by Sara Daniell
I stop looking at a pair of jeans and look up at him. “Really?”
“Yes. It’s located on the outskirts of Thailand.” I laugh because I have no idea what or where Thailand is.
I continue looking at clothes, and when I decide I have plenty to get me through a week, I go try them on. I laugh because I can hear Sage complaining about the three pair of holey jeans I have. She hates jeans with holes. A tear slides down my cheek as I try them on. Dammit, Sage. I miss you. Thankfully, everything fits so I head out to make my purchase.
I notice Plath has a few clothes picked out for himself which consists of jeans and hoodies. I laugh, and he cocks his head in my direction.
“What is so funny?” He asks.
“Does everything you own have a hood?”
He looks down at the clothes in his arms and says, “Hoods are important.”
“What do you do in the summer when it’s hot?” I ask as I set my clothes on the counter. He sets his on the counter as well.
Leaning against the counter, he says, “I don’t wear hoods then. I walk around naked instead.”
I laugh and so does the lady behind the counter. I look disgusted and say, “Remind me to stop hanging out with you before the warm weather gets here.”
The lady behind the counter interrupts our banter and says, “Is this all for you today?”
Plath hurries in front of me before I can pay for our clothes. He smiles and says, “Yes, thank you.” He hands her some money, and she gives him his receipt. He grabs all of the bags, and we head out the door.
I smile and say, “You didn’t have to pay for all of that! You know, Sage and I have a pretty nice stash of cash.” I try to take some bags from him, but he insists on carrying them all so I let him.
“I have a pretty nice stash of cash also,” he admits.
I look skeptically at him. “How did you get money?” I ask as we make it the car.
He is about to explain it to me, but his expression turns ominous, and he suddenly stops. “Orion, get in the car!” He quickly throws the bags in the trunk and pulls his pistol from his pocket. I pull out my gun and look at him. He looks pissed.
“I said get in the damn car!” He almost yells but tries to remain quiet.
“I’m not letting you fight alone,” I say through a clenched jaw.
“Orion!”
“Plath?”
He rolls his eyes and says, “Just stay behind me, okay?”
He starts walking, and I walk beside him, not following his instructions.
“Stop treating me like I’m some feeble girl. I can handle myself. You should know that by now.”
He smiles and says, “You are so damn stubborn. Anyway, I saw two of them,” he points in front of us and says, “over there.”
I nod my head and keep up with him. I have my gun safely at my side, but I’m prepared to kill the first Hunter I see. My heart is beating fast with anticipation and fear as I search for them. I spot the Hunters when Plath does and duck behind a random car. He follows suit. I look at him, breathing heavily, and say, “What is your plan?”
“Don’t shoot until I tell you to. I want to see what weapons they have first.”
“I’m not too keen on waiting to shoot them to observe what defense they have. How about we just kill them now?” I click the safety off on my gun and smile wickedly.
“But what if they are not Hunters? What if we are just assuming that they are? We need to observe the situation a bit more before we slaughter them.”
I shake my head. “I like my idea better.”
“Orion, just stay down, and I will give a signal if we are going to fight.” He stands up and doesn’t give me a chance to argue. He must not know me. I stand up and start walking with him.
He gives me a look that confirms he is extremely pissed at me right now. I smile and continue to stalk closer to the Hunters. One of them brings a gun up to a threatening position. Before I can shoot, Plath knocks me to the ground, jumping in front of me. I notice blood spilling from his shoulder and freak out.
“Plath!” I scream.
I carefully move Plath off of me and shoot the Sphere Hunter to my left between his eyes. The second Hunter laughs as I get closer.
“Where is Nikolai?” I demand as I point my gun at his heart.
He points his gun at my head and laughs. “His whereabouts are none of your concern.”
“He killed my friend! It is very much of my concern!”
He starts laughing at me, and I watch his finger move against the trigger. I beat him to it. I shoot his hand that was holding the gun. I watch his gun fall to the ground, and he is on his knees cursing at me.
I walk over to him and grab him by his long dreads, pulling his head up to look at me. I place my gun firmly on his temple and say, “Where is he?”
“I will never tell you,” he says in a cold tone and spits in my face. I wipe my face on my shoulder and slowly pull the trigger back.
“One, two, three.” He doesn’t say a word, so I shoot him in the head.
His body goes limp, and I let go of his dreads that are now drenched in blood. I wipe my hands on my pants and turn around to look at Plath. He is holding his shoulder, soaked in his own blood. As I run over to him, I click the safety on my gun, and place it in my messenger bag.
“I have to get you to the hospital!” We hurry to the car and get in. I quickly turn on the GPS and punch in the nearest hospital then drive as fast as the car and traffic will allow.
I PARK THE car at the emergency entrance and open Plath’s door. When we walk in, a nurse immediately puts him in a wheelchair and wheels him back to a room. I start to walk with them, but another nurse stops me.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but you can’t go back there with your boyfriend.”
“He is not my boyfriend,” I say defensively.
She smiles sweetly and directs me to the waiting room. “We will let you know when you can go in. Can you tell me what happened?”
