Talk To Me

Chapter twenty-one

"Yes." Oliver bent his head.

"So before, you unlocked the door to Cassie's apartment."

"Yes. Enough talking," Oliver said as Mark opened his mouth. "As you point out, we have passed out the missing girl with us." Oliver looked through the windshield. "And it looks like the sun's coming up soon."

"Right." Mark nodded, narrowing his eyes.

Oliver looked at the backseat and confirmed what he felt since the car stopped. Leah disappeared somewhere along the drive to the apartment. The guys stepped out of the car. Oliver took Lily and Mark limped toward the building. Nothing changed in those few hours since the guys were here. The place seemed dull, as all the windows had no light in them.

"It's three-eight-seven-three," Oliver said as Mark seemed puzzled in front of the electronic lock.

Mark dialed the numbers as Oliver reached the stairs of the building. Oliver passed the doorway while Mark held the door for him. The guys reached the second floor and Oliver carried Lily to the apartment. The nauseating feeling arose as he reached Leah's bedroom doorway. Mark limped to the couch and lay down on his back.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Oliver asked, lying Lily down on the bed.

"It's hard to stay in one place, Oly." Leah looked at her friend. "You saved her."

"Yeah, and now we can talk." Oliver probed the closed, noticing Lily's body shiver under the blanket she remained wrapped in. "You need to explain so many things."

"I will, but later," Leah said, and Oliver's eyes narrowed as he tucked Lily into the fizzy blanket. "You need to take care of Mark," Leah explained.

"Yes, about that. Where were you?" Oliver asked as he stepped from the bedroom.

"I noticed the guy moved and then I traveled to the bathroom." Leah followed her brother as he left the room. "And then I appeared at the cemetery and by the time I got back to the woods, you guys were already gone. As I said, everything is weird in this state and sometimes it's hard to focus on one place. I'm really sorry, Oly."

"How are you?" Oliver asked as he reached the couch.

"The bullet went straight through the shin muscle." Mark sat on the couch with his jeans lifted. "It didn't hinder the bone, at least I think it didn't." He wiped the blood with the scarf.

"There is a first aid kit in the bathroom," Leah said, looking at Mark's leg.

"I'm going to find something for you," Oliver suggested, walking to the corridor.

Mark lay down on his back again, and soon Oliver came back with a red bag in his hands. Mark winced as Oliver cleaned the wound with disinfectant.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Oliver asked while wrapping Mark's leg with a roller bandage.

"I'm fine. We need to lay low, Oly," Mark suggested and looked at his friend.

"We need to tell someone about the girl," Oliver said as he collected the first aid kit content, putting everything back into the bag. "At least to her parents."

"No!" Leah yelled.

"Her parents are desperate to find her, you saw the news."

"Her parents are bad people, Oly. They are not sad that they just disguise themselves that way." Leah moved toward the bedroom doorway, looking at Lily. "Wait until she wakes up and then we will decide what to do."

"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Oliver stood up from the couch.

"Get some rest." Leah scanned Oliver. "When is the last time you slept?"

Oliver didn't want to admit the truth. He counted it as at least a day since he even lay down in bed. But it felt like years since he had a night of normal sleep. He looked down, his converse shoes seemed muddy and the bottom of his black jeans also had brown stains on them. He thought about everything for a moment.

"We will stay here." He applied to Mark and Leah. "For now. I will get some supplies. And we will wait until Lily wakes up. But if I feel like everything is going downhill, I'm driving her to the hospital."

"That's a good plan," Mark agreed. "Pass me a blanket."

Oliver nodded and traveled to the bedroom. He found a blanket for Mark and scanned Lily one more time before moving back to the living room.

"I'm going to my place," Oliver said while covering Mark with a blanket. "To get some clothes and maybe food. And be right back."

"Okay," Mark whispered in a sleepy voice.

"Stay with them and if something happens, come to me." Oliver glanced at his sister.

"I promise, Oly." Leah nodded.

Oliver left, locking the apartment door. He traveled downstairs and reached the stairs of the building. Brief moments passed, and he slumped down on the steps outside.

He buried his long fingers in his curls. Everything seemed too much. He felt wracked with guilt as he wanted Leah to be in Lily's place. The strange girl was saved, but his sister stayed dead. And that won't change, no matter what he will do next.

He rubbed his left eye as the tears began to stream down his cheeks. He felt as if he lived on autopilot, and everything just crashed down in his mind. The day started with him escorting Ann to the light and ended with this overwhelming sense of guilt and sadness.

The door lock beeped. "Oliver?" a familiar voice behind his back said.

Oliver shifted, looking through his shoulder. His gray eyes widened, observing the girl in the apartment's doorway building. The rising sun gave enough visibility to notice that the girl's cheeks seemed flushed. Her black bangs were messy and sticking to her forehead. She looked down at the stairs and adjusted her raincoat strap.

"Emma," Oliver whispered.