Help I'm Alive

Chapter 6

Alright, so it's a few hours later than promised, but in my defense I woke up at 11:30 AM and it is now 1:00 PM and I wrote the final two pages this morning :D

I will explain why at the end of the chapter!!

So, without further comment, ENJOY!!

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Chapter 6:

“So,” Oliver began, before a yawn broke out over his tired face, stopping whatever he was about to say.

Melissa chuckled and threw a Bugle at him, which he prompted caught in his teeth. He gave her a cocky grin and chewed and swallowed the Bugle before continuing.

“Do you want to have first door duty? I figure we have to walk during the day, and we have a lot of distance to cover to get to Louisiana. So we should sleep at night in shifts instead of during the day,” he trailed off at the end.

“Yeah, as much as I hate the thought of operating on only a few hours of sleep we’ll have to make due.” Melissa nodded as she absentmindedly popped another Bugle in her mouth.

It was nearing six o’clock and they had both showered in the motel room’s small bathroom. The toilet, sink and shower were all shoved into a cramped 2 meter by 2 meter room.

Melissa refused to dwell on her surroundings; she instead tried to be grateful that they had a room with a secure, heavy door and only a small window that was high off the ground. It would make it easy for what she expected was about to come.

Since Oliver had driven all morning and then walked while carrying the heavier backpack, she conceded and took the first watch-duty.

He climbed under the covers, and after rolling over a few times in the lumpy bed Oliver fell into a peaceful sleep. Melissa stared at him enviously. Whenever she tried to fall asleep she would be haunted by images of the creatures that she feared.

It was always the same dream. She was running towards her parents who were on the other side of a field of tall grass. Her mother’s arms were extended as if ready to welcome her with a hug. As she began to cross the field, a sinking feeling came over her. She knew she wouldn’t make it. As she took another step, she felt hands reaching up through the moist soil and grabbing at her ankles. She tried to shake them off and keep running but fell. Her eyes met her parents who were screaming something. She could never make out what it was, but she would always reply that she loved them. Then, the creatures grabbed at her ankles with a force greater than she could overcome, and pulled her away from her parents into the earth.

Melissa shook herself from her reverie, picking up her well-used copy of The Poisonwood Bible and delving into the story. Even though the circumstances were completely different, she could relate to the girls in the novel, especially Adah who was a mute.

She admired the young girl’s ability to understand so much about those around her, and identified with her feelings of silence. Yet Adah’s character always spoke so much more than the other characters, although not with her voice, but her mind.

Most of the lights in the motel room had been turned off, save for the small book lamp which sat beside Melissa.

The darkness and silence drew her inward and she found herself in Africa with the characters, speaking with Anatole and laughing with Mama Tataba.

She was drawn out of her book by a cool hand that was pressed firmly against her arm. Causing her adrenaline to start pumping.

“Melissa,” she let out the breath she had been holding, Oliver’s blue eyes stared down at her as she sat in the uncomfortable paisley chair, “It’s my turn to guard.”