Elemental (Cancelled)

Chapter 5: Rescued

I woke with a start, drenched in sweat, but undamaged. I sunk back into a lying position and realised my head was on pillows. I was on a bed. How had I got there? The soft blankets were tucked in around me in a way that suggested I hadn't got there myself. For a moment I just lay there, peacefully. Then I pushed myself up with a gasp. How had I gotten there?! Was I kidnapped while I was unconscious!? My breath turned to pants and my heart began to pound wildly, where was I and how could I escape?

"Calm down, its alright. Does anything hurt?" Came a voice from a blurry figure. I blinked once, then twice and saw the person who had spoken.

A man, probably mid 30s, with a kind and mature face with dark brown hair and calm blue eyes. A voice in my head told me to not let my guard down, but kindness was something I didn't get often.

I shook my head and the man's face broke into a smile of relief.
"Okay then, that's good."
I returned his smile somewhat half-heartedly, as I still had many unanswered questions. He sensed my discomfort and told me how he had found me, unconscious at the base of the cliff after the earthquake, and took me in.
"It's a miracle you're still alive, really." He said and his face collapsed into sadness. "That little girl wasn't so lucky."
"Little girl?" I said, my panic rising.
"A little girl was walking her dog a little too close to the cliff edge. When the earthquake struck, the dog panicked and knocked the girl over. Over the edge. The dog got away with a broken leg, but the girl, she, she died."
I hung my head. That nagging voice in my head told me that I should have died, and because I didn't the girl took my place.

"But we can't stay dwelled on sadness all morning, my wife is waiting downstairs to make us breakfast. Better not keep her waiting. I've laid some of our sons clothes out for you on the chair over there. Come downstairs as soon as your ready, or give me a shout if you need anything." He gave me a quick smile and left the room, giving me a chance to check out my surroundings and dwell on what had happened. I slowly stood up and began to change into the clothes that had been laid out for me. When I was done, I checked my self in the mirror at the far corner of the room and glancing once more around the small bedroom, stepped out into the hallway behind the door.

I could smell the breakfast cooking from downstairs. As the smell of bacon and egg reached my nose, I realised how starving I was. I took a deep breath and descended the narrow stairs. The stairs ended in a hallway with a room directly in front of me and also one to my right. I could hear voices from the room opppsite me, and the heavenly smell seemed to be coming from there too. Taking yet another deep breath, I paused for a second and pushed open the door.

Sat at the table was the man, a blonde haired woman that seemed to be his wife and a boy with blonde hair and the man's eyes and facial features. He must have been his son. For a moment I just stood there by the door, too awkward to announce my presence. Then the wife looked up at me, smiled and beckoned me over to a seat next to the son.
I opened my mouth to say something, then shut it again. The man smiled and said, "I think we should be introduced. We'll start. I'm David and this is my wife Natalia", he pointed to the woman, who smiled and waved, "And this is my son Daniel." Daniel nodded and I nodded back, smiling. "My name is Rock." I said somewhat awkwardly, feeling self-consious all of a sudden.
"Come on, there must be more to it than that. Tell us more about you!" Natalia said.
I don't know what made me tell them. Maybe it was because I was starved for kindness, or maybe I was secretly loving the attention but I told them everything. Everything from the crops to my cave to the hate I got at the market leading up to the earthquake. All the years of my life summed up in about 5 sentences.

"Oh you poor thing! Homeless at your age? That's simply awful!" Natalia exclaimed.
"Well. It just so happens that we have a spare room upstairs that you'd be more than welcome to stay in, if you'd like." David said with an encouraging smile.
"Uh, sure. As long as you don't mind." I said gratefully.
"Great! That's settled then! I'm sure Dan will like that, won't you Dan?" Natalia said happily.
Daniel shrugged in reply.
"Well, I'd better be off. Bye honey! Bye Dan and er... Rock."

Minutes later I was sat in my new bedroom, processing what had just happened. Gratitude seeped through me, but also confusion. What had caused them to immediately offer me help? Why did I deserve their amazing hospitality? I made a pact there and then to be as helpful as possible, as the last thing I wanted to cause them was stress.
"Er, Rock?" A voice came from the other side of the room. I turned around and saw Dan stood there.
"I'm playing a game on my Xbox, and we need one more player, do you want to play?"
I had heard of the "Xbox" from various magazines littered around the streets, but had never seen one in person, let alone played one, but I agreed, not wanting to be a spoil-sport.

Dan was playing a shooter game called Halo with one of his friends, and they needed someone to help them with a mission. They got a bit annoyed with me at first, not knowing any of the controls, but after a while I got the hang of it, and they were impressed by my sharp reflexes.

We played for a few hours, almost beating the entire game, before Natalia called us down for lunch. "It sounds like you boys have been having fun! What have you been up to?" She said warmly.
"Halo." Said me and Dan in unison, then we burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh and be happy with a new friend. Dan and I spent the rest of the meal reminiscing on some of the funny moments that had happened during our gaming session.
"Hey, Dan? Can you head out to the shop to get some milk?" Said Natalia.
"Oh,  don't worry, I'll do it!" I said, eager to repay their kindness to me.
"Are you sure?" Natalia replied, "It would be a huge help."
I nodded and her face broke into a wide smile.
"The shop is just down the road. It'll only take 10 minutes."
I said okay and headed out into the peaceful street.

I found it slightly weird how an albeit small street could be this deserted on a Saturday afternoon, but thought nothing of it.
The shop was empty except for a couple of the staff. They seemed tired and lazy, and half-heartedly gave me my change and said "Thank you." in a monotone.
I began the walk down the street, back towards my new home, humming a tune.
All of a sudden, I heard a scuffle in a nearby alleyway, followed by a voice.
"No! Stay away from me! Help!"
The voice belonged to a little girl.
I rushed into the alley; I had to rescue the poor little girl!

My heart was pounding as I entered the alley, but to my surprise, there was no one around.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out, getting more worried by the second.
"Are you all right? Do you need me to call the po-"

And then everything went black.