Chapter 14 Through The Night

The street with the high skyscrapers was filled with people going up and down the whole place, walking fast towards their destinations in an attempt to save some time from their busy schedule. Loud talking could be heard from all around you, with the usual sounds of the city being way too loud and clear, as the commotion only created a happy and vigorous buzz, consisted of both human voices and the honking of the various cars that were speeding past you on the street.

Still, you were barely even giving them any attention as you happily gamboled down the street, a huge smile seemingly plastered on your small lips and your adorable pink school bag hanging loosely from your back. You had just finished your first day at kindergarten and you were more than simply excited, since you had made a lot of new friends and talked to literally everyone. One of your friends was a shy boy named Jack! Oh, how much you played and drew together; you surely wished that you would see him again tomorrow! He liked the color blue, he was a bit older and didn't smile much, but you would make him smile no matter what! Maybe if you brought him some cookies? You didn't know. Maybe play with him more? The giraffe he drew was awesome though.

'So how was your day _?' a happy, male voice said from beside you.

You turned and your bright (e/c) eyes nailed themselves on the smiling face of your father. He had managed to come pick you up, just as he promised and something told you that he was way more excited about your day than you were. His filled with kindness (e/c) eyes betrayed nothing more than pure happiness to see you smile, no matter the heavy and dark bags that were hanging under his eyes and the shadow of tiredness that had stayed permanently on his eyes. His complexion was matching yours and despite the fact that you shared a strong resemblance with your mother, everyone was saying that you were as kind as him. In his words, you smile even brighter and swing your entwined hands, chuckling with pure bliss.

'It was so much fun daddy! I got to make friends!' you shrieked out in delight.

Raising his eyebrows, he grins 'How many did you make?'

'Ummm, five if I count Jack as well! We all played and drew together!'

'Really?' he questions you happily 'And who might Jack be?'

'He is a shy boy that just came into town with his parents! I saw him being all alone so I kept him company. '

In your words, his eyes soften even more and he places his hand on your head, stroking your hair tenderly, with a fatherly smile on his face 'You did well _.'

'OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THE WAY!' somebody yelled from behind you and your father pulled you to the side, just in time before two men passed you by, running with all their might towards a certain place up ahead on the street.

They were both wearing white suits with a distinguishable red cross printed on them and in their view, the pedestrians moved to the side, making way for them to pass among them and head towards a place where lots of people had gathered, seemingly looking towards something down on the pavement and speaking among them in total shock. Your father said nothing when you gazed at him quizzically, but instead, he just picked you up in his arms with his attention completely drawn to the place with the many bystanders, as he too walked up towards it. Now that he had picked you up, it was a lot easier to gaze around you, so you quite easily found the two men with the white robes, kneeling beside a very dirty and old man that was sitting against the wall with his head leaned on his shoulder. His clothes were torn and you curiously though if he felt cold with such a cold weather and in his left hand, he was holding a small white cup that had a few coins inside. One of the white-dressed men had placed his hand on his neck and he turned to look at his friend and nodded negatively.

The moment he did that, your father inhaled a sharp breath and immediately covered your eyes with his hand, quickening his pace and passing among the crowd.

'Daddy, what was that man doing?' you immediately question, your innocent mind filled with curiosity.

'It was nothing my love; don't give too much thought on it.' He answered you quickly.

'But why was he on the floor? Why wasn't he moving?'

When your father pulled his hand from your eyes, you had already turned into a corner, losing the strange incident behind. He left you once again down and frantically searched his pockets, with you looking at him steadily.

'He was just sleeping _.' He said quickly 'People do that after a long time; they fall into a deep sleep which is hard to wake up from.'

He pulled his hand from his pocket, drawing out his white handkerchief, just in time to cover his mouth as he started coughing hard. You just stood there, watching him cough and cough hard, waiting patiently for the time when he would stop; daddy started coughing a year ago and as time passed, he seemed to be coughing more and more and many more times than in the past. The best trick though, was that now, his white handkerchiefs turned a bit red every time he stopped and in a few cases, they had turned completely red. He leaned into the wall next to you for support, desperately trying to inhale and looking at you with tears from the cough and worry laced across his face. A doctor that had came into your house had told him to take a few pills that would help him stop coughing, but daddy said that he didn't need those kind of things and you always needed a new pair of shoes or a new dress, since you only had one pair each time.

