"Silence is the most powerful scream."
I gasped in horror, freezing in shook. "Take her outside!"
Everything happened in fast speed, one moment I had Thomas' blood on my hands, still with him in my arms, and the other Vince was dragging me out of the room, leaving Thomas and that woman behind.
"Get off me!" I struggled to get off Vince's arms, but he kept me steady, pinning me against his chest. "Let me go, Vince!" I screamed, but my voice only sounded squeaky and weak, and Vince didn't do as I pleaded. Instead, he tightened his hold, his arms grabbing me firmly.
"Breathe," I heard him whisper in my ear, and when a sharp pain appeared on the tip my lungs, I realized I wasn't breathing since I got out of the room. I let out a sharp breath and gulped in the air fast, trying to control my shaking body. "I will let you go now."
As soon as I was free from his arms, my legs lost their strength to support me, making me stumble back. Vince tried to help me stand, but I rejected his help, stepping away from him until my back found a wall to support me. I crumbled to the floor then, pushing my hands through my hair and squeezing my roots.
I let out a heavy breath, my eyes widening at the side of my clothes and hands covered in blood.
Thomas's blood.
Images of him coughing that red liquid filled my thoughts, making me swallow hard. I felt nausea at the back of my throat, and before I knew it, I was vomiting everything I had on my stomach. I felt someone grabbing my hair during the process, but I was too dizzy to pain attention.
"Here." Vince muttered, handing me a tissue. I cleaned my mouth with it, feeling embarrassed and disgusted with myself. He sat beside me, murmuring me that I should sleep.
Sleep?
At this point, sleeping was the least of my worries. I just wanted to know how Thomas was. I just wanted to stop thinking, to forget these vicious images of him coughing blood. My heart sank in dread, dull sirens going off somewhere in my brain when a sharp question hit me.
What if he died? What if Thomas died?
I quickly closed my eyes, shaking my head in denial, my thoughts destroying me when a million of possibilities started creeping inside me. I tried not to think about it, but the silence was a killer too...
...
I was running. On the grass. The wind was blowing strong and wildly. My hair fell loosely over my shoulders, my bare feet feeling everything below as I kept running.
I didn't know where I was going. Maybe, I was running away from somewhere, someone...
I didn't have a clue.
All I knew was how good it felt. The sun kissing my skin. The magnificent landscapes. The unreachable trees flashing before me. The several flowers. Their addictive perfumes...
All of it was making me feel free. Welcomed. Powerful. It felt like I had the world in my hands.
I kept running for a long time, giggling every time I stumbled over my feet.
Then, out of nowhere, I stopped feeling the grass below me. Suddenly, I wasn't running anymore.
No. I was falling now, the wind like knives, ripping my clothes off, throwing me off my feet.
I shut my eyes fiercely, sensing the inevitable. A dreadful agonizing cold took full control when I felt the water. It froze my bones and flesh. I gasped for air, struggling to reach the surface, but my body wouldn't move. Invisible strong hands kept pulling me down and down and down...
I carried on fighting against the strong grip, the forces of the wild ocean and the lethal waves. But they were wrapping me in a whirlwind, creating an indestructible current.
Eventually, the tiredness took over, the water filled my lungs remorsefully and everything faded to black.
I thought I died, but then I remembered the light I was supposed to be seeing, that beautiful door in the end of the tunnel, guiding me towards heaven.
But there was no light. There was no heaven. No angels.
Only darkness...
I screamed myself awake and sat up quickly. My heart was beating furiously, fear leaking through me. I shut my eyes, feeling like I was still sinking into that dark ocean. I couldn't breathe. I gulped in the air, cleaning the cold sweat on my forehead.
It was just a nightmare, Kelly. Don't be such a coward.
I shook my head. My conscience was right. It was just a horrible nightmare.
I shivered, sensing someone watching me. I looked up to see Vince sat on the other side, leaned against the wall, no longer beside me like he was before. His eyes were hard, troubled. My heart skipped a beat.
