Chapter 11 (The Attack.)
It had been 2 months since my run in with Debbie, 2 very long and hard going months. Red and I were talking again but only when it was needed. Her and David flew off about 3 weeks ago, said they would meet up with us at the last rest point before Vampire Mountain, but never told us where they were going. The 3 weeks without David weren't all that bad. I still had Mr. Crepsley right WRONG! Ever since we left his home town he had been distant, far gone. Sometimes I don't even think he remembers I'm there. I understood at first but now; now it's just making me angry and to be honest quite hurt and lonely.
It was a late mid-autumn eve. I was sitting on a high branch of the tallest tree I could find just watching the sun inch its way under the horizon. I watched in astonishment as the sky changed from blue to yellow to orange to red, then eventually night had fallen. I knew Mr. Crepsley would be awake by now, he was probably still in his own little world and not even noticed I was gone. I climbed down from the tree and jogged back to camp.
"I'm very surprised you did not start shouting for me. I've been gone awhile." I had started to notice my speech had changed quite a lot in the past few weeks. I still occasionally join my words together but I can't bring myself to say 'don't' or 'can't'. In my head I string anything together but out loud it just felt wrong.
"I had not noticed you had gone." Mr. Crepsley answered bluntly. He was sat in front of a newly made fire. I went and sat opposite him.
"No, I guess you would not." I stared into the fire; it reminded me of how Red's eyes would go when she was angry. My thought where interrupted.
"And what exactly does that mean?" Mr. Crepsley looked up at me but I couldn't make eye contact.
"It is just you have not been 'with us' ever since we left your home town."
Mr. Crepsley looked at me angrily. "Well I am so sorry that I happen to be missing my humanity. I never moan at you when you go into a mood when you miss your family!" He stood and turned his back to me about to walk away.
"DAME IT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! I AM JUST TRYING TO HEL…" I jumped up and grabbed his shoulder and spun him round.
Next thing I remember I was whizzing through the air and landed smack bang up against a tree. There was a sharp pain running up to my head, I blacked out for a second but gained my sight back quickly. I looked around and noticed the arm Mr. Crepsley had used to knock me back was still in the air, but he had locked eyes with me, but I couldn't see anything no regret, remorse, anger or even worry, nothing.
I managed to get up off the ground using the tree for support, but when I stood up straight I was filled with agonizing pain and I fell back down. Any minute now I was expecting him to run over to me say he was sorry, check me over and we would be fine, but he was still standing there his arm still in the air and his empty eyes still locked onto my fearful ones. I wasn't scared of Mr. Crepsley I was scared my back might have been broken. My legs had gone numb and I couldn't stretch my back out. Tears fell from my eyes as I slowly tried to get up again. This time the pain wasn't as bad and I knew I hadn't broken my spine. After what seemed a life time I was able to walk around like nothing had happened between me and the tree.
I noticed Mr. Crepsley hadn't moved an inch, hadn't blinked and it didn't look like he was even breathing. I studied him quickly noticing blood dripping from his fingertips, I was puzzled at first then I looked down to my chest. My once blue top was now turning a blood red colour, 4 long scratches ran from my left shoulder to my right hip. My face had turned pail. I truly only thought he pushed me back not ATTACKED ME!
My tearful eyes locked onto his still empty one. I was going to let loose on him, scream and shout until I couldn't scream no more, but I couldn't; I couldn't find the words, he had attacked me. ME of all people, the person he swore to protect. I fell to my knees and clutched my chest, not thought pain of my wounds but pain of who had inflicted them upon me. I tried curling up into a small ball hoping and praying this was a bad dream, I was going to wake up soon; I had to wake up soon.
I realized this wasn't a dream, Mr. Crepsley had really attack me, and instead of shouting and screaming, I cried, I cried so hard I couldn't breathe. Now I was scared. I was scared of the only person in the world I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever be scared of, and to make matters worse he was just staring, watching me fall apart, watching me hurting and doing nothing about it. Eventually I stopped crying. I stood up never looking at him not even once. I took my top off to examine my scratches. They weren't deep enough to threaten my life, but I knew they would scar. I would have an everlasting reminder of this day for the rest of my life. I started sniffling trying to hold back the flood of tears ready to break free.