When he finally stopped, he inhaled deeply and wiped a bit of red from the corner of his mouth.

'Daddy?' you say.

'Yes darling?' he murmured breathlessly.

'Are you going to fall asleep as well?'

He didn't respond to you immediately. Instead, he walked up to you, shoving the handkerchief back in his pocket and kneeling down, he gave you a weary smile as he patted your head 'No, of course I won't _. I'll never fall asleep.'

But daddy lied to you.

Just as Christmas passed that year, his cough got so bad that he had to stay in bed all of the time, completely unable to come pick you up from kindergarten or even talk to you. Instead, every time you came back, you rushed into his bedroom and spend the day with him, talking and singing to him with the man able to do nothing more but smile to you. But one cold day of February, daddy fell asleep and never woke up. No matter how much you tried to convince your mama that he was just sleeping, the only thing she did was to punish you and hit you hard across the face. She did that many times in the past as well, mostly when she was drinking that weird caramel-looking liquid, but now, she did that more often. And daddy was not waking up this time to stop her.

So, before you even knew it, you found yourself at a strange place filled with white marble stones and everyone –including you- was dressed in black. Mama was holding your hand inside her own as all of you gathered around a strange wooden bed where your daddy lied, sleeping peacefully with his hands crossed over his tummy. Jack and his parents were there as well and your friend was looking at you with his big blue eyes nailed on your (e/c) own, that were filled with tears; why did no one believed you when you told them that daddy was sleeping?! As they started to lower your daddy on the ground though, you began to panic.

'Mama, why are they burying daddy?!' you pulled her hand, trying to turn her attention to you 'He is just sleeping mama, you'll see, he'll wake up again!'

'Sh*t up you brat.' She hissed at you in response, making more tears run down your cheeks. They were making a mistake! Daddy would be fine!

'But mommy!'

'I said SH*T UP!'

Once again, her hand fell hard on your cheek, making your head turn to the side and pain to shot up from it. Your petite hands flew to the said point to cover it, trying to prevent the pain, as violent sobs reverberated from deep within you, making your small body shake. Everyone just ignored your mother's actions and started to leave as the wooden bed went even lower, but instead of following them, your feet took a step forward and then another and before you knew it, you ran towards the edge of the hole, falling on your knees and crying desperately.

'DADDY! DADDY WAKE UP!' it was difficult to breathe from all the crying, but you just couldn't stop yourself. Daddy had told you that it's hard to wake up but they do, so why hadn't he woken up even after four days?! Why did you lie daddy? Didn't he love you anymore?! Why he was leaving you with mommy when he knew that she didn't love you?! 'Daddy…please wake up!' you pleaded desperately.

Out of nowhere, two small hands wrapped around you and turning, you saw none other than Jack hugging you with all the power his small body could provide him with, tears rolling down his own face as well.

'Don't worry _. Everything's going to be okay.' He whispered 'I'm going to take care of you.'

The mechanical beat that was coming from somewhere beside you was enough to stir you up from sleep and make your tired eyes flicker and open, annoyed by the steady sound that was indeed stable, yet at the same time strange. The moment your (e/c) orbs opened, you were greeted by nothing more than pure light; everything around you was flooded with an unstained white color, so pure and untouched, that reminded you of the color that the clouds pick up on a nice summer day. It was mesmerizing to look at it and you could feel your mind relaxing tremendously, joining the relaxation that your body had already, as you were lying against a very comfortable surface, with a sweet warmth that had enveloped your body cozily, making you feel at peace and like home; what wouldn't you give up to just stay in this calmness forever, away from any problem or pain that your reality was generous on giving you. Then, a faint thought passed your mind…

Are you dead?

Is that what death is like? Floating around inside the pure light of the souls that are floating around with you, just waiting for the time that you will be plunged back into the darkness of living once again? Was that what death is? You had heard many stories about people dying and believing that what awaited them was only the darkness of the unknown and death, but what if death isn't floating around in pure darkness? What if death is nothing more that light? Just like when light refracts and creates all the rest of the colors, what if death is nothing more than the color white and living life is picking up one single color every time, returning back to white when you die? Maybe that's why many cultures dress in pure white when somebody dies and not in black… But if you are dead, then what is this disturbing mechanical beat?

