Frozen

Seven: Found

Seven: Found

            Elizabeth could feel the eyes that watched her, stalking her every day of her life. The stare jabbed into her back like lasers; probing through her body so quickly she didn’t feel a thing, but she knew they were there, inside of her.

            Owen walked besides her, tall and lean he perambulated the street with a form of empowerment over the ones that cowered below him like he was the god of earth. Shaggy blonde hair danced along with his actions as he moved; green eyes locked with stamina for the destination they headed, a terminus so remote she didn’t even know the whereabouts.

            Heat slapped her in the side of Elizabeth’s façade as the sun attacked her personal space; it floated through the air in twists and turns, eluding the shadows of the objects that stood in its path, tall and courageous.  

Hours had gone by since they had stepped off of Owen’s porch; it now stood alone, as it beseeched to be stepped on, used. Even then she couldn’t forget the lights that flickered off; a shadow roamed throughout the interior of the small house, a nomadic figure haunted its halls.

What she was evoked of most were the eyes.

Small and black, the pupil floated around in the iris, drowning in its maker. A puddle of hazel dyed his irises, traces of blue and gold of recognition in them. The eyes were hard and icy, giving her the instinct that it was a boy.

She clutched the small water bottle in her pocket harder, fingers digging into the plastic as it cracked from the pressure. Once smooth, was sharp and jagged; the thin plastic poked into her hand as she clasped it tighter, blood drew from her diminutive palms.

Red hot liquid ran down her finger tips and slammed onto the floor, it shattered in her ears, rebounding off of the inside. Although the thought distressed her she didn’t feel the pain of the wound, how it burrowed into her skin for warmth or the carving as it cut through more tissue.

She closed her eyes for a second and breathed in the cold air. It seared the inside of her nose, so dry it felt like it was on fire, burning and crumbling to ashes inside of her body.

A warm hand clutched hers, pulling her closer to him. “This is it,”

Millions of leaves scattered the floor, all a blur of differing shades of brown. The trees were denser in the woods, so close together she felt claustrophobic. She had to slither around them, as Owen lead her deeper and deeper a wave of fright washed over her like water, an alarm screaming at her in her mind saying “stop, stop, stop.”   

She knew how perfect this was to hide, to get away from the world, but also how lethal it could have been. In a second a bear could’ve slaughter her and she’d have never been found, the trees gave an esoteric the view from above, the ground a free battle field.

Owen stopped, causing her to smack into his back crudely, almost being slated down to her feet. He glanced back at her for a fraction of a second; careful not to have his eyes linger on her longer than necessity.

A single log cabin stood in front of them, a long pointed roof sat on top of the main structure. Windows seemed at a desultory pick, no set place or size as she gawked at the scene.

This was all more like a movie to her, a mere dream she’d wake up from hours later, still in bed, her parents alive. But it was so vivid, so real; she couldn’t seem to convince herself otherwise. This was the nightmare she was forced to live out.

-----

The thunder shrieked across the sky, using its low voice full of supremacy it ridiculed those who it bellowed at. Lightning came in flickers so they could see, but also so they could be destroyed. As the rain pounded hard on the roof of the cabin, only Elizabeth stirred.

No blinds shielded the thin glass windows as the rain and wind milled against it, as the threatened to shatter it all over her. The vulnerability increased each second the storm went on, the water wore away at the panels, as it took their toll.

She ran a hand through her hair, it pushed the gentle curls back from her face, and sweat ran down in beads down her forehead as she sat up in bed. Blue eyes scanned the room for intruders, when she found none she got up; Elizabeth’s feet made a soft patter on the floor.

Careful not to wake Owen from across the room, she walked to the window like a ghost. No noise came from her compared to the monster outside. She could’ve been screaming, she thought amusingly, and still the thunder would beat her.

 Great gusts of wind blew the leaves from the ground; it disturbed their peaceful sleep as they watched their family and friends soar miles away from them, a sure pain aching in their hearts if they had any. The sympathy weld up in her, a sudden temptation to free the leaves that stuck to the window came over her, but she still didn’t flinch.

She was past overly exhausted, so tired that no rest would’ve come to her, grabbing her by the limbs and pulling her into its depths. Eyes closed at the thought, she opened them, a scream forming in her throat as she did.

A face stared at her from the window, the same hazel eyes that gazed at her as she left Owen’s house yesterday. He couldn’t of have been more than 19 or 20. The longish brown hair blew in his face from the wind, sticking up in every direction it almost made her want to laugh. A strong chin gripped the bottom of his face, tan skin clearly going well with his hair. Then it hit her.

It was Ethan.

As scared as she was, she knew who the figure that stood in front of her. It was the same person that hit her in the head and then left her by the side of the road. The same person who stalked her to Owen’s house, this was him in the flesh.

Anger built up in her, bubbling inside of her stomach she want to open the window just to slam it in his face. To have him feel the same pain when he hit her, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Elizabeth,” Owen’s voice was soft as he walked behind; a shocked expression crossed his features as he saw the boy who stood in front of the window. He grabbed her defensively and pulled her away, a full glare set on the man.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Ethan shouted, but it was drowned out by the noise that encased them. “Really I don’t,”

She shook her head, an expression of disbelief spread like wild fire across her features. Still, she nodded and went to unlatch the window.

He climbed in expeditiously, sopping wet from the rain he stood there, a grave look on his face. Ethan’s tone serious he said, “They found you, and they want you dead.”