Out of Time

chapter 11 - dead

"She is so dead," I hear someone whisper to the left of me. I don't release my glare on the boy in front of me. He just stares back at me, surprised. My right-hand tingles slightly, and his face is slightly red.

His hood falls down, revealing his face. He has raven hair had been cut short, and matching black eyes somehow look angry and relieved at the same time.

"What did they do to you?" he whispers tenderly, so only I can hear it.

"Wrong question, Callum," I reply with traces of venom on each word. Although they aren't really directed to him, he probably thinks they are.

"Lara, I didn't do-" he is interrupted by the door opening and the 2 Wright men walking in. They see the tension in the room, as well as the dead silence that had smothered the room. A few people sitting around the table stand up in respect, a seemingly customary requirement for dinners here.

"What is going on here?" Kieran booms. I still haven't taken my eyes off Callum. I see as the hope dies, and confusion fills in and then...

Just nothing. Emptiness. He scoffs and sits back. "We will talk about this later, Ashwood."

"And what make's you think we are ever talking again, Bernard."

"I don't know, Lara, maybe the fact that we are best friends."

"Were, Callum. We were best friends. And then you ruined it." I went back to playing with my food. I need to have my hands occupied.

"What did I do?" My head snaps up.

"You know exactly what you did. Use your head, Callum. I know you aren't stupid. Or maybe your little break destroyed you too."

A second goes by, the spectators don't dare say a word. A moment of realisation hits him in the face.

"So they did do something."

"Of course they did, Callum," I reply incredulously.

"And you blame me for it!" he begins to shout.

"Stop," a voice commands. I sigh and lean back on my chair tiredly. I'm so sick of...

I don't even know. Everything? I feel like banging my head on the table.

"I think it's best if you leave, Cal," Luna tells him.

He nods before going back to his original spot. Everyone whispers and gossips about me.

"How is she still breathing?"

"How do they know each other?"

"What did she do to him?"

The final comment annoyed me. It was from some blond guy, obviously irrelevant as he was sitting so far away from Harvey and Kieran. I calmy peer over at him. He knows he was heard. Surprisingly, he looks away, ashamed. Callum sits in his spot for the rest of the dinner, absentmindedly staring at his food. I do too. I try to eat some of it, but I can't. Instead of me eating, it is guilt gnawing its way at my stomach.

"Are you alright?" Sandra asks me.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about everything that's gone down," I lie. Honestly, I'm thinking about Callum and me before everything went downhill.

"Don't fret over it too much. You're here now, so you'll be safe," Luna reassures me.

That's the issue. The problem is here.

I plaster a smile on, "yeah, I know." The rest of the dinner goes off without a hitch. I only ate half the food on my plate. I exhale before standing and leaving by myself. In quick succession, Callum stood up and followed me out of the dining room.

I was prepared for this.

Who am I kidding? I did not think this through.

I scurry out of the room and try to remember my way through the maze of corridors. That was another poor move on my part because, by the time I was well and truly lost, I was also caught. Callum grabs my arm and pulls me into an empty bedroom. The room has crimson red walls and features, apart from the bed, which lays contrasting black.

"Isn't this convenient? You ran right into my room," he snarkily jeered at me.

"Let go of my arm." It still ached slightly from Dillon's grip, so Callum's desperate clutch on my arm was equally as sore. I take a couple of deep breaths to calm the wave of fury I can feel building up. He lets go, but not before he pushed me onto his couch.

"What do you want, Callum?" I ask him. I feel around on the red couch to try and find something to help. A cool metal hits my hands. I pick it up without raising suspicion. He begins to blabber a tiny bit.

"What do I want! That's what you are asking?" he scoffed. "I haven't seen you in -what- 6 years, and what's the first thing you do? You slap me. It is absolutely rid -" he rambles before being cut off by the gun in my hands.

I raise it. I know a tiny bit about guns because that was what one of the torture weapons was.

"You don't know how to use th-", he is once again interrupted by the gun. This time, though, it's because I turned off the safety switch.

"You aren't going to shoot me," he states flatly.

"You said I wouldn't know how to use this gun. Guess you were wrong about that. What makes you think that you know me at all. You left. You missed the last 6 years of my life. You have no clue what I have been through."

I take a dramatic pause.

"So, don't you dare stand there, and offhandedly make incorrect assumptions about me. You don't understand what you did to me."

"Then tell me!" he shouts, frustration clearly clouding his logic. I literally have a gun pointed at him, and he thinks it is reasonable to scream in my face.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because I haven't done anything!"

I hum in disagreement. "You have done plenty. So, can you please let me pass you? I don't feel like adding to the disgusting blood red of this room."

And to my murder count.

"Your what!?" he roars.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Um, yes."

"Well, I told you didn't I? Don't assume anything about me. That girl was calamitously murdered." My words lightly echo through the room.

With those final words, I push past him. He remains in his bedroom, staring blankly at the wall. The only emotions that even flash across his face are concern and sadness.

Poor baby.

I throw his gun on the ground as I leave, destroying it in the process. Although I'm free from him, for now, I have a new problem. I am completely and utterly lost. The hallways lay barren. The only person that is near me, is Callum.

Oh no.

WORD COUNT - 1101

hey everyone! i hope you are all having an amazing day. I was just wondering what you all thought about the story so far.

if you have any questions please comment here!

i will try to answer as many as I can^

-ethan (: