The Stranger I Met

After the Storm

Pain...

I can feel it in every part of my body, some places more than others. I try to move but my body is too stiff to cooperate so I decide to open my eyes slowly. The purple hue is the first thing my mind registers as my vision starts to clear slowly.

When my eyes focus on the purple ceiling with a hint of blue, I instantly calm down as I know where I am. I try to look around but feel something around my neck that hinders my movement. Nonetheless, I tilt my neck a little towards the left and find Jason sitting in a chair right next to the bed I'm lying on.

He's sleeping with his neck tilted at an abnormal angle which I know is going to hurt when he wakes up. I try to sit up in the bed but the sounds of my shuffling wakes up Jason and he snaps his eyes open, and just like I imagined, he winces when he straightens his neck, trying to reduce the pain by massaging it for a moment before he quickly gets on his feet and comes to sit next to me on bed.

" Don't move. You need rest. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet." He says in a deep cracked voice making me flinch. I try to ask him about what happened but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

I try to push words out but except for incoherent noises, no word leaves my mouth. I look up at Jason in horror, asking him via my eyes. He sighs and averts his eyes, not wanting to meet mine.

" Tristen-" He starts and holds my hand. I use my other hand to make him look at me. His blue eyes are home and I feel it as soon as our eyes connect. " Tristen hurt you." He states," Really bad. Your vocal cords are a bit strained, that's why you won't be able to speak for sometime." I know he's trying to soften the blow, he's not telling me everything. I place my hand on my neck but find a thick, neck brace around it, supporting my neck.

I start panicking again and hold Jason's hands in agitation. " Hey- hey, don't worry, it's all okay, it's only a matter of few days." Jason tries to calm me down, but his hoarse voice is not really having that effect on me.

" Wait." He says and picks up a notepad and pen from the night stand and hands it to me. That is when I notice the bruises and scrapes on his knuckles and instead of taking the notebook, I take his hand in mine. I look at his left hand but it's not as bad as his right one.

I run my fingers on his knuckles and look up at him with question in my eyes. He gives me a self satisfied smile. " Don't worry, it was just a few punches." He says casually. I pick up the notepad and pen and start writing, but nothing comes to mind and I end up writing- What Happened?  and pass it to him.

" He hurt you, I beat him. That's all." He answers once he reads. I nod my head slightly then shake it negating it. I have so much to ask, so many questions burbling inside me but nothing specific comes to mind. I keep churning the events of- Oh wait!

How long have I been unconscious? I write and give him. " Forty four hours." He answers. When I look at him closely, I see the tiredness emanating from his whole body. I write my next question.

Did you sleep?

" A few minutes." He replies and his bloodshot eyes agree with him. He has stayed awake waiting for me to wake up. I sympathetically place my palm on his cheek and he shifts a little closer to me. I keep staring in his eyes, etching the blue colour in my memory when suddenly a paralysing terror grabs me in its claws and the blue colour turns monster green, reminding me of the reason why I'm in this situation.

I freeze.

My eyes go wide and my breath hitches as every detail washes over me of what happened between Tristen and I. Jason immediately notices it and takes both of my hands and places them on his chest." Don't worry, love. It's okay, you're fine. You're with me. He can't get you now, I've taken care of that." But I'm still panicking looking around me, petrified that a hand might come from anywhere around me and pull me into a closed dingy room and this time, I won't be able to escape.