Dark At It's Brightest

Chapter - 24 - Ed Dersil?

I was cold and it felt like I hadn't drunk in weeks. I opened my eyes. I was in a car. I didn't recognize it, but I knew Michael was driving it because he had left his phone on the seat. We were standing in a small cafe parking lot. From outside it looked like a candy shop. It was designed girly, pink and "fluffy" themed. I wouldn't have been suprised if it had a unicorn standing in the front window and a big fuzzy bear on the cash register.

I tried to open the car door but it was locked.

I opened the mirror in the front seat and saw a pale, dead looking person staring back at me. I had big blue circles around my eyes, my thick dark brown hair that I usually put in a braid which reached my middle back probably weren't combed a week and it was greasy like I had poured butter on them. My eyes were almost out of collor and my lips were bitten to blood, they were red, dry and with little scars on them.

I closed the mirror trying not to think about anything for a while. Looking around and realizing there isn't anything to take my mind off of things, wasn't the best feeling.I found some woman's clothes in the back seat and immediately changed into them throwing the hospital dress on the cars floor. I struggled with my shoulder but in the end I managed to get the t-shirt on without hurting myself too much. I changed into jeans, t-shirt, a little too big combat boots and a hoodie.  My attention caught Michaels phone since I had lost mine, when I was walking into that building before and attacked. Wonder whose fault was that?

I picked it up and unlocked it. It was suprising that he didn't have a pasword on it.

I laughed to myself when I saw his puppy walpaper and pressed "messages".

The first conversation which I saw was a few words with his mom about some groceries but then I saw one with - Ed Dersil. I didn't know who he was but I started to read their conversation.

Where are you now?

- Manchester, Persil street 6 - 24.

Have you met her yet? Did he tell you how you will meet or you're just gonna wing it?

- He told me to just wait. I'm leaving here to meet him now. He told me he was going to wait at the "Bread & Steak". Did you do what he said?

Yes. You?

The conversation ended at that. The last message had been sent yesterday morning. He hadn't sent anything back to Ed. It felt weird and wrong to spy on Michaels messages and conversations but I had to know with who I am dealing with. The conversation made me curious and I reminded myself to interogate him about it later, when he came back. There was nothing interesting in his phone - not even a game for a change. I let out a yawn and  locked the phone threwing it back on the seat. It hit the seat two times and with the third it stoped.

I bringed healthy hand to my head rubbing eyes with my palm ignoring the non-stop pain in my shoulder. My hand fell on my knees and I looked at the phone again. It was somehow bothering me. I looked at it for about three minutes when I reached for it, turned it around and placed it in the middle of the seat just like it was before I took it. Just in case Michael went back and noticed I had taken it.

I took my hand quickly away like it was going to bite. It was mocking me.

Michael came back to the car about ten minutes later. He was balancing two coffie cups in his one hand and a giant buritto in the other. He had senced my drooling smile and handed me the buritto.

"I supossed you were hungry."

"Thanks! I really am. You don't know how much I wanted this." I reached for the coffie. He handed me it too.

I took a big bite of the buritto and sipped my coffie with pleasure.

After we ate he started the car and we continued driving. I didn't know where he was heading and I was afraid to ask. Nobody of us said a word and the air between us seemed heavy. The question about the mesages was right on my lips, but I couldn't get myself to ask it out loud. I left it hanging in my mind. 

My thoughts of him were confusing. I didn't know who he was. All this time together living in his family house and he hadn't said a word about himself. I was starting to think and, knowing me, thinking never ends well.

What does Emily have to do with this? Do his parents know for who his is working? Does Emily know?

I understood there were many other problems I had to think about, but I couldn't get my mind off of Michael and his life.

Are the stories he told me complitely true?

I looked at the road ahead and the sleep went away unnaturaly. My eyes were sore and dry. They felt like I had been looking directly at the sun for a half an hour and turning away from it I started to see giant spots fogging my vision.

"What are you thinking about?" I was glad Michael saved me from drowning in my own thoughts.

"Nothing." I replied. Lying.

"I know it's not nothing Zarah. You have been trying to fall asleep for hours and every time you close your eyes you immideately wake up by a huge take of breath. Tell me..."

"What else am I supposed to say at this point. I'm barely holding it together. I don't want you to feel more sorry for me than you already probably feel."

"Zarah, this is gonna sound so cliche but - you are strong. I know the feeling when you feel like you don't have anyone else left in the world. You feel abonded and all worlds problems are on your shoulders. Believe me it doesn't get better..."

"Well that's optimistic! Thank you!" I interupted him.

"I'm trying to say that you should look at yourself and see what you've already been through and think about what are you going to do next. You are not going to change anything in the past, but you can try and change the future..." Michael said looking closely at the rode before us. "I don't know where that came from..." He said honestly.

"Thank you." I said.

"For what?"

"For that speach..." I thanked and after a brief moment of silence I spoke again awkwardly "and for all the rest that you have done in this 'adventure'. Thank you for saving me, even though you put me in that cell in the first place..."

He looked at me and suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road.

"Come on! I want to show you something."

He hopped out of the car.

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This chapter wasn't one of the most exciting ones but I hope you like it.
If you do, don't forget to vote!
:)

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