When The Night Falls Book 2 of When Good Things End trilogy

CHAPTER 8

I closed my eyes, trying to understand why Jules decided to yell at me right when I thought this morning wasn't all to bad.
"What did you do to him?" She yelled. Her lungs must be burning with that volume.
"He's a grown man, he should be fine with waiting a day at the least," I tried to explain as I poured myself a cup of coffee. I wish Laurent didn't listen to me when I asked him to drop me off at this place. I just needed to get some of my stuff I didn't want to be berated and yelled at.
"He hasn't come out of the room. No food, no water, nothing has crossed that doorway and the only thing he's said was that you told him to wait!" Jules voice started a pounding headache in the midst of my skull.
"Again grown man-"
"He's not a normal guy!"
Her statement made me pause. My heart sinking lower as she continued.
"He's not stable, he's a twitchy maniac trying to keep himself together. He's part of your search team! Why can't you be the least bit worried for him?"
"He's not- he wouldn't you know. I just asked him to wait. It's not like that would tip him over, right?" I asked, my words getting more and more faint as worry made the coffee taste ratchet.
He's not like Crete. He's a stranger.
But he's still someone I'm responsible for.
"What room?" I asked, ready to kick down the door the second I make it up the stairs. I couldn't follow Jules upstairs as Zina burst through the doors in panic.
"The high counsel, those idiots are trying to put you through a murder mission," Zina huffed out and I quickly helped her to a seat.
Doyle's going to have to practice some patience with me. He's not going to die just beacuse I asked him to wait.
"Whats going on, what did they do?" I asked.
"There going to make you go through the nobles trial, your not even a ZelreDant born. There trying to kill you with this!" Zina shook as I tried to calm her down.
I tried to reassure her. "I'm sure it's nothing that serious."
"Oh yeah sure. Having to tame a wild beast, while having no experience, no training, no knowledge of what to do, yeah that;s going to be a breeze," she smiled. Her eye twitching slightly as I put my hands up in surrender.
I'm sure that it's going to be okay. I'll get someone to train me and I'm sure the court would give me some time to prepare.
"He's locked himself in the bathroom," Jules yelled from the floor above. I could hear her banging on the door, asking Doyle to let her in.
"We need to go, you only have a couple days to get ready. The trials start soon," Zina said, trying to pull me along with her.
"I need to check on someone," I hesitated before pulling away from her.
Jules is right. I should be worrying about what's happening with Doyle.
Will couldn't find a more perfect time to barge into the house. "We've got more survivors, we need medic help that one nurse is asking for you. Says there's more patients then he can handle."
"You have to come with me though!" Zina said, trying to pull me by the arm as an angry Jules stomped down the stairs.
"No she definitely doesn't, she's coming with me to fix up the mess she made!"
At least Will knew better than to pull at me-
"It's life threatening. You should come with me," he said trying to pull me away from the other two girls.
"Stop touching me," I grit through a clenched jaw.
They didn't listen to me, each of them going on about what things they thought I should be doing. I didn't want to hear there bombarding statments, I want their hands off me. They're making my head spin.
I ripped out of Jules grip and forced Zina to let me go. "I'm leaving. Jules your not responsible with dealing with Doyles hissy fits and Zina just give me some time I got more important things to do. Let's get out of here." I turned to Will ready to forgot about the problems I would be leaving here right as Zina yelled.
"It's not as important as your life Ann!"
I can't help glare at him when he's not looking. Even if the room is crowded with people I could feel myself shifting each time he moved.
It's like a dangerous game of tag.
He moves I move.
I should be paying attention to the patients.
"Can you feel anything here?"
The little boy from earlier shook his head as I poked the bandages on his leg. I don't want to change them, that might lead to an infection since he's in such a crowded room. His knee flinched as I grazed closer to the cut.
"Sorry," I whispered. Heart aching as he tried not to show his pain.
He's the youngest survivor here but he's also the only one that doesn't complain and try to fight me.
He slowly sat up, his eyes trailing something behind me as I finished washing my bloody hands. "He's coming over," the boy rasped.
I could feel myself tense as if getting ready to jump.
"Looks like we're finished up for tonight, there's not much we can do but wait for some of the new survivors to wake up. That's if they didn't bleed out before we got to them," Ein said as he squat down next to me.
I nodded along, both wanting to run and stand my ground. He's to close and he knows it.
"Looks like this little guys running a fever."
My hands flew out before I could even think twice, pulling the boy away from him and into my arms. "Don't touch him," I warned. Eye's wide and body tense as his eyes narrowed and he took back his hand.
"It really is you Anna," he chuckled dryly. "Looks like you still have a soft spot for kids."
"Leave him alone, you can't touch him. Don't touch him Ein."
"Please, you don't need to sound like your about to cry. I'm a nurse." He didn't back off as I glared at him. Flinching as he roughly pat my head. "It feels like nothings changed at all, glad to have you back."
I tried not to laugh, my lungs caving in as I realized that I let him touch me. What happened to my promise? What happened? Why didn't I stop him?
"Come on, don't go crying on our reunion day. Did you miss me that much?" He asked, pulling my hair back as I tried to hide the little boy away from his reach.
I'm cowering away like an idiot.
