Would You Bargain With Hell?

I felt drowsy, but my eyelids opened nonetheless. I felt a hard corset around me. I looked down, noticing the thick plastic brace. I slammed my head against the pillow. My eyes widened. I would have shot up if I was capable of it. I cursed to myself. I wasn’t at my house. This was a small room, furnished badly. I laid down on a rough spring mattress. I closed my eyes.

I didn’t recall when my memory had gotten so bad, but every time I’d waken up I had forgotten what happened the previous night. I punched the mattress; it rejected my hand and flung it back into the air. Someone stood at the far end of the room, the lighting was to dim to tell who it was.

“Rayder.” His voice was sluggish.

“Yes.”

“How are you feeling?” I heard him walk further away, then the long bar of lights hanging from the dark cement roof turned on. I blinked and flinched.

“I don’t know. I’m tired. I need to go back.”

The room fell silent. Like a scene from a movie. Not one sound was made.

“No.”

“I have to Mason.” I tried to sit up, but was anchored down at my waist. I felt trapped.

“No. Rayder honestly you can’t go back.” He walked over to me, stepping over some junk strewn across the floor.

My heart beated irregularly like it always seemed to do when he got close. He sat beside me on the bed, looking down at me with his olive eyes tender. His hand brushed a strand of my hair back.

“I have to go back, they’ll find me if I don’t, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I fought with myself, my heart fighting to stay here.

Mason held my shoulder and had me sit up.

“I can protect you Rayder; you don’t need to protect me.”

I didn’t know why, but when he said that I just started crying. My chest thumped up and down with my sobs and my head bobbed in the air. Tears raced rapidly down my oily face and my mouth whined. Through my slitted eyes I saw Mason’s face. He wasn’t sure what to do. He closed his eyes and then wrapped his arms around me.

He rocked gently side to side. I calmed my heartbeat steadying. I wrapped my arms around him. I think it was shock, that someone so perfect could care for me as honestly as he did. His arms were warm around me, his breath stable against my neck. I didn’t want him to let go, ever. I wanted to stay there forever in Mason’s arms. His strong muscled arms wrapped around me like a father to a son.

After a little while, we untangled our arms.

“Why did you start crying?”

“I don’t know.”

Mason looked down. “Rayder, I know this is weird, this whole us thing. And I know you must not be used to it. But I promise it’ll make sense soon.”

For some reason hearing him say that made me nervous. “You’re used to it?”

Mason guffawed quietly. “Are you jealous? No, Rayder. I mean I’ve dated but just to date. I didn’t actually like any of them.”

“And you actually like me?” I smiled my body warm.

“Rayder, I lo-,” My eyes grew wide, afraid of what he would say. My body shook. The garage door started opening, the bright sunlight filling the garage. “Bee’s here.” He said eager to change the subject.

A dark-skinned girl crawled under the door. Her ebony hair was large and puffy. Her brown eyes were almost soul less. Her smile was evil. She was thin and tall. Her shirt was vintage her shorts thrift store gold. She stared at Mason.

“Bianca, this is Rayder.” He pointed at me.

“Hi.” I whimpered intimidated.

“Hey.” She glared sideways at me, her puffy hair bouncing.

“Rayder, this is my sister Bianca.” I squinted.

“Your sister?”

“Yes, we shared a father.”

“It’s nice to meet you Rayder, your all Mason’s been talking about lately.” My heart jumped in my chest and I smiled dumbly. Bianca leaned down and carefully wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I was unable to reciprocate. Bianca sat on the floor and crossed her legs. She looked at me, like she was examining a new car.

“So, Rayder…that’s an interesting name. Where did that some from?”

I shrugged, swallowing. I never liked talking about my family, my name, anything that in my past had made people uncomfortable around. Things that made them second guess their opinions of me. Things that made them hate me. Things that made them hurt me. I clenched my teeth.

