The Brothers and I - Book 1

Chapter 28

My eyes searched the darkness in vain. The endless void seemed to devour every inch of space around me as I stared hard into it. A chill ran down my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck rising while I stood facing the eerie nothingness in dread. The icy air gripped me tight, turning my body numb and prickly from the cold.

"Hello?"

My voice sounded strange; raspy and low as it reverberated all around me, dropping in pitch each time before completely fading away. I held my breath, hoping for something to happen but silence was the only answer that greeted my words. Taking a step forward, I blindly stumbled around with my arms raised in front of me, searching the air desperately for a way out. My heart thudded violently as panic began to set in.

"Help!"

Once again, my voice echoed into the emptiness before shrouding me in complete silence. My gut clenched with fear as my lungs gasped for air. I felt claustrophobic as the darkness closed in, suffocating and confining me within it. I turned in every direction to find the light but my eyes only met the same inky blackness. And just when I opened my mouth to shout - I heard it. A faint sound in the distance.

Everything around me stilled. The silence enveloping me once more as I strained my ears towards the direction of the sound. And after a second, there it was! A beat. Followed by silence. And then, I heard it again. The same beat.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

I gasped as a white light filled the space around me, blinding me temporarily. My arms rose to shield my eyes from the sudden brightness that flooded the room. I could still hear the beat in the background but this time it was much clearer. I realised what it was.

A heartbeat.

As I slowly removed my hands to inspect the source of the sound, my mouth fell open, ready to scream. But no sound came out. I stared in horror at the white room painted with blood before my eyes dropped to Thomas who was kneeling on the floor, naked and bloodied. His arm was stretched out to me as if he was offering something.

And in his hand, he held his beating heart.

"Mia! Wake up!"

I jolted awake at the sound, my eyes opening in a panic as I looked around wildly. The white room had vanished and it took me a second to realise that I was still sat by the cell, my body wrapped in a thick blanket while I rested against the bars. My heart raced while I struggled to dispel the vivid scene that seemed to be burned into my mind. Breathing out harshly, I tried to move before my shoulders were gripped tightly and my body was forced to turn to the front.

"Baby look at me."

That voice! My eyes snapped towards the familiar sound before they widened in disbelief.

"T-Thomas? How -"

Staring into those silver-grey eyes, a wild mix of emotions took hold of me. Words seemed to abandon me; my mind unable to process what my eyes were seeing. Thomas was squatting in front, dressed in just a pair of shorts and aside from a few red scars on his torso that seemed to be closed up and healing, he appeared to be fine. No one who looked at him would think that he had his face mangled just a day ago.

His arm was stretched out towards me while his fingers traced my cheek gently. Something about seeing him in this stance triggered the memory of the gruesome scene that I had just seen. Quickly grabbing his arm from my face, I looked at the palm of his hand. No blood and certainly no heart. Looking back at his face that was furrowed in concern, I reached out and touched him. He was real. This was not a dream.