He looked tired. His eyes were sleepy and red. Momentarily, I felt better by his presence. It lasted a few seconds though.
"I'm sorry for waking you," I said.
"It's fine." He muttered, rubbing his eyes and mumbling something along the lines: At least your nightmare is over.
"What?"
Vince's eyes darkened slightly, his body stiff. "Uh, nothing, forget it."
I looked at him sullenly, but Vince avoided eye-contact. A silent scream hung in the air. I cleared my throat. "Do you know if they left the room?"
Vince didn't answer. Instead, he got up and made his way towards the door. I thought he was about to open it, but he pressed his ear against it. Seconds turned into long minutes as I watched him leaned against the door. Eventually, I got up and stood beside him.
"What are you..." I stopped when he placed his hand over my mouth, silencing me. His expression was dead serious, contradicting with the feeling of his hand over my mouth. I found myself slightly disappointed when he removed it.
I shook my head. What was wrong with me?
"Don't make noise."
My cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. He kept trying to listen to the other side.
I thought about Thomas. The image of him coughing blood immediately drowned my thoughts, nauseating me again. I fought with myself to make them go away, forcing other images instead.
His innocent cute smile flashed before me, followed by his usual blushed face, the day he hugged me and said I was his new friend, and finally how he had comforted me in the living room. I felt a dull ache in the pit of my stomach, wondering what was happening to him inside that room. I swallowed, mustering all my strength to stop the tears from coming out.
Vince cursed under his breath. "I don't hear anything."
Our eyes met, and I shivered nervously, "It can't be. Let me try," I stepped forward, also placing my ear over the door. I didn't hear a thing though. "What now? If they are not in there, then..."
He shook his head. "Miss Dorothy would have seen us and she wouldn't have let us stay here," he paused for a moment, biting his lip in deep thought. "They are probably still in there. Let's wait a little longer. If they don't come out of the room, I will go in myself."
I glanced at him, dumbfounded. "And act against Miss Dorothy's orders? I don't believe you."
His eyes widened and a muscle in his jaw flexed. "W-what are you trying to insinuate? That I only do what she says?"
I gulped. "That's not what I said. Don't put words on my-"
Vince scoffed. "That's exactly what you meant and you know it."
I let out a desperate sigh. "Fine," I heard him growl, but that didn't stop me from continuing. "Are you going to deny it? You do everything she asks. She ordered you to take me out of the room and you did it without hesitating."
Vince opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone opening a door. I flinched, blinking sharply at the sight of an exhausted Miss Dorothy. She turns to us, her eyes sweeping me over from head to toe.
"What are you both still doing here?" She asked, her voice causing me to squirm. It seemed like she wanted to rip our heads off and set us both on fire. Maybe just me.
I swallowed, mustering all my courage to answer. "We were just waiting for Thomas."
Her face snapped to my direction, but I didn't look away. I held her intense gaze. She analyzed me, gritting her teeth. "And why would you do that? I told you to get out. I didn't say to wait outside, did I?"
"No, but I wanted..."
"I don't care about what you wanted! You do what I say and that's final!" She snapped, muffling enraged through her nose. Unexpectedly, a shot of anger pelted through me, and I was about to shout back at her when Vince spoke.
"How is he?"
Miss Dorothy turned to Vince, and I swear her expression softened. "Better. I could finally lower his temperature, but he's still very sick." Their eyes met in a complicated silence before she added, "He lost a lot of blood."
My heart sank in concern and I swallowed nervously. "But is he going to be okay?"
Miss Dorothy adverted her gaze back to me, eyes narrowed. "Vince, take Jane to her room. I will send someone later to give her dinner." She turned on her heels, disappearing into the hallway without as much as a word. I shivered, a flutter tremble sliding down my back.
What the hell just happened?
"Kelly?" I looked up, finding Vince right in front of me. "We have to go."
