torstai 10. marraskuuta 2016

Infection – Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – A Family of Dolls

I wake up as someone calls my name. 

"[Name]!" I look up and see bright green eyes full of worry. I sit down.

"Wha-?" I say still half-asleep and then I'm tackled down.

"Wha-What are you doing?!" I say trying to get out of his grip but to no avail. Then I heard something that stopped my struggling. Is he crying?!

"Sorry. I'm just so glad you woke up." He says gulping down his cries. I hug him back awkwardly and stroke his head.

"Uhm..." I try to find some words to comfort him but find none. I haven't been in situation like this before. And now here I was, trying to comfort someone I have just met. My mother never comforted me. Neither my father even thought we were closer. A family of dolls. Pretty faces with fake smiles. 

"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?" Ethan says now looking at me worried.

"Huh? No, I'm fine." I say and push the uncomfortable thought away. Ethan looks at me for a while.
"...If you say so..." Ethan says finally. 
"We have to get out as fast as we can. We lost some time when you were unconscious." He says mumbling to himself and getting up. After some time Ethan turns around to face me.
"Undress." He says simply. 
"Wha-?!" I look at him shocked my face burning red.
"We need to get you out of those clothes so you can move freely." He says taking a step closer. 
"But-!" I try to back down but Ethan takes another step towards me. 
"No buts. You can't run with your frilly dress." Ethan says as he walks towards me now a few steps away. For my misfortune, I hit the wall and Ethan takes the few steps toward me caging me between him and the wall. My face feels really hot. What is he thinking?! He can't just...! Ethan takes my dresses hem in his hand and looks at it for a while. He mumbles something that I can't hear. For a second I can see something in his eyes that gives me an uncomfortable feeling.
"What is it?" I ask warily.
"It's nothing." Ethan says smiling as if nothing happened. I frown but let it be for now. 
"Well anyways, let's get you undressed." He says smiling. 
"What about no?" I say frowning. Ethan keeps smiling but I can see that he's not happy anymore. 
"We have to go now. It's not the right time to discuss about this." Ethan says looking at the dead bodies. I look at the corpses and see something that makes my heart stop for a second. The corpses are starting to move. 
"Shit." Ethan says suddenly and takes my hand. Ethan leads me outside and we start running. The pace is slow as I'm wearing the dress and the high heels. Ethan keeps a firm grip on my hand. I don't even remember when was the last time I have run. Maybe when I was a child? I'm not sure. Mother didn't allow such things. 'Be elegant and noble' she had said. Don't think about it right now. 
"We have to go faster..." I hear Ethan mumble. The streets are empty, not a sound is heard. Ethan leads the way through the maze-like streets. After running for a while, I start to slow down.
"I can't breath!" I say choking. Ethan slows down and turns to face me. I try to focus on my breathing and little by little my breath becomes even. 
"Just a bit more and we are there." Ethan says stroking my back, comforting me, I realize. 
We continue until we're in front of a black building. The color is faded to dark grey and I don't recognize the style the house is built. It looks very different from the buildings I have seen. (Building) I look at it suspiciously. Ethan goes to the front door and takes a key from his pocket. He opens the door and then looks back at me. 
"Come here." Hesitantly I took a step toward the building and follow Ethan inside. 
"Why is it black?" I ask frowning. 
"You haven't seen one before?" Ethan asks disbelieve in his voice. I stay silent.
"Oh, my bad. Of course you haven't." Ethan says awkwardly, "Well, anyways, it doesn't really matter what color the building is. People used to build their homes with different colors. This house is one of the few buildings from that era." I look at the walls in amaze. I have never seen something like this before. The walls are full of color. Not plane white like in most buildings. Ethan comes towards me with a pile of clothes.
"Here is some clothes for you." He says and hands me the clothes.
"Thanks. Where can I change?" Ethan brings me to a room with baby blue walls. In the room is one bed, a big mirror and a wardrobe. 