No, you can't be dead… They say that death is peaceful, but this sound that resonates from beside you is annoying to the bone. You blink once again and exhale; see? Even your breath is coming out shaky and loud, so it's impossible for you to be dead; your body does feel heavy though and you are having difficulty moving even a little bit and Jesus Christ superstar, are you thirsty! Before you have the chance to look around you though, a navy blue mask penetrates your field of vision, looking at you without uttering a single word and with the black tears cascading down the blue surface; of course! Of course he would he right here. Why didn't he let you die? Your memories are a bit blurry about what happened before you passed out.

'Are you finally awake?' you hear his voice comment, rather calmly if you had to describe it in a way.

The only thing you can do is nod ever-so-faintly.

'Can you speak? Do you know what happened to you?' he continues with the same tone.

You nod again 'W….wa-ter…..ple..a…se..'

From the way that your voice was hurting your throat, it was evident that you hadn't spoken in quite a while. This time, your heart attack was more troubling than before; you were indeed surprised to be alive in the first place and frankly, you knew not how he kept you alive in the first place. EJ disappears from your field of vision for a bit and when he comes back carrying a small glass of water, he presses a button beside you and your torso is starting to be raised lightly, bringing you head forward, just like hospital beds did. You were still inside his lab and everything around you betrayed nothing of the heavy beating that he gave you, since all was spotlessly clean; your body was covered by a new pair of pants that were lose and enabled you more comfort and your torn blouse was changed by a normal t-shirt, while you were covered by a thick blanket and the only thing that revealed that he had hurt you, was your broken left hand, which was carefully tucked inside a narthex. Once your torso was high enough, EJ removed the oxygen mask that was around your mouth and helped you drink up.

The cool liquid flew down your throat, offering you pure bliss as it satisfied your thirst, soothing the rough surfaces of your throat, easing the stinging pain that was piercing you. It was exactly what you needed right now and if you could, you were sure that you could pretty much drink up a whole lake in one go. But the glass emptied sooner than you'd like and you leaned your head back once again, sighing heavily and trying to ease your breathing. Various tubes were connected with your hands and torso and you were amazed to find out that the beeping sound was coming out of the heart monitor. This guy has a full operating room built up huh? Well, it didn't surprise you anymore.

EJ pulled a chair with wheels right beside you and sat down calmly, his empty stare turning to look at you as he waited for any question or word at all. And you would grant his wish immediately.

'How long have I been out?' you cough up, your voice audible only because he had very strong hearing senses.

'A week. Your heart stopped back then, but I managed to make it start again.' He simply responds.

You nod 'I guess it was tougher this time…'

'Why didn't you tell me that you suffer from sudden cardiac arrests?' his voice was seemingly even, but you still noticed the faint traces of accuse.

'Would you tell your enemy your biggest weakness? For all I knew you could scare me to death, because it is possible to do that you know.' you shrug, nailing your tired gaze on his blue mask 'Why didn't you let me die? All your problems would have been solved.'

He remains silent for a little while, but eventually, you see his shoulders loosen up and you can swear that you heard him sigh 'Because you are my experiment and I am not done testing you. You do belong to me now, so I'll get to decide when you are going to die or not. Certainly, not before I tell you to or kill you myself.'

In his words, you scoff and roll your eyes 'Once again, so reassuring that you won't just snap my neck one of these days.'

'If you behave yourself, you won't have that fate thrust upon you. But do not test me.'

'Yeah, I have the evidence to prove that.' you say, raising your broken hand and then returning it to its place. It sure hurt like hell moving it around, even after a whole week. But d!mn had he done a neat job with tying it up with the narthex.

'As you probably saw, I took care of the damage I inflicted you as a punishment, as well as the rest of them. I will use force to punish you, but for now, your death will give me no benefits.' He admits, folding his hands over his sturdy chest.

'Gee, good to know that.' you downright mock him but your (e/c) orbs travel down the rest of your pained body and for the first time today, your brain registers the information that you are no longer wearing your torn pajamas, but instead, a clean and cozy pair of clothes 'Did you…did you change my clothes?' your question comes out before you really had the chance to control yourself and you eye him suspiciously. He didn't try anything else along with changing your clothes right? You didn't feel anything, so you don't think so….

'I noticed that your old clothes were not providing you with any function whatsoever after our argument, so to keep you from freezing to death, I decided it was best to replace them. Nothing more I assure you.' his mask had leaned down and he was fiddling his thumbs mindlessly, immediately giving you the answer; he didn't touch you. Hell, he was even a tinnie tinny bit uncomfortable, you could tell. Being around Jack all your life had given you the ability to know.

