Duo〇o

Ньюкасл

My surroundings slowly returned and I could feel a soft fabric beneath me. I groaned in pain. Everything hurt. But my head hurt the most. My heartbeat was pounding through my body. All my muscles felt like jelly. Slowly, I sat up. Where was I? I was in a small room, the soft yellow curtains covered the window next to me. The bed was small but comfy and a lonely dresser stood next to the door. Why wasn't I at home? Flashes of images crossed my mind but it was as if they were liquid. I couldn't get a firm grip on any of them. How did I get here? Panic and fear welled up in my chest. I couldn't remember anything and I was in a strange place. I scrambled from the unfamiliar sheets as quickly as my tired body would allow and set my feet gently on the cold wooden floor. Before I could even take a step, the doorknob twitched sporadically before a loud click resonated through the room, and I could faintly hear the jingle of keys. I stumbled back as the door swung open gently, and nearly fell onto the bed. From my position, I couldn't quite see past the edge of the door and I held my breath in anticipation. A plain tan tray poked into view, holding a plate of pasta, an apple, and a glass of water. Then a pair of hands holding the tray emerged and my eyes immediately shot to focus on the appendages. Their hands and fingers were strangely thin and pale, but even stranger were their fingernails, sharpened to a point. I had seen fingernails cut to look like claws before but never cut in such a way that I would think you could actually slice through apple on the tray. I had been so focused on the hands of the tray-holder that I hadn't noticed their whole being come into view.

"I see you're awake. I was hoping that I could be the one to wake you up." Their voice was laced with a hint of disappointment and their quiet deep voice interrupted my thoughts. My eyes snapped away from their fingernails and instead focused on their eyes. It was a man, a very tall shoddy-looking man, who stood awkwardly stooped beneath the ceiling. His dark chocolate hair that framed his thin face was a mess and his perceptive eyes were a startlingly bright green. I found myself subconsciously shrinking away from his intimidating stare. Who was this man? He slowly approached me and I instinctively crawled back onto the bed, scrambling away from him as my aching muscles screamed at me to stop. He came closer to the bed and my breath quickened in fear and I closed my eyes in anticipation. *clink* Nothing happened. Nothing touched me. I peeled my eyes open painfully slow as I carefully gazed in the direction of the small noise. The man had set the tray down on the dresser and was now staring at me with those bright green eyes. 

"You should eat. You took quite the fall." He said in a low calm demeanor before leaving the room and closing the door behind him with a *click.* I stared at the door long after the strange man had left. "Quite the fall?" Did I hit my head really hard and that's why I couldn't remember anything? I turned my attention to the tray the man had brought in. The food seemed normal. Nothing looked wrong. I inched closer to the dresser, opting to stay on the bed, and grabbed the glass of water. I brought the cup up to my nose and sniffed it. The water smelled like normal water, I don't think he put any drugs into the drink. I set the cup back down and moved away from the dresser. I still didn't trust it. 

I sat in the farthest corner of the bed from the dresser. I didn't want to eat or drink anything that weird man gave me. Yet, despite my efforts, I stared at the cup of water longingly. I was so thirsty. When was the last time I had a drink of water? I couldn't remember. Eventually. I couldn't stand it anymore and I reluctantly moved towards the dresser again. I picked up the cup shakily and took a hesitant sip. The sip soon turned into a gulp and before I knew it, I had downed the whole cup. 

The doorknob started to jingle again and it opened before I even had a chance to set down the empty glass. The man stepped into the doorway and assessed my position and the empty glass. 

"Good. You drank the water. You should eat too."

"I'm not hungry." I replied stubbornly.

"You really shou-" I interrupted him. 

"How long am I going to be locked in here?" He sighed wearily. 

"You were never locked in here. The door was unlocked. I just thought you'd want your rest and privacy so I kept the door shut." Realization set in and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. 

"Oh." I simply said. 

"You can come out whenever you like." He smiled at me. I assume he meant it to have a welcoming look but it just left me with an unsettling feeling in my gut. 

"O-okay, thanks." I said quietly as I diverted my gaze from him. He gave a small nod and left the room, making sure to close the door softly. For a while, I stayed in the room, thinking about how I got there and trying to remember what had happened. But when nothing came to mind I focused my thoughts on the space outside the door to my room. He said I could go at anytime. Should I go out now? The room was getting a little stuffy. 

I slowly turned the handle to the door of my room and opened it cautiously. I peeked through the tiny gap I had made and surveyed my surroundings. The room beyond my door had a large brown love-seat centered in the middle of a wide patterned tan rug. The walls were also a light tan and a flat-screen TV stood before the couch on top of a short table against the wall. Various pictures hung from nails throughout the room and a small dining table was fixed on the far side of the large room from the couch. Cozy blue and yellow chairs surrounded the table and I could see several kitchen appliances beyond the dining set, in another room. It was very open and warm. I felt myself relaxing a bit. I opened the door just wide enough for me to slip out and I slowly crept out into the open. 

I froze when I saw the strange man, standing in front of the kitchen counter, with his back facing me. He had been just out of eyesight from my room and I hadn't noticed him before. I watched as his hands moved expertly across the counter and I was curious as to what he was doing. I inched closer to the kitchen until I could feel the kitchen tile underneath my feet. As I got closer I could hear chopping noises coming from in front of him. I couldn't quite see what he was doing. I moved closer. 

Abruptly, he turned around to face me, and in his hand was a large red-covered knife. I could feel my head turn light and fuzzy before the floor disappeared beneath me. The last thing I felt were two strong arms holding me.