The Attached

Noah

Present day...

  I gradually opened my eyes, the fog and sleep slowly fading away as I awoken from a sleep I hadn't even realized existed. My eyes had to adjust to my surroundings, a slight bit of panic starting to rise inside me, before I noticed where I was. I was still in the ditch in the woods, the same old tree covering the top as I remained lying down on crunchy leaves. I must have fallen asleep after I snuck in here. Wow, that's odd. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes before I realized it was completely silent out there, only the small noises of the wind and leaves crumpling. The people were gone. All the volunteers. They moved into another place to search. It's ok, you're not getting caught. You'll be alright. A sigh of relief escaped myself, as I gradually placed my bag back over my shoulders, and began to climb out from under the ditch. I was surprised by what I saw, for the day was no longer here. No light or sky shining through the branch openings from above. Not like before at all. The air was more crisp than this morning, chilly as it swept by me crawling out of my hiding spot. Night was upon me. I had slept through the whole day.

Climbing out as I grabbed ahold of leaves and branches, making my way out as I stepped up onto the ground level once more, and began on my way once again. I knew I was continuing the right direction, for when I ran earlier from the search party I bolted the same way towards the field. And right then, is when I realized something. Have they found the field yet? The people who were looking for me? They were travelling straight in the woods, and I know for sure that if you keep going straight, you will find your way to the open field. The field where the bunker is. Did they travel all the way to the field? Did they find the bunker? Did they find Noah? Did they save him? Is he gone? Did they find Michael? Did the arrest him? I didn't know any answers, however I knew I would soon, keeping my pace steady as I walked straight in the direction of the cut upon field.

  The scene looked the exact same from earlier, and my mind flashed me back to a night a few days ago, when I ran through these woods I attempted to flee. They looked identical to that night, I knew it was the same way. What will I do when I get to the field? What will I do when I get to the bunker? What will I do if I see Michael down there? I know he will try and drag me back down, will I be able to fight him off? You'll have to. You'll have to fight him back, to get Noah away from him. And then you're going to grab Noah, and the two of you will run out of there together. Like you should have done the other day. But you will now, and everything will be ok. You guys will run back into town, or flag a car down, and you will reunite with your family again. You will help Noah reunite with his family as well. What are they going to think? Are they going to think he was dead too? Are they going to be shocked? I haven't heard anything about Noah on the news lately. I haven't heard anything on him at all. All I've seen are those posters in the police station. I wonder if others speculated if Noah was taken by the same man as me. In cases where someone was taken away, and another people were taken away around the same time, most people think the crimes are connected. And if I returned home, I wonder what other people were thinking. I wonder if they think Noah was taken by the same guy. I wonder if they think he is alive as well. Because if they think all those things, they are absolutely right.

  What will happen to us when we both come home? Will we separate and split up, spending time with only our families? Will our bond and our friendship end when we escape together? Will we not want to see each other again, because peering at one another will remind us too much of the suffering we both experienced for all those years? Will Noah not want to see me? Will our parents try separating us? Will we just get caught up in all the busyness, and not have time anymore? Or will we never split up. Will we remain best friends always, and always spend time with each other? Will we become inseparable? Will we always want each other, to feel safe in a way? Will this sort of bond, this brotherhood in a way last? Will we be the same people we were in the bunker? I honestly hoped for the last options.