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

CHAPTER 23

I didn't let myself over think things. Banging my head down between my knees, burning my lungs and breaking my nose. Pain thrusts its jagged daggers right there my skull like explosions.
Voices picked up from behind the bolted door.
I rammed my head down. Pain. I did it again. My attempts getting weaker as I kept going. Something thud at the door. I'm losing consciousness but I forced myself to continue.
The door banged in time with my head, blowing open seconds later. Splinters scattered the floor and the metal hinge skid close to my feet.
Laurent was here?
It's to dangerous for him to be here. He ran over, falling to his knees next to me and taking me by the shoulders.
I couldn't get it off and I'm panicking now. He's in more danger than he realizes. What if this is all a trap?
My head swam with lack of air. I ripped myself away from him and banged my face into the ground. Only a flew spots in my vision weren't white as I kept going.
"Stop it," he said worriedly. I didn't listen, how could I when I'm dying? The piece in my mouth jabbed my throat as the edges of my vision blacked out. I rammed the muzzle again.
He could die here.
"Hold up," he demanded. Forcing me to stop as he griped the muzzle and slid open the hole so I could breath.
It was pointless. The blood from my nose was blocking it from the inside. I'm going to die and he'll end up doing something stupid.
I slammed my head down, anger raging threw me at myself and at him. Can't even—
He slid his hand behind my head he pressed my face to his. Breathing air into my lungs. My brain went crazy as I pressed into him as he gave me another breath.
"You're going to be okay. You're safe now. I'm here," he said, pulling away.
Not enough. I pressed back into him needing more air or else I would pass out. He shut up and cupped my face, adjusting me to a better position.
My brain was going crazy and my lungs filled with the promise of life.
"Slow down, try inhaling slowly and I'll get it off." He pulled away and wiped the tears that streamed down from my eyes. He moved his hands around to the back of my head and looked for a clasp.
I shot up and blocked him from the door. Footsteps running in our direction. I was right as Doyle and a few of the others ran into the room.
"We got to get out of here!" Doyle warned. "Ezroth's reinforcements are coming."
"Free her feet. I'll get the ropes," Laurent ordered, realizing we would have to take the muzzle off later. I pushed myself to the wall, needing to steady myself.
Doyle fumble around with the chain around my ankle glancing from me to it and around the room. "Hey pup, come on, stay awake. Your going to be okay."
He didn't sound to reassuring. Laurent made quick work of cutting off the ropes tying my hands to my back.
The corner of his lip was bleeding. I must have cut him with the mask. I rest my head on his shoulder as blood start circulating to my arms.
Getting throw around was starting to show its effects as sharp pain made me want to curl into myself.
"Hurry up," a man rushed, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds.
My sentence only came out in grunts. "There's a secret doorway."
Laurent's lips thinned as he gave me a soft smile. "We're gonna get out of here, your okay now."
I felt my dry sling pull slightly as I took a good look at Laurent. He obviously had taken his bandages off. My eyes widening as I noticed his left eye.
I winced, burying my face away from the others as Doyle pressed a key onto the lock and scraped it into my skin by accident. The muzzle was still limiting my air intake. My face was burning from my attempts at ramming it off.
"Move it!"
Laurent helped me up, letting me lean at his side and stagger along wit him. We made it to the hallway before I closed my eyes. My head started pounding louder.
Laurent said something and a few moments later I could feel we had made it out of the cave like house. The sun was to bright for me. My feet started to drag on behind me.
"Come on love, just a few more feet," he said.
I heard Doyle's quiet whisper from a few feet away as I shifted my feet to keep going. "What the hell did they even do to her?" He pulled my arm around his shoulder, helping me steady myself before I fell.
"Is everyone else okay?"
I forgotten about the muzzle.
"Save it when we get back," Doyle suggested as he helped Laurent pull me up onto one of their birds.
The flight back made my head spin.
