Salvation

Chapter IX

As he tried to sit down, forcing himself to bare the sharp pain soaring through his body, squeezing his eyes to not show how hurt he really was, a bout of dizziness attacked and made him fall back. Fortunately, a soft fabric softened his fall on the sofa.

"How lovely...I can't even sit down properly...", he muttered under his breath.

He closed his eyes and sighed only once, but in that short sigh, everything he felt, pain, loneliness, followed with anger and resentment, poured out. As if he knew he was all alone...and he had had enough.

He kept silent for a moment. Neither of us dared to break the silence.

"You have hope right?", he whispered loud enough for me to hear it.

"Hope...such a beautiful, yet tricky little word, isn't it?", he looked up, his fingers absent-mindedly circling the button of his shirt. It seemed like he was talking more to himself than me.

"Because the things we 'hope' for may or may not happen. I believe a desperate need to believe is more accurate way to describe it.", his eyes glanced towards me, enough to show me that he acknowledged my presence, but then he closed  them again. "That's all there is to it."

I finally stood up carefully thinking about what I was about to do. I had to show him that I meant what I was about to say.

Mere words weren't enough.

"I said that I didn't accept the offer at first. I would never want anyone to suffer because of me.", my eyes bore into his. "No matter what kind of person they are."

"Or being.", I managed a half smile. "It doesn't matter."

I took one step towards him.

"I tried to help you then, didn't I?"

One step forward.

"I didn't know about their plan then. But even after I found out..."

I didn't need to say more.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

I came closer, standing right in front of him, one of my hands firmly squeezing the device in my hand. I was visibly trembling, but nevertheless I continued.

"I still don't accept it. I lied to them.", I finally said.

With our eyes starring intensely at each other, I slowly leaned in.

"I am going to help you escape. I want to."

I carefully placed my hand on the metal rings that were firmly placed around his wrists, keeping his hands steadily in front of him, making him unable to even slightly move them. Trying to steady my breathing and heartbeat, since my face was a mere inch from his, I opened the rings and let them slip through my hand, making them fall on the floor with a loud thud.

I looked up to his face and gently smiled. 

"Why would you think their hope would stop me from doing it again?"

I looked down and finally admitted. "I don't need it. Their hope."

This is disgracefully short, *ashamed* but it was supposed to be the part of the last chapter and I really had the need to make it a chapter on its own...and I immediately updated the next one so...forgive me? :D