Trespassing | ongoing

Chapter 4. Knight in Tattered Flannel

Chapter 4. Knight in Tattered Flannel

Thunder is cracking like a whip every other minute and it seems impossible to get an ounce of sleep. Caleb is in his own bedroom with his own large bed, while I am in a dark gun closet with my own little, metal cot. It could be worse, I suppose; at least I have a thick, wool blanket to keep me warm. Although, this blanket doesn't even begin to compare to my teddy bear, Frankie.

This thunder storm seems to echo through this wooden cabin, and each time the snap of thunder meets me ears, I flinch at the booming sound and my heart nearly gives out.

When Caleb said 'Surprised there's no thunder,' three hours ago, he basically jinxed it and a few minutes later, thunder erupted. Caleb was oblivious to my fear stricken state and simply told me to get some sleep as he left to his own room. It has now been at least a half hour, and I haven't gotten a blink of sleep, while on the other hand, Caleb's soft snores can be heard whenever the thunder stays quiet for a few seconds.

Throwing my wool blanket off of my cold body, I shiver as I hop off of my cot and slowly exit the room, making the door slowly creak open. The rain and wind are harsh and turbulent, making it very frustrating for me to get at least a minute of slumber.

The entire cabin is pitch black because Caleb put out the fire before heading off to bed. No candle is lit and no wood is burning. My only light source is the small light coming from my mobile device when I use my flashlight app.

"Maybe he has some thicker pillows or something.." I murmur to myself in thought, hoping a thicker pillow can block out the storm.

Peering over at the small, square window that is beside the wooden door of the cabin, I notice a small box that could possibly occupy some extra blankets or pillows. Walking over to the window on my toes, I reluctantly open the flaps of the box to reveal some empty cans and rotten meat that seems to be weeks old.

Bile rises in my throat and I quickly shut the box back up, realizing that the box represents Caleb's trash bin.

Sighing, I stand up straight and as I am about to turn on my heel, a slash of lightning strikes throughout the sky, brightening up the outdoors for a mere second. A shiver runs down my spine and I quickly trot back to the closet where my cot lay. Rolling into the cold steel, I pull the wool blanket closer to me and shrink down beneath it, knowing tonight is hopeless for any chance of sleep.

-

"Hey, wake up." Someone nudges me.

I roll onto my side and groan for them to go away. Clearly they don't get the message because they nudge me again.

"Mom, leave me alone." I murmur into my pillow.

"Hey, princess. Get up!" A clearly male, accented voice huffs.

Opening my sleep-deprived eyes, I come face-to-face with a begrudgingly handsome man. My thoughts piece together the current events when I realize my mother is in fact not with me, and my whereabouts are unknown to me at this point. Sitting up from the stiff metal cot, I rub the exhaustion out of my eyes and yawn.

"What?" I say in irritation.

"Someone's not a mornin' person. It's bright and early, gorgeous; time to pack your things and be on your way." Caleb smirks.

"I only slept for five hours.." I murmur angrily, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"If you were expectin' breakfast, you're sadly mistaken. I only have enough for one; that one, being me, of course." he shrugs effortlessly.

"Can I at least use your bathroom?" I raise an eyebrow, tired of his selfishness.

"If you must."