Hunting Her

Chapter 12

The cold Russian sun poured in through the window. And as it began to blind me, I decided to kick back the thick blanket with my legs, and I prop myself up against the headboard.

Stretching out my limbs, I took in the room properly for the first time, observing the bright white curtains that had been left open and the many, many ugly paintings scattered around the room. I was unaware if Mila had painted them or bought them, but either way, they were not all too pleasant to look at.

I continued to judge the room but turned to find Oscar crammed uncomfortably in a small chair by the side of the bed, fast asleep. He hadn't moved even after I'd fallen asleep, true to his promise to staying to catch 'bad dreams'. But now he had Mila curled up in his lap. Her head was resting peacefully in the crook of his neck as she snored lightly. "You guys make a cute couple." I croaked, my voice thick with the husk of sleep.

Oscar's eyes flung straight open at the sound of my voice, but Mila completely ignored my wake-up call and snuggled her head closer to Oscar like a little kitten. "Come on love birds, it's time to go," I said, mainly addressing Mila as I swung my legs over and off the edge of the bed. Time was ticking and I'd already wasted so much of it.

Mila's eyes had now opened and she glanced towards me as she yawned widely. "Take a shower first, Lex."

I looked at her with a feigned hurt expression painted on my face. "Are you trying to say something, Mila?"

"Yes." She said with a smile. "You reek."

I narrowed my eyes at her to which she only laughed. Oscar seemed to be attempting to contain his own.  "Seriously though, I have to breathe out of my mouth around you." Oscar chirped in happily, letting himself laugh at last.

"Okay, okay I get it." I chuckled, holding my hands in the air whilst heading out towards the bathroom. "Mila is it okay if I borrow some clothes?" I shouted from down the hall, suddenly itching to be free of Oscar's spare clothing.

"Help yourself." I heard Mila shout back through a yawn.

Once in the bathroom, I stripped everything off, happy to be free of the clothing. Goosebumps raised along my arms, rapidly spreading across my body. My body ached as I moved, as I breathed, as I did anything really. It was healing but slowly, although considering everything it had been through I was unsurprised. I was still holding off on letting the weight of everything truly sink in. But compartmentalising was how I would keep coming for now, how I would get my family to safety before taking a moment to truly think everything through. At least my job had taught me that much. 

The shower wasn't fast by any means, despite my constant complaints of running out of time. I let the water washed away every spot of dirt and blood, including the remnants from under my fingernails that most definitely not all mine. When I finally, felt clean enough, I found my way to Mila's room and selected the most comfortable outfit I could find. But considering it was Mila, that outfit happened to be black jeans and a too-tight black top. Both of which despite being simple, most definitely costed far too much. 

Eventually, I found my way to the kitchen where Oscar and Mila were whispering to each other over their breakfast. "Still can't cook?" I asked Mila, glancing at their bowls of cereal.

Mila stuck out her tongue in response, before delving back into the bowl. I poured my own bowl and leaned against the kitchen counter as I tucked in, watching Oscar and Mila share the occasional look. After the 10th look, I spoke up, "What is happening, what's with the weird looks?"

They shared another glance before Mila spoke. "We are going with you, зайка." At that Oscar put a large spoonful of cereal in his mouth. 

"No you aren't."