Runaway
chapter 13

I don't know how long we've been like this or why the police haven't noticed yet. The knife is pressed against my neck, but not enough to draw blood. I close my eyes and it's getting hard to breathe. Riku wouldn't hurt me.

Would he?

"Riku--" I gasp. "Please, listen--"

I'm bleeding now. Just a little, but...oh God. He wouldn't do anything more right?

"Don't hurt me..." It comes out rushed and panicked and squeaky.

His arm is around my waist and I can't move.

I go limp in his arms.

I can't believe I fainted.

I'm on one of the beds right now. It's so incredibly uncomfortable, but I don't want to get up. I just want to sleep until the world ends. I listen closely to...everything. No loud noises, no yelling. Must mean my mom's not here.

Good.

I sit up and look around. Riku's curled up in the corner, facing the wall. His hair's messed up and he's shaking again. I go over and sit next to him.

"Hey." I say softly. He rests his head against the wall and slowly lifts it again. He then hits it against the wall.

What is he doing?

"Riku! What the Hell!" He rubs his head and shrugs.

"I don't know." He shrugs again and looks away. I don't care if he gets angry right now, but I pull him close to me and gently press his head so that it's resting against my chest.

We just stay like that for a while until he speaks up.

"We still need to find a way to get out before our parents sho---" Suddenly I hear someone... someone really loud. No. No. No. No... It can't be my mom. Not now. we hold onto each other tighter and Riku is nearly digging his face in my chest. We breathe slower and quieter and stay completely still.

Ha, yeah. Maybe if we don't move she won't see us.

"My dad's going to come..." Riku says quietly. "He said he won't but I bet he will..." I hold on tighter.

"I'm going to let him take you back there if he comes, okay?" I feel like a parent with a kid who thinks the boogeyman is coming.

"We have to get out of here. How, Riku?" Why am I asking him? He's scared! He probably can't even think straight. He lets out a long breath and shakes his head.

"Hold on," He says, standing up. He walks over to the bars and starts making a huge racket.

"Riku...?" He gets their attention at least. I see what he's up to now, but I still feel nervous when he holds the knife to my throat and pulls me in front of him like a hostage.

"Hey!" He shouts, finally getting the police to come over. "Hey!" He shouts louder. He kicks at the bars, still shouting. "Open up the damned door!" They look at each other for a moment before doing what he says.

God, we're getting out. We haven't been here for 24 hours and we're getting out! He walks backwards, out the cell, down the hall, and outside.

If he trips, I'm dead.

Aw, man. I'm freaking myself out. But Riku- he's being careful, he wouldn't do anything like this without being completely sure we wouldn't have an... accident. Right? I'm breathing hard now, Riku's yelling things at the police I can't understand. However, I can understand "Don't come any closer" and "I'll really kill him." but that's all. He's breathing really hard. I close my eyes when he stands still, the police coming closer, step by step.

"I'll kill him..." he gasps "I'll kill him..." He swallows hard before continuing. "Don't come any closer. One more step and his head's gonna be on the ground." The knife's really not THAT big, but, okay. He steps further and further back until they're almost out of sight.

I can't believe it. We just did the impossible. He shoves the knife in his bag and utters one word: "Run."

And we do.

Let's see: early morning Riku was taken to the hospital, so we must have gotten out early afternoon or so, we were arrested an in jail all day and the sun is setting right now.

Today has been way too busy. I'm exhausted but we have to keep going...

We're just walking now; and the sun set a few minutes ago. I walk along just staring at the ground. The small towns are pretty much gone, so there's just a long stretch of road. No where to hide if the police find us again-- but is that really a huge problem now? We got out once and we could do it again.

I put my hands into my pockets and catch up with Riku. Hm? There's something... the photos. I almost forgot about those... Hm. I'll ask Riku about those... later.

It's sort of nice, in a weird way. No houses, no people, no anything. Just me and Riku.

"You going to be okay, Riku?" He doesn't say anything. I wonder if he just feels awkward from a few hours ago, or early this morning at the hospital or something.

