Chapter 5: Night

I was awake.

For the first time in what could have been days, I was conscious. I sat up, which was so difficult now, and gathered my bearings. I tried to stand, but my knees kept buckling. There was no way I was getting out of there without help. I look to my right to see that I'm still hooked up to an intravenous tube with some sort of strange liquid, and I use it to hoist myself onto my feet.

If I were in different circumstances, I wouldn't want to leave this place so quickly. The room was very modern, very expensive, very sleek looking. I can't get distracted though. I head for the door at a snail's pace. How am I supposed to get out of here if I can barely walk? What if I need to run?

I make it to the door and reach for the handle, grabbing it with less intention of opening the door and more with trying not to trip and fall. I yank the door, and opens a hall with even more modern delicacy than the room behind me. I wanted to explore and see everything that could be here but there wasn't any time. My plan was to find a side door or back door (since the front door is way too obvious) and find my way to a main road where I can find help and get the hell out of here. Making my way down the hall, I can hear the faint sound of someone talking followed by obviously fake offstage laugher, letting me know it's just a TV. However, this brings a new problem ; who's watching? I try to peek around the corner, and I see the sharpened eyes of my assailant. I immediately pull away from the corner. I was so taken aback though that I bumped into my IV pole, knocking it onto the ground with a deafening storm of clangs, pulling me down with it. The TV turned off. I hear nothing. Am I in the clear?

"I know you aren't coming out of your room to see me, so where are you off to?"

Fuck

I hastily pulled the IV from my hand and bolted down the hall in the other direction, hoping it would get me somewhere better.

I could hear his gigantic steps start to speed up after me. I sprint down the hall and turn right, to find another hall filled with doors and windows. At least now I have a grasp on the time. I hear him thundering down the hall, so I panic and turn into a random room. My heart is pounding so loud I'm sure he could hear it from where he was standing. A deep chuckle emanated from outside the door, down the hall.

"Jamie, there's no use in running or hiding. I won't explain how, but I know where you are at all times. Besides, you've lead me straight to you."

What the fuck does that mean?

I look down

There was a trail of blood that had been leading him to me from where I had yanked the tube from my arm.

I began to cry. More accurately, I began to sob. Uncontrollably.

I lock the door in an attempt to have some sort of control over the situation. I start to try and crawl to the other side of the office I had locked myself in, but I was so petrified in that moment that I couldn't do anything but sit there on the floor and cry. I felt a warm hand start to rub my back, but I jerked away in surprise.

"Hey, hey now kiddo. I'm sorry, I never intended on scaring you. Are you ok?"

I wanted to run away and scream bloody murder, but there were no other options. He stand crouched next to me with his hand out. Being that I was actually starting to loose a bit of blood, I handed him my arm reluctantly. He gently held it and placed some gauze over the wound.

"Its Jamie, right? I know you don't exactly want to talk to me, I know that, but let me help you out. Right now it looks to me like you're having a panic attack, and being that your heart rate is elevated, more blood is being pumped to your body than normal, causing you to bleed faster. Let me help you back to your room at least."

Being that I didn't want to die here and that there wasn't really any other choice, I held out my other hand so he could help me stand up, but instead he hoisted me into his arms and began carrying me back down the extensive hallway.

Now I know that it sounds crazy, I'm aware of that, but in that moment I felt a sense of calmness and security being in his arms. I felt cold and terrified, and having someone warm and protective holding me like that was new and comforting.

As we made it back into my room, he sat me back down onto the giant bed and began to wrap my hand with medical tape so that the gauze would stay in place.

"Alright, you're good as new."

He sat down next to me and held my non-wounded hand.

"You're really cold, let me get some blankets on you"

He walked across the room and began to sift through drawers and cabinets, compiling a stack of blankets, of which he wrapped around me like I had just fallen into a frozen lake.

At that moment, I didn't care about the situation anymore, I just needed comfort. I felt so alone and scared and just damn confused. After he sat back down, I leaned my full weight onto him. I could feel his warmth through the stack of sheets I was wearing.

"Oh poor thing, its alright. Come here"

He laid me back and held me in his arms

"I'm sorry I scared you. Its alright though, I'm not here to hurt you."

He began to caress my head. I knew that I should feel so scared and weirded out by this stranger, but something about him attracted me in a way that I felt at ease. I could feel myself falling asleep as he rubbed my arm and whispered reassuring words into my ears. I couldn't help myself