Salvation

Salvation #15

Cooper's barking echoes in the room above me. Fear tightens around my heart, stabbing into it like barbwire. Convulsing, I drag myself to my bare feet.

I stare up at the ceiling. Wooden planks are knotted across the floorboards of the room above. Cooper's claws scrape on the floor and his barking turns wild.

I can hear my captor shouting. The violent sound is mixed with Cristina's screams. "

Papá le deja

!" she squeals. Her tears blend with her strong Spanish accent. A door slams shut and everything above me falls into silence.

"Nate?" I whisper. My voice is frail inside the icy air. It's his room above me. Terror drains the colour from my face. He's somehow caught in that argument.

I'm plunged back into cruel, lonely silence. The door is cracked open and silvery light stings my eyes. I stumble backward and cower against the wall.

Cooper slips between the thick doorframe and the dark silhouette. He leaps nimbly down the steps and races over to me. He jumps up, leaning his paws against my hips. Whining he licks the side of my face.

"Cooper," I groan, brushing him off of me.

"Coop abajo," Nate's voice sounds weak. My heart lurches inside my chest. The sound is broken and frail, so unlike the smooth voice wrapped in a Spanish accent I've become used to.

He gently closes the door, plunging us into thick gloom. Nate staggers down the stairs, gripping the railing. Cooper runs across the basement and nuzzles the side of Nate's hand.

"Nate?" concern slips into my voice. Cautiously, I walk over to him. My gaze falters over him, "Bloody hell."

The colour has drained from his olive skin. Dark circles have smeared around his dark eyes. They're vacant and glassy. Beads of sweat cling to his skin.

"Christ Nate are you OK?" I draw in my breath. Nate nods weakly. "Are...are you sick?" He shakes his head before slumping against the railing. "Nate?"

I slip my arms around him, hooking them underneath his. "Lean on me," I mumble. His leaden weight shifts against my bruised body. I help him away from the stairs and let him fall against the floor.

He sinks to the concrete. His ragged breathing brushes the side of my face. I sit beside him, supporting his weight. "Did he...did he hit you?"

Exhaustion embeds itself in his brown eyes. "No. He hit Cristina," he stammers.

"W-why did he hit her?" I whimper.

"I-I had a seizure. She was trying to keep him out of my room until it was over," Nate murmurs.

"Seizure? Like an epileptic seizure?"

Nate stares at the concrete floor, running his fingers through Cooper's thick fur. "Are you OK?" horror tugs at my voice. A dark bruise stains Nate's skin. It's hidden by his dark hair that's fallen across his face.

"Did it hurt?" I ask, brushing his messy hair back and revealing the fresh bruise. "No...it's just...tiring," he breathes.

"How'd you get this?" Gently I trace the edges of the dark bruise.

"I-I don't know. I must have fallen or something," he mumbles groggily.

"You should be getting some rest," I sigh.

"I'll be fine."

"You're a stubborn bastard you know that?"

The corner of his lips pull into a frail smile. "Thanks Ella." Cooper whines and rests his head on Nate's lap. "Is Cristina OK?"

 Nate shrugs, "She locked herself in the bathroom afterward."

"Does he know you're down here?"

"He thinks I'm still in my room passed out or something like that."

I curl my hand back, letting his dark hair fall back across the bruise. "They had a service for you today," Nate murmurs.

"Service?"

He nods, "It was like a memorial."

"Oh God," I hide my face in the palms of my hands. Drawing in a deep breath I tilt my head back, "So what was my funeral like?"

"They lit candles and there were a lot of lilies," hesitation flickers across his drained features, "There were a lot of people there."

A frown creases my forehead, "Really?"

Nate nods, "You're surprised?"

"Well yeah. Kind of," I shrug, dragging my legs into my chest.

I rest my head on my knees and stare into the darkness. I watch shadows dance around us with sharp and deadly movements. "People don't like to hear about missing teenage girls," Nate mumbles. "People don't like hearing about dead teenage girls either," my voice is bitter as it slices through the air.

"Si. That's a good point chica," he sighs.

Silence ebbs around us, embracing both of us. The air is thick, toxic and fowl inside my mouth. "Nate you need to sleep or get some form of rest," I breathe.

He shakes his head stubbornly, "I'm fine Elle."

"You look so sick," I mumble, smoothing his dark hair back.

"Trust me I feel like I'm sick sometimes," Nate mutters.

"What's it like? Do you just...blank out?"

Nate shakes his head, "Sometimes. Most of the time I can still think at least. Usually I'm confused." I shift awkwardly and stare at him. "The auras and the parts after it are the worst," he says quietly. "Auras?"

"They're kind of like warning signs. They usually make me sick or blind. The actual seizure only goes for about two minutes. The exhaustion afterwards can last for hours though."

"Sounds like it's crap."

A frail smile tugs at the corner of Nate's lips. It's weak amongst the shadows, draped in fatigue. "Si Ella."

I'm not sure how long we sit with darkness curled around us, just talking. Time is an unmeasurable element inside the confinements of the stone walls. Eventually exhaustion overwhelms Nate, dragging him into unconsciousness.

Cooper sits guard beside him while he sleeps quietly. The dog stares up at me with glassy brown eyes. Sighing heavily I run my fingers through his thick fur. He whines and rests his head across my knees.

"Good boy," I mumble. He gently nuzzles the tips of my fingers and licks the palm of my hand.

The loud sound of shattering glass rains around the basement. A heavy thud slams against the floor above us. Cooper's heavy head snaps up and his ears rise. "Shh Cooper," I whisper, crawling closer to Nate.

I grip his shoulder, digging my fingers through his t-shirt. "Nate?" my voice is hushed. It sounds raspy within the cramped room. "Damn it Nate wake up." Frightened tears thicken my voice. Cooper hovers beside me while I shake Nate. He nudges the side of his face carefully.

Muffled shouting crawls through the air. It leaks in around us like poison seeping slowly into putrid water.

"Nate wake up!" I hiss. He draws in a deep breath and breaks free of the drowsy unconsciousness. He groans, pressing the palms of his hands against his eyes. "He's hurting someone," I murmur.

"What?" Nate moans, dragging himself upright.

"Nate he's hurting someone," a sob catches in the back of my throat.

Panic swirls around the both of us, tightening around us. My thoughts rush, blurring amongst each other. He lifts his finger to his lips, "Shh."

His ragged breathing is warm against the side of my face. "Stay quiet."

"If he finds you down here he'll hit you again," I whisper.

Nate shakes his head, "He won't find me."

He drags himself to his feet, swaying slightly. Cooper bounds around him and darts through the shadows. "I'll come back later," Nate promises.