The fear in me

Nay

Heartless still hasn't come back. I've got no idea what his boss plans to do with us. Tim's lying beside me and looking at me. No, that's wrong: he's loking through me and is lost in thought. We've talked for a long time and I think he understood why I now look on him as only a friend. But has he accepted that? I've no idea! He's been staring through me for more than fifteem minutes and I cannot tell by his face what he's feeling and what he's struggling with at the moment. He's convinced we're going to die. It's possible that everything he's ever experienced is passing by his inner spirit like a film. I too have been pondering. I'm sad and I'm angry. I'm sad because I'll never again have the chance to say farewell to my family, my friends, and Jason. My anger is mostly about myself. I could leave the hotel room and fetch help, but if I do that I'll place Tim in danger. I know that without me he'll die. On the other hand I know that we'll die anyway, so why in God's name don't I simply get up? I could take Tim with me, but it's harder to hide two people ...

"Nay, you should get yourself to safety ..." Tim says suddenly.

"Out of the question!" I respond.

"Listen: I could hide myself ... and you could fetch help. They would never hit on the idea that we've separated ..." he argues.

"And what say they search here first of all and then find you?"

Without speaking he pushes himself up from the bed and sits down on the edge. Then he walks through the room. The room looks like a hotel room. A double bed, beside it on the left and the right bedsise tables with lamps, and on the other side a TV table with drawers. To the left of that are a small dining table and two chairs. On the right side is a small passage way to a door ... for sure leading to a bathroom.

In the passage way there are as well a wordrobe and a built-in cupboard. Hotel essentials ...

Tim goes towindow and whistles. "Wow, we're up really high. And I think we're in a city!"

Now I too spring up and go to the window. I look down at a back courtyard and see several high-rise buildings around ours. "Climbing through the window is probably out of the question!" I say. "We could still call for help."

"Do you think he'd leave us here without fetters and gags if he thought we had a chance of drawing attention to ourselves?" Tim asks sceptically.

Hm, he's right. I go to the door and turn the knob. It can be opend without further ado. Strange! Heartless must really have a strong trust that we won't escape. I step into the corridor and see at least six rooms left and right. At the end on the right there is a bigger corridor; maybe there's a lift there?

"You should go now," Says Tim.

"Not without you!" I answer.

"You know perfectly well that two people are more conspicuous."

I know he's right, and I've thought about it myself, but I'm fighting with myself. What say something happens to Tim only because I'm not there? I'd never forgive myself for that. But if I stay we'll both die. If I go I have at least a chance of finding somebody to help us.

I go back into the room and look at everything. After some to and fro I decide Tim should hide in the wardrobe behind the ironing board. It's the only hiding place that really is good. However I've no idea how long Tim can stay there without getting cramps. He should have enough air there, that ought not be a problem. Tim calms me down and says it will all turn out well. That's really my saying! It startles me that he's thinking more positively than I am. "Well, come on, shut me in there before he comes back with his 'boss'," Tim orders.