Bite Me! | lavashipping

6 | Worry Knot

His eyes snapped open but he could not see. His legs were leading him somewhere but he had no idea where he was. All of his senses were drowned out, the only thing he was aware of was the herd of horses stomping right beside his ear. Or inside his head. Definitely not inside his chest and that was wrong. For some reason, he was sure it was not the only thing completely amiss.

The weird feeling forced him awake, put a dark bag over his head and the next thing he knew, he was trying to escape. Hopefully. Whatever was happening made alarm bells go off in his head, created vacuums inside his lungs, threw sticks and branches under his feet, so it was a miracle he somehow managed to remain somewhat upright and did not plummet to the ground right away.

He let his legs do their thing as he had not the slightest idea where to go or what to do. He just needed to get away. Something was wrong, so wrong, and escaping was the only thing on his mind. The panicked rush will probably leave him with some bruises, although if he hit anything on his way, he did not process any of it. Either it was pitch-black wherever he was or his eyes were good for nothing. Technically both could be right but why think about even worse possible scenarios when he already felt like dying?

Once there was not enough air and energy, he could only hope this was a place where he could be heard and found. He could only hope he managed to bang his fists against the wood because, over the loud thumping, it was difficult to recognise any other sound.

Was it his heart going crazy or just him?

"Cole," someone else rasped out. It had to be someone else, he had no recollection of opening his mouth, let alone having the strength to speak. "Cole. Are you there? Cole?" His shaken words hung in the air and he clung to them. He could only hope someone would come to save him. Someone, anyone, really. Kai was sure he was going to die right then and there, one hundred per cent, if not because of his malfunctioning lungs, then because of whatever was coming after him.

There was something coming after him, there were footsteps. He was a dead man, he was a dead, dead man. Cornered, ready to be slaughtered without any hassle as he lacked the strength to put up a fight. His mind was filled with useless junk of thoughts clustered in a chaotic ball that zipped around erratically at lightning speed. Escape. It was like a lonesome billboard on a dark highway but his body would not obey.

"Kai, what the hell are you doing? You're gonna wake everybody up!"

The voice, although almost drowned out by the heartbeat, was a small flicker of light. Just the tiniest flicker of a firefly but at least now he could see he wasn't swallowed by complete darkness. There seemed to be shapes around him. Unfortunately it also meant he was unable to flee freely. Contained. Actually cornered, set to worry what might be hiding just behind the turn.

"Kai? Bud?"

The moment he got near, Kai used the opportunity to grasp onto his pyjamas. It was so much better than to plead the unyielding walls to keep him standing, even if all of his muscles could equal to sacks of wet flour.

He desperately wanted to scream into his face but all that came out of his mouth was a weak, "Am I dying?" like a last puff of steam from a machine that gave up. Reality shook along with him but he was not dreaming, was he? No, there were too many sweat-drenched clothes for it to be a dream.

"Oh no, as long as I'm alive, you're not dying, buddy." Then came more words. Kai tried to focus on his mouth in order to understand him but it only did the opposite. He did not intend on stopping anytime soon, however.

The living room was one of the few rooms where they all could bundle in and still have some personal space. Which would probably have some value if there was anyone in the house who grasped the concept of personal space. It was, in most cases, an oasis of comforting memories, evil was not allowed there. Even food crimes were prohibited behind its door. Pillows on the couch required to be frequently fixed or newly bought, it would not be a proper game night without feathers bursting out of the pillowcases.