Pirate City

Chapter 24 Impact

Luna

"Hello." Two shallow, lifeless eyes.

"no." I said it quietly, begging, backing into the corner, nearly sinking to my knees, "NO" I screamed, my voice breaking. "PLEASE, please I'm sorry, no, no please," I kept backing up, curling my arms against my chest. "Please, no. God, please, no." Tears ran in streams down my cheeks. A scream I didn't know was in me erupted from my chest, I sank down, my knees digging into the tile. If I could have gone through the floor. 

He was too calm, unmoving, hardly moving, slowly, slowly inching towards me. His hands too close even meters away. No god, please, please, I'm sorry. I cried out again, quieter now. My knees, my head, my shins dug into the ground. My arms, my legs, my stomach tucked beneath me. 

His footsteps were slow. Even. First his heel, then steel toe. He was sure with his steps. Confident.

"Its time to come home. Stand." His voice was distorted, wavering, high. I was in the same position as before; again he was standing above me, a curled mess of anger and fear. He unclipped something. I stopped breathing. God please let me live. 

***

"Luna?" Another hand snaked around the door, ran towards me. I lifted myself so my back was to the cupboards, my hands held by my face, and my legs protecting my torso. Allowing myself to look around, I realized my uncle had left. In his place, Matteo stood a few feet away from me. It had only been a couple of seconds, Martin couldn't have gone far. I couldn't see the other side of the table, why hadn't he hit me?

"Get him, please, he'll kill me, he'll kill you too, please, oh god. He almost, oh god-" I choked on a sob and covered my mouth with a shaking hand, searching the room franticly for any trace of him.

"Slow down, who's here?" Every second Matteo waited, was another second for him to get away.

"My uncle, the one who was there that one time, and he's, uhm he's here, he's somewhere, please find him." I thought for a second, trying to make sense of everything, "And a gun, he has a gun, and he, its small, he isn't afraid to fire it. He almost..." I trailed off, distracted by the hand on the door. The huge leather hand. Wrapped around the wood. I shuddered, hard, crying out, backing further into the corner. 

"Hello." Two shallow, lifeless eyes.

"No. NO please." I couldn't breathe. My lips were fuzzy, everything started shrinking. He would kill us both and lick the blood from his sword. He would enjoy every minute of it. Another gut wrenching scream forced itself from my chest, muffling into a distant cry. Matteo wasn't moving, why wasn't he moving? 

Martin was restraining himself, unmoving, hardly moving, slowly, slowly inching towards me. His hands too close even meters away. No god, please, please, I'm sorry. I cried out again, quieter now. "No, please, please, I'm sorry," I kept my eyes trained on my uncle while his heel, then toe hit the ground. I grabbed onto Matteo's coat, "DO SOMETHING! Please, oh god," He still wasn't moving. I opened my mouth to say something more, but breathing was a task enough. 

I screamed again as Matteo grabbed both my arms, pinning me to the cabinets. I was going to die. 

"LUNA!" He snapped his fingers in my face. I struggled against him, trying frantically to get my arms free. "Snap out of it! Fuck." 

"LET GO! please, please let go." I begged, slowly giving up. 

"Stop fighting, you're fine, no one's hurting you." I stopped, my face smeared with sweat, tears, and messed up hair. I looked up at him, his face was twisted with worry. 

"what are you doing? GET HIM!" Matteo swallowed, his face twisting further.

"No one's here, I checked. There are no tracks in the driveway, every window and door in this place stays locked. There was no one in the room." I looked past his shoulder, he was gone.

"What? No! He was right there! you saw him, he was, he was right there." Matteo shook his head softly as words ran from my lips. "No. He was right there." Realization started setting in. He'd never really been there. Everything went blurry around the edges again, I was so, so dizzy.

"Breathe, don't pass out." I struggled to keep my eyes open, I couldn't stop shaking. He was right there. He was seconds from killing me. My breath has fast and jagged, forcing through my dry throat. My head hurt. "If I let go of you promise me you won't run." Matteo asked, his worried expression unchanging. I nodded. I couldn't if I tried. Everything was going black. My arms went limp when Matteo let go. I brought them to my face as he stood.

"I'm bringing you water and an ice pack. Don't try to get up." My whole body was shaking so much I could hardly hold the glass. "I'm putting this here," Sparks of ice exploded on my skin as he placed the pack on my stomach. I was so tired. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I spoke slowly, avoiding his eyes. I was so embarrassed.

"You're fine. Can you stand?" Stand. I nodded, suddenly fuelled by the thought of how embarrassing it would be if he carried me. I rose to my feet, holding onto the icepack. 

Two calloused hands held onto me once I was standing, one on my waist, the other around my wrist. My arm wrapped gently across the back of his neck, the muscles in his shoulders making it hard to bend my elbow. He led me gently to the couch at the front of the house, throwing me a blanket once I'd sat down. I wrapped myself quickly, sitting with my legs to my chest, trying to protect whatever dignity I had left. 

"What do u want to watch?" I hadn't noticed the tv before, mounted to the high side of the wall. Matteo sat down next to me, the black remote in his hand. A big red N appeared on the screen, glowing brutally bright in the dark room. "You got like a comfort show? Fuckin Gilmore girls or something?" I didn't realize I was smiling until he smiled back, a smile so full of mischievous juvenility, "Gilmore girls it is then."

It wasn't long before the exhaustion took over, my eyes shutting, head leaning down. I adjusted on the dark leather, tucking the blanket over my shoulder before falling asleep.

He never said how long he'd be gone, if he'd be back.  Please come back.