The Escape

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

    Lost in the darkness, I hear a familiar voice beckoning me. “Hey! Wake up! It’s just a dream!” I feel my shoulders being gently shaken, bringing me back down to earth.

    I hear someone sobbing and that same voice trying to calm them down. My head’s pounding as I try to figure out what’s going on. It seems so close yet at the same time distant. Finally it hits me; the guy’s voice and the sobbing…it’s mine.

    Realizing this, my eyes fly open and I sit up gasping for breath. The same guy as before, with his perfectly styled messy, jet black hair and bright emerald eyes darkly outlined with long dark lashes, stares as me wide eyed with concern.

    Taking in my surroundings, I notice his arms wrapped around me gently rocking me back and forth. With tears now silently rolling down my dirty, already tear streaked face, I look up into his eyes. Scared and feeling ashamed, I just as quickly advert my gaze back down.

    “Shhh.” He still tries reassuring me in a soft, gentle voice. “It’s okay now. It was just a nightmare.”

    Slowly, I calm down and the tears eventually quit falling. I steal a glance back up only to see the guy who saved me staring back down at me with concern in his eyes.

    “Are you okay?”

    “Um…I-”

    He quickly cuts me off. “Of course you’re not. Sorry. Stupid question on my part.”

    I sit there in awkward silence not knowing what to say to this, and am unable to advert my gaze from our locked eyes. Abruptly ending the silence, making me jump he says, “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Eithen.”

    Right as I open my mouth to reply, I hear this loud, God awful growling noise coming from nearby. What the hell? Confused, I look down and Eithen starts laughing. It erupts again. Oh, I think realizing that it was my stomach. I feel the heat rise up, flaring across my cheeks in embarrassment.

    “Sounds like you’re hungry. Although, it looks like you haven’t eaten in days.”

    “Sounds about right.”

    He stares at me in shock and my cheeks color in embarrassment once more. He quickly recovers saying, “Welcome to the All American Diner! We have all the junk food you can eat! On the menu for tonight is any desirable flavor of roman noodles, pizza, a sandwich, smart choice-“

    He starts listing all this frozen food when I cut him off. “Honestly, as long as it’s edible I don’t care what it is.” After saying this, my tongue I notice feels dry and swollen. “Can I have a cup of water please?”

    “Of course,” he says.

    I move to try and get up and he stops me. “You’re not getting up just yet. You lay here and I’ll bring you back some food and water.” With that said, he lifts me up a little so I’m no longer in his arms and gently lays me back down.

    While he’s gone, I take in my surroundings. I’m lying on a beige leather couch in a small apartment sized living room. Breathing in deeply, a delicious smell wafts up my nostrils reminding me of something from my childhood. The mouthwatering aroma, I can’t yet place, sends my stomach in a frenzied uproar of loud growls and gurgles. The feeling of hunger finally starts setting in and starving, I can’t wait until Eithen returns with the food.

    Turning to my left a little, is a door leading to another room. Partially closed, I can’t tell what’s in there with the way I’m laying. Adjusting myself to get a better view through the tiny crack left open, I see a bed and dresser. It must be his bedroom.