Status: Active
Solemn Hour
3.
He looked at me and then at my grandmother. "Regina? Why has the process not begun?" He demanded sharply.
"Forgive me Frederick. I was simply setting the girls mind at ease." She beamed at Frederick.
"I see." he cleared his throat, "Very well then." He pulled a mayo stand from outside the door, "Then shall we?"
She nodded. When his back turned to me, she looked at me concerned. Slowly she mouthed to me, "Stay or go."
I opened my mouth to tell her, "Stay." But Frederick had already moved back in front of me. He placed a gown on my lap and unstrapped my arms, "Change."
He moved to the other side of the room, my grandmother followed suit. After removing my dress and covering my body with the gown, he hooked an IV bag to the side of my chair, and removed the cap from the needle. After finding the bevel he prodded my arm, quickly inserted the needle after finding a suitable vein. I winced. The liquid began to slowly drip into my blood stream.
"Wh-What.. are.." I tried to speak.
"Shh." He hushed me. "You must wait for the drip to finish. All will become clear then."
"I.." My eyes started to get heavy. "G-... Go."
Frederick's face changed, "Go?" He looked at me confused, and then over at Grandmother.
She merely shrugged. "Perhaps more anesthetic?"
He nodded. He looked at me again cautiously and left the room. After a few moments grandmother moved quickly. "You know this means you can't come back."
I slowly nodded, still in a deep daze. She removed the needle and unstrapped me. I tried to take a deep breath to clear my head, but it didn't help. She pulled me onto my feet and steadied me, "You have to run. Once I get you out you have to run."
She moved me to the door and looked outside, her hand motioned for me to come forward. Slowly we walked down the narrow hall and back into the large foyer. Grabbed my shoulders she looked me directly in the eye. "You have to hit me."
Eyes widening, I gasped, "No!" She shook her head.
"If you don't they will wonder how you managed to get out without any fight. Hit me."
I bit my lip and she sighed frustrated and grabbed my arm, "Now! Before someone sees you!"
I closed my eyes tightly, balling my hand into a first. With a quick breath my arm extended and struck a hard blow to my grandmother's face. She bellowed, falling to the floor. She touched her cheek gently. "Run. Go now. To the end of the Field, go to the Outside. Find Solomon, tell him who you are to me. He will protect you. Now go! Go!"
I bolted for the door, the square was empty. I looked around and saw the sun was setting. I ran west, my vision blurred and the ground shifted beneath me. In the distance i heard screams. She's escaped! Find her! Search the square!
As there voices become more and more distant I realized I was far from the center of the Sanctuary. The sun was almost set, and it was becoming harder to see.
My chest heaved as I ran, breathing in heavy amounts of dust and ash. I could feel the dryness in my throat and the urge to cough the pollution out of my lungs made my eyes water, but I didn't have time to stop and recover myself. Blood lightly trailed my arm from where an IV once was inserted.
The hospital gown gave me the freedom to move quickly and easily through the torn buildings and piles of rubble, but my bare feet slowed me. The ruins were becoming more and more desecrated the farther I pushed on, I knew I was getting close.
My head still dizzy from the amount anesthetic they managed to give me made the field that marked my freedom sway and spin
I can't stop now, I thought, I can't give in now, after how far Id managed to come. I breathed in hard, shrugging off my body's plead to rest, and sprinted faster into the Outside.
Once I was deep inside the field I looked around for a sign of Solomon. Or for anyone for the matter. I heard a rustling. It sounded close. I turned around searching for the source of the noise. Nothing.
The brush rustled again. My neck nearly snapped when I whipped it around looking. "Who's there?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
A shadow was shaped 10 feet in front of me in the darkness. I tried to scream, but couldn't. My feet betrayed me and didn't run. I stood motionless. Whoever was in front of me struck a match, and lit a lantern, holding it close to their face. With the dim light I could see it was a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. The light made his brown eyes shine. He towered over me. "Who are you?" His deep voice echoed in the silence.
