Whispers After Dark

Chapter 22

The room was silent, enveloped in darkness, except for the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains. I lay on the hardwood floor, staring up at the ceiling, my mind racing with only thoughts of escape. The events of the day replayed in my mind like a broken record. I couldn't I was almost about to pull it out. A feeling of excitement had settled in my chest, and I calmed myself to remember that it wasn't over yet. We hadn't escaped yet.

The moonlight poured into my room, erasing some of the shadows on the walls. The room felt suffocating, and my restlessness made me want to jump out the window and run for my life.

I glanced over at Emily, sleeping peacefully in her bed right now. Her face was relaxed, wide open with drool escaping the side of her mouth. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, it made me smile. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her behind, but I knew I had to take her with me. She was my responsibility after the death of our parents, and I couldn't let her stay in this place any longer. I didn't want to imagine how angry she would be after we had escaped. Should I tell her about the drug operation then?

I waited for what felt like hours, listening to the soft sounds of breathing as the other children slept. I watched them toss and turn, their dreams unknown to me. Elliot and Holly looked sound asleep, without a care in the world of the disaster that they had struck upon me a while back. I contained my anger with the hope that I would never see them again.

As time passed, the orphanage seemed to sink deeper into the embrace of the night. The silence was both comforting and nerve-wracking. I knew that the longer I waited, the riskier our escape would become. I was too scared to move. The plan was to wait for the adults to be sound asleep before I made my move, but the faint creaking in the hallway kept me on edge to move forward with my escape.

I shook my head, hoping to get rid of the doubt. I couldn't waste any more time. Deeming it safe enough to proceed, I carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake anyone up.

I tiptoed to the dining hall. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and the dimly lit room looked majestic. Something right out of a book. The glossed long table was empty, each chair nearly tucked in as silence overcame the room. It was much different than when children were running around and gossiping about their day's activities.

I had no time to waste. Finding my chair from earlier today, I got on all fours to pick it up. Luckily, it hadn't been knocked over the chair leg after someone had pushed it in. I grabbed the cup from the top, the liquid swishing inside it. Carefully carrying it over to the bedroom, I knelt down beside Emily.

"Emily, wake up," I whispered, "We need to go somewhere."

"Hmm?" She questioned, her eyes still closed. She rubbed them, before slightly opening them.

Her eyes fluttered open, and I put a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. She groaned, confused about what I was doing in the middle of the night. Putting a hand behind her back, I lifted her up, with her own effort added, into a sitting position on the cold floor.

I put the cup into her hand, holding it steady with the support of my own, pulling it closer to her lip. She didn't object to what I was doing, I guess she was too tired to care what I was giving her. She gulped the liquid quickly, and she winced her eyes. Opening them up again, she looked drowsy, but her eyes were half open. The sedative was working.

"We have to go now." I urged her to get up, slightly raising her up, so she could follow along herself.

She complied without any resistance and bobbed her head before standing up straight. We crept out of the room, being as silent as ghosts. The moonlight guided our way as we made our way through the dimly lit hallway. Every creak of the floorboards made my heart skip a beat, but I pressed on, knowing that we had almost made it.

As we reached the front door, I paused for a moment, my hands on the doorknob. This was it. The point of no return. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what lay ahead. I had made it this far, and I was only a couple of steps from freedom. With a determined look at Emily, I pushed open the door, and we stepped out into the cool night air, leaving the orphanage behind us.