CHAPTER 3
Her throat ached, her legs throbbed and her arms felt limp. She lay still for a long time, trying to forget the suffocating feeling of being choked. She felt sick when she remembered those disgusting hands on her body. She tried hard to remember what had happened as she lay with her eyes closed, not daring to move of even take a deep breath as she was desperate to do. She didn't know if her attacker was still near by and thought he had actually succeeded in killing her. Then she remembered someone else had been there, someone had gently lifted her off of the cold damp floor. She was warm now, she couldn't be outside anymore. There was material on top and underneath her and the crackle of a fire not too far away from where she was now. Slowly, she opened one of her eyes slightly, she couldn't see anyone so she opened both fully and began taking in her surroundings.
The walls had wooden panelling on them in a deep rich brown, the fireplace was built in grey stone, there was a small wooden table to one side and a large window on the other side of the room. The room reminded her of a kind of hunters' cabin. The place seemed to be very large. From where she lay, she could see through the slightly open door at the end of the bed. It led into what she assumed was the living room. One of the walls there was made of the same stone as her fireplace. Three large sofas were pushed together to form a 'U' shape in front of another large fireplace in the stone wall. The floors were exposed wooden floorboards. The browns throughout the rooms she saw, coupled with the glow from the fire's gave the space a very warm, inviting feel.
"Good evening" a deep voice came from a corner of the room. Lara was startled and turned quickly to face the unexpected sound. As she turned, her neck protested with a stabbing pain. She lay back and gripped her throat. As she fought against the pain, she saw a man rise from a chair in the shadows cast by the fire. He came over to her and stood himself at the foot of her bed to make it easier for her to see him with out turning her head. "Try not to move" he smiled softly as he spoke. "Who..." Lara tried to speak but her throat burned and she began to choke, the movement sending surges of pain through her body.
The man moved quickly to her side and picked up a glass of water he had placed on the bedside table for her. He leaned down slightly and moved to help her drink. Lara rolled away slightly. "hey, come on I'm not the bad guy, ok?" he spoke softly, trying to comfort her. He knew what he had seen must have been traumatic for her "I'm only trying to help you. Please, I won't hurt you"
Lara was surprised by the softness of his voice, she looked at him as she coughed, tears rolled down her cheeks as a result of her choking. "here, just take a sip of this" he held the water to her, she nodded slightly and let him support her head as he held the glass to her lips. The cool water soothed her throat and eased her coughing. He lay her head softly back on the pillow and placed the glass back on the cupboard as Lara whispered her question.
"Who are you?"
"My name's Riley."
"That's it?" Lara croaked and Riley smiled
"Oh, u want full names huh?" he laughed quietly "Jackson. My middle name's Andrew, my friends call me.. Well, they call me Riley!"
Lara chuckled at that and started coughing again. After another sip of water she Looked right into Riley's eyes "You stopped him didn't you?"
Riley gave her a small smile "well I wasn't about to let him... do.. That!"
He sat on the edge of bed and stroked a strand of hair out of her face. "did you know him?" he asked as he put some disinfectant on the marks and cuts across her throat. "no" she flinched slightly. Riley flinched too then smiled apologetically "sorry. Do you know why he might have wanted to hurt you?"
Lara shrugged "wrong place wrong time I guess!"
"yeah, people like that guy are unbelievable! They see a beautiful woman on her own and BAM!"
Lara smiled slightly at him, she was struck my how sweet she already knew he was. "thank you!"
Riley looked confused "for what"
"for helping me, and for the compliment"
"compliment?"
"you said I was 'a beautiful woman', that's a compliment"
"ha! So it is! I didn't realise I'd said it!" he smiled, a little embarrassed by what he'd said, but he was relaxing her and that was what he wanted to do "so, does this beautiful woman have a name?" he asked, smiling as he replaced the disinfectant.
