Trauma of the Forest (Meadema)

~ Chapter 11: Unexpected Delivery ~

The minutes ticked by on the clock, showing 3pm, the clock Beth had been staring at for hours, waiting for a signal from Viv, which never seemed to come. Tears had found their way down Beth's cheeks, pooling on Viv's pillow, where she had slept so comfortably last night, without any worries. 

At every possible moment she tried to smell Viv. She had placed her head on Viv's pillow. Grabbed Viv's sweater to dry her tears. Anything to get a whiff of Viv. Anything to make it feel like she had Viv close to her. As if she could just call her and she would appear around the corner. How different was the situation now? Now she was nowhere to be found. Anxious, panicky, sad, Beth didn't know how to feel.

Guilt. That was all she could feel. Guilt towards Viv. Beth herself was the one who was so excited about this little house. She was the one who suggested to Viv that they should go here together to spend their weekend. She was the one who left Viv alone to get her present. Even now that all sorts of things had been going through Viv's mind, she had left her alone. She should have taken her with her, not let her out of her sight for a second. She was the one who had caused all this. No one else, only her.

And now she didn't even know where Viv was. She was locked in the cottage she was so excited about. She felt helpless, what should she do? What could she do? Nothing, just wait for what would happen. Watching the seconds of the clock in the hope that every second that followed would be filled with a signal from Viv, or at least filled with something that brings her clarity in this situation. She closed her eyes, hoping that there would soon be light at the end of the tunnel.

She thought hard about possible solutions, but nothing appeared in her brain. A huge void, completely blank. She felt so strange, so different from her normal self. She always managed to find a solution to problems. She could always look positive, no matter how intense the situation was. But not now, now looking positive was not an option and there certainly did not seem to be a solution. A loud knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and she bolted upright in fright. 

'Shit. What the hell was that?'.  What was she going to do? A mixed feeling washed over her. Fear, what if it was the same man standing at the door again. Hope, what if Viv was standing at the door. Curiosity, because who in the world would be standing at the door, now that so much was happening at the same time.

She decided to wait, too afraid to go towards the sound. Somehow she had a tiny bit of hope that it was Viv, a feeling she wanted to hold on to as long as possible. Still, she decided to go and check, being too curious. And with the knocking sound gone for a few minutes already, it seemed kind of safe.

Cautiously she peeked around the corner and walked towards the door, where she didn't exactly saw anything she had expected. 'Shit, no Viv... But what kind of strange thing is this?'. On the floor, lay a granola bar and a sandwich. And a bottle of water, wedged in the letterbox of the door. Nothing else, no one in front of the door and no one nearby. No sound of footsteps or breathing, only the sound of birds whistling.

Oh, how she would have loved to be a bird right now. Enjoying the freedom of the outdoors. She could fly anywhere, had an overview. She was sure she had found Viv. But no. She was Beth. Beth Meadema, locked in a cottage, with no one around, except a big enemy. And it was her own fault.... She thought.

She stopped at the door, and bent down, her hands got a grip on the sandwich and the granola bar. The soreness that Viv had caused was still there in her legs, which caused a light moan to escape Beth's mouth. Then she slowly got up and grabbed the bottle of water from the door. 'Wow, wow wow... Wait a moment. What the hell is that?'. If she had not looked down again, where the granola bar and the sandwich had been a few seconds ago, she would have missed it.