'Frank! Frank, are you ok?" I called. I had rushed over to where Frank had fallen but I couldn't see him it was too dark. All I could hear was his distant groaning and panicked even more at the thought of him being seriously hurt.
"Yeah, It was just a hard fall." His voice came out stronger than I expected and I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard it.
"Oh thank God. I'm going to find a way to get to you." I quickly moved around to find something to use. "How badly are you hurt?" I called just to keep him talking in case he hit his head or something.
"I think I hurt my leg. It's not broken though. I see a staircase I think. Look to your left if you see a trap door or something." Panicking I looked around the area until my eyes zeroed in on a slight raise in a floor board under the table. I've never noticed it before. Then again I've never had reason to believe that this place had a lower level.
"I'm coming Frank I think I found it." I was met with silence. He must have passed out. Moving with a little bit more haste I push the chairs aside and used all my strength to pull the table away. I quickly found the handle of the door and tried to pull it open but it wouldn't budge.
"Come on stupid thing open." I gave it one hard pull and finally got it open. Running briskly down the stairs I found myself in a very dark basement. "Frank!" I called not being able to see anything.
"Over here." He answered very weak. I turned on the flashlight on my phone and searched the area until I found frank on the floor wrapping a piece of cloth around his leg. Assessing the situation I realised that his leg was bleeding badly and I instantly felt guilty about bringing him all the way out here.
"Oh my, we have to get you out of here." quickly doing a sweep of the room. I noticed there was a makeshift bed just like all the furniture upstairs and a desk with an oil lamp on it. I make my way over to it and see that there is matches box on the table as well. I open the box to see that there were only three matches sticks as well as only small amount of oil left in the lamp. Sighing I make an attempt to strike the match but the sulphur tip broke apart on impact. I wasn't surprised these must have been here a very long time. With faith I tried the other match and to my surprise a small flame ignited but only to slowly die out before I could light the lamb. I growled frustrated grabbed the other match and whispered "Third times a charm." as if fate had a sense of humour the match lit and I quickly lit the lamp before it went out.
Bringing the lamp over to frank I leaned to sit beside him. "How bad is it?" I asked gesturing to his leg inspecting it as much as could in the bad lighting.
"It isn't bad. I just scratched it on a sharp piece of wood on the way down." he said shrugging. I leaned in a closer to examined his leg and i did notice a huge rip on his jeans but the darkness of his jeans made it hard to see how much blood he actualy lost.
"Can you walk? It's going to be a long journey back if I have to carry you." I laughed a little trying to lighten the mood.
He laughed a long shaking his head. "Yeah it's fine. As I said it was just a scratch." Rising to his feet with a wince he walked a way from me with a little bit of a limp testing the leg. I still wasn't convinced but he sounded fine and he was walking so how bad could it be?
I frowned noticing a rip also in the back of his jeans. Did he scratch the back of his leg as well? Pushing the thought to the back of mind I grabbed the lamb about to push myself to my feet when I felt hand being submerged in a pool of liquid. Bringing my hand into the light I realised it was glistening red. That's blood. Lifting the lamp to where my hand was I notice a vey large pool blood where frank was sitting. A very large pool of blood to come from just a scratch. Right beside a piece of wood soaked right through with the red liquid. That was extremely odd how it looked like it went right through him but it wouldn't be possible for him to be even be standing right now.
Maybe the lamp light was making me see things and he could just be a heavy ble-
"You coming?" Frank breaks my thoughts looking at me from the bottom of the stairs and I nodded and quickly caught up to him.
Reaching the top level I eyed the gaping whole that was now in the floor. "You got lucky Frank. That could have been so much worse."
"What did I scare you princess? I'm not a little boy Kayla, a little fall won't kill me." He said eyes glinting with amusement to which I rolled my eyes. I quickly checked the time on my phone. It was evening and the sun was setting fast I knew there was no way we would make it back before nightfall. I sent a text to my aunt to let her know I was o.k. in case my battery died before we reached town.
"Ready?" Frank asked waiting patiently at the door for me and smiled and nodded. Frank was just about to step out the door when the growl of thunder burst through the atmosphere shaking the wooden structure.
"Shit!" I exclaimed groaning loudly at the noise.
"What?" Frank asked looking at me confused. Before I got the chance nature replied by sending its showers pummelling on the roof and water was already coming through the broken windows.
"Well it looks like we are spending the night." I said heading back down the stairs. It wasn't uncommon for us to have freak storms like this especially in the fall time and they usually gave us no warnings either.
Setting the lamp on the desk again I hear frank coming closer to me. There's a million places I wouldn't mind being stuck right now and a run down shack with no food or water with a bleeding man didn't even make it to the list. Fate really wasn't on my side.
I guess I was visibly upset about the situation because Frank placed his arm around my shoulder making look up at him.
"Maybe the rain will stop soon."
I couldn't help the snort in response."It's Peadvalley we are stuck here for the night."
