They all walk outside of the room, the youngest one, Emma, gives me an uncertain look before the door closes behind them.
I look around the room- apparently in which I've been lying unconscious for the last two days. I grab my head and flop down on the wooden floor in frustration.
Two days! I wasted two perfect days to get far away from Miller even more!
"You're such an idiot.." I hiss under my breath, struggling to stand up straight.
Suddenly, My ears prick up when I hear a light yet sharp sound of a door locking. I look at the direction of the entrance and sigh, with a weak smile of disbelief.
They locked me in.
These people, who claimed to have 'helped' and 'saved' me, have locked me in.
I rub at my face in agitation, hoping that this all is a dream. Hoping that I have escaped somewhere far far away and am living in a safe and sound place.
I shake my head. Who am I kidding? Of course, my fantasy isn't real. Of course I'm stuck in here. And of course, I am now officially - a prisoner.
If my throat wasn't feeling so sour I'd laugh with the irony. Years locking people inside rooms of terror and now I'm the one inside the place where the horror takes place.
Damn.
I sit down on the bed, wrapping my arms around my legs, resting my head on my knees.
My head throbs so I close my eyes. I need to lie down. My skin is burning so hot that I want to crawl out of it. How did the doc think I'm ok, again?
I look over at the tablets laying on the table, next to the glass of water.
This better make me feel ok. Cause the sooner I feel fine, the sooner I'll get out of here, right?
But where to? I'm not sure about that but all I know I won't ever come back home.
I smile. I don't know how I'm calm in this situation but I smile.
I imagine the look on Miller's face.
Fury. Pure and utter fury that he couldn't catch me.
He's probably running mad, trying to figure out where I ran off to.
Hell, even I'm not aware where I am right now.
Imagine my luck, being able to escape in that violent thunderstorm in the middle of the night. With all those stupid, lazy, so-called look-outs of that Gillian couldn't even notice a small guy lurking in the shadows.
I manage a hysteric laugh, gulping down the tablets with the water.
I escaped! I did, I did!
I feel so free!
No more secrets! No more guilt!
My face darkens with only one regret though.
Matt...
If only I could have told him. If only he didn't find out the hard way.
"...I don't want to see your face. Ever!" He had yelled, his eyes bloodshot and wild.
He was the reason I ran away.
I wonder if he hadn't showed up that day, where would I be right now?
Definitely not here.
I don't know if I should be grateful or not.
I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
This fever is going inside my head because I don't know how to feel.
**********************************
It's her again. That woman with the blurry, milky face.
But she's standing closer at my direction as if expecting me to come closer.
She's wearing an extravagant green summer dress, with a large hat that covers her face. There is no darkness around us. The sky was clear and bright with almost no sign of clouds. We are standing in a meadow, surrounded with fragmented flowers so beautiful that I just want to stay here forever. Because this place is happiness. This place is it. A place where I can feel safe. With her warmth and these flowers, I can stay here.
I move towards her, a small smile plastered on on my face. She ducks down nearer to the grass and gently plucks a sunflower.
I try to lean closer a bit, to memorize her face but the large hat blocks off everything.
She seems happy though.
And i don't know why but seeing her this way makes me happy.
I want to ask who she is. Where she's from. More importantly, I want to ask why is she here? But no words come out of my mouth.
I don't hate that either. The peace and quietness itself feels like the answer.
Finally, I decide to sit down on the soft grass, watching her for a moment or two, secretly hoping that when she looks up for a brief second, I'll be able to catch a glimpse of her face.
The woman plucks out a bunch of flowers, grinning as she inhales its fragrance.
Who...is she? Is she someone I know? Once knew?
Why do I feel so close to her?
All of a sudden, she looks at me, and even though I can't see it, I can feel her smiling at me. She reaches out her hand, making me precarious for a moment before she pats my head and ruffles my hair. That makes me frown in confusion.
So she knows me when I don't think I do.
Just as I'm about to ask her the questions burning my mind, everything around us goes dark. Back to black.
"No!" I call out, watching as she starts fading away as well, "No, don't go!"
Just as I try to grab her hand, I see her eyes, so blue and bright. Just like the sky that was above us a few seconds ago.
And then she's gone.
************************************
I wake up so fast that my heart starts to beat like it's about to explode.
I look around shivering, taking in my surroundings.
The wooden walls and floors, shelves filled with medals and trophies. Pictures of a toothy blond grinning in every occasion.
Where...?
The memories start flooding back in my mind. Me running away, me fainting, me finding myself in this house of strangers.
Me being sick and locked in a room, having no means of escaping.
I groan, grabbing my head in my hands, "Oh...shit."
My headache is better, but I still feel a bit dizzy. But I wince, making an effort to stand.
This is.... This is so messed up.
My eyes flash with sadness as I remember my dream. That woman.
She seemed nice. She seemed too good to be true. Which she is. Because she doesn't exist anywhere but in my dreams. I wonder if I'll see her again? I wonder if she wants to see me again?
I scoff. She's not even real, how will she want to see me?
I manage to laugh at my stupidity.
Rory...
That's what she called me the first time I saw her.
And the second time we met, I saw her eyes.
If we meet the third time will I be able to see her properly? Will I remember her?
And why now? Why are these strange dreams coming right now? Of all the times...why now?
The sun glints through the window, causing me to look away.
But then I realize. The window...
Wonder where I'm staying right now?
Struggling, I get up, slowly inching towards the window, to gape at the view, the world I am in.
The sun shines tremendously and proudly, making me cover my eyes with my hand despite being inside. I observe the large fields beyond me, looking like an infinite maze. There's a large barn in the corner, followed by a quite small stable, with only two or three stalls. I squint, watching the old man - Ed, i think - sitting on a tractor, gazing calmly at his flock of sheep.
A farm. I'm staying in a farm.
My heart beats with slight excitement. I've never seen a proper farm before. I wonder if they have cats or some dogs over here? At least I won't get bored-
"No, you idiot." I shaking my head violently, causing me to almost loose my balance, "You're supposed to leave as soon as you get better. You don't have time to look for cats and other animals."
I sigh, a bit disappointed.
That's when I notice an uncomfortable itch on my neck.
Someone watching me. I look down through the window, and almost jump with surprise, as I see that teen girl, glaring at me with a clenched fist, the other hand, tightly wrapped around her phone.
I grimace, "What's her problem?"
I gape right back at her when I notice the resemblance.
Her eyes... they're just like the woman's!
Could she be the one I was dreaming about?
I roll my eyes at the thought. As if. That woman seemed sincere and happy. Whereas this girl....well she's just a bucket of crazy and suspicion. Plus, the woman was way older then her. So, of course it's not her.
I can't help but look back at her just to confirm. And although she's moving away, I know.
That woman... she must be related to this girl.
Because her large blue eyes....they're just like hers.
I swallow down what seems like acids that are burning my stomach at this.