Salvation

Salvation #5

The dark claws at my eyes. Tears circle the edges of them and rings are smudged around them. My clouded mind slowly wanders over the memories of the beatings before the bleak unconsciousness.

Blood has dried over my bruised skin. Pain tightens around my chest, crushing down on my heart and lungs.

Hunger twists my stomach and thirst seers my throat. My dwindling energy is swiftly being drained by exhaustion.

Cringing I manage to pull myself upright. Trembling I crawl toward the stone wall. My fingers dig against the concrete and my knees ache.

I collapse against the wall, propping myself limply up against it. My ragged breathing tears across my chest. A soft whimper rounds against the roof of my mouth.

A quiet snap surges through the icy air. My heart lurches inside my chest and the tears spill over. They fall in glassy beads, sliding over my skin.

Convulsing, I watch the silhouette gently close the door. The figure is swiftly cloaked in shadows. Crying softly, I huddle against the wall.

Light streams in from the crack in the door. It pours over the figure, revealing a small glimpse of his features. He's a stranger, draped in darkness.

He walks cautiously down the stairs, depleting the space between us. "Please...oh God," I sob. Slowly he raises his finger to his lips. "I'm not going to hurt you," a thick Spanish accent tugs at his smooth voice.

The rabid beating of my heart consumes my mind. I scramble against the wall in a desperate attempt to escape. "Don't," my voice wavers over the tears. "Please."

He kneels down in front of me. "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeats gently. A golden strip of light flashes across his face, revealing how young he really is. He doesn't look any older than me.

His warm brown eyes shine through the gloom. "You have to be quiet in case he comes back," he murmurs.

"W-where am I?" I choke.

"About twenty minutes out of town," the boy says.

He holds out a bottle of water. Shaking, I watch the water lap up the sides of the bottle. The thirst claws at my throat. The burning sensation screams for water.

I shake my head. Fear tightens around my body, forbidding me from taking the bottle. "It's not poisonous," he breathes.

"You drink it," I mumble.

The boy shrugs and snaps the lid off. He brings the bottle to his lips, swallowing a mouthful of water.

"See?" he sighs, offering the bottle to me. Hesitantly I curl my fingers around the neck of the plastic bottle. Cradling in the palms of my hands I raise it to my lips.

The cool water slides between them and rushes down my throat. It soothes the burn and my dehydrated body fills with relief. I scull at least half the bottle before gasping for air.

"How long have you been down here?" he asks.

"I-I don't know," I stammer. The boy's eyes flicker over me, drawing in my bruised body. He holds out a packet of biscuits.

My fingers clamp around the packet. They tear through the plastic as hunger drowns me. "A while obviously," he mutters.

Heat flushes through my face and throbs inside my temples. I slide a biscuit out of the packet. The edges crumble over my fingers.

"H-how'd you find me?" I choke. My mouth clamps around the biscuit. It feels odd as it's crushed against the roof of my mouth. "I live here," he says.