"This bed isn't going to hold both of us." Frank says turning with his arm around me still to look at the twin bed.
Sighing I place my hand on my cheeks looking up at him feeling very sorry that I was the reason he is stranded here with me.
"I'm sorry."I whispered.
"Don't be." He says while testing the frame of the bed."It can be a little camping trip."
I giggled.
"You are hurt though and it could get really bad." I gesture to the leg actually looked completely fine.
"It'll be ok. It was just a scratch." He says but I narrow my eyes at him sceptically. I would to be the reason someone lost their leg.
"Look see I am fine." He says doing a little spin full weight bearing on the leg.
I hesitated a bit but then rolled my eyes in defeat. We couldn't go anywhere anyways and my phone battery was now at 23% no was coming for us not in this storm. I placed the lamp back on the table and started rubbing the growing headache out of my temples.
"Well I hate to make you sleep on the floor love." he says as he crawl into bed.
"Excuse me!" was my response when I turned swiftly to glare at him.
"I'm the one with an injured leg" his smirk breaking out into a wide smile.
"I expected you of all persons to be a gentleman." i huffed.
"I'm the most gentlemanly gentleman you will ever meet my dear." He says cockily and in a way that weirdly sounded like an old english man. A wide grin spread across his beautiful face. I frown raising my hand as if to poke his injured leg causing him to automatically scoot away from me giving me enough room to sit beside him. We both laughed at this.
We enjoyed each others company talking about everything and nothing at the same time but not long before the drumming of the rains pitter patter melody and notes of lightning and thunder in the dark lulled us off the sleep.
I woke up in a rather uncomfortable position the next morning. Stretching and rolling myself a little too close to the end of the bed. I caught myself just time before I fell of the bed. Noticing now that I was in bed alone I sat up groaning as the bed springs poked into my flesh. I rubbed my sore back and looked around a few times trying to find any sign of Frank. Figuring he must have gone upstairs I hauled myself from the bed eyes glimpsing the stain of blood on the floor sending an uneasy chill through me as I headed for the stair.
Dragging myself up the steps one step at time my body ached for sleeping on that awful thing all night. I rubbed at my neck to relieve the stiffness. I have noticed that the rain had stopped leaving a wet blanket over the earth. Turning on my heel I did a quick look around for Frank but there was no sign of him.
"Frank." I called and cringed a bit when I heard the sleepy croak in my voice. Blinking rapidly at the light that flooded the room. Looking around I saw no sign of him. I decided that he must have went outside.
Walking outside the cool crisp of the morning leaving a trail of goose bombs on my skin. The morning after night rain was always extra cool and cosy making you just want to curl up in bed and sleep in. Still seeing no sign of frank I decided to call again.
"Fra-" the words got stuck in my throat when I felt the literal cold grip on my throat. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as panic crawled up my spine. I felt a hard body pressed against my back.
"Hello my little bunny." I felt the hot breath on my neck causing a shiver. " Looking for your little boyfriend?"
"What do you want?" my voice came out barely above a whisper.
Frank! Please Frank where are you?
Jeremiah chuckles slowly behind me. Not very comforting. He was enjoying this. Enjoying my fear. As sinister as he was before he left this was not him. I wasn't a fool I knew he changed. He was less than human that much I knew. For my own mental health I guess I was pretending that there was some logical explanation for what I saw that day and to ignore that I knew Frank was lying to me. I figured he had his reasons. I'm not sure whether knowing are not knowing was better for me. It all boiled down to the fact that I hardly knew Frank and although I enjoyed his company his affairs was none of my business even if it involved my ex-boyfriend. However, in the situation that I am now held hostage by said ex twice I don't know if I could just go back to how we were without getting answers.
"I'm guessing he didn't tell you."
"Tell me what?" my voice was stronger now. I was getting more and more fed up with the situation.
"Come on Kayla. I know you are not that gullible. How did he explain killing me?"
"He didn't kill you. Obviously your standing right here."
He laughed this time. So loudly in my ear that I winced. In flash I was now facing him. Hands still on my neck he pulled he towards him until we were chest to chest. I recoiled immediately scream dying in my throat as his hand tightened. I was terrified now when saw his dark red irises staring back at me and his lips pulled back bearing fangs. I had made the conclusion that I had either woken up in an alternate universe or I have officially lost my mind.
"That bastard broke my neck!" He yelled and I reared back wincing when his nail made an incision on my skin forcing me to go ridged.
"Please don't hurt me?" was all I could muster when I noticed that the hand on my neck was too tight and I was losing oxygen. He didn't seem to notice and I was losing consciousness. He talking however very loudly I could tell from the strain in his neck but the ringing in my ear dulled it out.
Slowly I felt as the fight left my body. My legs went first not being able to hold my weight up anymore I slumped against his body. My head, my eyes they were so heavy I just wanted to rest them. Rest, yes rest was the last thought I had before I fell forward into darkness.