Rebel Red Hope

19

     Quickly scooping my backpack off the floor of my destroyed room while walking out and down the hall towards the door, Ashton's door creaks open,

     "Going out again?" he asks, head tilted with a frown,

     "I need some air," I continue walking without looking at him,

     Making it outside the building, something seems to almost glitch just outside my vision while taking a few steps away. What seemed like the apparition of Reisdro causes me to immediately collapse and duck into the base of the statue before realizing that there is nothing there and relaxing a bit. 

     Closing my eyes while hanging my head, my nose starts to tingle as the pressure in my head starts to build. How the fuck am I going to escape like this? 

     The scraping of running steps on the cement causes me to look up as my eyes land on him down the way causing me to immediately start tearing up while backing further into the cement foundation of the statue. It can't be him. This has to be the device again,

     "No. No no him," I whisper, shaking my head, "Anyone but him, please." he can't be here. This has to be a twisted delusion from the bishops,

     "Arlyn, it's me," he smiles before turning around, "I found them!" He shouts to someone I can't see as the alarms kick on, causing me to retract into myself, knees up, arms guarding my neck and head, sleeves held tightly in my hands to hide my arms,

     "Please, not him. I'm begging you, please, anyone but him," I whisper through tears,

     "Arlyn," Clancy's voice cuts through the alarms. The feeling of a hand gently touching the side of my leg causes me to panic and retract further into myself, my breathing now heavy and panicky and shaking from the tears,

     "Please..." I softly choke out, "Not him. Not him."

     "What did they do to you, Arlyn," he whispers, sorrow and something else in his voice,

     "Clancy!" The sound of Tyler shouting for him causes more tears to fall as my eyes squeeze shut. Not him too.

     "Arlyn, look at me a second," Clancy speaks softly after a small bit of silence as the sound of something fabric is tugged at pulls my attention, "Arlyn, look at me for a second," he repeats, his voice more gentle than I have ever heard it.

     Hesitantly opening my eyes and looking up, my body is racked with sobs seeing Clancy squatting in front of me, holding out the yellow bandana. A smile creeps through my sobs as my gaze drifts from the bandana to Clancy to Tyler who walks within my peripheral vision,

     "Clancy, we need to go, the diversion is about to leave," Tyler informs and Clancy turns to him, gesturing for him to give him more time,

     "I wish you were really here," I whisper to him as it hits me that I must have never gotten out of that room. He turns back to me, a look of pained realization painted on it,

     "Arlyn," he places a hand on the side of my leg, "I'm really here," he hands me the bandana, "That day before we escaped you covered your ears when Keons came to do check-ins so you couldn't hear my name," he recalls, "you told me you didn't want to know because it was keeping you inspired to escape," he smiles with tears almost starting to form in his eyes,

     "Clancy, we need to go," Tyler pressures him and Clancy shots him a look that causes Tyler to take a deep breath and turn and walk a few paces,

     "I wish you were both really here," I whisper a bit louder and I can see Tyler react. Although his face is no longer visible, something about the way he held himself told me enough,