'Okay then. I just hope that they aren't from any of your victims.'

He looked up to you and immediately nodded 'No, they are from one of the residences inside this house. I borrowed them for a while.'

Suddenly, you decided that you didn't want to know more details about it. Ignorance is a bliss right? And your mind did fancy the thought that he might not have asked politely to borrow them, something that made the chances of you dying a lot higher if the said resident discovered them with you. In the mere thought that there were plenty of other people like EJ inside this house and not just his one friend that knocked on the door, made you something along the lines of worried and literally ready to let your bladder loose from the terror, if you had to put it nicely in lines. How is it possible for a house with people like EJ, murderers as your brain popped the word right in front of your eyes, exist? Hadn't they drawn unwanted attention? No one had ever stumbled upon them? Well, if they had indeed stumbled, you were quite sure that they would not have lived to tell the tale, yet the mere thought of a house filled with killers existed made your stomach sick. What wonders can the night hide huh… Still, EJ appeared to be relaxed and when he stood up, your eyes followed him obediently as he walked up to one of the cabinets and pulling out a drawer, started rummaging through it, his tall figure throwing his shadow on the white wood of the furniture.

'I will be going out tonight. I thought to let you know, in case you wanted to do anything foolish.' He informs you, pulling out a scalpel and promptly shoving it inside his pocket.

'Make sure to be back before midnight Cinderella.'

His shoulders sagged forward 'I see that your sense of idiotic humor hasn't left you.'

You shrugged your own shoulders 'It's the only thing I have left in here.'

'Then spare me the torture of listening to it.' He commented and grabbing a needle, he started filling it with some liquid 'There is a need to go out, my supplies are running low and taking care of you for the past week has done nothing but reduce them even more. I will be locking the door so there is no chance for you to run away. Also, to make sure about that, since you never seize to try, I have handcuffed your right hand to the chair.' He said pointing at your hand and in response, your eyes widened as you immediately raised your hand, only to see the shiny pair of handcuffs connecting you with the medical chair.

Yet, you were not surprised in the least 'But what if someone decided to come in?'

'There is absolutely no chance of anyone coming in if I am not here.' He responded 'And in the rare case that they do, I am the only one with a key to the lab, so you will be safe until I return in the morning. I would advise you to keep quiet though.' He walked back at you, once again pulling the small medical table and resting the needle on it, he made sure that it was within your reach, by pulling it closer to you.

'It's not like I would be asking any of them for help.' you commented bitterly.

'That is clever of you. Now' he said and pointed at the needle 'This is a mild anesthetic to help you sleep through the night. It is in the correct amount to help you sleep and not kill you, so that you wouldn't try anything. Just make sure it doesn't have any bubbles of air, it would give you a far more painful death than I would. Take it only when it's late enough.' He advised, pointing at a clock on the wall that was pointing ten o' clock 'You do know how to inject yourself right?'

You nod.

'Good. I will see you in the morning. Do not do anything you might regret.' He warned you darkly and after a minute or so, he leaves your side and walks up to the door, scanning the whole place up before opening it, in case something was amiss.

'Just let the lights on.' You say before he leaves 'Please.'

In response, he walks out and closes the door without a word, leaving the lights open.

The distinctive sound of the key turning in the lock was all you needed to let out the breath you didn't know you were holding in the first place. His heavy boots sounded in the total silence of the lab as they distanced themselves from the door, signaling that the killer was going around about his usual routine, before he went out to kill; you weren't a fool, you knew what business he had to attend to, but keeping the souls that would be lost tonight away from the conscience of your brain, you were happy that you were allowed some time alone at last and more importantly, inside the splendid light. Because what greater gift there is but the gift of light?

Without realizing it, you found yourself smiling a little bit, gazing upwards to the buzzing lights that spread above you, filling the whole place up with their strong, pure white light. It was an amazing night indeed.

You were once again alive; you didn't quite know how EJ had managed to pull things off on his own, but it was surer than the beating heart inside of you, that he had succeeded in keeping you alive. And it was truly a wonder. Once your eyes began to close last time, you knew that you were a goner, ready to go find Jack and your dad in the everlasting silver forests of paradise; yet, the man that had came out of the darkest abyss managed to hold you down to earth. If that was a good or a bad thing, if keeping you here was indeed a miracle or a curse that kept you from the sweet release of death, you knew not and frankly, right now you didn't have the chance or the will to think things through. You were just grateful that you were wearing warm clothes, you were lying against a very comfortable surface and the killer would be far away tonight, completely unable to terrorize you, at least for now. And more importantly, your broken hand was not aching at all.

