The Death of Colleen Rivers

Chapter 40: Baylor

I loved it when Colleen was asleep. She looked like she was finally at peace. As she breathed, I could feel her back rising and falling under my arm. I needed to shift around because my leg was falling asleep but I didn't want to disturb her. Colleen was finally sleeping peacefully for once and I wasn't going to ruin that for her.

I looked down at my girlfriend. She looked so different than what she did before she was buried. But a good different.

Her hair was of course red now and cut very short, but she still looked gorgeous. Colleen was the type of person that could pull off any style and still look amazing. She could go from wearing her leather jacket and intimidating, black boots to wearing her girly flats and frilly shirts and still look like Colleen. She could dye her hair green for all that matters and still look like Colleen.

I brushed her hair out of her face, hoping that it wouldn't bother her. Her faced twitched but thank God she didn't wake up.

Her face was covered in scratches and bruises, her lip bleeding on the bottom corner. I didn't know what they did to her, but I wish she didn't have to go through it. I wish I went through it instead of her.

Colleen always tried to look tough, and act like nothing bothered her, more so before the burial. After I rescued her though, she's seemed more open than ever before. She hasn't tried to be tough for anyone lately, which makes me kinda glad for what happened. Not that it almost actually did kill her, but because it has let her be more open to me now.

"They had to jump out the window, you idiot!" I suddenly heard Leila scream. "That means they couldn't have gotten very far! Colleen is drugged up and will soon pass out and Baylor's ankle is hurt. They couldn't have gone far at all! Search the grounds!" Every sentence she said, she was closer to our bush. When she spat the last sentence, she was right beside us.

Please Colleen, don't wake up right now, I silently pleaded.

Leila began to complain more and more, her voice ebbing away quickly.

It was the most joyful noise I had ever heard — the sound of Leila's incessant complaining leaving my ear drums.

An hour or so had passed before Colleen began to stir in my arms. Her eyes fluttered open, like green emeralds staring at me. She slightly smiled, closing her eyes once again and snuggled further into my embrace.

"You know, sweetheart," I whispered to her. "We've been here for more than about an hour."

Her smiled faded and her eyes shot open. "Are you freaking serious."

I lightly chuckled. "Uh, yeah. Leila came and left. They can't find us. I let you sleep because I knew we were safe."

"Well, you're an idiot," she fired back. "I can't sleep at a time like this! We gotta get out of here! We wasted an hour already!" She was whispering, but she was whispering very loudly.

Please Lord, make her go back to sleep. She's so much quieter asleep.

"Colleen, it's alright. They don't think we could run far anyways because of my ankle and they dosed you up pretty bad. But now the drugs are out of your system and my ankle isn't the greatest, but I think I could use it now." That was a lie, my ankle was killing me right now, more so than before. I guessed it was sprained or something, then broke when I fell — actually I was pushed — out  of the window. But I wasn't telling Colleen that. There was no need in her worrying about me more than she needed to. I would tough it out then get to the doctor as soon as Colleen was safe.

Always her first and always me second.

"Oh." Colleen seemed a little taken back by the lie, but she believed me. I had never lied to her before that and I was starting to feel guilty. But this was for the best and she could know the truth later. "Well if your ankle is fine then we should go. But not right now. Might as well wait for night to come around, gives us more cover."

I sighed, still looking at her and her at me. But they would expect us to be moving around in the middle of the night time. Leila will have many more guards posted. If we leave around, let's say right when the sun comes up, they won't be expecting it." I whispered even quieter now, leaning in further so she could hear me. "If we get lucky, there won't be anyone out there. Night post will be leaving, and morning coming. Changing of the guards and the search party people."

Colleen shut her eyes once more and grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Might as well get more sleep then," she said, taking a deep breath and going back to sleep.

"Sleep well, Ghost Girl," I whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

Without opening her eyes she turned to face me and licked my face, catching her tongue on my slightly unshaved face. "Ugh, Baylor!"

I laughed. "Sorry, haven't had much time to shave."

She tried to get back at me for calling her Ghost Girl, but her in plan backfired. Kinda glad I didn't shave yet.

She kept the disgusted look on her face but got comfortable in my arms again, finally going to sleep.

I didn't want to sleep, but my eyelids were getting very heavy so I gave in and fell into a deep sleep.

I didn't dream, thank God, (who knows what kind of dream I would have had) but I did wake up to Colleen slapping me awake.

"Baylor, the sun is starting to rise, we need to go now!"

She got up on her knees, the branches underneath us starting to move too but keeping her from falling through to the ground. "I don't see any guards," she said. "Perfect timing." She jumped out, and waited for me.

This was it. I had to show her it didn't hurt or we wouldn't be leaving. I knew she wouldn't leave me behind even though that's what I wanted her to do. I jumped out right after her, leaning towards my good ankle but letting a little bit of weight on it.

That was a horrible mistake.

Instantly on impact, pain traveled throughout my ankle, worsening the injury. If it wasn't broke before, it definitely was now.

I tried not to show that it hurt but I winced, hoping Colleen didn't see it.

"Is your ankle alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, just fine," I lied. "It's just a little sore from being in there so long." Another lie.

Colleen still came over to me and I used her as a crutch. "If this hurts too much," she said, "we can try to leave some other time. No biggie."

But it was a biggie. If we didn't leave now, we might never escape. Who knows what Leila would do to us if she caught us again. I didn't know what torture devices she had in that mansion, but I didn't want to know. "No, Colleen. I'm perfectly fine. Let's go."

And just like that we were heading home, one painful step at a time.