"I don't want to go. I want to see him," My voice sounded on the edge of tears.
Vince muffed through his nose. "But you can't, Kelly. C'mon, I will take you to your room."
...
After I entered my room, I found the bath full with water. I didn't think twice. I stripped my clothes off and slid into it. I sat down, pushing my legs tightly to my body. The water felt freezing as I started washing Thomas's dried blood from my hands, but I didn't seem to care as I let my body fall back into the water, my head plunged under the bitter coldness.
As I laid under water, feeling the agony of the icy water cutting into my skin, I thought about my life before being made prisoner in this hell. My parents soon came to me. My father and his silly jokes that always cracked an amused laugh out of me. How he had always been there, protecting my brothers and I from the dangers of the world.
My mother, who I always admired and devoted all my secrets to. There was gold in her eyes, so much kindness and compassion. It was as if she could create galaxies with the stars in her heart. I remembered her words of wisdom. I had them all printed in my mangled heart.
Peter. We had always been so close to each other. I still remembered how he would sneak out to my bedroom and lay down beside me. We would talk about everything then, about our fears, our problems, our dreams. He would always make me feel better. Always a reminder that I wasn't alone, that I wasn't just a lost start in the dark sky. He would be there holding my hand. Always.
Sarah. She was so young and innocent. I wanted to protect her from everything, to keep her out of touch with reality. She kind of reminded me of Thomas. There was something about them that was very alike, and maybe that was the reason why I had connected with him so quickly.
Soon, my lungs started burning. Still, I stood under the water, trying to drown the memories. It was useless - they knew how to swim.
A feeling of déjà vu brought me back from the water, gasping for air. I spluttered and caught up a little water from my lungs. I pushed my legs to my chest, hugging them tightly and rocking back and forward. I stayed there for a long time, staring blanking into the darkness of the water.
After a while, I forced myself to get up and get dressed. I felt cold so I dressed Vince's sweater. His characteristic smell invaded my nostrils. It made me feel somewhat good. Not enough to snap me out of my despair, but enough to ease the pain.
I stretched my bruised body on the bed. When the tears finally began to fall, I didn't stop them. I just let them fall, sobbing uncontrollably against the pillow. I was so tired, so damn tired...
I whimpered one last time, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Two bangs on the door startled me, and I got up instantly. The door swift open and Hannah got in. She had a tray of food in her hands, hardness dancing on her features. The moment her eyes found mine, she scolded.
"I brought you food," she barely said, landing the tray on the bed. She prepared herself to leave, but stopped, almost like she was battling with herself. "You should sleep, it helps."
I frowned, blinking hastily a few times. Helps with what? I wanted to ask, but my thoughts were interrupted by her quiet voice. "Forgetting, Kelly, it helps to forget."
My heart sank at her words. How did she...?
I raised my eyes towards her and was immediately drawn into her troubled blue eyes holding so much grief, it broke my heart. But her eyes weren't sad like Vince's. They were empty, empty of any emotion. Like she wasn't capable of feeling anything anymore.
Before I could react, she turned around and left, leaving me standing there like a fool. I dampened my dry lips with my tongue, shivering.
I sighed, gazing at the food on the tray. It was that strange awful soup again, but I didn't feel hungry. I just wanted to sleep - sleep to forget.
...
I was half-asleep when a sound of a door opening made my body rigid in panic. The sound of steps filled the air, shadows appearing on the walls of the room. I inhaled a deep long breath into my lungs, fear gaining at my stomach.
All of the sudden the steps stopped, replaced by a suffocating silence. I sat on my bed slowly, desperately trying to light the small lamp on the nightstand. I never had the chance to do so, because soon I was face to face with the frame of a young man dressed in black jeans and a white shirt, his eyes brown like the earth.
My eyes widened. "Vince?" I shook my head, blinking my eyes hastily. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Vince didn't answer, his expression set in shadows. I lighted the small lamp, sending the darkness away. Immediately, I noticed that Vince's hair was wet like he had just gotten out of the shower. I cleared my throat. "Vince?"