"yes." Lara smiled, "I'm Lara Croft" "well Lara Croft, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Her throat ached, her legs throbbed and her arms felt limp. She lay still for a long time, trying to forget the suffocating feeling of being choked. She felt sick when she remembered those disgusting hands on her body. She tried hard to remember what had happened as she lay with her eyes closed, not daring to move of even take a deep breath as she was desperate to do. She didn't know if her attacker was still near by and thought he had actually succeeded in killing her. Then she remembered someone else had been there, someone had gently lifted her off of the cold damp floor. She was warm now, she couldn't be outside anymore. There was material on top and underneath her and the crackle of a fire not too far away from where she was now. Slowly, she opened one of her eyes slightly, she couldn't see anyone so she opened both fully and began taking in her surroundings.
The walls had wooden panelling on them in a deep rich brown, the fireplace was built in grey stone, there was a small wooden table to one side and a large window on the other side of the room. The room reminded her of a kind of hunters' cabin. The place seemed to be very large. From where she lay, she could see through the slightly open door at the end of the bed. It led into what she assumed was the living room. One of the walls there was made of the same stone as her fireplace. Three large sofas were pushed together to form a 'U' shape in front of another large fireplace in the stone wall. The floors were exposed wooden floorboards. The browns throughout the rooms she saw, coupled with the glow from the fire's gave the space a very warm, inviting feel.
"Good evening" a deep voice came from a corner of the room. Lara was startled and turned quickly to face the unexpected sound. As she turned, her neck protested with a stabbing pain. She lay back and gripped her throat. As she fought against the pain, she saw a man rise from a chair in the shadows cast by the fire. He came over to her and stood himself at the foot of her bed to make it easier for her to see him with out turning her head. "Try not to move" he smiled softly as he spoke. "Who..." Lara tried to speak but her throat burned and she began to choke, the movement sending surges of pain through her body.
The man moved quickly to her side and picked up a glass of water he had placed on the bedside table for her. He leaned down slightly and moved to help her drink. Lara rolled away slightly. "hey, come on I'm not the bad guy, ok?" he spoke softly, trying to comfort her. He knew what he had seen must have been traumatic for her "I'm only trying to help you. Please, I won't hurt you"
Lara was surprised by the softness of his voice, she looked at him as she coughed, tears rolled down her cheeks as a result of her choking. "here, just take a sip of this" he held the water to her, she nodded slightly and let him support her head as he held the glass to her lips. The cool water soothed her throat and eased her coughing. He lay her head softly back on the pillow and placed the glass back on the cupboard as Lara whispered her question.
"Who are you?"
"My name's Riley."
"That's it?" Lara croaked and Riley smiled
"Oh, u want full names huh?" he laughed quietly "Jackson. My middle name's Andrew, my friends call me.. Well, they call me Riley!"
Lara chuckled at that and started coughing again. After another sip of water she Looked right into Riley's eyes "You stopped him didn't you?"
Riley gave her a small smile "well I wasn't about to let him... do.. That!"
He sat on the edge of bed and stroked a strand of hair out of her face. "did you know him?" he asked as he put some disinfectant on the marks and cuts across her throat. "no" she flinched slightly. Riley flinched too then smiled apologetically "sorry. Do you know why he might have wanted to hurt you?"
Lara shrugged "wrong place wrong time I guess!"
"yeah, people like that guy are unbelievable! They see a beautiful woman on her own and BAM!"
Lara smiled slightly at him, she was struck my how sweet she already knew he was. "thank you!"
Riley looked confused "for what"
"for helping me, and for the compliment"
"compliment?"
"you said I was 'a beautiful woman', that's a compliment"
"ha! So it is! I didn't realise I'd said it!" he smiled, a little embarrassed by what he'd said, but he was relaxing her and that was what he wanted to do "so, does this beautiful woman have a name?" he asked, smiling as he replaced the disinfectant.
"yes." Lara smiled, "I'm Lara Croft" "well Lara Croft, it's a pleasure to meet you."