So, getting comfortable on your chair and paying no attention to the handcuff, you allowed yourself to relax and try to drift off to sleep. EJ was still coming and going on the room right next to the lab, until at one point, around eleven, you heard the front door open and close, signaling that the killer was out of the room at last. And you would be able to sleep. You didn't even need to take the anesthetic he had left beside you and before you even knew it; you were already landing inside a dream. And how peaceful you were, running like a little child among the vast fields that were filled with anemones, the luxuriously blue flowers seemingly dancing all around you on the strong wind and the clear skies that allowed the warm sun to reach down and illuminate the whole place up, warming your skin so much, that you were sure that you could feel it in reality as well… such warmth, such…..freedom.

But that strangely did not last long.

Because as you turned around, an uneasy feeling filled your mind; there was something that was pinching you on your thigh. Hmmmm. Very weird; it can't be EJ, since it mustn't be dawn already and that metallic thing –it must be a metallic piece- only pinched you when you were moving. You moved again, trying to push away the feeling, yet more pinching welcomed you.

Unwillingly, you open your eyes.

The lab lights were still there, still throwing their lights over the lab and thankfully for you, you were still alone. You notice that you had leaned on your sides, having pulled the blanket over your head in order to protect your eyes from the light as you slept, so turning once again straight forward; you brush sleep off your face and mind as you carefully tuck your broken hand inside your pocket, indeed grabbing something metallic in the inner side of the fabric. Your pained fingers wrap around it ever-so-faintly and you take it out, holding it against the light so you can see what it was; a bobby pin. It was nothing more than a metallic bobby pin that must have been forgotten inside the pocket. Huh. Well, let's get back to sleep then! You turn to your sides once again, clothes and fabrics rustling against each other, pulling the warm blanket over your shoulders and minding not to get the handcuff on your right hand tangled anywhere as you make yourself comfortable once again. There, you are as good as new. Let's forget the bobby pin and go back to sleep.

You close your eyes and exhale deeply. Stupid bobby pin.

Huh… a forgotten bobby pin…

A bobby pin…..

Wait.

Waaaaaaaait…

IT'S A BOBBY PIN!

Your eyes shot open in a flash and what was left of the sleepiness is fast to be wiped away completely from your mind as you eject yourself upright, throwing the blanket to the side and bringing that little piece of cosmetic metal in front of your astonished eyes. It was a bobby pin! Holy sh!t ! And no, no matter how much your brain still struggled to find out why were you so happy about that simple piece that seemed insignificant, your eyes had already averted themselves to your handcuff. But to be precise, they had nailed themselves on the lock of your handcuffs. Could you… could you do it? No, no, of course you can't do it, for the love of God you had only watched a video in YouTube about how to do those things, that didn't mean you could do it!... But what if you could? You didn't have anything else to lose, so why not try? The worst that could happen was for the pin to break and you failing altogether, but if you did manage it…..!

Unwillingly, your breathing hitched as the thoughts passed like lightning from your mind and your fragile heart started beating fast, a beat that send the cardiographer that was right behind you to hit sky limits. Yet, these kinds of reactions would do you no good. Closing your eyes, you tried despite all the voices that were screaming bloody murder inside your mind to calm down and think. There was no sound coming from EJ's room or from any other part of the space whatsoever; the killer must still be out. One glance at the clock was enough to reassure you that it would take him a while to come back; it was only two in the morning. You could do this sh!t.

But you should start from the beginning.

Flexing the fingers of your left hand, you are clearly amazed to realize that you can flex them- you can't apply even the slightest pressure though. It's okay, you'll pick the lock of the handcuff that attaches you to the chair. Carefully, you use your teeth and your good hand to pull the pin apart until it broke; then, you proceeded to bend one half in two and crook the edge of the second one a little bit, just enough to be able to use it as a lever. Perfect! As if you were about to cut open a living person, you place the parts of the bobby pin on the lock and start trying to pick it. Amazingly enough, the instructions of the man in the video were echoing inside your mind, yet it was taking so long and your concentration was so much that even if EJ walked inside that door, you wouldn't be able to hear him at all. Sweat was dripping down from your forehead after a while and your broken hand was giving you one hell of a time but eventually, you head a very distinctive 'click' and you barely stopped yourself from screaming out loud, as the handcuff opened wide, finally releasing you.

