The Desire for a Simple Life

FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

Grant

"Explain." Atticus says slower than the time before. He begins to inch his way behind Natalia, pulling out his knife and threatening it across her neck. It takes everything in me not to lunge at Atticus killing him for hurting Natalia. I need to keep my cool, so I can remain where I am. "Explain." He repeats.

"Explain what sir?" I decide to play dumb, terrible idea.

"Explain to me, the reason you patched up my prisoner." He asks after a chuckle.

"I sewed up Natalia Brewer's wound due to risk of infection to keep her around longer." I half lie.

"Hmm. This is all interesting. Keeping her around longer for my money? Or for yourself?" Atticus questions. I hate the guy, but he is great at interrogation. "No answer? Should I help you give one?" His voice dips.

Atticus's hand finds its way around Natalia's neck, beginning to squeeze it. Natalia begins to squirm without her breath. She looks to me with a desperate look in her eyes, pleading for help. Natalia's face starts to turn a red-purple color. I can't stand the look of her pain any longer.

I lunge forward, just like Atticus wanted. He catches me and sticks something into my neck and I feel my body go weak. "Grant?" I hear Natalia cry out as she breathes desperately sucking air into her lungs. "Grant- you okay?!" She asks frantically.

I feel nothing in my body, and only see Natalia sitting in her chair. Everything goes- odd, slow motion. Muffled screams. I am the best of the best, how could I let this happen?

After a couple minutes, a few men come in and drag me out of the room. I watch another man hold Natalia's arm with an extremely tight grip. She cries and struggles in his grip, trying to fight it. I am completely helpless and can't do a single thing. Natalia looks at me with pain and confusion. I can't stand her eyes, so I close my own.

- 5:02 pm -

I feel my heavy lids open. I try to feel to see if my body is working. And it is. I turn my head over to see Natalia laying in a bed on the other side of the room. She is sleeping and I see her clothes ripped and discoloration on her face. Anger courses through me. I sit myself up and make my way over to her. I feel that my mask is still on thankfully.

I sit on the edge of Natalia's bed and put my hand on her shoulder squeezing it lightly. She stirs awake and when she looks at me her eyes widen and she sits up, throwing her arms around me. Large sighs leave her lungs.

"I-I thought you weren't going to wake up." Her voice cracks. She squeezes me tight and I hesitate to hug her back. But when I do, I feel her entire body tense up, but then fully relax. She pulls back. "I am still actually really mad and confused. But I thought you weren't going to wake up." She stutters.

She looks up in my eyes searching for a response. I should give her one. But I don't know how. Instead I look at her bruised face, and there is a cut on her cheek, it's swollen and looks very painful. I lift my hand and cup her cheek in my hand, gently moving my thumb across her face trying to calm her a little.

A single tear runs down her cheek and I catch it with my hand that is already rested on her face. I shake my head urging her not to cry. She stops and takes in a shaky breath trying to calm down. She looks up from her lap and into my eyes. She is visibly upset, and I understand why.

"I- I am tired and just want to go to sleep." She pulls back and lays down on the bed.

I hang my head as I walk back to my bed and sit on it. But I can sit any longer, I stand and pace at the door. I am waiting for someone to come in and just beat them like they are a punching bag. I am a bung of pinned up anger. Why would they ever lay a hand on Natalia? I blew it, I shouldn't have pounced on him. But I did, and I can't go back in time.

When he comes back, I will take him down.

- 11:38 pm -

I am restless, but I lay down in my bed anyway. Natalia has been asleep for hours. Everyone once and a while her breathing would hitch as if she was having a bad dream. It takes a lot to not walk over to her and help her. She is angry with me and has every right to be.

I close my eyes and try to just relax, but no sleep comes. After a little while I hear Natalia shift up in her bed and whimper in distress. I remain "asleep" to see what she'll do. She begins to cry.

"Why?" She almost whispers. "I only want to go home." She cries. "And it's so cold!" Natalia retorts angrily. I hear her throw something across the room and screams in frustration. "I am over it." She stands up and walks to the door. "I am cold!" She shouts as she pounds on the door. "Cold!" She screams.

When no one answers her screams, she walks over to me and tries to snatch the blanket I am laying on top of. "Get off you broot!" She struggles and I pull her waist so she is laying down next to me. "I hate you. I knew you weren't sleeping." She rolls her eyes, but doesn't try to move. "Aren't you cold or something?" She motions to my t-shirt.

I shake my head.

"I already heard your voice, why stop talking now?" She asks me.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes again. Natalia tries to get the blanket again. "Can you just get up? I am freezing and obviously in pain." She tries to guilt trip me and it works.

I sit up and hand her the blanket. She stands and goes to her own bed, snuggling underneath the two blankets. No tears come down her face, she just looks blankly at the floor.

"I'm sorry." I say when I sit back down onto the bed.

Her eyes snap to mine. "Are you? For what exactly? I'd like to hear you say it." She sneers.

"I am sorry for lying to you." I say.

I can tell she is trying to stay angry with me, but it's not staying strong. She leaps up and runs over to me, throwing her arms around me, catching me off guard. She holds me tight with her nose in my neck. Natalia curls into my lap unannounced and snuggles there for a while. When she falls asleep I pick her up and walk her to her bed, laying her down wrapping the blankets around her. Before I make my way back to my bed I wipe her face to rid them of her tears.

Just as I turn to go to my bed she takes my wrist, weakly, and holds me in place. She looks up toward me without opening her eyes and moves back on the bed making a spot for me. I contemplate on laying down, but I don't want to make her more angry with me. I lay down and Natalia puts her head in my shoulder, getting as close as she can to my body and soon hre shivering stops.

For the first time in a long time, I drift asleep.

- 8:23 am -

Natalia and I are woken up by the door opening and I am yanked onto the floor and punches in the face twice. "My two favorite people." Atticus mocks. He snatches Natalia up by the arm and holds her close to his side in a "hug".

I am held back by three guys so I have to watch Atticus hold onto Natalia. She struggles against Atticus and when she hits him a little too hard he shoves her into the wall. She grunts in pain. "I cannot stand you!" She shouts as she recoils walking back up to him angrily.

Atticus teases her before slapping her across the face. I struggle forward and manage to get loose from the three men taking Atticus's collar delivering a blow to his cheek as hard as I can. As soon as I did I am wretched back and beat the ground. Natalia cries for them to stop but when Atticus gets back up he takes Natalia, holding her in front of himself making her watch.

"Stop! Stop!" She weeps.

It's pointless for me to try and fight them off in the state I am in, but if this was a week ago, they'd all be on the ground. But it's not. So I try my best to fight them off. But one of them kick me right in the ribs and I lose my breath. Another blow to my temple and I lose consciousness.