I closed my eyes shut. My brain was worn. It hadn’t stopped working the past week. A hand skimmed my shoulder. I opened my eyes and smiled.

“Are you okay?” Mason spoke quietly checking me.

I nodded.

“Oh, sorry, is that something we don’t talk about?” Bianca asked.

“I, uhm don’t know my real parents.” The words stung, they always did. Everyone pitied orphans at least when they’re young. Once they get older you expect them to grow up and forget it, but you can’t. You can’t forget when your parents didn’t want you. You can’t forget that.

“Oh, sorry.” She looked down, her long eyelashes flashing.

“So, uhm do you guys live together?” I gulped, changing the subject.

“No.” they said at the same time, as if the thought was absurd.

“I live with my mom. I just visit to check on Mason.” She spoke well.

“Oh, okay.”

“Yeah, but I mean it looks like he’s doing pretty well so I guess I can go. I’ll be back in a few days, okay?” She smiled and stood, leaning to hug Mason. She pulled the garage door down behind her, preventing the blaring sunlight.

“Sorry, I didn’t know she was coming today.”

“That’s fine.” I smiled.

His home was dirty, unkept, and not well decorated. It was a foreign place to me, but I felt completely comfortable there.

I struggled to stand, unable to move freely.

Mason stood beside me. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Rayder.” His face was old, mature, like he was tired of saying the same thing to me. “Don’t go back.”

I closed my lids swallowing the truth. “I’m going to grab my things, that’s all. Then I’ll come here.” I smiled. Sorrow coated my lips, his face was unsure.

“Okay. I’ll walk you, or should we drive.” He directed his eyes to my brace. “It’s only down the street a bit.

I nodded. He wrapped his arms around my brace to steady me. The pain had subsided but more than likely would return when I walked alone or removed the brace.

He pulled the garage door open. I shielded my eyes with my hand until my pupils adjusted. It was my neighborhood. I looked out the front yard, it was a perfect emerald green and a distance across the street another extravagant house sat superior.

“This is my neighborhood.”

“Yep.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you lived here?”

“I don’t. Scrappy’s just letting me stay until I get another place. I got evicted pretty recently and he didn’t want me back on the streets.”

“But…Scrappy.” I pictured the man I heard on the phone. The elder fat man with a comb over.

I shook the image out of my head.

“C’mon.” Mason guided me back to the car. He buckled me in and got in the driver’s seat. The car roared to a start and he pressed lightly on the gas.

There was silence, but it wasn’t awkward. It was a welcome silence.

After a few minutes of silence he pulled up in front of my gate. I closed my eyes and bit at my lip. I felt a tear roll down my cheek on the side Mason couldn’t see.

“Be careful. I’ll walk you to the door. You hurry and get your stuff and get out.”

“No, that won’t work.” I opened my eyes, staring straight ahead at the white house with the grey shutters. The evil place.

“Then what?”

“I’ll go in like normal. Then I’ll escape at night. I’ll meet you at the bridge tonight.”

He looked around, and then looked at me. I tried my best to keep my composure. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking. He looked into my eyes.

“Rayder. I don’t want you to get hurt.” I felt my heart crack.

I smiled, after contemplating some different thing to say and finding faults in all of them.

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

“No, they won’t be okay with that.”

“I’ll pretend to be your doctor or something.”

“No.” I felt my heart crack a little more, my eyes fought tears. I could see his heart breaking.

“Rayder. Please-,”

“I’ll see you tonight!” I spoke loudly and jumped out of the car. Tears streamed down my face. I could feel his sad eyes following me as I pushed past the gate and stumbled across the driveway.

“I’m sorry.” I wept. My knees were giving way and I wanted to fall in a fit of sorrow, but he hadn’t left yet and he would come get me. “Please, god if you’re up there, help me.” I stumbled onto the porch and pressed the doorbell.

I wanted to turn, to see his car past the gate, to see him watching me. The door unlocked and it cracked open.

“Rayder!” Grace cried.