Behind these walls

Wake

She stumbled through the doorway of the Old church, out of breath. She wasn't sure how much longer she could run for. She had to hide. Scuffling behind her made her turn her head. Swallowing down her fear, she silently ducked her head in a nearby closet. Empty. Good. She hid in the corner and put her hand over her mouth to cover the muffle of her sobs. Her eyes were ringed with hot salty tears and her throat was convulsing with the thought of the murderer behind her. Light from underneath the door wavers as footsteps echo in the giant building. The doorknob turns slightly to the right and she screams into her hand whilst sobs rock her body. The turning of the doorknob suddenly stops and light streams through the room again as the person leaves the other side of the door. A sigh of relief releases itself and she stands back up. She hears the Old Church doors being shut closed and with hope clinging to her heart, she opens the closet door. With a shaky breath, she scans the room for any sign of danger. Nothing.

She steps out into the rows and rows of pews, shutting the door behind her. Her scream pierces the sky and echoes around the building. The hooded figure approaches her and she stumbles as her foot hits the edge of a chair. She quickly gets back up but realises too late the knife being swung towards her. Pain ripples her stomach and the air leaves her lungs. The figure pulls back their hood and reveals a young lady with brown hair before the knife comes back up again, only this time to make contact with her throat.

I wake up to the screeching sound of the hospitals beeping wards. I look around only to find that the room is uncomfortably entirely white. A voice startles me and brings me to reality. Pain slices down my forearm and my heart beats harder and harder in my chest, feeling as if it is going to burst from me.

"Clara? Clara! It's me, Ryland." I look over to see chocolate eyes and dark brown hair looking down at me.

"Ryland? Wha- what happened?" My mouth feels like rusty sandpaper which makes my voice come out croaky.

"You were hit by a car. You've been in a coma for 2 weeks. I only found out a week ago."

"I've been here two weeks?" His head slowly nods up and down, his tall frame towering over me.

"Yeah," he laughs and looks down at his feet. Suddenly, his own voice breaks as her says, "I'm so sorry this happened to you." I turn my head to the window on the other side of the room. Light puddles into my room from the open window, which blinds my eyes so I turn away. I study Ryland intently, stubble lines his jaw and complete exhaustion lined every inch of his body.

A rhyme gets stuck in my head suddenly and I say to Ryland, "You know that rhyme of 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?'" He nods his head a yes. "I've always thought that was silly. And now I realise why. Broken bones are only temporary. It's the loss of words that make being lonely feel like forever."

"You weren't here alone, Clara. I've been here since I heard about it." A nurse comes in dressed in sterile white clothing with medical instruments in a pocket on her right breast.

"Oh, good you're awake. Luckily, when the car hit you, it made no serious damage. I was sure you would have a broken ribcage, but it seemed you only had internal bruising. You have a fractured forearm and a couple of bruises." She shines a light in my eyes and says, "You will have a killer headache for the next few days as a result of a concussion. I'll need you to take it easy and rest up, making sure of not doing any sudden movements that could make your condition worse." I slowly nod at what she's saying to me and a thought pops up in my head as she hands me a plastic cup filled with water. I chug it down in a few gulps before saying what was on my mind.

"When can I leave?" I question her.

"Tonight, hopefully." The nurse replies. I think of anything else to ask her, even though I wanted to avoid the question I was about to ask.

"Has my dad come to see me?" I say in a hoarse whisper.

"He came in as soon as he heard what happened, but hasn't been back since. Would you like me to call him for you?"

"No, no. I was just wondering. Thanks." She nods at me and turns to Ryland.

"And you, young man, need to give her some space. Go home and get a real night sleep, instead of sleeping on the chair."

"I'm not leaving her." He crosses his arms and leans against the wall. His eyelashes flutter against his cheeks.

The nurse turns to me. "Is he always this arrogant? He won't leave your side." I smile at what she says and she smiles back before she walks out.

I sit quietly in the back of Asher and Beau's blue SUV with Ryland by my side. I lean my head on his shoulder as it feels too heavy to hold up myself. We pull up in the driveway to my house and when Ryland asks to walk me to the door, I say no as soon as I see my father's car.

"I'll be fine. But thankyou. Thankyou so much for everything." He smiles and I walk up the steps to the house. He and his brothers reverse out of the driveway and head to their own house. I walk through the door and my father sees me, gets up from the couch and pushes me against the wall, my fractured arm banging into the wall first which sends a searing pain rippling through my forearm. I scream at the amount of pain it caused. I see him raise a clenched fist in the air and I turn my head so my cheek rests on the coldness of the wall behind me. I wait for the impact, for his wedding ring to tear my skin open but the moment never happens. Instead I turn my head around to find his hand resting gently on my cheek. A tear runs gently down his face.

"You look so much like your mother." His voice chokes.

He turns and heads back to the couch, slouches down and drifts off to sleep.