Happiness. Pure happiness and bliss washed over you like a huge tidal wave, but your brain managed to keep your head on the ground, knowing that this whole ordeal was far from over. Throwing your feet to the side and stepping on them, you took a few careful steps just to try out how they were holding on; a bit shaky, either from the happiness or the fatigue, but good to go. So, without a second thought, you threw yourself against the lock of the door, kneeling yourself down on the cold floor and getting down on business. And this one was the trickiest of locks. Three times the pin of the lock had fallen and you had to start all over again and at one point, you found yourself begging every angel and cursing every demon, until on your fourth try, you managed to open it; your hands flew to the doorknob and turning it, you gasped in complete bliss as the door creaked open.

Immediately, you were back at your feet, opening the door completely and looking out to the other room; it was indeed completely empty and exactly as you had seen it a week before. This time around though, the piercing darkness had eaten away everything outside the single window, filling the whole dark forest outside with a feeling of dread and pure insanity; you would deal with those feelings later. Keeping the door open, your fast pace lead you once again back to the lab, your hands quick to open every cabinet that there was, looking frantically for a little flask of a certain liquid that you knew it would be needed in order for your body to function tonight. It was a simple trick that a nurse had once told you when you had your third heart attack: if you wanted to get back on your feet immediately, all you needed was a bit of adrenaline serum. Not too much, not too little, just the correct amount to help you keep going and not lead you to another heart attack. So tonight, if you indeed managed to escape, you would need the serum in order to keep your pained body under your control.

A victorious scream left your lips the moment the fingers of your good hand wrapped around the transparent phial and you immediately pulled it out of the cabinet.

'Come on. Come on!' you whispered to yourself as you emptied the needle with the anesthetic and filling it with the adrenaline serum, you tried to hold your broken hand still so that you could inject yourself. You were shaking; even without the adrenaline, your whole body was shaking in anticipation and fear. It was your only real chance to get the hell out of here and you would take it no matter what. So tightening your teeth so much they hurt, you practically stabbed and injected yourself with the serum. That's it! Now for the rest of the plan.

You needed a way out.

There was no chance to unlock the front door in order to venture outside through the rest of the house and you didn't need your conscience screaming that it was an extremely bad idea inside the empty voids of your mind to realize that, as you made your way to the bedroom; instead, there was one other single way to get out. Your last ray of hope. Through the window. Walking over to it, the moment that you touched the cold glass with your delicate fingers, you realized that the serum had begun working; your heart pounded hard inside your chest and your mind started going with a hundred miles per second, forming the thoughts far quicker than you could register. Your fingers flew to the locks of the window and turning them, you opened it wide, sticking your head outside and investigating the surroundings.

You were in the third floor of what appeared to be an old but majestic mansion. The window was looking on the back side of the property and above it was another floor; all were made out of the same dark rotten wood and the smell of pine trees and mold was enough for you to realize that it was rotting away more and more with each passing second. No one could tell since when was this mansion built but it was as sure as hell itself that it was decaying away. The luxurious forest spread all the way until the end of where the eye could see, with the dark, tall trees illuminated hauntingly by the silver moonlight that had just peeked behind the ominous clouds which were quick to cover the silver orb once again, sinking the whole place into the hellish darkness. The wind that coursed through the forest was strong and devilish and every once in a while, the dark sky was illuminated by a loud lightning and the threatening echo of the distant thunder filled the eerie silence; there was a storm coming and even worse was the fact that the whole ground was covered by a thick white sheet. You were paralyzed in your feet. That was snow. That was definitely snow. Just how long have you been in here?! How long…..

No! Now is not the time to wonder such things.

Let's take things slowly _.

There is no other window beneath this one. Check. There was also no drain near the window. Check. The only way that you could make your way downwards without free falling was to go about this the old fashioned way: with sheets. And you needed lots of them. Turning on your heel, you gazed around the small room. There were two blankets spread on the bed and you were sure that there must be sheets under them, plus, you have another blanket inside the lab. And luck was really on your side tonight, since you noticed something that you failed to see the first time you were in this room; there was a closet on the far left side, right beside the door. It was bound to have both sheets and warm clothes; it would be madness to escape into the stormy night with the little pieces of clothing that you were wearing now, so, excuse you EJ, but you would be needing part of his clothes. Luckily, you would be far away when he would find out that they were missing and be mad about it.

