Heart Pangs

Chapter 41 - Adversarial Collision

From the moment Benji is left alone in Felix's living room, he feels an odd sensation creep up his spine. He's not sure what it is or what triggers it, but it keeps his heart fluttering and him glancing over his shoulder.

He finds the grocery bags Felix mentioned and then raids the rest of the kitchen. The shelves are all awkwardly high and a few times he has to climb the counters to reach a cabinet. For all his searching, however, Benji finds a disappointing amount of food. He fills only two bags, mostly with non-perishables. He wonders why Felix even has the food. It doesn't seem enough to do him any good.

With only about five minutes elapsed, Benji has run out of tasks to do. He stands in the middle of the kitchen, contemplating if he should go find Felix. Ultimately he decides against it. Felix had closed his bedroom door behind him, and Benji isn't sure he wants to see what's inside. He's sure Felix's room is as nice as the rest of his house, but if the consuming den had been any indication of where Felix likes to take his meals, Benji thinks he'd rather stay out here.

So instead he opts for the living room. He drops the two grocery bags next to the couch and climbs onto the cushions. And then he waits.

He expects Felix to emerge from his room at any second, but each minute passes slowly. The sensation that had arisen upon Felix's exit escalates to a nigh unbearable level. It presses down on Benji until he feels as though he's sinking into the couch. It's then that he realizes what he's experiencing.

It's instinct.

It's something deep inside Benji, warning him, begging him to run away. Even though logically he knows he's safe, his body believes otherwise. He's locked within a predator's home, one in which he knows dozens, if not hundreds, of other prey have met their fate. Technically, yes, he is safe, but circumstances could easily be otherwise and that's what keeps him paralyzed in his seat.

Finally it becomes too much.

"Felix!" Benji shouts, his annoyance tinged with barely concealed nerves. "What the hell are you doing in there? We need to get out of here."

"I'm sorry," comes Felix's reply. It's muffled by the door, but there's something off about it that Benji can't quite place. "I'll be ready in just a moment. Wait out there."

Benji lets out a huff but doesn't push any further. Felix will be ready in his own time.

Another few minutes pass before Felix emerges. He has an obnoxiously large duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a worried expression on his face. He stops short when he sees Benji on the couch. The color drains from his face.

"What's wrong?" Benji asks.

Felix blinks and suddenly his expression is back to normal. "Nothing," he insists. Then he gives Benji a pointed look. "I could ask the same for you though. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Benji shakes himself, trying to get rid of the earlier bad feelings. Now that Felix has returned, they're already dissipating. "I'm fine," Benji replies and slides off the couch. "Let's get out of here." He grabs the grocery bags.

Felix frowns. "Is that really all there is?"

"It's all I could find. Is there something missing?"

"No, I don't think so. Well, except maybe...." Felix trails off as he wanders over to a part of the kitchen that Benji had purposely neglected. The mini bar. He rummages through the shelves before pulling out a bottle and bringing it back to Benji. Felix stares at the amber liquid as he asks, "Do you like whiskey?"

"It's alright," Benji answers slowly.

Felix turns the bottle and hands it to him. "It's the nicest I have," he explains. "Consider it a thank you gift for all you've done for me."