Deep Inside

Dougie

The laces on my shoes have become un-tied. They’ve turned black and grungy in the matter of two minutes - I suppose it tells you why people don’t travel down the back stairs. I trip over my feet regularly, but keeping my eyes on the steps help me concentrate and surprisingly the pace of my feet quicken. The adrenaline kicks in as I run behind the large muscle-one and bald-one.
“Hurry up, Dougie!” Tom bellows from, in front of the large man. Yes I’m trailing behind, even behind Tom! I hate being so uncoordinated. I push my body further, trying to ignore all feelings of tiredness.
Why did the lift have to be so full? Couldn’t we have just waited for another?
I can hear Harry push open the door and run into the lobby. The stitch scraping across my ribs hurts worse than ever and my breathing is so fast I can barely hear anything but the oxygen entering my lungs and the carbon dioxide exiting it.
I jump the last few steps after the bald-headed guy and almost crash into Tom as he stops suddenly. I suddenly feel like a bowl of jelly as my form comes to a stand-still. The blood flow has just stopped, it feels weird. I recommend you never try it.

Harry spins around wildly, looking for her. I hold onto my knees to help my breathing, trying to ease it in some form. I wipe my hand across my face, wiping the sweat off. Then run my hands through my greasy hair.
My eyes close and I open them slowly, concentrating on just breathing at a normal rate.
Everyone has their back to me now, Harry’s talking with the manager, the dent in the middle of his forehead increases dramatically as his mouth starts moving quicker and quicker. I let my eyes swim over the lobby of the hotel, looking through the cracks of the crowds of people hording the space. It’s as if someone told them to be here, just to make this job slightly more difficult for us.

Then I see her, her blackened and bruised body, covered by mounds of dark fabric. The tall man, the one who had spoken to us the night before, walks with her around the corner. My forehead crumples, wondering if it’s a trick of the lighting or if it really is her. Could it be this easy? That the large man in my line of sight happened to move just in time? Or fate?

“Har-”
“Shut up Dougie!” he snaps at me. I bite back my words and act on my instincts, following her, almost at a running speed. I weave between the people, cutting through small gaps, whacking into many shoulders and standing on a lot of feet. I don’t look back to see if anyone noticed my departure. That’s not what’s important right now.
I turn the corner, walking almost right into the man. He’s tall, very tall. His hair is brown with blonde highlights through it and a large amount of hair gel forcing it to poof up. The scar down the right side of his neck gives me the impression that this guy isn’t playing around if he says he’s going to kill you. His clothes are scruffy and dirty looking, with a smell of sweat and bloody coming from them. I take an automatic step back. A possible chance that it was out of fear.

“Oh sorry-” I cut off talking instantly, he’s rigid. My first thought is that the guys wants to punch me, but I glance up at him and see his eyes on someone behind me. I turn my head quickly to see a good looking blonde male walking right towards me. Not wanting to get in the middle of things, I quickly step around the person and dart for the bathrooms.

A hand grips around my arm, very tightly. I turn around and see the blonde male holding onto me. Fury in his eyes.
“Uhm, excuse me” I say, tugging out of his grip. I break it easily. Easier than I expected it would have been.

“If I were you, I’d go back to the lobby and keep your mouth shut, Dougie Poynter” He tells me in a snarl. I frown. How does this guy now me?

“Have we met?” I ask, folding my arms. I may not be strong, or tough, or able to throw a decent punch but I’m definitely not going to get pushed around by someone smaller and weaker than me. Although with the other male near that might change…

“Not technically, but I know a lot about you” His voice reminds me of a cat. A snarling cat. An angry cat. As if another male cat is after it’s prey, family or territory. Prey. Family. Territory. Oh shit. Realisation hits me painfully in the gut.

“Jason Williams” It’s not a question, it’s a statement. An evil grin spreads across his face, he nods and then from the corner of my eye I see a fist hurling into view. It collides with the side of my face. Hard, fast and painful. I stumble back, trip over my own feet - damn laces - and fall to the carpeted floor. Footsteps run past me as the lights above swirl. The blood pounds in my ears loudly, the more I try to focus a humming sound gets louder in my head. The right side of my face stings painfully, right on the temple. Awe shit.

I hold my head securely between both hands, when a voice calls my name.

“Dougie? Dougie, you okay?” It’s Tom. I open my eyes, the room is set in motion again and I take a steady breath.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Fuck that guy hits hard” I say, shaking my head from side to side. That could definitely not have been from Jason.

“C’mon!” He pulls me up, just as Harry, the bald one and the muscle-one run past us. I turn around quickly, as Harry’s voice shouts in the direction of Jason.

“You fucking prick, what have you done to her?” Her? It is her? Camilla. I take a couple of shaky steps then pick up the speed, jogging down half the length of the corridor.
Jason has his hands pinned behind him and his face pressed into the wall by the muscle-one and the other guy, stands without struggling against the bald one’s grip on him.

I take my eyes from them.
“Camilla, Cam, are you okay?” Harry pulls her fragile body towards him, embracing her in a hug. I can see her shaking form. Hear her sobbing cries. But it doesn’t kick in. I don’t feel the relief, the love, the realization that should be felt at this moment. It’s just empty. A whole lot of emptiness swirling around inside me. Not even worry or stress. Just nothing.
“You’re okay honey, you’re safe now” Giovanna reassures her, stroking her hair softly - now that her hood is down.

I hear Tom and Danny talking to someone quietly behind me. I turn to see him speaking to what looks like the manager. Without thought, I leave the love-filled scene before me and walk towards Tom and Danny. It just feels like I’ve become emotionally-detached. What the hell is going on with me?
“I should go and wait in the lobby” She excuses herself just as I get in hearing distance. Tom and Danny thank her as she leaves.

“What’s going on?” I ask Tom, part of me wanting him to explain the weird feelings - as in the non-feelings - going on inside me. My voice sounds tired. Like it hasn’t been used in a while. It actually sounds like it’s been blocked or something. I dismiss it.

“The manager, has already rung the police, she’s just waiting for them to come. They’re on their way” He explains simply, then frowns. “Why aren’t you over there?” his eyes glance to the scene behind me and then back to me.

“Because…” I sigh heavily, “Does the reason matter? Listen, I’m going to go upstairs, it’s been a long night. I need to sleep” I mumble to him and walk straight past him and Danny.

“But, I thought you wanted to tell her-?” Danny objects, although I don’t catch the rest of the sentence as I turn the corner. I’m sure it’s not important anyway.

The scene here is strangely different than what I had experienced merely five minutes ago. The lobby had been full with people, busying themselves around the lobby. Now there are no more than seven people vacant. Where did everyone go? Maybe they were ordered to leave?
The manager is standing on the wrong side of the front desk, speaking with a male and female police people. She leads them past me swiftly, the male eyeing me suspiciously. I keep my head down and look at my still-untied grungy show laces. This time tripping over them and nearly falling over. Yeah that’s not embarrassing, good thing no one saw.

The elevator arrives in seconds, not one person in it this time. I step into it, pressing the top floor button and the doors shut slowly. The last thing I see is the two security members of the hotel bringing Jason and his friend across the lobby, with Harry and a shaking figure following behind.
The gold grilles close and I sigh deeply. Leaving all the drama behind me.
Now, I can sleep. Now, I can rest. Now, I don’t have to worry about her. Now, I can leave it all behind me. Now, I can move forward and on with my life. With no regrets of what I’ve done. Or not done…