He glanced at me and his eyes were just so sad, so haunted that my stomach twisted and untwisted, shivers traveling all its way to my skin at the sudden need to make him feel better. I didn't understand this need, the way I always found myself wanting to send other people's sadness away. It was ridiculous. I wasn't some healer. I couldn't fix everyone.
"I'm sorry, Kelly. I just..." He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head tortuously. I waited for him to continue, but he remained silent. Even so, his eyes were speaking words, words that screamed - I didn't want to be alone.
I gulped, bringing my legs close to my body, trying not to think how insane this situation really was. Vince just entered my room in the middle of the freaking night! This should scare me. I should yell at him or something. It scared me that I didn't do any of that. Instead, I just stayed there, staring at him.
At last, I said. "It's fine. Just don't scare me like that again, okay?"
Vince nodded, walking up to my bed and sitting in a reasonable distance. He was distressed, ghosts hanging under his eyes. It seemed like he hadn't slept for a long time. Like the nightmares had taken hold of him as well.
He didn't speak. The silence started to weight and suffocate. I thought about saying something. Anything that might save me from this screaming silence. However, every time I opened my mouth to speak, the words were stolen from my mouth and I would find myself hearing his angry voice again, saying that I should stay away from him.
Vince's breathing was hostile. Like his body was fighting with his mind and losing. Suddenly, his head snapped in my direction, his eyes turning into a darker shade. "You really care about Thomas, don't you?" My heart raced its speed inside my chest, his words sinking deep into my heart.
I nodded. "Why are you asking me that?"
Vince let out a shaky breath, his body rigid. "You shouldn't care, Kelly. It will hurt more." He said, his voice sounding deep and husky. I shivered, a fluttery tremble sliding down my bones as his words registered in my brain.
Fear erupted into my stomach as I tried to decipher his words. "What are you trying to say?" I finally asked.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just that you shouldn't care, that's all."
It was becoming a ritual. First Hannah, now Vince, each one telling me that I shouldn't care. Yet, they both yelled for love. They screamed for someone to care for them. It was confusing, contradictory, and it was beginning to crave on my nerves.
"Well, I do," I finally spoke, feeling determination prickle at my heart. "And I care about you too, whether you like it or not." Immediately, I noticed that same guilty expression on his face, but I also managed to catch the slight trepidation of light, softening his sad brown eyes.
I expected him to tell me that I shouldn't care about him. That he was broken and that I shouldn't try to help him, but he didn't. Unexpectedly, he laid his body down on the top of my mattress, his body just a few millimeters away from my frozen self.
I looked at him, wide-eyed, and although he noticed my shocked expression, he didn't move an inch, closing his eyes instead. My heart was beating wildly when I laid down beside him, our arms touching slightly.
"Kelly, do you ever ask yourself why we are here? What's the purpose of life?" He asked me, his voice barely audible.
I closed my eyes and thought about his question. "Not really, I mean, I think we were here to leave our mark in the world, to achieve our dreams and do great things. I never questioned the purpose of life before, never needed to, but why? Why do you ask?"
"I-I just... I think about that all the time, you know?" He let out a painful breath, swallowing a sharp lump. "Sometimes... sometimes I even ask myself what would happen if I killed myself. Just end it all. Because I know, deep down, that if I do kill myself the stars would still appear at night, the sun would still come out in the morning, the earth would still rotate and the seasons would still change. Everything would keep going, exactly the same, so why not? Why not end it all?"
His words cut me deep like the coldest wind, my soul bleeding pitifully as his words sank in. I couldn't quite describe what I felt when I stared up at him, only that my stomach dropped excruciatingly. It was as if someone had tied me to a heavy boulder and dropped it, making me feel like I was free falling into sheer destruction.
I bit the inside of my lip until it started bleeding. I knew I needed to say something, anything that would send his deadly thoughts away. Something that would give him hope and somehow make him believe that there was more to live for, but I couldn't come up with anything.
