Rabidity (Jane Loft-series #1)

Chapter 18

Darkness. Pain. Cold. Those are the things I notice when I open my eyes. My hands and feet are tied together with a scratching rope and a piece of cloth ceases the blood that flows out of the wound on my head. I'm lying on my back and when I move, the pain in my head tells me I have a concussion. I try to move again, but it hurts too much. I groan loudly. My arm is throbbing when I move my wrists. My eyes widen in shock. Someone took away the bandage Reya gave me. I lost my backpack, so there's no way I can get the other medicine. Without help, I'll be dead within hours.

"You alright?" a hoarse voice asks from the darkness that surrounds me. I recognize it as Xavier's. I sigh in relief and close my eyes.

I ignore the pain and push myself in a sitting position, my back against the stone wall behind me and my feet in front of me. "I think I have a concussion from Adam's last kick. I'll be alright. How about you?"

"A few scratches and a lot of bruises," he says and I hear how he gets up. I'm happy he's able to do that. "Where are you?"

"I don't know, it's too dark. Follow my voice," I respond and he searches a way towards me. When he finds me, he sits down next to me and helps me to get rid of the ropes. I hiss silently when his fingers touch my arm.

When the ropes are gone, he lets his hand rest on my thigh and I lay my head on his shoulder. This position reminds me of the nights I sat with Fenna under the big oak tree in our garden watching the stars. It's a reassuring and comforting moment between two friends.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" I ask him and he laughs. It's a weird sound since we're in so much trouble, but nice nonetheless.

"No, sunshine, this is great. I mean, we're only locked up in a cold smelly prison cell while Adam is going to do whatever crazy people do," he responds sarcastically, causing me to hit him on the arm. The silence returns.

"Seriously, though. What are we going to do? We're stuck in here. There's no way out," I say, my weak but desperate voice filling the cell.

"There is a way out, Jane," Xavier contradicts. "If there isn't a way out, how the hell did they get us in?"

I sigh and shake my head, only to realize he can't see me. "That's a lovely theory, but I don't know. I wish I did."

Again the silence. "Listen, Xav, if I die –"

His hand grips my thigh tighter and I put my hand over his, intertwining our fingers.

"You won't. We won't," he interrupts me.

I raise the arm with the bracelet. Now the bandage is gone, Xavier can see what is making me this pessimistic about our situation. Even though the room is pitch black, I know he can see the now red wound, which stinks and is infected. I hope I still have a few hours. I would like to get out of here and see Trevor another time to say goodbye. I'd like to hug Fang, to tell him everything will be alright and Summer will come back to him, because no matter how big her mistake was, she regrets it and she wants to make up with him. I want to pet Dana one more time, or at least see Fenna again. I clear my throat and wipe the tears away. You never know how much you actually have until you're on the edge of losing it.

Xavier tries to touch the wound, but I pull back. It hurts a lot, like someone's stabbing a knife in my arm at the exact same spot over and over. I'm glad it's not my fighting arm, because otherwise I would be a lost cause on the battlefield.

"My arm tells me another story," I whisper. I feel how Xavier stands up next to me. "What are you –"

"I woke up earlier than you," he says, his voice echoing against the stone walls, "I used that time to search the room. I got a few more bruises and an aching bump on my head, but I can think quite clearly. They left our backpacks with us, Jane. Maybe there's something in there that'll help us escape. If there isn't, we've still got a few matches and food and water, so we have some time before we starve. We have enough time to come up with something."