Chapter 8 –Prey
I awoke, rested, yet still in horrendous pain, slightly shifting to rid my back of stiffening. I didn't want to open my eyes, still holding onto the image of Vaughn and me sleeping side by side, breathing the same air. I tightened my grip on his sturdy arms wrapped around my porcelain-like body, just to make sure that the only good thing that has happened to me was true and not another dark, vicious lie. I resituated myself, very carefully to avoid more pain, facing him, watching his every breath, his chest slowly rising and falling, rising and falling, so peaceful. I pulled myself with all of what was left of my strength closer to him, resting my head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his heartbeat, singing me back to sleep.
He realized I had moved closer to him and he drew me in tighter even closer to him, making no harsh distances between us. He took away one hand from my skin, and smoothly stroked my hair, his heartbeat still evident running over and over in my ears. We stayed like this in pure and loving silence, not aware of anything but each other. Forgetting about everything, terrible and hard that had happened to us in the past days, just focusing on what we have in our arms reach. A hushed tear fell from my closed eyes that savored the moment. The pain that was etched in my back was reverberating through out my entire body, causing my already black sight to go fuzzy. I clenched my arms around him, an unbreakable hold on him, sending all of my hurt and sorrow through him to help me. He opened his soft, glazy eyes and stared at me, crying, the tears falling out of nowhere.
Tenderly, he wiped away the tears and caressed my cheeks, his eyes still locked on mine, which were still shut tight trying to fight off the never-ending flow of pain. Without warning, we were caught off-guard, the door opened. He shielded me, protecting me, incase it was someone coming after us, finding us out. My breath was caught in my throat, waiting impatiently for any sound of hope. He sat upright, creating a gap of coldness where he was. Placing his hand over my side, holding me down to prevent further pain, he listened intently for the person to reveal themselves. It was our contact, I heard him sigh and relaxed, in and out of consciousness.
"We have made connections with Devlin and you are to report to a near-by field where a helicopter will be waiting for you to take you back to the states. You will need disguises. I have them here in this bag, hopefully everything fits." I could sense him nodding his end, soaking up very word making sure he didn't get anything wrong. "Once you are done changing, please come upstairs as soon as possible, we have arranged a car for you. Do you need anything else?" She was aware she was interrupting something, she didn't know what, but knew it was something that meant the world to us.
"No, thank you, we appreciate it." With a nod, she had closed the door behind her, leaving just Vaughn and me alone again, the way I wish it could remain forever. He sank back down next to me, refilling the empty gap with refreshing warmth that caused me to regain all my senses.
Looking down at me, he lifted my chin, enabling me to open my tired eyes. I opened them to see him, perfect, hair out of place, weak looking, but he was Vaughn all the same. He greeted my awakening with his gorgeous grin that makes my go weak in the knees, in this case weak in the heart.
"Sydney, I love you," I just smiled back, mouthing the same three vital words back to him, he understood that it hurt to much to speak, let alone move.
"We have to go and meet Devlin a couple of miles from here. We're going to leave, going back to L.A." I closed my eyes, smiling at the thought of seeing my home, the smell of it, drifted into my senses, causing me to become homesick for the first time I could ever remember. He gazed at my smile, capturing it in his mind, saving it in the back of his memory, for when the world of darkness captures him again. I break out of my trance of pity, and start to stir out of the security we had created for ourselves, apologizing to myself for the pain I know that will follow.
He stops me putting his hand on my shoulder, softly pushing back onto the bed. Getting up and brushing off the sleepiness that consumes him, he cradles my arms, helping me up. "Here, don't try, I'll help you." He smiled into my eyes full of love and anguish hiding behind a mask of tears. I whispered thank you, in return receiving a kiss on my forehead, kissing away my pain momentarily, opening a gate to a peaceful numbness. I feel as if I'm ready to fall, succumbed to the power he had on me, and that was just a subtle kiss on the head. He held me near his body, a fort for my trampled frame, steadying my unbalanced limbs.