I couldn't even help myself.
So I acted impulsively, something I always found myself doing whenever I was around him. I grasped hold of his long soft fingers and squeezed them gently, yet firm enough to make him stiff from the contact.
I swallowed when he clapped hold of my hand tighter, the feeling of his touch making something new erupt on my stomach. A part of me knew I should have looked away right there, in that slip second of danger, but another part knew that if I did, I would never have noticed him for the first time.
I wouldn't have realized how beautiful his lips were, slightly rose and always closed in a thin line. I wouldn't have noticed how strong and hard his jaw line was, or how high his cheekbones were. Even his hair that was still partially damp looked like the soil after the rain. Yet, in certain lights, it would be blonde like rays of sunlight.
And then his eyes, his deep brown eyes. They weren't stunning like Thomas'. They didn't have those magnetic colors that inspired people to write songs and poems about. No. They were just plain brown. Nevertheless, there was something in the sadness and darkness they held. It made them beautiful in the most terrible way.
Vince lowered his head, biting the inside of his cheek. I let out a breath, feeling strange inside. It was almost as if I had just committed a horrible crime by looking at him. Like I had ripped out a few arteries.
I looked away, alarms ringing inside my mind. I didn't know exactly what possessed me to say my next words, I just knew how clear and truthful they sounded, like I really believed in them - or wanted to.
"We are going to be alright, Vince. Maybe not today and maybe it won't be tomorrow either, but one day. One day we will wake up and be alright. I promise you."
I felt as though the air was being crushed out of my lungs when Vince leaned in closer. "How can you be so sure?" He asked, his voice raspy with emotion.
"I-I'm not," I stammered. "I just choose to believe that it will. I have to." I smiled weakly at him. I didn't know what I was expecting when I smiled at him. Maybe I just thought my smile would ease him somehow, maybe even take away a little of his sadness. Or maybe, just maybe, I thought that if I smiled, he would smile back at me - and maybe it would be enough to ease me too.
But Vince didn't smile back, although his eyes warmed up. "I wished I could do the same." He mumbled, closing his eyes again.
We were still holding hands when I pushed my luck and forced myself to ask. "Vince, how old are you?" It was a legitimate question. I only knew he had been kidnapped when he was ten years old. I didn't know exactly how much time he had been stuck in here, nor the things he had been through.
"Eighteen." My soul bled for him.
Vince was two years older than me, and according to my calculus, he had been living this hell for eight years now. Eight excruciatingly years.
Tears were soaking my eyes. They were going to fall down at any moment now when Vince grasped hold of my chin softly. "No Kelly, don't cry for me. Please, don't." I let out a sigh when his fingers made its way to my face. I felt tingles on my skin when he touched me, the low area of my stomach squirming and fluttering. "I'm not worth your tears." He painfully whispered.
Disappointment flittered across my features when he took his hand away, a part of me hoping he would explore my features with his soft fingers like in that night at his room. I blushed at the thought, my inner being shaking her head at me, disapproving.
Vince frowned in confusion, eying me suspiciously. I sank deeper on the bed. In need of a distraction from the warmth that was now pooling in me, making me feel dizzy and disoriented, I decided to say something, anything that would tear his intense gaze away from me.
"Tell me something about you."
"There's nothing to say about me," he said as blunt as ever. He must have noticed my saddened expression, for his shoulders dropped a little in defeat. He sighed "What do you want to know?"
"I don't know, what do you like?" I blurted, feeling my heart quicken in pace. God, this was so nerve wrecking. I expected any minute for him to tell me to stop asking questions. "I just want to know something about you."
He let go of my hand. "You shouldn't want that," he said. "I'm not someone you want to know."
"But I do. I want to know you."