Speaking of which... I almost forgot about the medication. What am I supposed to do? Do I make him take it or just throw it out? There's enough light for me to read the label. If I hold it at an angle. Three inches away from my face. So...he has to take about five in the morning and at night.

Now, this could really help. if Riku just takes it...maybe he'll just be more human. But if I make him take them, he'll be pissed either way, right?

I'm screwed. Screwed, screwed, screwed.

"Riku?" I ask. This is probably a bad time... oh well... "It's kind of late...you think you should take the pills the doctor gave you?"

"I threw those out." He answers quickly.

"...I have them..." I reply.

"What!" He turns around.

"Don't get mad Riku- it's just that I think it could help you. I mean, he wouldn't give it to you unless he thought it would really help. I think you should at least take them once, just to see if it does help. I just think it'd be better for you to not be depressed, not be angry. Just... "

"Normal?" He answers,

"Yeah! Normal..."

"Well," he snaps "I'm not normal. And what the hell does some crackpot doctor know anyway!" I shrug.

"Have it your way." He glares at me.

A few...what? Hours? later he says we should get to sleep. We'll be waking up real early tomorrow.

It feels like I just fell asleep, but now it's already time to get up. According to my watch, it's 5:50AM. I don't argue, or refuse to get up. I just do it.

"Hey Riku?" I ask. I have the pill jar in my hand, but only because I never put them back in my backpack.

"I'm not taking the pills."

"That not what I was going to say."

"..." I think I got him there. "I don't care." This is frustrating. Cut it out Riku, I haven't done anything to you. I want to say that, but I don't.

Aw man. I guess I should give the photos back to Riku now, huh? I take them out of my pocket, but can't help glancing at them for a moment.

Staring at them for a moment. Okay, first one: White haired woman in a hospital room holding a baby. It's not... it can't... Riku's mom? No way. I look on the back, no name, but a date. The handwriting is the incredibly long and skinny kind. I can't read it. Second one. The same woman, a tall, slim, dark haired man, holding a little kid. ...It's Riku. It has to be. He has the pale skin and hair and no one else has those color eyes. The third, and last one is a wedding picture. The man in a nice suit, the woman in a fancy dress and a veil. The dress looks more like a prom dress than a wedding dress, though. They're sitting at a table, Riku (maybe like...two or three) with a small chunk of white cake in his hand. ...And on his face. ...And even a little in his hair.

That's so cute. I have to keep from laughing or even squealing. (Hey, I'm not that girly...) I turn them over like I never looked.

"Riku? You almost forgot your pictures. I picked them up, but didn't really think of it until now..." He takes them back. ...He believed me. I'm glad that he doesn't know that I looked, but I still feel awful for lying to him. Well, if I tell him, he'd probably kill me, so I guess it's better this way.

Nothing else happens for the rest of the day.

We went to sleep early last night, so we're up extra early today. Riku seems cranky and upset.

"Riku?"

"What the hell do you want?"

I sigh in frustration.

"Take the pills."

"No. Never." Okay, that's enough. I'm going to win this argument. I pour some pills in my hand. I got eight so I put some back, and shove them in his mouth, forcing him to swallow. He has a murderous expression on his face. He's too mad to even say anything, so he just turns and walks faster.

I don't say anything or touch him or anything. He's pretty mad, I don't want to make it worse.

Just an hour or so later, he's barely dragging along. He looks exhausted. His hair is messed up and he looks like a zombie...

"Are you okay, Riku?" He's so spacey he didn't even hear me. "Riku!" I shout, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright? Let's rest for a while. Okay?" He nods and falls to the ground. I think the pills must have really zapped the life out of him. I sit down right next to him, and put his head on my lap. He looks...emotionless. No expression on his face, just laying down like a dead body. Sure, he doesn't seem so depressed, but he doesn't seem to be ANYTHING. I'm never doing that again.

"I'm sorry, Riku. Shouldn't have made you take it." He nods. What have I done?

Yeah... I originally had more, but took it out. For some reason I just can't word things very well tonight? .. I don't like the end of this chapter. But the next one will the awesome! Like...Ryo.