"Lilah.." I managed to mumble. He eyed me suspiciously. "Regina.. She.."
"Regina sent you. Good. Come with me." He started to walk away.
"Wait." I grabbed his arm to stop him. "She said a man named Solomon would help me, is that you?"
He smirked, but then his face turned sour, "No. Solomon was my father. He's dead. I assume news didn't reach Regina, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised either. I'm Bryce."
"Bryce.." I repeated. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have said anything if I had known." Guilt washed over me hard and fast. At least he had known his father.
"It's fine.. Here." He handed me a bag. Inside was a canteen, pants and a button up shirt. "I think there's shoes in there. I'm not sure if they will fit.. your feet are kinda.. small."
"Thank you." I said quietly.
"You can change and then we'll start going. We have a long way to go."
I waited for him to turn around but he didn't. I raised my eyebrow. "Oh! I'm sorry.. I'll just.. Yeah.."He dropped the lantern beside my feet and turned on his heel and walked away. I could see his silhouette leaned against small lone tree. The tree looked so weak against his frame I thought it might break.
I changed into the blue jeans, which miraculously did fit me loosely. The black button up was also baggy, but I was grateful for that. I slipped on the sneakers, and laced them loosely to lesson the snugness around my toes. I put the gown inside the bag, not wanting to risk leaving it out here. The last thing I needed was for anyone to find it here. I needed them to be in the dark and not know where to search.
I picked up the lantern and walked over to Bryce. "Let's go?" He turned and looked down at me. He sucked a breath in through his teeth. His eyes scanning. My skin crawled.
When he saw I noticed, he quickly averted his eyes, "Yeah.. let's go. It's a weeks walk South." He started walking.
"Wait! A week?!" I shreeked. I covered my mouth realizing how loud I was in the still night.
He laughed. "What? Afraid your feet will ache?"
I felt my pride bruise under his words. "No. I just.."
He stopped and turned to me, a grin on his face, "You just what?"
"Forgive me Frederick. I was simply setting the girls mind at ease." She beamed at Frederick.
"I see." he cleared his throat, "Very well then." He pulled a mayo stand from outside the door, "Then shall we?"
She nodded. When his back turned to me, she looked at me concerned. Slowly she mouthed to me, "Stay or go."
I opened my mouth to tell her, "Stay." But Frederick had already moved back in front of me. He placed a gown on my lap and unstrapped my arms, "Change."
He moved to the other side of the room, my grandmother followed suit. After removing my dress and covering my body with the gown, he hooked an IV bag to the side of my chair, and removed the cap from the needle. After finding the bevel he prodded my arm, quickly inserted the needle after finding a suitable vein. I winced. The liquid began to slowly drip into my blood stream.
"Wh-What.. are.." I tried to speak.
"Shh." He hushed me. "You must wait for the drip to finish. All will become clear then."
"I.." My eyes started to get heavy. "G-... Go."
Frederick's face changed, "Go?" He looked at me confused, and then over at Grandmother.
She merely shrugged. "Perhaps more anesthetic?"
He nodded. He looked at me again cautiously and left the room. After a few moments grandmother moved quickly. "You know this means you can't come back."
I slowly nodded, still in a deep daze. She removed the needle and unstrapped me. I tried to take a deep breath to clear my head, but it didn't help. She pulled me onto my feet and steadied me, "You have to run. Once I get you out you have to run."
She moved me to the door and looked outside, her hand motioned for me to come forward. Slowly we walked down the narrow hall and back into the large foyer. Grabbed my shoulders she looked me directly in the eye. "You have to hit me."
Eyes widening, I gasped, "No!" She shook her head.
"If you don't they will wonder how you managed to get out without any fight. Hit me."
I bit my lip and she sighed frustrated and grabbed my arm, "Now! Before someone sees you!"