Vince let out a loud breath, massing his temples in obvious distress. "Fine," he swallowed, closing his eyes in deep thought. "I - I love hearing the sound of the rain. I don't know why but I always find it quite comforting. I like birds too. They can fly away whenever they want to. They can escape everywhere. I like taking pictures as well. Not because I want to capture moments or anything like that, but because there's something beautiful about photographing. I can't quite explain it," he stopped, unsure if he should continue. I nodded my head, encouragingly. "I like reading too and... uh, I like writing."
My eyes widened. "What do you write?"
"I don't know," I narrowed my eyes at him as if saying, 'really?' which made Vince roll his eyes. "It's mostly about what I'm feeling."
"Can I read it someday?" I pushed my luck.
"It's private. I don't like to share it with anyone." My heart sank in disappointment, but before I could say anything, Vince asked. "And what about you, what do you like?"
My throat tightened. What do I like? "Uh, I like music, I love it actually. The way it takes you somewhere else, you know? The way it makes you feel better whenever you are down or upset," I swallowed. "It's funny, but every time I listen to a good song it's like something is being injected into my veins. The world vanishes around me. I feel alive."
It might seem stupid, but remembering the sound of music- which I swore I would never be able to live without- made my throat closed in with unshed tears.
"It sounds like a good feeling..." Vince said, and God, I never thought I could find so much comfort in someone else's voice. "What do you like more?"
I whimpered quietly. "I love reading, but you already know that. Uh, I also like nature and fresh air. And, well, I like singing. I'm not good at it or anything, but I..." I stopped as soon as I noticed Vince's troubled eyes. Haunted by something I said. "Vince?"
He shook his head slightly, a hurt expression on his face. "Sorry, I was just... Nevermind."
I stepped closer, grasping hold of his hand again. He was freezing. "You can tell me, Vince. I won't judge you." I said, tracing the lines of his palm with my fingers.
"It's not about that, it's just..." He gulped, looking severely uncomfortable. I squeezed his fingers tenderly, my heart jumping into my throat when he turned his body to my side, his forehead just a few inches from mine. "My mom," he swallowed. "She used to sing to me."
"Oh." I gulped.
"Sometimes I remember her voice, singing to me at night to help me fall asleep. I used to think her voice was raspy, too dark to be considered a good voice. But now, now it sounds like a nightingale, clear as the crystal sky, brighter than the moon." His eyes were slightly glazed and bright as he stared up at me. The pain was still there though.
"It's funny how her voice - the thing I always disliked the most about her - is the clearest thing I have of her now. The rest is just messy, unsure... But her voice, her goddamn voice while she sang that melody that haunts me at night, that, that is clear. And it's so clear that sometimes I think..."
He closes his eyes sharply. We stayed in silent. Unconsciously, I leaned my head and rested my chin on his shoulder, right beside his collarbones. It was enough to bring our bodies closer. Vince opened his eyes quickly, blinking in surprise at our closeness.
"It's okay. You're not alone."
I felt him relax for a slip second, a minuscule second before he shook slightly, puffing out a breath of air. "I should go." He mumbled between short pants.
A stranger took over my throat. "Don't go."
Vince lost his breath, his body tensed. I reluctantly stepped back and sat on the bed. Vince sat as well, his eyes wide in shock, his pupils dilated. "I don't think that's a good idea."
I tried to stop it, but my shoulders had already dropped in defeat. Vince sighed. "I guess I can stay a little longer. Just until you fall asleep. I was the one who woke you in the first place after all."
My body jolted with ease. I wouldn't be alone in the dark tonight.
I laid down again, pulling the sheets over my body. Vince waited until I was covered and laid on top of the sheets.
Slowly, I drifted into a deep sleep. Not a single nightmare took over me that night.
Author's note: ___________________________________________________________
Hi everyone!! I hope u liked this chapter. Please comment your thoughts!
There's a song by the side from Ellie Goulding, "I'm dead in the water." I hope u like it. Also, I put a banner on the side, so go check it out.
VOTE- COMMENT- SHARE
Bye, xx