Hiding in the Shadows

Chapter Five: In the Night

My breath came in ragged heaps. I couldn't stop the tears. Another night, another dream. But this one was bad. It was a memory, not a dream.

***

I lay strapped to a thick table, every part of my body restricted. My arms were scarred with small dots of where the needles had pierced my skin. The bullet wound on my shoulder had healed, but the aftermath was ugly. Scar tissue had formed a tight ball inside and around the hole, and I could feel the place where my body was dead. The nerves there had been mutilated beyond repair.

There was only a medical smock covering my bare body, though the thin material was almost see-through in the blaring white lights. They blinded my eyes, and I squinted in and out of consciousness. The rest of the room was dark, forcing me into a black void whenever Kako decided to shut them off.

Fear coursed through my veins as a short figure approached me, making me more alert. A sharp object sparkled in the light as Kako stepped closer.

"Hello, dearie," he whispered, staring into my half-opened eyes. I whimpered. "It will only hurt a little."

He tightened my restraints. Then he hooked a needle into the large vein in my right arm. The large machine that sat on the table next to me whirred, sucking up a vile of my blood. Nausea rippled through my gut but I wouldn't vomit. I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten.

After a few minutes of pain, the machine beeped and the lights flashed. I was so dizzy. Kako returned on another machine and stepped over to  the computer. I closed my eyes. It was so bright.

I tried to focus on my breathing but the ticks and buzzing of the machines set my teeth on edge. I could barely hear my own thoughts. My head was pounding. My brain was foggy. And it hurt. Everything hurt.

"Now it's time." Kako took his sharp tool and stuck it into my skin. It hurt to breathe.

I heard the beeping of the machine increase and electricity shot through my skin. I screamed, thrashing on the table. The pain was white and hot. Fire burned behind my eyelids.

***

"No," I cried to myself, closing my eyes. I clutched at my temples, scraping the skin raw. "You're safe. He's not here." My hands shook and my throat was dry. "No." I clutched at my ears, I could still hear the screams.

I crumpled into a heap on the floor, shaking as the screams echoed through my skull.

I barely noticed as the door silently opened. In the darkness, the soldier hurried into the room, gun raised and pointed at me. The door shut behind him.

"Stop," the man growled, "I'll shoot." I stopped moving and instead lay in a weeping mess on the floor. The chains on my wrists clanged together as I brought them up to cover my chest. It was so cold.

The soldier surged foreword, fiddling with the lock on the ground. I was crying silently now, just tears streaming down my cheeks in rivets and raw hands shaking with cold. The lock clicked and I stopped moving. It had been unlocked. The whole day it had been unlocked. He had forgotten to lock it.

And I sat here, stupidly waiting for my chance. I had it. But my chains crashing around had alerted him and now it was gone.

A fresh batch of tears began to flow. But this time it was not for my past. This time it was for my future. A future lost due to pure stupidity. He retracted his hands and stood moving over to the door. He pressed on the bottom, waiting for the lock block to allow his exit but the door remained closed. He pressed on it again but it did not move. The soldier raised his fist to pound on the door but, instead, gently placed his palm against it. He was trapped in my cell. He had forgotten to activate the lock block. 

He turned halfway, glaring at the floor, I assumed. Then he surprised me. The man walked over, leaned against the wall, and slid down, tucking his knees to his chest. His eyes were trained on me.

He stared at me and I stared at him. I felt the drip of water off of my lashes and the heaviness of my eyes as they filled with sleep.

Even nightmares can't keep the dead awake. From the place where I was laying, his eyes seemed to shine. Even though there was no light in my room. He was waiting. And he would be for awhile. The scullery men didn't come until the morning. He was stuck here until they let him out.

I scooted back into a seated position. I leaned my head against the cement wall, trying to calm my racing heart. It felt strange having another person in my cell. Just knowing that I was not alone. There was another soul, another human, sharing this space.

But I was not safe. He could kill me in a single second. 

So I closed my eyes, challenging fate. Daring this man to pull the trigger.

Instead, he simply watched me. And before I realized it, I had fallen asleep. It was dreamless but it must have been long.

Because by the time I woke up, I was alone in my cell. The soldier was gone.