I start to explain but realize I can’t tell her the truth. I hope Plath gives them the same story I do. I take a deep breath and begin to explain.
“We were shopping, and as we were walking to our car, a group of men attacked us. We got away but not before they shot my friend. Then a couple of bystanders started fighting them. I don’t know if they got away or not. We left,” I lie while looking down at my bloody clothes.
“Did you call the police?”
I look up at her. “Yes. On our way here,” I lie again. I’m sure there are cops there by now anyways. It doesn’t take long for others to notice dead people lying around.
“You should have called an ambulance,” she says in a serious tone.
“Yes. I know. I wasn’t thinking straight. All I thought about was getting him here as fast as I could.” I look away from her accusing stare.
She turns to walk away and says, “I will let you know as soon as he is ready to see you.”
I place my arms around my stomach. The adrenaline rush is wearing off, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Okay, thank you.”
What feels like hours pass, and I’m beginning to get nervous. I get up and start to pace around the waiting room, hoping they haven’t forgotten that I’m in here. When I hear footsteps, I stop pacing. I look up from my feet and see a nurse. I walk over to her, and she smiles.
“He is ready to see you now. He is on pain medicine which is causing him to drift in and out of sleep. He also has an IV with fluids and an antibiotic to keep infection away. We removed the bullet and had to stitch a small area on his shoulder. Other than that, he will be ready to go home tomorrow morning as long as he stays stable through the night.”
“Thank you,” I reply. I follow her to his room and slowly walk in.
He is asleep so I quietly sit down in a chair and rest my head on my hand. I begin to drift off to sleep but get woken up when a nurse comes in to check his vitals. I watch her as she checks his IV and temperature. He is awake now but hasn’
t noticed me. His arm is wrapped tightly in a white bandage, and he is shaking.
“Why is he shaking like that?” I ask as I get up to walk closer to the nurse. His eyes look in my direction when I speak, and he smiles.
“Probably the pain medicine. I just injected his IV with more, and that is a side effect. It won’t last long.” She asks him a few questions and then leaves the room.
I stand still with my arms folded in front of my chest. I meet Plath’s dark eyes, and he smiles. His eyes begin to close, but he forces them open again.
His words are a bit slurred, but I can still understand him. “Are you okay?” He asks.
“I’m fine. How are you feeling?”
“I feel good right now.” He points to the spot where the nurse injected the pain medicine.
I laugh. “I bet you do.”
“What are you thinking? You look like you are thinking about something.” He pats the side of his hospital bed, motioning for me to sit down. I shake my head and stay where I’m standing.
“You want to know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking I’m pretty upset that you jumped in front of me. I had everything under control!” I’m trying to not get angry. I should be thankful he did that for me.
He closes his eyes and says, “He would have killed you.”
“And? You could have died, Plath!”
His lips form into a hard line. “Do you want me to apologize for saving your life? Because I will not say that I’m sorry for that.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t need a damn hero. I can take care of myself.”
As he starts to fall asleep, he says, “You are so damn stupid, always acting as if you are indestructible.”
He falls asleep, and I go sit back down in the chair. I’m thankful for what he did for me. I just don’t want to admit that I would completely lose it if he died. I lay my head back and slowly drift off to sleep while trying to convince myself that I don’t have feelings for him.
I feel like someone is standing over me, and I’m afraid to open my eyes. After taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst, I open them. Plath is standing over me with a gun to my head. My pulse quickens, and I try to wrap my mind around what is happening.
I notice he has the IV machine pulled behind him, and he is still in his hospital gown. I speak slowly, trying to remain calm and say, “Plath… What are you doing?”
I gently put my hand on the gun and push it away from my head. I look at the gun, and it still has the safety on. I let out a sigh of relief and look back up at Plath who has his eyes locked on me.
“Plath?” He doesn’t answer me.
I slowly wave my hand in front of his face, and his eyes don’t follow. He’s sleepwalking. I gently take the gun from his hand and place it in my messenger bag. I put my arm around his waist and direct him back to the bed. He sits down but doesn’t take his eyes off mine.
I try to keep calm and begin to walk away, but he quickly places both of his hands around my throat. I start to scream but can’t. My lungs ache from the lack of air, and as badly as I want to try to stop him, it’s too difficult. I weakly start slapping at his hands. His face becomes distorted and exhaustion takes over, making it difficult to keep my eyes open. Dammit, Plath! Suddenly, I feel his hands free my neck, and I collapse to the ground, gasping greedily for air. Plath curses above me.
He helps me up the best he can and says, “Shit! Are you okay?”
I rub my neck and cut my eyes at him. “I’m okay now. You were sleepwalking.” My voice comes out raspy and strained. I find a chair to sit on instead of standing on my shaky legs.
He sits down and lays his head back on his pillow. “I’m so sorry, Orion. Dammit, I could have killed you!”
“But you didn’t.” I continue to rub my neck, and I’m sure it will be bruised tomorrow.
“What did I do exactly?” His eyes are fearful, and he looks upset with himself.
“When you tried to shoot me or when you tried to strangle me?”