I closed my eyes tightly, balling my hand into a first. With a quick breath my arm extended and struck a hard blow to my grandmother's face. She bellowed, falling to the floor. She touched her cheek gently. "Run. Go now. To the end of the Field, go to the Outside. Find Solomon, tell him who you are to me. He will protect you. Now go! Go!"
I bolted for the door, the square was empty. I looked around and saw the sun was setting. I ran west, my vision blurred and the ground shifted beneath me. In the distance i heard screams. She's escaped! Find her! Search the square!
As there voices become more and more distant I realized I was far from the center of the Sanctuary. The sun was almost set, and it was becoming harder to see.
My chest heaved as I ran, breathing in heavy amounts of dust and ash. I could feel the dryness in my throat and the urge to cough the pollution out of my lungs made my eyes water, but I didn't have time to stop and recover myself. Blood lightly trailed my arm from where an IV once was inserted.
The hospital gown gave me the freedom to move quickly and easily through the torn buildings and piles of rubble, but my bare feet slowed me. The ruins were becoming more and more desecrated the farther I pushed on, I knew I was getting close.
My head still dizzy from the amount anesthetic they managed to give me made the field that marked my freedom sway and spin
I can't stop now, I thought, I can't give in now, after how far Id managed to come. I breathed in hard, shrugging off my body's plead to rest, and sprinted faster into the Outside.
Once I was deep inside the field I looked around for a sign of Solomon. Or for anyone for the matter. I heard a rustling. It sounded close. I turned around searching for the source of the noise. Nothing.
The brush rustled again. My neck nearly snapped when I whipped it around looking. "Who's there?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
A shadow was shaped 10 feet in front of me in the darkness. I tried to scream, but couldn't. My feet betrayed me and didn't run. I stood motionless. Whoever was in front of me struck a match, and lit a lantern, holding it close to their face. With the dim light I could see it was a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. The light made his brown eyes shine. He towered over me. "Who are you?" His deep voice echoed in the silence.
"Lilah.." I managed to mumble. He eyed me suspiciously. "Regina.. She.."
"Regina sent you. Good. Come with me." He started to walk away.
"Wait." I grabbed his arm to stop him. "She said a man named Solomon would help me, is that you?"
He smirked, but then his face turned sour, "No. Solomon was my father. He's dead. I assume news didn't reach Regina, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised either. I'm Bryce."
"Bryce.." I repeated. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have said anything if I had known." Guilt washed over me hard and fast. At least he had known his father.
"It's fine.. Here." He handed me a bag. Inside was a canteen, pants and a button up shirt. "I think there's shoes in there. I'm not sure if they will fit.. your feet are kinda.. small."
"Thank you." I said quietly.
"You can change and then we'll start going. We have a long way to go."
I waited for him to turn around but he didn't. I raised my eyebrow. "Oh! I'm sorry.. I'll just.. Yeah.."He dropped the lantern beside my feet and turned on his heel and walked away. I could see his silhouette leaned against small lone tree. The tree looked so weak against his frame I thought it might break.
I changed into the blue jeans, which miraculously did fit me loosely. The black button up was also baggy, but I was grateful for that. I slipped on the sneakers, and laced them loosely to lesson the snugness around my toes. I put the gown inside the bag, not wanting to risk leaving it out here. The last thing I needed was for anyone to find it here. I needed them to be in the dark and not know where to search.
I picked up the lantern and walked over to Bryce. "Let's go?" He turned and looked down at me. He sucked a breath in through his teeth. His eyes scanning. My skin crawled.
When he saw I noticed, he quickly averted his eyes, "Yeah.. let's go. It's a weeks walk South." He started walking.
"Wait! A week?!" I shreeked. I covered my mouth realizing how loud I was in the still night.
He laughed. "What? Afraid your feet will ache?"
I felt my pride bruise under his words. "No. I just.."
He stopped and turned to me, a grin on his face, "You just what?"