Trapped in a Vile World

Matt looked into my eyes. Even through my shock and fear, I could feel how he felt. His light eyes were filled to the brim with regret.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pulling me into his body so that my head rested on his chest. “Please,” he whispered in my ear. “Please forgive me.” I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock. I closed my eyes and thought through the night. He has rescued me from Johnny in the alleyway, and he had protected me when Jimmy and Zacky were messing with me. I weighed that against the thought of him drinking my blood. I shivered a little at the thought, and he squeezed me tighter. I could hear Brian’s footsteps slowing and halting next to us.

“Matt – “ he started to say harshly.

“Shut up, Brian,” he spat back. “Tera?” he asked, releasing me and bending down so we were eyelevel. “Could you ever forgive me?” I swallowed and looked into his eyes. It was plain to see that he truly was sorry.

“Of course,” I whispered to him, trying to smile a little. He could tell that my answer was sincere, but that my smile wasn’t.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, wiping his lips with the back of his hand then planting a small, gentle kiss on my cheek. He stood straight, nodded to Brian, then walked down the hallway and into Jimmy’s room.

My chest rose and fell very fast and in haggard breaths. Brian was immediately at my side.

“Are you okay?” he asked, checking all my vital signs and beginning to examine my wound. I nodded. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about treating this earlier.” He apologized. “How foolish of me,” he mumbled. “May I?” he asked, holding his arms ready to pick me up. I nodded again. He swept me up in his arms and walked down the hall into the room across from Jimmy’s door.

He slapped the wall and the room dimly lit up. It was light enough to see everything, but still very soft light. This room was not as vast as Jimmy’s, but it was just as luxurious. The bed was enormous, and covered with fluffy blue blankets. The bedposts were draped with blue silk and satin. There were a dozen pillows, all pure white and fluffy. The dark wooden headboard was carved with beautiful flowers that extended up the bedposts and the length of the bed itself. The carpet was black, and looked just as soft as the carpet in the library. There was a stone fireplace adjacent to the bed, filled with a roaring fire. There were two chairs sitting in front of it, both made of the same dark wood of the bed and carved to match, with soft blue cushions, though both were empty. Deep blue velvet curtains covered what appeared to be windows, hiding all outside light. The walls were painted in swirls of white, black, and blue. It was so much to take in; it was so beautiful, so luxurious.

He set me on the edge of the bed, promising to be back in a moment. He walked through a door that led to a room I had yet to see. I traced the artwork on the walls with my eyes to pass the time. They were all so random yet they seemed to be placed there for a reason.

There was a click and I popped back to reality. Brian walked over with a white cloth in his hand.

“This may sting a little,” he said sympathetically. I nodded, giving him the okay. He brushed the cloth along my chest, and I hardly noticed, but as he gingerly wiped it along my wound, my entire body stiffed. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled miserably. My hand found the back of his, and I clawed into it, releasing my pain. He didn’t even flinch. He continued to clean the wound, until there was no trace of blood on my skin. “I can’t wrap this wound in gauze,” he said seriously, looking me in the eye. “I want you to be very careful about it.” I nodded. He looked at me a little skeptically.

“I’ll do my best!” I said, a little annoyed at his attitude. He chuckled.

“I only pester because I care,” he said. “And as you can tell, it’s more dangerous than you thought around here.” His tone had faded into a much more serious tone. “Now, let me see your arm,” he said gently tugging on my bloody arm.

“It’s not that bad,” I said nonchalantly. He inspected it with his fingers then ran the cloth over it. “DAMN IT!” I half shouted. He didn’t even look up from my arm. “That fucking hurts!”

“Well maybe next time you’ll think twice before doing that again,” he said harshly, wrapping my arm in gauze. I fell silent. He finished bandaging my arm in silence, then sighed heavily. “I guess I owe you an explanation for all of this,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to ask,” I said quietly.

“But you still want to know,” he countered. I nodded, not denying how thirsty I was for the knowledge that would explain all of the events of the last day. “Well, before I do that,” he said a littler cheerier. “I think I should get you something to eat.” My eyes widened in shock. I’d been so preoccupied I hadn’t even thought about food. My stomach grumbled a little, and he chuckled. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with something for you to munch on,” he said pleasantly, squeezing my arm before getting up and leaving the room.

When the door clicked shut, I fell back on the bed. I looked up at the ceiling, watching the swirls again. I tried to make my mind silent, but it was nearly impossible at this point. I didn’t understand much of what had been happening to me. I sighed and rolled over on my good arm, staring at the mountain of pillows.

The door clicked open again, but I stayed put. I felt the bed sink a little behind me, and I waited for Bryan to say he was back with some kind of luxurious thing I’d never heard of to eat.

“Did you miss me?” Zacky’s voice hissed in my ear.

My eyes widened.

The lights cut off.