Scream Silently

The air was warm, the cool breeze off the ocean felt perfect on their backs as they walked along the edge of the water. The sand felt warm and comforting to their bare feet, their hands were clasped together firmly but comfortably. Everything felt right, everything was perfect.
The sun shone off of Scarlett’s face, making her features look flawless. The shadows cast across Dalton’s face hid his imperfections, bringing out his beautifully coloured turquoise eyes that were usually hid behind the purple bags etched under them. Alone they were beautiful, and together they were flawless. They stopped walking and turned to look each other in the eyes, feeling the sort of connection that words can’t describe as Scarlett’s soft brown eyes met Dalton’s firm gaze. No words needed to be said, and no motions were made outside of the soft kiss they left each other just as the water began rising, adding sparkles to the light surrounding them.
Then the water rose higher, forming a sort of peak that climbed to the point of blocking out the sun. Something wasn’t right. The world turned over and Scarlett and Dalton both lost balance. A giant wave came crashing over them and swallowed them whole, and they couldn’t breathe. Scarlett tried to take in a breath and instead panic flowed into her lungs. Dalton closed his eyes and tried to reminisce as much as he could before the wave drowned him…
The paintings on the wall became clearer. Their fuzzy shapes turned back to solid rectangles. Dalton felt a jabbing in his side. “Dalton! DALTON!” He rubbed his head and looked around. His stepfather was kneeled over, beating him until he woke up.
“… uh…”
“Dalton, what the FUCK do you think you’re doing?!”
He tried to recall what had just happened, but his efforts were only met with the realization of a throbbing ache throughout his skull. “Ow… wha… what’s going on?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Go to your room, NOW. We’ll discuss your punishment later.” His stepdad stood up, kicking him in the side and walking away with a sigh.
Dalton curled up in pain, remaining where he was in the middle of the floor.
---
Scarlett wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she woke up in the hospital. There was no sense of time in this blank room. Everything was the same, nothing seemed real enough to take any time at all and yet an eternity seemed to pass with every second. Her stomach growled. She pressed the call button next to her bed, and Randy promptly walked in.
“What can I do for you, miss Scarlett?”
“I’m really hungry… Do you guys feed us in here?”
“Of course,” he nodded and handed her a black binder, “there’s a menu in there. Just call room service on the telephone when you know what you want,” he winked, “they’ll bring it right up to you. Kind of like a fancy hotel, but not really…” Randy’s voice trailed off.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Yeah. Anything else for you?”
“… I guess not. How much longer do I need to be here?”
“We’re not sure yet. Someone is going to come in and talk to you, then we can decide what the best course of action is from there… Well anyway. Call me if you need anything else.”
Scarlett nodded as Randy walked away.
---
Still doubled over in pain, Dalton felt a shadow cast itself over his body. The figure of a man hovered above him, but it was only a figure in a suit. There was no face, it was just a plane of emptiness. Dalton blinked. The figure was gone, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He figured he should struggle to get up now, it wouldn’t be pleasant if his stepdad came back and found him lying in the same place.
Nearly tripping over himself with each step, Dalton found his way to the wall, and used it as a support until he made it to the door of his room.
---
Room service came back with a bowl of cereal prepared for Scarlett, set on a tray that fit right over her waist so that it was the perfect setup for breakfast in bed. She thanked them and nibbled on the meal until it was finally gone. Her stomach felt a bit uneasy, but she ignored it.