The boy squirmed in my shaking hands. Turning to Eins hands and fiercely biting onto the one still tangled up in my hair.
"Why you little-"
"I'm leaving." I stood up suddenly putting Ein off balance and running out the door with the boy before Ein could come after me.
I don't know where I'm going, there's no place to hide around the makeshift hospital. It's far from the city and deep in the woods.
"There's no where for you to hide," Eins voice echoed through the trees as I ran past them.
I'm not trying to hide.
I'm trying to survive.
I know I wont be able to live like I did back then. I can't have that happen to me again. Not ever again.
"Come on Anna. It's been forever since we last saw each other let alone talked. Look I'm sorry, I was an idiot back then."
"Leave then. You apologized so leave me alone now," I shouted. Covering up the little boys ears as I ran out of breath and sank against a tree. He has to leave. He already knows were my group is staying and where the hospital is. I can't let him find out about Laurent or anything about Phoenix Drop.
"At least let me apologize to you in person." His voice was quite as he stalked closer to me.
I want to scream for him not to touch me.
"I'm sorry. For everything I did back at the orphanage."
"You don't need to apologize I already forgot you," I tired to sound convincing.
"Perfect. Then how about this. I stay, you still need help with all those wounded people. Think about it, if I leave then they'll all be relying on you to take care of them."
I'm shaking my head but he kept going.
"There's only me here to help you out. It's going to be your fault if the new survivors coming are going to die. All those people are expecting you to help."
"Stop talking."
"If the next time the scouts bring back more kids and all of them are bleeding out who going to be there to help you? There's only us. We're the only nurses. So let me stay."
"No."
He can't. If he does then what is he going to do to me? What is he planning to do? He can't force me to leave.
"You would rather let this boy die?"
I pulled away from him, shielding the kid as Ein tried to grab him. "Don't you dare touch him."
Ein's lip twitched. "Then let me stay and help you. I'm not that same idiot from years ago, let me prove it. I'm the only one who can help you. You know I'm right."
"Fine." I smiled, standing up. "You stay, you stay and help out with the survivors. But if you dare touch a single one of them the wrong way, or if you even think about coming close to me again I'll rip your throat out."
He's right. There's no other nurse or doctor in these woods here to help me. I can't ask the council for help since they are already supplying us with equipment, food, and housing.
Ein's sly smirk didn't do anything to easy to coiled up tension in my stomach as he reached out his hand. "Deal."
"Piss off." I shoved past his outstretched hand. Feeling sick to my soul from having to listen to his voice.
I think I'm going to throw up.
I sat the boy down, sorry that I took him with me into the woods and then later took him to the tree house. I don't feel safe here but it feels worse thinking about going back to where Ein would be staying.
"What am I supposed to do now."
The boy watched me quietly from the crunch as I hovered over the toilet. I couldn't close the door, thinking that I would throw up on the floors before I got to that toilet. But now I'm just gagging on air.
I let him stay. I didn't even protest all that much.
The front doors closed and voices made my heart sink. I need time to think this situation through without getting questioned by everyone else. Visher ended up catching a glimpse of me before I banged the bathroom door shut.
"Who's kid is this?" Blake asked as I frantically locked the door.
I can't hide here.
It's to stupid to hide in the tub.
My heads spinning along with the floor. He's going to find me like this. I shouldn't be scared. I don't want to be. I want to just stop this.
My confident facade was gone. I'm back to being a crumbling mess because of Ein. Why did he have to come back? Why does this have to happen to me again?
"Where's Anna?"
I flinched as the door handle jerked, wincing as I rammed my hip into the sinks edge and toppling the decorative vase on the counter.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry, I accidentally hit the vase. I'm fine," I replied as Laurents concerned voice filtered passed the door.
I could hear Class complaining about property damage as I stared at the shattered glass all around me. My hands and feet are numb and tingling as I watched the cut on my calve slowly bleed through my socks.
It's not a big cut. I'm fine.
I closed my eyes as I bit my lip. My head hurts to much to think straight. "Laurent?" I whispered, hoping he didn't leave just yet.
"I'm right here."
"I think I need a hug."
The door opened without any protest. I smiled as tears flowed down the side of my face. I'm need to tell him. I want to tell him.
It took him only a few seconds to realize the situation. I curled into him as he picked me off the shattered floor. My fingers are cold but my headache is feeling better.
"I'm going to have to let go."
I let go of him, glad that he took me to a separate room away from the other guys. My vision teared up again as a warm blanket covered my shoulders. He didn't say anything as he brought a small box from one of the dark wood shelves built along the walls.
I'm on some sort of cushioned chair as I leaned back. It feels like my tears were streaming down the side of my calve. The feeling sliding down my ankle and dropping off into an abyss.
"I met him before my parents died."
The room was very darkly lit so it didn't feel as strange as I thought it would to break the silence.
I sighed, trying to start this conversation without sounding like I was being choked. "Just like me, he wasn't part of the orphanage."
I turned to look at Laurent as he bandaged the scrape, waiting for me to continue.
"My parents finally let us meet when I turned ten."
I wonder what kind of expression I'm making right now. Do I look angry, sad?
"Now that I think of it. A year after was when things started getting bad."
I can't really remember the year when I fell apart.