Aira

Chapter 7

Aira’s POV

I was barefoot as I walked across the parking lot avoiding the light. I lost my sleepers somewhere and I didn’t have time to search for them. I was scared that the white clothes this hospital made us wear would stand out in the darkness.

My feet felt the cold ground beneath them as I walked away.

It was after midnight and everything was dark. I could see the lights of the hospital and the road in the distance but they didn’t reach me. I stopped only when I was hundred percent sure nobody could notice me. I leaned against a rough surface behind me and breathed in the cool air. 

I stared up at the stars on the sky and revelled in the feeling freedom. But I knew I wasn’t really free. I might give the impression that I didn’t have a time limit or a destination but Joshua was waiting for me somewhere and he wasn’t known for his patience. 

I needed to find him and I didn’t even know where he was. The darkness that helped me to stay invisible also made it impossible for me to see where he was. Thankfully the nurses hadn’t found out I was the one who took the phone so I still had it so I used it to call him.

“Where the hell are you? I have been waiting for you for decades!”

“I’m on my way but it’s too dark. Where are you? I’m trying to find you but I can’t see anything. Wave around with your phone or something so I can see the light.”

“Fine. But be quick. If you take too long I’ll be so sleep deprived we’ll probably crash into a tree.”

The ground was wet and I could feel the water seeping through my fingers. It felt calming. I looked around and hoped to see him but I didn’t so I went a bit further.

“I can’t see you!”

“Well use your feet and come closer then!”

I suddenly noticed a small light moving around on the left. It was far and barely visible but it was there. I followed it cautiously. I couldn’t be sure Joshua had the only source of light and I didn’t want to bump into anyone else since for all I know it could be a guard that was itching for a smoke. 

As I came closer the light disappeared and I could hear Joshua swearing quietly to himself. The light appeared again and I noticed he was leaning on his car. 

“I’m here”

I said to him softly but he jumped up startled anyway. I sat in the car and he followed me slightly embarrassed but too tired to really care. I watched him as he drove and noticed he really did look tired.  

He was yawning and his eyes were closing even when I could see empty coffee cups. The dark circles under his eyes and his messy hair only completed the worn out look. All things considered he looked like he would fell asleep any second. 

I had no desire to die in a car crash so I started a conversation. I couldn’t find anything to talk about other than the attack so I just decided to stick to that. 

“So, did you get the chance to check the camera footage? You did remember to ask if you could see it, didn’t you?” 

That did the job of waking him up and he turned to me with a guilty look on his face that told me he had completely forgotten about it. He looked at me and made himself look innocent but he would never be able to fool anyone because it didn’t look convincing at all.

“It’s too late to ask now isn’t it? The chances of the attacker getting caught on camera are minimal. Somehow cameras are everywhere but when something happens they either stop working or it happens just out of their reach.”