Trapped in a Vile World

He sat on the couch with me in his arms. I kept my eyes closed and curled up in his lap.

“Seriously guys?” he asked, his annoyance echoing off the walls of the large room. “She’s been awake for how long before you’re trying to kill her?”

“Hey!” Green Eyes exclaimed, standing up angrily. “We didn’t do anything to her!”

“Yeah!” an unfamiliar voice chimed in, followed by a thud as the thin man jumped down from the pipes. I opened my eyes a little to peak at the figure. His black hair was spiked in different directions, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He had crystal blue eyes that were fiery with emotion. “It was all Zacky!” he chuckled, exuding warmth. He saw me peaking and bent down so we were eye level. “I’m sorry if I scared you, little lady,” he said, exaggerating. I giggled, and he smiled. “Forgiven?” he asked. I nodded. He ruffled my hair and started walking toward the door, but he paused. “Oh yeah. This is yours, kid,” he said, throwing my knife towards me.

“Jimmy!” my rescuer yelled, beginning to extend his arm to catch it, but I beat him to the punch.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I’ve got it.” He looked down at me, seeming impressed. I smiled up at him. I could see Green Eyes glaring at me out of the corner of my eye. I looked down at my hands.

“Zacky,” my rescuer said, a little sternly as the bang of Jimmy shutting the door echoed around the room. “Aren’t you going to apologize, too?”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Matt? I’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he sneered, running after Jimmy.

“I’m sorry,” Matt mumbled quietly as Zacky slammed the door shut with more force than necessary.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly.

“I’m gonna go see why he’s got a stick shoved up his ass,” Matt said, annoyed. I nodded, but when he laid me on the couch after he got up, I shivered a little. “Are you cold?” he asked sympathetically.

“Maybe a little,” I mumbled, afraid to be a bother him.

“Here,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head and holding it out to me. I really hope he didn’t notice me gawking at his body; he was sculpted from head to toe, every curve of his muscles heavily defined. I had a feeling by his chuckle that he did notice, and I blushed. “Put that on,” he said, pretending to be stern. I slipped the sleeveless shirt over my head, and the heat that lingered from his body warmed my skin. He smiled down at me. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised, walking off after Zacky.

When the door closed, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I didn’t even know what to think of my predicament. I went over all the events in my head, trying to piece things together. Finally, I decided that Matt and Zacky must’ve followed me after I’d run into them in the street, and they were the figures who had run off my attacker. I shivered at that thought. My attacker... I didn’t linger on that thought very long.

I decided to observe my surroundings. Now that the sun was steadily rising, there was more light filtering in through the filthy windows, but not much. I looked around; the room was pretty barren aside from the couch and the maze of pipes overhead. As I lazily followed some of the pipes through their twists and turns with my eyes, I noticed something that didn’t seem to belong. It looked almost like a silhouette. I squinted a little, and I heard a little chuckle. I jumped in surprise. The shadow was suddenly falling through the pipes, almost too fast for my eye to see, and landed with a loud thud. It was another person, and I couldn’t decide whether to be suspicious or friendly.

I squinted, and saw the build of a man. He was average height, with a strong build, but nothing comparing to Matt’s amount of muscle. His black hair was almost to his shoulders, and messily tucked under a hat. He was walking towards me. I decided to be bold and take the plunge.

“Hi,” I said, my voice a little shaky. I saw his face light up with a smile instantly at my kind invitation. He walked over and sat on the opposite end of the couch, extending his hand.

“Brian,” he said. I shook his hand as firmly as I could. “That was very brave of you, considering what you’ve been put through by strangers today,” he laughed. I smiled.

“Well, I figured that at this point, it really couldn’t hurt.” He returned my smile, his dark brown eyes filling with warmth.

“So, how are you feeling?” he asked, his smile dimming a little.

“I’m alright,” I said, shifting around on the couch. I winced from the movement. Damn, there went my cover.

“Honestly,” he said, looking at me with a serious expression.

“Well,” I said a little hesitantly. He crossed his legs and looked over at me patiently. I felt encouraged. “I mean, my head is spinning a little bit. And my ribs hurt whenever I twist my torso in any way, but other than that, I feel okay.” He smiled again.

“Well, I’m glad. I was the one who helped Matt bandage you up,” he said, not noticing the bright shade of red my face turned when I imaged him and Matt seeing me without my dress on. “I cleaned out your wounds and bandaged you up. I hope that’s alright,” he said, realizing how awkward he had made me feel. I nodded a little, and he sighed, relieved. “Luckily, nothing is broken or seriously damaged. You had quite the adventure little missy,” he joked. “Speaking of which, what is your name?”

I smiled at him. “Tera,” I mumbled. “My name is Tera,” I said louder, holding my chin up a little.

“Well,” he smiled genuinely and lightly patted me on the shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you, Tera.”