ANDREW BLACK

Chapter 27

Merlissa Highmore

It sounded like a whimper, almost childlike. Merlissa turned on her side hoping to back the sound but it followed her, like the whining of a stray dog left in the cold. Then she heard murmurs too quiet to understand, like a low buzz accompanying the whimpering. Her eyes peeled open; her dreams had once again deprived her of slumber. However, this wasn't the case as the sound had tailed after her from the dreamland to the real world. Goosebumps coated her skin even in the stale windless room and her heart steadily increased its pace, faster and faster. Slowly she turned to her side and by the edge there was something or someone-her heart raced liked horse in pursuit. It could have been a man or a beast but in this dark she couldn't tell. The low whispers returned again. A person? What kind of kidnapper falls asleep on the job?

As quietly as she could, she rolled to the edge the bed and then carefully put her right foot to the floor with her left foot following. She lifted herself up silently but as she stood her head felt light and she wobbled. Bile rose in her throat that strangely tasted like Whiskey.

'That would explain the boldness,' she commented to her subconscious as she realized she wasn't in the right state of mind but these days when was she ever? Putting her hands in front of herself to provide some form of balance, she began to move towards the only light source in the dim room. With every step she took she glanced back but her intruder remained still. Each glance backwards nearly had her toppling over, making her very dizzy by the time she reached her door where the torch hung. By the door she placed her forehead against the cool wall and she felt its coolness ease away all her worries. However, an unexpected gust of wind blew over her neck and the chilling effect turned to chills as she became very much alert of her intruder once more. She spun around but there was no one beside her and the man or beast remained unmoving.

'Dead?' her subconscious asked but she didn't seem to think so giving it was its sounds that woke her from her slumber. Merlissa grabbed the torch from its hold and 'tip-toed' -hers involving both feet planted firmly on the ground and with very little use of her toes to support her body weight-to the other torches and lit them, till she had lit up half of the room. Still holding the torch, she very cautiously 'tip-toed' to the stranger. The torch was held in front of her as a weapon just in case the intruder played any tricks but the closer she got the less likely it seemed as though the thing in her bed was going to move.

As the torch got closer to the bed Merlissa verified that the thing in her bed was indeed human and a man at that. The light travelled all the way up his black clothing and Merlissa saw a face she recognised, her killer. Relief flooded through her as she slid to the floor by his side.

'Relief?' her subconscious asked as it saw no reason for her to be relieved at the thought of someone who was going to kill her.

Merlissa held the torch to his face, his nose scrunched, and she realised the heat must have being affecting him. So, she crawled over to her bed side table, leaned on it to support her as she stood and replaced the unlit torch there with the lit one. She then plopped back on the floor and moved towards him, placing her face so close to it that she could see his eyes lids shaking. She noticed his eyeballs seemed to race back and forth behind shut lids.  He kept squeezing tight and releasing his eyes. His brows were drawn together forming crinkles with the skin that kept them from meeting. His injured hand hung on his knees drawn to his chest and the other was tucked between his legs. It was a though he was trying to make himself into a ball. His lips parted and he started the murmuring again, Merlissa brough her ears closer.

"Y-you d-didn't stay," she heard so quietly. "Yet you promised," he went on. "Why?" he asked. "Why?" he repeated the question then he went quiet and as Merlissa pulled away she heard a name "Lennon." She turned to him and a stray tear found its way out of his closed eyes. A deep sigh left Merlissa. She wiped the tear just before it fell and then she took his face in her palm.