“I tried to shoot you?” he yells.
I place my finger to my lips and say, “Shhh, we don’t need attention from the nurses. It’s no big deal. You were sleepwalking.”
“No big deal? Have you lost your mind? I could have killed you!”
“Plath, you need to calm down!” I say sternly. My lungs are still on fire from lack of air and talking hurt, but I would spare him the details. I’m alive, and he’s in the process of healing. The last thing he needs to worry about is me.
His breathing is heavy, and anger fills his eyes. “You are making an impossible request! How am I supposed to calm down when I almost killed you without even realizing it! What would I do if I lost you?”
His words startle me. I look away from him and stare at the wall. I shake my head because I’m not ready to admit my feelings for him. I keep my left hand to my neck to hide the damage he caused.
“Orion, look at me,” he begs.
I continue to stare at the wall, pretending to ignore him.
“I’m not good with sentimental shit, but I’m going to try to explain my feelings to the best of my ability. You should know that I like where this is going between you and I.”
I cut my eyes at him and say, “Where what is going? We are only helping each other survive. It’s nothing more than that.” My voice remains cold and emotionless.
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? I see the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”
I run my hands over my face in frustration. “Plath, don’t do this. Please, don’t do this!”
“Don’t do what, Orion? Be honest with you? I can’t fake this shit anymore!”
A tear runs down my cheek. I look away from him and say, “You need to lie down and rest!” I quickly leave the room and find the first exit that leads outside.
I reach down in my messenger bag, searching for a cigarette and don’t find one. Damn. I start pacing up and down the sidewalk, trying to forget the words that just left Plath’s mouth. I do have feelings for him, but I can’t allow myself to be happy when Sage is dead and while I’m fighting for my life every day. He has to understand that this is not the right time for this.
I notice the sun is coming up, and he will be released from the hospital soon. I hurry back inside, but instead of going to his room, I sit in the waiting room. A few hours pass, and I’m about to get up to find out when he will be released when I see him walking down the hall. He walks into the waiting room, his face emotionless.
“Are you ready to leave?” He asks, and I nod my head.
As we walk to the car, I ask, “How are you feeling?” He doesn’t answer, so I ask, “Are you hungry?” But he still doesn’t answer.
I get in on the driver’s side, and he gets in on the passenger’s. His arm is still tightly wrapped, and he is barely moving it. He leans back in the seat and stares out the window as he rubs his bottom lip with his thumb. I’ve noticed he does that when he is in deep thought.
I pull into a Denny’s for breakfast. I get out before Plath does, and when he does get out, he slams his door shut. I continue to ignore him, though.
We sit down in a booth, and he continues to remain silent. The waitress comes over, and I place my order. She looks at him to order, but he never does. She looks away from him and back at me. “Alrighty then. I will be back with your drink in a moment, ma’am.” I smile and nod.
His intense eyes look away from the window and lock in on mine. He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. “Why do you think I haven’t killed you yet?”
“Because you have been having a lot of your nice moments?” I reply.
He laughs. “That is a logical answer… But that’s not the reason.”
I roll my eyes. “What is your reason then?”
“I don’t know,” he says with a confused look on his face.
I scrunch my eyebrows. “You don’t know?”
He shakes his head and laughs. “Nope, not a clue. I have never been afraid to
kill someone. Ever. Until I had the chance to kill you. Everything changed for me.”
I look around at the people staring in our direction. “We shouldn’t have this conversation here. People are staring.”
“Let them stare. You changed something inside of me. It doesn’t make sense. I was designed to kill. I’m not supposed to feel emotions like this. Nikolai made sure of it.” He shakes his head in disbelief and looks completely baffled.
“What did he do to you?” The waitress places my drink down in front of me, and Plath waits to speak until she is gone.
“He programmed me to function a certain way.” His expression is full of pain and regret.
“So you are like a robot?” I snicker.
“No. I’m not sure how they do it. I was asleep when they altered my thinking. I tried to feel something other than the urge to kill but never could. And then I met you.”
I take a drink and set it back down. I swallow hard before I answer him. “Tell me, Plath… What is going on between us?”
His face becomes serious. “I don’t know. But there is one thing I know for sure.”
“What?”
His lips curve into a smile. “I can’t wait to find out.”
My entire body feels tingly, and I close my eyes as I try to work up the courage to be honest with myself and him. I look at him, his eyes begging for the truth. I begin to say more, but I stop when I see him standing up. He grabs my hand and pulls me from my side of the booth. He pulls me close to him and brushes hair out of my face, letting his hand fall slowly down my cheek. He brushes my lips with his thumb.
As his lips gently brush against mine, I quietly say, “People are staring.”
He smiles against my lips and whispers, “I don’t give a damn. Let them.”
He kisses me softly at first and then traces my jaw line with his lips, breathing slowly. He finds my lips again and kisses me more eagerly than before, as if he is pouring every emotion he thought he never had into this single kiss. I forget that we are in Denny’s, packed full of people, and return the kiss with equal amount of emotion.
He stops kissing me and puts his forehead against mine. He starts laughing and quietly says, “I think your food is here.”