With my now ruined top I wiped up the blood off my chest. I applied some of my own spit to the wound, even thought I knew I didn't have healing spit, I was hoping it would help. After I was cleaned up, I picked up my coat, put it on and sat behind the tree I had connected with so Mr. Crepsley couldn't see me. I brought my knees up as close to me as I could, making myself as small as possible and cried silently to myself. My back and chest where both throbbing, my head was killing and I was truly scared. I don't know how it happened but I managed to fall asleep.
BANG!
I was startled awake. Maybe we were being attacked; maybe Red just crashed landed. I jumped up ignoring the pain in my chest and back and dashed round the tree to face the camp site, but what I saw wasn't a camp site it was a mess. The trees surrounding the camp now had fist shape holes missing out of them. If they didn't have holes they were broken in half and littered the floor. And there on his hands and knees surrounded by broken tree trunks was Mr. Crepsley, repeatedly punching the ground, one fist after the other. Every time one of his fists connected with the floor my heart felt heavier and heavier. "Stop it" 'thud' "Stop it" 'thud' "STOP IT!" I screamed
Before my common sense could take over, I dashed full throttle at him, leaping over the broken tree trunks with ease and threw myself onto him flying us both through the air. I held onto him like my life depended on it, I was holding so tightly I didn't even feel us land on the floor. I landed on top of him and pinned him down (NOT IN THE RUDE WAY PEOPLE I don't do that kind of thing.)
"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" he wasn't hitting the floor anymore but I screamed at him anyway. Tears where rolling down my cheeks and landing on his face. I continued screaming until my voice got horse, and then I just spoke it, over and over again, until I couldn't talk anymore.
I collapsed my head onto his shoulder crying, still holding him by the wrists so he couldn't punch the ground anymore. I had forgotten completely about him attacking me. I was now too worried about him to worry about myself. He could have swatted me away when I ran at him, he could of killed me but I had to try and I'm glad I did. I raised my head off his shoulder and looked him square in the eyes "look we can forget any of this ever happened; we can leave now; right now just please…please stop." I looked down trying to fight my tears but some still leaked out.
I felt Mr. Crepsley raise his arms and sit himself up. I was still sitting on his lap but I let go of his wrists and let my arms fall lifelessly down by my side. Suddenly I was forced against his chest. My chin landed on his shoulders, his hand was on the back of my head and his head was face down on my shoulder. I was shocked and I didn't move but then I flung my arms around him and I cried again. This time I wasn't sure why I was crying but I didn't try to stop it, I noticed Mr. Crepsley was sniffling and I could feel my shoulder getting wetter and I knew he too was crying.
"I am so sorry Darren." Mr. Crepsley managed to whisper into my ear and he held me tighter "I am so very sorry." He put his head back on my shoulder and cried some more. I didn't know what to say so decided just to rest my head on his shoulder and nuzzle my cheek up against him. After a while I sat back, and looked at his face. His hand was still on the back of my head, which his slid round to touch my cheek and he rubbed my tears away with his thumb repeatedly mouthing he was sorry.
He put both hands on my cheeks and looked wide eyed at me, his eyes full of regret and extreme sadness. He put his forehead up against mine and closed his eyes as he prayed to the Gods for help. We stayed like it for a while until he moved back and looked me over again; I noticed his eyes full onto my chest. My coat had come undone when I jumped at him and he could see the marks on my chest. I jumped up and fastened my coat up trying to hide what he already saw.
"It does not hurt." I put on a fake smile. The true was they were killing me but I would not tell him. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.
"Look…erm I'm sorry about earlier, I should have known you were missing your family. I was just starting to feel, well, lonely and pushed out." I looked at the floor noticing how selfish it all sounded.
"Let me see." Mr. Crepsley said bluntly as he stud up and walked over to me.
"No, I do not think it would be a good idea." I crossed my arms over my chest but whimpered at the pain. Mr. Crepsley was standing up against me know, he had backed me up onto a tree and I never even realized. I knew I couldn't run away so I slowly unfolded my arms, and even more slowly I undid my coat to expose my chest.
Mr. Crepsley took two steps back and put his hand over his mouth "Did I really do that?" I knew he was asking a rhetorical question but I slowly nodded in agreement. He stared at my exposed chest a while longer then with no word of warning he collapsed.