With your mind on the clock that was ticking away your precious time and the fact that you should be as quiet as the dead, you threw yourself into the matters at hand. First, you stripped off the bed off its sheets and blankets, before rummaging through the closet, where you were lucky to find many more of them. Using your good hand and your feet, you managed with extreme difficulty nonetheless to tie them all up together with big knots, praying that all of them would be enough to reach the ground under and that they would withstand your weight. As you tied one edge to the huge bed, you caught yourself murmuring that whatever happens tonight would be for the best; if the knots didn't manage to stay together, you would probably fall to a painful death and if you gave it all up and stayed here, death would come sooner or later. Whatever happens, this is your only, faint chance to get the hell out of here and you would stretch your luck to her limits.

When you were sure everything was safely tied together, you scooped them all up in your hands and walking to the window, threw them out of it; surprise penetrated you and your eyes became two large saucing pans when they did in fact managed to reach the ground under. All was set. The room that you had left behind surely did share resemblance to a bombarded place, making you have to form a bee line in order to get back to the closet and pick up one of EJ's hoodies. Passing the hands on the black sleeves, you put the hoodie on; it was like a sack of potatoes for your figure when it came to the matter of size but you were surprised to discover that, instead of blood and death, the fabric smelled of medicine and chocolate. A sweet fragrance and a little bit nostalgic as well. Of what, you didn't know. Pushing the thoughts aside, you snatch one of his jeans, as well as a pair of shoes; all were nowhere even near your actual size, but adjusting them the best you could, you re-discovered both your legs and hands. You pulled the hoodie on, hiding away your disheveled (h/c) locks and once again headed for the window.

'Oh boy.' You exhaled, desperately trying not to think at all right now 'Here we go _. You can do this! Positive thoughts!' you chanted to yourself.

There was no lying about it: it wasn't too far from the ground, but it was just enough to give you more broken parts and maybe an internal bleeding that would give you a slow death. It was also true that you would have trouble going down, since your left hand was absolutely out of the question of helping you. But it was your only chance. The only chance to get away from this nightmare and escape; if you were lucky enough, you would leave all this behind and never speak about it again for as many days as you have left in this world. It was the most critical decision you have to get. So, pulling together all your determination, you climb the windowsill and inhale deeply. This was it.

Wrapping your right hand tightly onto the sheets, you use the grip as a tight holding to hang the rest of your body to the void. The sudden loss of a steady landing under your feet was expected, but it didn't stop you from inhaling sharply; you didn't even dare make a single squeak. But your hold into the sheets lasted for now. With the adrenaline and the fear a dangerous mix to be pumping though your veins and your fragile little heart, your mind clears once again and you see yourself through your eyes as if you were just an observer; your left foot finds its steady way onto the wooden wall, followed shortly by your right one. Your left hand grabs the sheets weakly, the pain of even that small of a movement making tears roll down your eyes, but you were finally doing it. Gritting your teeth with all your might, you focus on the task at hand.

One step.

Two steps.

Slide the hand.

One step.

Two steps.

Slide it again.

You were doing it. You were absolutely and utterly doing it! You were descending that wall, each step taking you one inch closer to utter freedom; oh, how you longed to feel the cold air brush against your skin once again and the coldness of the night was enveloping you as the loud thunders concealed your pained screams that were produced by your broken arm. It made you feel….alive. That was what utter freedom felt like. A few more steps and you would be out of this hellhole, out of this nightmare that you had accepted as your reality from now on. No more painful procedures, no more psychological war, no more threats about your life. No. You would be utterly free. And you were doing it. You were chasing your freedom and for the very first time in so long it was so close, you could taste it in the freezing cold air, a feeling that made a chuckle of relief erupt from your pained chest and nothing more that straight up relief was washing over you, making tears of joy run down your cheeks and meet with the tears of pain.

When you touched the ground, you kneeled down and almost kissed the sweet soil and snow under your feet, crying out of pure bliss. You remained there for a bit, body shaking and feet unable to withstand your weight, taking in your luxurious and harsh surroundings and trying to calm your racing heart down.

Then, you looked all around you, in case someone has spotted you and when you saw no one, you focused straight ahead towards the forest. There was one single thing left to do.

Run.