Concrete Jungle || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Chapter three

Noah remained still, seated against the wall, his hand still tightly clasped around the girl’s. His breath, finally more even, filled the suffocating silence of the cell. Even though he had no idea how much time she had left, Noah clung to that moment like a thin rope suspended over an abyss.

From time to time, he glanced at her, searching for signs of deterioration, but her body seemed to have stabilized, at least for the time being. The wound no longer bled as it had before, and she barely moved, as if trying not to succumb.

Another hiss of air startled him. This time, however, it did not come from the hatch. Noah slowly stood up, attempting to locate the source. It felt as if the walls were breathing, emitting faint sounds, like hidden mechanisms at work. The thought that someone, somewhere, was watching them made his blood boil.

But there was nothing he could do, not yet. He returned to the girl and sat beside her, his gaze lost in the void.

Several minutes passed before she moved again. Her fingers trembled beneath Noah's grip, and then her eyelids slowly fluttered open. This time, she seemed more present, her eyes wandering around the room, as if trying to understand where she was.

Noah spoke softly, gently. "Hey... It's okay, you're with me."

She stared at him for a moment, confused. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound emerged. Noah gestured with his hand, signaling her not to strain herself.

“Where are we...?” she finally whispered, her voice so weak that Noah had to lean in to hear.

He didn’t know how to respond. “I don’t know,” he said at last, trying to be honest. “I don’t remember how I ended up here either. It’s all so confusing.”

She closed her eyes again, as if processing that information. Her breath seemed more labored, and Noah felt the urgency rise once more. He needed to give her a reason to keep fighting, something to hold onto.

“But listen,” Noah continued, his voice steadier, “you’re not alone, okay? I’m here. And I promise I will find a way to get you out of this place.”

His words came out with a determination he hadn’t anticipated. It was a promise that, though he had made it before, now carried a different weight. It was no longer just about survival; it was about protection. The girl, fragile and vulnerable as she was, depended on him. And Noah would not back down.

She looked at him again, and this time there was something different in her gaze. No longer just confusion or fear, but a spark of trust. Perhaps, despite her injuries and weakness, she could sense that she was not alone. That someone was fighting for her.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice faint.

Noah hesitated for a moment. The question took him by surprise, but there was something familiar in the way she asked it, as if she already knew the answer, as if this were not the first time they had met.

“My name is Noah,” he replied, lowering his gaze. “I play in a band. I was at my house… then… then this happened.”

She didn’t respond immediately. Her breathing had returned to an irregular rhythm, and Noah could see the fatigue in her eyes. But before she closed them again, a whisper escaped her lips.

“Elise.”

Noah froze. Was that her name? He repeated it in his mind, trying to associate it with her pale, weary face.

Elise.

The sound of that name, though simple, carried an emotional weight that struck him deeply. It was the first piece of the puzzle he was trying to solve.

“Elise…” he murmured, almost savoring the sound of her name on his lips. “Okay, Elise, don’t worry. I’ll find a way out of here.”

As she sank back into a state of unconsciousness, Noah stood up and moved with renewed urgency. He had to do more; he had to figure out how to escape this situation. He approached the hatch again, trying to open it, but the mechanism seemed jammed, as if it were controlled from the outside. He couldn’t rely on anyone; he had to find another way.

He returned to Elise, observing her precarious condition. Her body trembled intermittently, perhaps from fever, perhaps from the shock the injury had inflicted on her muscles. There was nothing he could do to truly stabilize her without medical assistance. Yet, in that cold, dark room, an ever-stronger connection tied him to her.

As he kept watch over her, his thoughts drifted back to all the moments in his life he had taken for granted. He wondered if Elise was doing the same. If she was regretting all the moments of life from which she had been torn.

More interminable minutes passed, perhaps hours, and the tension was consuming him from within. Every noise, every slight movement from the girl made him jump. But then, something unexpected happened.

A noise. This time not a hiss or a dull thud, but something more familiar. The sound of a key turning in a lock.

Noah shot up, his heart racing. He looked toward the door, one he hadn’t even noticed at first because it was hidden in the shadows of the wall. The lock clicked, and for the first time since he had woken up, Noah saw the doorknob move.

The door creaked open slowly, and a faint glow of light seeped into the cell. Noah held his breath. Someone he couldn’t see slid a tray with food across the floor.