When Jonathan and I were kids we would go and hide in the stretch of woods near our house, one day we found a closed cave already furnished with lights and stairs. Over the years we had begun making it out home, with making separate rooms and beds and cupboards with supplies. It took ages with the two of us but when we trusted Edward enough to show him out secret place it went a lot faster.
The entrance of the cave was big enough for the bike to neatly roll through and into the old elevator going down into the main chamber of the cave.
“Edward?” I called.
He got up from the ground and ran over to me.
“Sarah are you ok?” he held my arm as though to steady me.
“I’m fine but.”
“You brought him here!” Edward cut me off. He stepped back, running his hands through his hair.
“Why? Why would you bring him here?”
I closed my eyes and sighed.
“He would have died if I left him there.”
I was struggling to keep the bike, along with Jokers weight up right and wanted nothing more than to sit down.
“So? If we keep him here we’ll all die!” Edward just kept on shouting.
“Edward.” I yelled.
The bike slipped and my leg was being crushed against the wall. The clang of metal against the stone wall silenced Edward.
“Help me get him off this bike.” I gasped.
Begrudgingly and with a struggle he pulled the Joker off the bike and laid him out on the rock floor.
Without the extra weight I pushed the bike off my leg, flinching as it hit the ground with a horrid scraping sound.
Edward offered assistance as I limped into the room, I just waved him away.
Jonathan was sitting on the far end of the room, sitting against the rock walls of the cave. He didn’t look up as I approached him but spoke as I sat down next to him.
“I didn’t know if how much longer I was going to last in there. With Harley everyday was a new type of hell; cutting, whipping, bloodletting, electrocution.
I grew colder as he spoke. He swallowed.
“When I was there I began thinking about things, about how I hoped you wouldn’t get involved, you wouldn’t risk your life for me again, that I wouldn’t be a burden again.”
Cold tears rolled down my cheek and splashed onto the stone ground.
Jonathan, my brother fell silent and it was his silence that was the most depressing.
A sob escaped my lips and I began to cry on his shoulder with my arms around him.
“I’m so sorry.” I sobbed. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”
I felt his arm around my shoulder and his head on top of mine.
“You shouldn’t have to protect me.” He whispered.
With the light from the outside world cut from out dark sanctuary I didn’t know how long we were like that. Long after we had stopped crying we stayed there; I don’t know why my brother didn’t move, maybe it was because he was afraid that this was a dream and he was still back there. I didn’t let go for fear that he would disappear.
My eyelids grew heavy as the weight of many restless nights caught up with me, I knew that if I didn’t move I’d fall asleep on the cold, hard stone but I didn’t was to move.
I let my eyes close and fell asleep for the first time knowing my brother is safe.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not a very long one today, but I guess a short one is better then none.
