I'm Drowning

Chapter 5

I woke up in place unfamiliar and in a bed not my own. I sit up abruptly and get to my feet before rushing out of the room only to emerge into a hallway. Where the hell am I, I wondered. There wasn't any time to admire where I was, I just needed to leave.

There was a stair well at the end of a corridor and I sprinted for it. This was the longest hallway I have ever seen; at least a dozen doors laid upon the walls of it. Just as I was about to reach the stairs, a door opened to my right and I couldn't stop before I face planted into it.

The door slammed back closed and I splatted onto the hard wood floor.

"Fuck" a voice said from the other side of the door.

That was weird, I didn't recognise their voice. I quickly scramble to my feet and mutter a 'sorry' before starting down the stairwell. I reached the bottom and emerged into a large what looked like a living room.

I heard some foot steps behind me on the stairs and just sprinted through the room and over a couch. "Wait" the person called out after me, I didn't stop. I could get caught again and that was the last thing I had planned. I turned a corner to come into, the living room?

Wasn't I just here? I didn't have any time to ponder because the person was gaining on me. I quickly turned around and began to run when I looked behind me to see how close they were, bad idea. I ran straight into the couch, which tipped over, and hit a bookshelf, which fell on top of the couch, trapping me under a blanket of books, knickknacks, splinters, and shame.

"Holy shit" the person who was chasing me said. "Are you ok?" I could hear them approaching and I tried to slink into the depths of books but I was just too stuck to do anything. My eyes were screwed shut and I didn't dare open them even when the person cleared the rubble from my face.

A hand touched my cheek and I flinched, not only at the unfamiliar sensation, but as a searing pain shot through me. "Dan?" wait, I know this voice.

Carefully I open my eyes to come face to face with a boy. I'm sure I had to have seen him before. I tried to move his hand away from my face but it was contorted in an uncomfortable position beneath me. They leaned in closer and I really started to struggle.

"Please" I begged, almost a whisper. "Don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you Dan, I just want to help." The boy started rubbing circles on my cheek and I unconsciously leaned into his touch with my eyes fluttering closed. I heard the boy's breath hitch and immediately move back to my original position with my eyes open.

"Shit sorry" I mumbled "it's just I, I, never mind. Who are you?"

He looked worried for a second "you don't remember?"

I remember quite a lot, just not his name. "I know a lot, but not enough. What's your name?"

"Dylan" he said standing up. "You must be in a lot of pain, let's get you out of there."

Dylan is a lot stronger than he looks. He lifted the book shelf with ease and helped me up soon after.

I went to go stand up but collapsed as I applied pressure to my right leg. Had Dylan not been beside me I would have collided with the floor, again.

"Dan are you ok? Can you walk?"

"Yeah" I shrugged his arms off of me and the moment I did was when I fell right back into them.

"Dan" he said.

I sighed knowing wasn't going to get out of this "yeah?"

"You can't stand, can you." I hung my head in shame. "Come on, I need to take a look at it."