He walked over to the bag that held our new identities for the day and picked it up in his free hand, the other still hanging onto me, firmly. I couldn't stand much longer, the pain had transferred from my back to my whole entire body, releasing tremendous amounts of pain circulating, crushing my nerves. I slump into his shoulder, faintly blacking out in a very steady slow motion, noticing my surroundings as I diminish into nothing, as his hand drops our identities as he reaches for me, catching me in his arms, hurt, broken.
- - - - - -
I regain my consciousness as someone is carrying me into a beat-up car that reflects my shape rather than a mode of transportation. I can feel the blaring heat radiating off the unforgiving sun burning through my closed eyes. I tried to open them to see who was caring me, but I didn't have to open them to know. I could smell the sweet, comforting scent of him rubbing up against my chin. I buried my blinded eyes into the darkness of his shirt. He continues to carry me, not noticing that I have awoken, and gently lays me down. I fall back into the chair, sinking into it, letting it mold to my form. He places the quilt over top of me, not knowing if I was cold, just to be sure I was comfortable, despite the pain that was ceasing.
He shuts the door cautiously and quietly, being careful to not awake me, even though I am aware of his every move, making it apart of me, knowing the sound of him lifting his fingers off the rusted metal of the door. I clasp my brittle fingers over the top of the quilt for a sense of feeling. I hear his heavy footsteps adorn the gravel drive and make his way to the driver's side and get in, still very cautious as to not wake me.
"Hi," I weakly moan, causing an aching in my throat, the sunlight still berating at my eyelids. I feel his green eyes scan the seat for me, I can feel his face lift up in a smile, in relief. He turns the ignition and starts the car to take us to our lives that we so desperately want back, but will never be able to live again, never. His hand rests on my knee, rubbing it in circles. As we drive out of the sight of the towering vineyard, I open my eyes. I look at him, but I don't see Vaughn.
I see a man that resembles Vaughn, but vaguely. His hair, a deep shade of brown, has the same tousled look. He had taken on a new identity in his appearance, but I could feel his spirit that will never change, underneath his disguise. Reaching for my hair, I feel long hair down to at least my waist, black.
We were new people on the outside, knowing nothing, going nowhere, remembering nothing, but on the inside our mission and focus had not changed. We longed for a chance to survive, the sound of a distant helicopter brought light into our despairing lives, we fought to hold back the tears of joy raging inside of us. We know that that helicopter was for us, to take us away from this nightmare that had caught us by the ankles and chained us to the wall, torturing us. I glanced over at him, unrecognizable by sight, but known by heart, and saw the same feelings bottled up deep inside.
He turned the car around the last corner that separated us between our freedoms, progressively gaining speed by the second. We were so close when we heard the engine of a near by car getting closer and closer and closer. I sprang up ignoring the stinging sensation spreading its way through my body, losing hope. I turned my head, seeing a black convertible, a man with gray hair just barely visible in the driver's seat.
Vaughn sped up, his eyes determined on the helicopter that loomed over top of us, knocking out all feeling and sound that had somehow broken its way through our senseless bodies. A gun aimed at our tires, shot through the heavy thickness of nothing, tearing away at the thought of surviving. Tires shot, Vaughn jumped out of the car, running to get my useless body, taking up time and space. He ran with me glued to his arms by love, and yet the black car of threatening disaster came barreling at full speed catching up on us like mice being chased by a cat. Vaughn kept a straight eye on the helicopter just yards away, while I glared at the man in the car that caused this whole mess, with a feeling of anger and resentment, watching him, just feet away, inching upon his, his prey.
*So, did you like it or not? Please let me know and add any suggestions to help me!!!! Thanks a lot!!!! Thank you sooo much for all the review soo far, they really encourage me to keep writing!!!!!! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and are anticipating the next!!!!! Thanks!!!!!