"If you need help I'm in other side of the door." Ethan says and leaves. I look at myself in the mirror. The dress that I'm wearing is elegant and graceful, just like my mother wanted me to be. (The Wedding Dress) The top has one strap and two large roses attached to it. Under the roses are ribbons whirled around the top. The bottom has many layers of fabric and tulle. The only flaw in the dress is that the hem is slightly dirty from all the running. Mother would be furious. My eyes fill with tears. I try to wipe them away but to no avail. They keep coming endlessly. Mother is dead. Father is dead. I don't even know if there are any other survivors. My sight is blurry and I only see a hazy reflection of myself. Pathetic. Useless. My breaths are turning sharp. I try to calm myself down but my tries are futile against the rising panic. Not again... I can't... Suddenly the door opens and Ethan comes in. 
"Is everything-" He stops in mid-sentence when he sees me and hurries beside me. 
"Come here. You need some air." He says leading me to the window. He opens the window so I can have some fresh air.
"It's okay. Take deep breaths. I'm here with you. You aren't alone." Ethan says with a calm voice. I focus on his voice and little by little my breath becomes normal again.
"Thank you." I say after a while. Ethan smiles a warm smile as he looks at me.
"You're welcome. Do you need help with the dress?" I blush and nod avoiding eye contact.
"Turn around so I can loosen the ribbons." Ethan says. I turn around and he starts to undo the back of the dress. I keep the bodice still and wait that he's ready. 
"There you go." He finally says. 
"Thank you. I'll manage from here on." I say after turning around to face him.
"You can go take a bath if you want to. Just go trough that door." He points at the door next to the other door. He then leaves the room closing the door behind him. I get undressed and open the door to the bathroom. The bathroom looks nice and old fashioned. There, in a corner, is an old fashioned bathtub. I put the plug on it's place and open the faucet. Now I just have to let the water flow in the tub. I go back to the bedroom and take the clothes with me to the bathroom. There I start to take the corset like underwear off. I feel relief after taking that off. If everything would have gone as my parents has planned I would now be spending my night with a stranger. I shudder at the thought. But am I in any better situation right now? I ponder the situation in hand can't seem to come to a solution. When the tub is filled with water I step into it. The water calms me down. I let myself relax in the tub and recall what happened today. Dressing up for the wedding, the attack and the escape were fresh on my mind. But are we safe here? And can I trust him? He knew my name. I have to ask him about it when I see him again. But... What if he knows about that too? An uneasy feeling settles inside me. 
After the bath I look at the clothes that Ethan gave me earlier. There is a wine red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. I take the lingerie from earlier and put that on before dressing up. I went to the door and opened it. Ethan isn't on the other side so I go look for him. I'm going through the rooms in upstairs when I find a room that is locked. I knock on the door but nobody answers.
Finally I find Ethan in the lounge where he's sitting in front of the fireplace. The flames licked around the wood burning everything they touched. 
"Are we really safe in here?" I ask warily. 
"Yes, don't worry. And even if one could get in I'll be sure to eliminate it." He says looking at me with a solid expression. Again, an uneasy feeling sets inside my stomach. I just nod and sit on the floor next to him. 
"Um... Can I ask you about something?" I ask with a shaky voice. Ethan turns to look at me. I take a trembling breath in. 
"How did you know my name? This has bothered me for a while now." I confess. My hands are shaking from the tension. Ethan looks at me for a while before a smile spreads on his face. He takes my hands in his and then starts to speak with calm and soothing voice.
"I have watched you for a while now. You probably don't remember me but we have met before. It was a long time ago." He pauses for a while his smile turning to sad one. "I hope you remember me again. I have to be patient. This time will be different." He then kisses my trembling hands. The kiss is lighter than a butterfly's touch. He then looks at me with those sad eyes of his. Then he gets up holding his hand to me to take. I take his hand in mine million question in my mind. Why don't I remember him? Is he telling me the truth? What it would mean if that was true? 
"Go to sleep, you had a rough day. I'm in the room opposite of this one. Good night." Ethan says smiling that sad smile and closes the door. I'm left alone with my questions swimming around inside my head. After turning and tossing in the bed for a good while I finally fall asleep. 

1 kommentti:

Unknown kirjoitti...

http://angelwithashutgun.blogspot.fi/
Tuossa, ei ihme että ei löytyny ko kirjotin koko osotteen ihan väärin xD