Don't Leave Me Here (boyxboy)

Chapter 23 part 1

Chapter 23 part 1

Matias

Once he had checked and double checked every turn he made, assuring the alley he was about to go into was the right one, he finally entered the dark path.

His lungs ached and he felt nervousness course through his body. He was sure this alley was no big deal. How could something so simple be important?

Still, in the back of his mind, lingered the thought that this was it. This was where Samuel was. This was where Meera had been planning everything all along.

The alley was dark, and seemed to go in a straight line for longer than normal, no turns to be made. The ground was soft dirt, though no grass dared to grow out of it.

He walked slowly, but eagerly. His legs felt heavy and for the first time in a while he was really feeling the pressure coming from his injuries.

He couldn't think of his own pain, though. All he could imagine was how bad Samuel must be hurting. Surely Samuels injuries were worse than his own.

After just over a minute of him walking, slowly, he finally found a turn. The path continued going straight, but a narrow strip cut off to the right.

Matias peeked into the narrow alleyway. He thought he could fit, but it'd be tight. He then glanced forward, where the path continued without any change in size.

He sighed. He knew where he was going.

He stuck his arm into the thin path, turning his body sideways. Following his arm went his head and his chest, then his legs, and his other arm.

He squirmed his way through the alley. He could feel his back rubbing gently across the concrete walls, but he ignored it as best he could.

After a few feet the narrow path began to open. It wasn't much, but it was better. He could walk mostly straight, rather than shuffling sideways, and he could breathe easier now.

As he walked the alley got steadily wider and wider, eventually growing to the normal width of most the alleys in the area.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking, maybe five minutes, he thought. He had ventured far from the entrance Lexi told him about, and he was sure he was leading himself to nothing.

He stopped walking, the soft dirt beneath him shifting under his feet. He took one last look forward, giving up.

His heart sank. He knew this alley was nothing. He knew it wouldn't lead to anyone or anything. Despite that, though, he let himself get his hopes up. He let himself believe that he would find Samuel, and now he couldn't help but feel hopeless. Surely there was no way for him to help Samuel.

He lifted his leg, turning back around to head back, when he heard faint voices. His foot paused mid air for a moment before he slowly lowered it back onto the dirt.

He held himself completely still, barely even breathing.

The voices, however, were simply too far away. He could tell they were still talking, but had no hope of deciphering what they were saying.

And so he inched himself closer. He walked slowly and with small steps. He scanned the ground for anything that might make noise if he stepped on it, but there was nothing.

The voices didn't move. It was clear that whoever was talking wasn't going anywhere.

Matias walked until the voices seemed no more than fifteen feet away. He could tell they were around the corner and could hear what they were saying fairly well.