It's comfortable, even though it's been around an hour of my head being bonked and jabbed at. He's warm.
I groaned, trying not to move as Doyle tried to push something under the straps of the muzzle.
"Maybe we should do this after she rests," he offered. Setting down the pliers on the night stand.
I rest my head back on Laurent, the rest of my body already leaning back on him. He didn't seem to mind.
"She's burning up, if she falls asleep—" He grit his teeth. I couldn't help smiling to myself. I'll die. Likely from suffocating.
It doesn't sound to bad at this point.
The pillow I held onto wasn't as fluffy as it used to be. I'm not even aloud onto the mattress.
"I want to sleep," I whined.
I can't see Tide since I look like some sort of freak with this mess of a mask. I got a glimpse of myself from the bathroom when I was cleaning myself up. Dents and sharp bits of metal were all that came from scraping it on the floors.
Doyle shook his head. "Still can't tell a thing you're saying," he sighed. "Maybe we should try again? The metal's not budging but we can try nicking it off slowly?"
I shook my head as he picked up the knife again. The last time he tried using it and I found out I couldn't stop shaking.
Laurent hugged me from behind and I tried to shrink back into him as I pulled my legs to my chest.
It's to risky. He doesn't have the steadiest hands in the room exactly. The knife can slip any second and I'm not immune to death through stabbing.
"We can try scissors?"
"On metal?"
"You can't even get the pliers under the straps," I noted. Biting down on the mouth piece in annoyance.
Doyle paced around the room while still holding the pliers. Another round of twitching ran through his body.
I felt like a skeleton as I shifted up. Laurent quickly followed me as I walked out the room. Only now did I realize we were at the hospital rather than the tree house.
Doyle followed along as I sued the walls as support and dragged my way to the storage area. The idea I had might work.
Laurent helped me out and opened the door so I didn't have to. "What are you looking for?" He asked.
I motioned and pretended to sow something. All I need is a needle and some thin sharp and ridged thread. Then I can just saw off the straps slowly.
Doyle caught on to what I meant along with Laurent even though they looked confused. I opted to look for the thread since they were likely to look for the needle.
I found something close enough to what I though I needed and made my way back to Laurent's room. The two of them came back. Few minutes later and I took the needle. Fumbling with the thread and slitting my skin as I pulled it through the needle.
Laurent winced in my stead as Doyle took the needle and I sat down against the bed frame.
I got poked twice in the head before the needle slipped under the metal straps and Doyle started sawing away at one.
The awkward silence was strange. I could laugh at our situation right now. Does everyone have to go through this process?
Laurent sat down next to me. I couldn't help stare at him, side eyeing him until he turned to look away. "Stop that already." He shooed at me with a frown.
How do I ask him to explain why his left eye was almost a pale blue color.
"I'm not blind," he answered as I poked his shoulder.
Doyle sawed away at the straps as I tried to get Laurent to explain what had happened.
He caught my arm to stop me from poking at him. "I guess that guy was right when he said to keep the bandages on."
"Is it permanent? Can you see through it?" I asked. Hoping he could at least understand some of my questions.
"The doctor said it might heal, than again it might not," he muttered.
I flinched as Doyle sat down my skin spiking up in temperature. He let the needle and string hang at the side of my head. "Your turn," he huffed.
Laurent turned my head over towards him. His hands feeling cold. I know I'm making his uncomfortable by watching him.
It didn't look bad. It just looked different, like he had two eye colors. His iris seemed to be bleached into an icy light blue but what worried me was his pupil. It was covered with a white film that seemed to be what blocked his vision.
"Come on, don't fall asleep on me," he said.
I don't think I can control it anymore. My own eyes started to blackout. My head lulled against the mattress as Doyle tried to get me to wake up.
I'm having a fever, it's not like I'm going to die.
I couldn't t tell what Laurent was doing anymore. He sounds worried. "Come on, fever dreams aren't that pleasant Ann. Wake up."