realize that all of my belongings are on this ship, and I smile hopefully.
Any semblance of my old life could be a comfort in this time of grief. Nothing is worse than losing someone, then thinking you haven’t lost them, then realizing they’re gone forever. I board the ship, and walk back to the armory, where my stuff was left. When the door opens, I jump back. Bruening is there. It takes me a moment to realize he’s restrained. He’s being held up by his wrists, which are bound with chains. A smile crosses my face. This should be fun.
“Hi there Mr. Bruening, how have you been?” I ask, and he looks at me coyly. I pull back my arm, and punch him right in the face. He grunts with pain, and spits at my feet. This seems to anger me, even more, so I kick him in the stomach. I’m just pulling a knife, from my belt, when arms close around me. I struggle, and try to kick my way out of it, but the arms are too strong. I eventually relax in his grip, and sag with exhaustion. I haven’t good rest in weeks.
I can feel myself drifting off, into a light sleep, but just before I fall completely unconscious, I feel Sean lie me down on a soft surface, and a few seconds later, he wraps his arms around me. His arms feel so right around me, that I almost die. I can’t even imagine a feeling that doesn’t involve Sean. How did I survive without him being mine? How did I ever live before we made love? I will never go a day without owing him everything. He is everything.
Sean’s POV
The sound of someone being beaten comes from the holding room, so I run off in the direction to see what’s going on. The door slides open, and Timothy is there. I watch as he kicks Bruening in the stomach, and then I intervene. We need him alive. I wrap my arms around his torso, and pull him away from the prisoner, and he struggles. He fights with all the strength he has, which isn’t much compared to a normal day. He must be exhausted. He did take down a lot of men by himself pretty much.
When he finally stops fighting me, he collapses into my arms. I lift him up, and carry him baby style to the bed, where I’ve been sleeping. I wonder what Timothy was doing in this room in the first place. He’s never been on this ship before. The ship lurches, as it takes off from the ground. I feel him flinch in his sleep. I gently lie him down on the satin sheets, and look around for a blanket. I sprint to the corner, where my comforter lies, and I throw it on top of Timothy’s sleeping form.
I sit down on the bed, and remove his shoes. I wince as I lift his shirt off, and see the recent stab wound to his abdomen. I hurry to the nearby medicine cabinet. Pulling the anti-infection cream off the shelf, I walk back over to him, and dab it on his various wounds. He’s in really bad shape, but I want to hold him. I want to comfort him. I’ve missed his fragile soul. I love him, more than anything I;’ve ever loved before. I sit down on the bed, and remove my shirt,
After removing my multiple layers of clothing, I lie down beside him, and put an arm over his side. He moves in his sleep again, and I smile softly. Having him here in my arms, is like finding a drink after a long day. I just want to stay in this moment forever. I close my eyes, and fall into a gentle sleep with the love of my life in my arms. Everything in the world is right, for the time being. We may have death on our hands, and we may have grief crushing us, but right now we have bliss.
I think of the day when we first kissed. The day in the arena, when I realized he had only pushed me away, so he could save my life. He had really planned to kill himself, so he could save as many of his friends and loved ones as he could. I know inside that Timothy is the most selfless person in my life. He deserves everything in the world, including my forgiveness. In that moment, I forgive him, for sleeping with Wesley. I forgive him, for giving up on me, and for letting go.
The vision of that day fills my mind, and I watch as his face lights up, when I tell him that I love him. The memory shines in my mind, like it’s a movie. I know that the reason it’s so clear, is because it’s the most important memory I have. It’s the memory that started the rest of my life. Without that memory, I have nothing. Because without Timothy I have nothing. He is my beginning, and he is also my end. That is the most important thing I have. My love for him is priceless.
