Lost

Chapter 6: Dirty mouth; Dirty bruise

Warning: There is some "attempted" swearing in this chapter :P. You'll know what I mean by attempted.

Zayn stared blankly into the thin air after regaining his consciousness.

Quite subtly, Salma withdrew her hand from his face and backed away a few paces. She swallowed uneasily,  waiting for him to take his surroundings in. It was hard to know what to expect of him. It made her quite anxious.

Zayn blinked slowly, his heavy eye-lids making it quite the challenge to remain open. Even in his dozy state, confusion clouded his eyes when he drowsily looked around, then, his groggy gaze finally rested on Salma. A frown knotted his brow.

"Wh-what is this place?" he slurred, an underlying alarm quite clear in his tone. "Where am I . . ?"

His frown deepened as he blinked again, possibly trying to clear his vision.

"You are safe," Salma quickly reassured him. His eyes drooped. "You're in the --"

Salma cut short. His eyes had closed completely and he did not open them again. Worried, Salma inched closer.

"Zayn?" she called. "Zayn?"

He remained unresponsive. Salma felt her gut clenching with worry. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly.

"Zayn?"

Nothing.

Dear God!

Panicking, Salma reached for his forehead to check his temperature. A sudden commotion took her by surprise. Her body moved at a dizzying speed, flipping her world over. Salma's back hit the ground hard. Her lungs deflated. She gasped for breath; seeing nothing, hearing nothing and feeling nothing.

It took her spinning head a few solid seconds to start functioning again. She felt a lot of pressure on her sternum. As her vision regained focus, a figure towering over her came into view. Startled, she squirmed to break free.

Zayn pinned her to the floor, the forearm at the base of her throat pressing harder to keep her from moving. Did he fake fainting just to catch her off guard and attack?

The hell?

Salma's eyes widened to realize he had a fist ready to knock the lights - and potentially the teeth - out of her. Her arms flew over her head in defense.

"I mean no harm!" she cried in alarm.

Silence.

Was he insane?

Yet, she could still feel him breathing over her like a wounded animal. Salma peeked between her arms. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she took in his blood-shot eyes glaring her down. He stiffened, then pushed away uncertainly.

"You?!" He spat the word in shock, recognition dawning upon his eyes.

He reduced the pressure on her throat. Salma gasped, coughing.

"What was that for?!" Salma wheezed, massaging her throat.

Zayn said nothing. To her utter dismay, Salma saw his figure swaying above her.

Oh no!

"Zayn?"

He closed his eyes firmly before opening them again. He was getting dizzy again, Salma realized. His gaze went in and out of focus.

"No-no-no!" Salma yelped. Using her lower back as a pivot, she jerked her legs and stomach away from his unstable weight. However, the spin resulted in her head moving right under his chest. "No, no--Omph!"