Darkness falls - English version

Awakening

>>Can you save me? by Hoobastank + Your Love by first to eleven<<

One week later     (Penny's POV)

I just woke up sluggish. It was light in the room, but not so bright that it could still be the middle of the day. The next thing I noticed was the room itself. I was lying on one side of a double bed. I didn't know this room, but yet it was familiar to me. Everything here smelled of Sam.

I didn't remember much of my journey. I remember wading through the swamps between Pontypandy and Tonypridd, struggling through thickets, stumbling over and over again because I wasn't able to lift my feet properly. The path had seemed endless to me and yet I had made it at some point.

Since I had come to Pontypandy from a different direction, the shortest route had been to Sam instead of Helen, which is where I had actually wanted to go. But I had felt that every step less counted in order to survive.

I was leaning heavily against the doorframe when I finally reached Sam's house while waiting for someone to answer my ring. The little light was on in the window upstairs, which it only did when he was home at night. He had to be home. I didn't know where else I could go - I certainly wouldn't make it anymore.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the hall light came on and just a moment later the door opened. I looked at Sam's sleepy face and couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Penny?", it escaped his lips in astonishment.

"Sam," I replied, a faint smile crossing my face at the sight of him. It felt like the sun was finally rising for me after weeks of darkness.

His gaze traveled down my side and reached my hand, which I was still clutching the stab wound in my side. I hadn't checked how badly I was bleeding, but from his eyes it must have looked pretty bad.

At that exact moment, my vision blurred and my legs gave way. I felt two hands grab me before I collapsed against him. I only perceived everything as if in a fog when he carried me into the house.

"Helen. I need help. Bring your doctor's bag..." I heard his voice in my ear before I completely lost consciousness.

After that everything was shrouded in a fog. I remembered dreaming about Ridley and countless other attempts to kill me. But I had also dreamed of Sam. At least that had been nice dreams. He had always coaxed me, promising me that I was safe now and that he intended to protect me and make me happy. I loved listening to his voice. It had pulled me out of every nightmare no matter how horrid, it had wrapped me like cotton and given me a feeling of security I hadn't felt anywhere near in 10 years.

But I had also seen my parents and my brother. They seemed so balanced when they told me to fight and move on. That was the only dream I wasn't really sure if it really was just a dream and which still sent chills down my spine at the memory.

I straightened up and winced as my stab wound protested painfully. I looked down at myself and had to realize that I was only wearing a loose shirt from Sam. Nothing else. My hands were clean and when I lifted the shirt a little and peered under the bandage I discovered that the wound had been stitched neatly. Helen must have doctored me, changed clothes and washed me - after all, I still remembered Sam calling her, if nothing else.

I hesitantly pushed my legs over the edge of the bed to look for Sam. I looked at the hem of the shirt gathering at my waist. Should I really be walking around like this? I looked for my clothes I came with, but they were nowhere. I got up and noticed with a little more satisfaction that the shirt reached almost to my knees.

I still felt oddly naked, but at least Sam wouldn't see my underwear. I immediately blushed profusely when I realized I wasn't wearing any. Did he have it? I hoped so much that Helen had taken my clothes with her. Normally I would have put on something a little more chic than my boring panties and comfy sports bra for what was likely to be an intimate encounter.