"Elysium is as far as to
The very nearest room,
If in that room a friend await
Felicity or doom.
What fortitude the soul contains,
That it can so endure
The accent of a coming foot,
The opening of a door!"
It seemed absurd to knock, but that's what Sophie did. After a second set of three raps, and yet no answer, she bit her lip ever so slightly and gently turned the knob of the off-white door. Although she opened it as quietly as possible, the hinges still gave a grumpy squeal, as if to object. In the back of her mind, Sophie fancied it a symbolic warning, like the one given to Dante on his descent to Hell.
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here, her mind whispered. It seemed fitting enough, for she knew not what awaited her on the other side of the door. Still, as she slipped inside the room and glanced about, her nerves slowly unwound and a tinge of confidence flowed back into her veins. The room was silent, save for the steady, even beep of the heart monitor in the corner, and there was no immediate movement from the hospital bed before her. Taking a breath, she moved forward.
The first thing that she noticed, with some grim amusement, was that the only thing whiter than Silas' skin were the sheets covering his form. Sophie stopped at his bedside, raising her hand and hesitating a moment before placing it lightly on his chest. She watched as her hand moved up and down in slow, deep motions; he was asleep. Although she knew that it would be some time before the police came around, it had been Sophie's hope that she could speak to him first.
He would only clam up, she thought with a sigh. Then what would I do?
"Don't touch me."
The sudden voice caused her to jerk backwards, almost tipping over an entire cart of medical supplies. She managed to fall back onto the nearby doctor's stool, adding a slightly sheepish look into her wide-eyed expression when it let out an obscene burst of air. Sophie quickly glanced the albino up and down, and frowned when she discovered that he hadn't even opened his eyes.
"You were awake that whole time," she accused, trying to calm her speeding heart.
"Indeed," he replied with the faintest of smirks. "And now that I know what was rapping at my chamber door, I wonder why little Sophie Neveu has graced my presence."
Chewing on her lower lip, the young woman felt a flicker of irritation at his aloof demeanor. "I came to... speak with you."
One snowy eyelid lifted gracefully, and for a few moments, Silas studied her with his ruby gaze. After a time, he closed his eye. "Why?"
Opening her mouth, Sophie tried to find words to the question that had been rolling in her own mind not minutes before. She ran her hand through her hair, glancing at the floor before finally speaking. "The police called the paramedics. You were brought here. I assume they want to question you, and I wanted to-"
"Of course," he interrupted, a trace of venom in his tone. "I couldn't simply be allowed to die."
Sophie paused. "...You wanted to die?"
Silas turned his head, looking directly at Sophie and pinning her to the chair with narrowed eyes. The look was like cold daggers, and his voice had lowered to a deadly hiss. "What I want means nothing in the eyes of God. Only duty exists."
She couldn't help but shiver. "I don't see what duty has to do with anything."
"I killed a member of the Opus Dei, people it is my duty to protect, and a servant of the Lord! It was a foolish mistake, and for that, I should have died!"
Silence fell over the two once more, and Silas looked away. Sophie felt as if she couldn't move, her mind processing this information. "You were a protector of the Opius Dei," she wondered out loud, folding her hands in her lap.
He gritted his teeth. "I still am."
"And they... protect you?"
"Yes!"
Looking at her hands, Sophie traced an invisible circle with her finger on her knee. "Then why," she asked slowly, "are you here alone? Where are they?"
When there was no reply, she glanced up. Silas had closed his eyes and turned his face from her. His hand, resting on his stomach, had clenched so tightly that it quivered. Perhaps this had been a mistake, after all...
"Miss Neveu?"
Sophie looked to the door, smiling slightly when the nurse from before stuck her head inside the room. "Yes, madame?"
The nurse's gaze flashed towards the bed, then back. "There is a man in the waiting room. He says that he wishes to see you as soon as possible... Very impatient fellow."
Langdon.
"I will be out in a minute, merci."
With a nod, the nurse quickly vanished. Sophie stood from the chair, brushing off her dark brown pants and shifting her purse to her left shoulder. Her emerald eyes settled on her pale companion once again, and she felt reluctant to leave. There was something... something she could feel in the air, a tense anticipation. But what was it...?
"I'm leaving," she said evenly, adding no tone to her words. "I'll be back tomorrow, with the police."
After waiting a few minutes in silence, she turned to leave. She made it about two steps from the side of the bed when numbing cold wrapped around her arm, yanking her back. Looking over her shoulder, she swallowed her nervousness as she realized that Silas had his hand wrapped around her wrist, and was slowly sitting up. When he finally stabilized himself with his other hand, he tilted his chin up to meet her gaze.
"You said you had questions," he said, his voice growing hoarse.
Sophie closed her eyes a moment, trying to ignore the weary look upon his face. "I asked them," she lied. Anything to get away from those garnet eyes, even if it meant not getting the answers she desperately needed. She should never have come there...
Tilting his head, the albino merely watched her expression. Finally, he released her wrist as he flinched with pain, and spoke as he lowered himself back down onto the bed. "I am tired... Do come tomorrow. I will be waiting," he murmured, closing his eyes.
She continued to gaze at him for a heartbeat more, a sense of wonder coming over her soul. With a shake of her head, she walked to the door and opened it once more. It let out its squeak of protest, and in the quiet it was even more deafening. With one foot out the door, Sophie hesitated, then turned a bit to look.
"Good night, Silas."
A pause. "Good night, mademoiselle."
Stepping into the hall, she closed the door behind her and muttered a quick prayer of protection, serenity and strength as she walked back towards the waiting room... She didn't know who needed the prayer more. Only morning would tell.
