Falling nightmares

I groaned, my head feels like it has just returned from a visit to hell. I lean on my elbows until the dizziness and blurring in my eyes are gone. Once I can make sense of the scenario a gasp escapes my mouth. I’m not in my broken down house anymore, no more thugs or blood. Instead I’m in what looks like a cheap motel room, the room smells of beer and smoke ashes.

“Justin? Adrienne? Is anyone here?” I sit up on the not so comfy bed and look around to get a better look at the atmosphere.

“Hey sleeping beauty, finally up.” Adrienne just came from the bathroom looking neat and fresh and was now sitting next to me on the bed

“Yeah, umm, what exactly happened?” now that we had some time I was ready to ask all the million questions swimming around in my head. Most important question first “Where is Justin? Is he ok? Is he dead?”

“He’s safe, don’t worry about him,”

“W-w-what happened back at my house and how come you’re here and how come you had a gun the size of my arm and why were those guys bashing up Justin and what had I done –”

“Ciara, shut up, you’re making my brain go hay-wired, one question at a time ok?”

“Ok.” I nodded. “First question - where is Justin?”

“Justin is in another room, don’t worry he is safe and healthy.”

Now that I knew Justin was safe it was time to ask the real questions. Questions like “Why were those guys bashing up Justin?”

“Because he was trying to not let you get captured. Next”

“Where did you get that gun?”

“You seriously wanna know how I got that gun?”

I nodded once then waited for Adrienne’s reasonable answer.

“It’s mine. I bought it with my own money.” I was so shocked by this whole experience I wasn’t even afraid that a 15 year old girl - who happened to be my friend - bought a gun with her own money. What would her parents think if they found out?

“Wateva, next question – how did you know I was in trouble?”

“Justin told me.”

“How did Justin know?” I was desperate to get all my answers so I started speaking fast but Adrienne still understood me.

“He was informed by a friend who works with them.”

“What happened to the guy who was choking me?”

“Oh I – never mind about that, next question?”

“Oh.” What else was there to say? She had killed him with that gun of hers. So many questions have floated through my head before, now I was blank. “You killed him right?” I asked her, I needed to know what sort of person Adrienne really was. She was just 15 and she could hold a gun as comfortably like how I would hold a pencil.

“Gosh, Ciara. No. How could you even think that? Even though he more than deserved it”

“You had a gun.”

“So that doesn’t mean I was going to kill anyone. Aren’t you gonna ask me the most important question – why were they looking for you, Ciara.”

“To be honest I don’t wanna know.” I was looking down at my desperately manicure needed hands.

“Ok, I understand,” she got up from the bed and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” I quickly said before rushing to her side. I grabbed her wrist before she could step out of the door. The moment I stepped on the carpet it was obvious that the carpet was cheap quality, hence the roughness.

“I’m going to see how Justin is going?”

“Can I come along with you?” I added “I want to see how Justin is doing.” That was true but mostly I just didn’t want to be alone.

We walked along the short, shabby corridor. I saw an empty glass bottle lying on the ground beside a broken glass bottle.

We stopped in front of the room 205, Adrienne knocked but there was no answer. She continued knocking, “Justin it’s me, Adrienne, open up.” But there was still no answer.

I started worrying. What happened if those same guys found him and hurt him, or kidnapped him, or killed him? I joined Adrienne’s petrifying knocks.

“Do you think anything happened to him?” I looked into Adrienne’s deep, dark chocolate brown eyes, worry and concern for Justin was in every inch of my body.

Adrienne got hold of my arm to keep me steady, “He’s fine, don’t worry.”

“Justin I’m coming in.” she yelled pressing her ear to the door to see if she heard anything from the other side of the door.

“Step back,” she warned me, and I obeyed.

Adrienne stepped back a few steps then rammed into the door. The door opened the instant Adrienne had contact with the door. How could such a petite and delicate girl be so strong? I saw Justin lying pale on his bed. His head was wrapped in a cloth that was stained with blood from his injury; his wounds on his chest were stitched up and left opened to dry. He seemed so peaceful. His face facing the ceiling, one arm resting on his stomach the other was dangling out of the bed. The bed was roughly 15cm smaller from the bottom so his feet were dangling off the bed as well.

Adrienne slowly walked towards sleeping Justin and brushed the hair that was daggling in front of his eyes while I was leaning on the back wall filled with relief that Justin was if not ok at least not harmed.

Adrienne’s eyes were also filled with relief and most importantly love. Love for Justin and relief for her loved one to be ok. I should have known better, Adrienne and Justin were a perfect match. They were made for each other, in other words soul mates. I just don’t get why Adrienne would hide this from me.

“We should go,” I looked up from the dirty floor and Adrienne was heading towards me away from Justin.

I nodded knowing that if I spoke I would burst into tears. We walked silently back to our room. We stopped in front of the room 212, except it looked more like 21 because the last 2 was dangling upside down from its place. We entered and I sat at the edge of the bed, my hands holding onto the bedside table to support myself.

Managing to ignore the big lump in my throat I told Adrienne “You can go and look after Justin if you want.”

Her face cheered up like a kids on Christmas morning. “Really, thank you.” She jerked up from her sitting position from the ground and got out of the door all in two seconds.

The door slammed with a loud thud and I started crying like a baby whose dummy was snatched away while suckling on it. I crawl up in the corner next to the broken window, my legs tugged under my chin and my arms embracing my legs tightly. I cradle back and forth while new, hot tear were running down my eyes, to my chin and ending on my knees.

I thought I would never be able to sleep but while swinging back and forth I lost my guard and fell asleep. I guess I have been so exhausted by this full experience and I haven’t gotten enough sleep.