Chapter Fifty-Five
Alice opened her eyes, a burning sensation surged down her arm, her head felt like it had been put into a vice, and she knew just from the pain that her leg was broken again. The last fleeting memories of Blake being thrown from his bike kept replaying in Alice's head. She looked around, finding herself bound at both her wrists and ankles. Blood was slowly trickling down her arm. The road rash was bad, but her leg felt a lot worse. Alice looked down to check it, but her eyes only caught sight of Blake lying crumpled in a heap at her feet. Alice let out a gasp at the sight of him. His suit was torn to shreds, and he too was bound just like she was.
Alice tried to kick him gently with her feet, only to feel pain rip though her leg. Alice ignored it long enough to tap her foot against Blake's shoulder. He didn't move, but she thought she heard him groan softly. There was too much noise for them to be sure though. Alice looked around, trying to gain some idea as to where they were. They were in a room about the size of a normal bedroom, not terribly small, not terribly big. Mold and mildew were everywhere, and an industrial fan was built into the ceiling. Since there was no breeze, but Alice could hear the noise, she could only assume this fan was one of many built into some sort of large building. The whole thing seemed so familiar, but Alice couldn't place it to save her soul.
They were alone. There was no furniture, no window, nothing. Only a metal door and a single light bulb that hung from the ceiling. Still, at least it wasn't dark. Alice could do anything but the dark.
She slowly made her way over to Blake, inching across the floor and trying to avoid using her broken leg or bruised arm. His body was a lot worse off than Alice's. His chest looked bruised something fierce, a dark angry looking bruise that Alice knew would hurt like hell if he were conscious. His arm looked like it had been torn form the rest of his body, and she prayed that he wouldn't wake up like this now. He needed help, but Alice was in no shape to be of much use.
“Come on Blake. Stay asleep for just a little while longer. Someone will find us.” Alice whispered into his ear. Their heads were side by side, and she thought maybe he could still hear her. Alice had heard him after her abduction from St. Micheal's, so she hoped that it would be the same for him. Her head began to throb when she tried to sit up, so she let herself fall back down next to Blake. Alice waited for what felt like hours, before the pain became too much and she felt herself lose consciousness again.
Alice awoke again to find Blake sitting over her. A faint smile creeping across his bruised lips as her eyelids fluttered open. “Hey.” He said, brushing her hair away from her face as best as he could with his hands still tied together. “You okay?”
“I've been worse. You?”
“Nothing serious. A cracked rib and a dislocated shoulder. Nothing I can't handle.” Alice tried to sit up again, only to have Blake put his hands on her chest and insist she stay lying down. “You've got a pretty bad concussion. Don't sit up, it'll only hurt.”
“Where are we?” Alice asked, looking again around the room. Nothing had changed since before, but it did little to settle her stomach.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Well I have no idea.”
“This isn't where that man brought you before?”
“I don't think so. Besides, if this was the same place, I doubt they would have brought you, and I highly doubt they would have left us together, and I'm sure we wouldn't be gifted with light.”
“I can't imagine you would have such back luck though, Alice. Two completely unrelated abductions in one lifetime?”
“It feels different. Nothing about this room makes me think of that place. The Pit.”
“Is that what they called it?” Alice nodded her head, hoping she was right. Still, Blake was right too. She couldn't be sure, but it seemed unlikely that this was unrelated from her first abduction. Something wasn't adding up, and Alice hated not knowing what was going on. They sat in silence for a while, and Alice used the time to think about their options. Nothing was coming to mind. No great scheme to get them out, no superhero to set them free. “Did you try the door?” Alice asked Blake. It was a stupid thought, but maybe it was unlocked.
“Hours ago. No luck.”
“Didn't think so.”
Again their silence filled the room, there was nothing they could do but wait. “Alice.” Blake said, touching her broken leg tenderly. “I think we're going to have to fix this. I'm worried you're bleeding too much.” Alice looked back down to her leg. Just below the knee, her leg bent off at on odd angle. At least the bone wasn't sticking out, that was always the worst.
“Okay.”
“It's gonna hurt.”
“I know. Not the first time, remember?”
“First things first though, huh?” Alice didn't understand at first, but she watched as Blake scooted over to the corner of the room that was closest to them. He wedged his shoulder into the crack, and prepared to pop his shoulder back into place.
“Wait.” Alice said, moments before he attempted his idiotic maneuver. “Can you take your belt off?”
“Alice, this really isn't the time for . . .”
“Just do it. Obviously, you've never popped a shoulder back in with no pain killers first.” Blake understood right away, and worked his belt off loop by loop before sticking it in between his teeth. Alice turned her head away at the last second, knowing the pain that Blake was in as the loud pop and his equally loud scream echoed around the empty room.
Crawling back, this time on his hands and knees, Alice saw the tears run down Blake's face before he stoically wiped them away. “There. Good as new.” He said, gasping for breath as he dropped his belt to the floor beside Alice. He had almost bitten it clean through, but at least it hadn't been his tongue. “Now, you ready?”
Alice nodded, knowing full well the pain she was about to face. Blake fiddled with his shoes for a minute, untying the laces and yanking them free. Once the laces were out, he tied them one end to another, making one long cord. Alice watched as he tied the string tightly around her leg, just above the break. Once her toes started to tingle slightly, Alice held her breath as Blake wrapped his strong hands around her leg. Using his knees to pin her to the floor, he pushed the bone back in place.
Quickly, Alice held in her scream as the fiery pain broke free. Her hands were clenched so tightly that she drew blood as her nails dug into her palms. It had hurt, but not as badly as what she remembered. Slowly, the pain died down, and Alice was able to breath again.
With her leg back in place, Blake used what was left of his belt to help bandage it together. Alice doubted she would be able to walk, at least not right away. But, the pain was now only a low dull throb, something she could deal with.
“What are you, Superwoman?” Blake asked.
“What?”
“You didn't make a sound. I've seen grown men cry like babies, even with drugs, from having a bone reset.”
“Habit.” Alice said, now proud of herself for being better than others. “The no talking rule applied to screaming too. It's easier when you don't have to watch it happen though, that was kinda gross.”
“You're amazing, Alice. You know that?”
“So I've been told.”
They talked for a long time, coming up with their options. There weren’t any, at least none that would get them out of there. They had no food, no water, and there was no sign of anyone coming to the door. Both sore and exhausted, they finally decided to try and get some sleep. Blake helped Alice into the corner before he leaned his body against the two walls.
It felt good to be near Blake again, and somehow Alice knew that as long as they stuck together, they would end up okay. His familiar smell and touch was all it took to reassure her. They belonged together, and at least for now, they were together. It really didn't bother Alice that they were stuck in some empty, moldy room. She loved Blake, and he loved her, and that was all that mattered. Alice felt Blake's hands nestle softly into her hair as he gently ran his fingers through the curls. His breathing deepened and slowed as he quickly drifted off to sleep beside her. And, for the first time in ages, Alice began to talk to herself again. 'It'll be okay, Alice. Just hang in there, and stay calm. Someone will find us, and Blake and I will be happy. We'll stay together forever, and nothing will stand in our way. Just hang in there, you've been through worse, and this will get better. It'll be just the way you like it.'