rose from the corner and approached me. I pulled back. Something quivered all around me. Was the world ending?
I put my hands down. No, I was just shaking.
Charlie emerged from the darkness slowly and turned on the lamp. I wasn’t sure if it was the light burning my eyes or surprise that made me turn away. But once I did, I turned my face to the wall and shut my eyes tightly. I felt like a creature from another world, some distant planet that only I knew about. This place, wherever it was, could not be walked or breathed upon.
His hand stretched out as he tried to examine something on my head.
I flinched.
He turned and reached back to the corner. He pulled out two Styrofoam cups of coffee. He handed me one, which I accepted, despite the smell. I sipped at the burned liquid and rejoiced as it slid down my throat.
My throat.
Memories grabbed at me, eager to remind me why I had lost consciousness. I gulped and felt the pain around my lymph nodes. Why was I still alive? I should have been a dead girl in the ground by now. None of it made any sense.
“What happened?”
My hands shook worse than ever when I heard my voice and the way it cracked. Each syllable hurt to pronounce, and yet despite my efforts, the words still didn’t sound right.
He responded by slowly taking the cup from my hands. I didn’t want it anyway. Its contents were threatening to spill. “You probably shouldn’t talk.”
His accent was thick. I guessed he was angry again. “Tell me.”
I could feel his eyes on my neck, maybe surveying the damage there. I was just grateful he hadn’t made another attempt to touch me. The idea of being touched by anyone ever again was enough to make me retch.
I looked at Charlie, too. He was no longer covered in filth. He’d changed his clothes to a button-down green shirt and jeans. It frightened me to realize I could have been out for that long.
“Even though Ben told him to leave you be…” His voice trailed off. “Wallace thought you were too much of a risk to leave to chance.”
I turned away and shut my eyes. I knew what had happened next. Tears rolled down my face when I remembered my fear and helplessness—how brief the pain had been.
“Hey.” I heard him swallow. “I’m, ah, sorry.” He sounded heavy. “That son-of-a-bitch…”
“Please.” I cut him off. “I just want to go home.”
He stood up and backed into the dark corner. When I was sure he was away, I felt brave enough to look at him again. Those slouching shoulders of his and the thumbs that dug into his pockets revealed more than he wanted to say.
“B-by the time I got there, Wallace woulda come back to finish you off. Didn’t have much choice, did I?” He stuttered through the whole explanation. And although I only caught about half of what he was saying, it was enough to make the blood in my body feel like sludge.
“Charlie.” It was the first time I had spoken his name out loud. It sounded like a foreign language within itself. I saw him stiffen and raise his head in my direction. Carefully, I slipped my legs off the bed and tested my weight on the floor. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said it was moving, but there was no way that could have been true. “What are you saying to me?”
He hesitated again. “We gotta make a delivery to Singapore in six days. I—we didn’t know what to do, so we brought you with us.”
Although I heard the words, my brain wouldn’t digest them. It was as though he was just saying random things strung together to make noise—what he was explaining couldn’t possibly be real. I was going home, wasn’t I? My breath became shallow and rapid and for an instant I felt as though I were having an asthma attack. He must have seen my panic because his arms stretched out, his hands pointing downward. “Just—just relax now.”
“No. No. No. Where am I?”
I detested the way he straightened himself out and stood so rigid. There was no hesitation now. “The Diyu,”
I put my hands down. No, I was just shaking.
Charlie emerged from the darkness slowly and turned on the lamp. I wasn’t sure if it was the light burning my eyes or surprise that made me turn away. But once I did, I turned my face to the wall and shut my eyes tightly. I felt like a creature from another world, some distant planet that only I knew about. This place, wherever it was, could not be walked or breathed upon.
His hand stretched out as he tried to examine something on my head.
I flinched.
He turned and reached back to the corner. He pulled out two Styrofoam cups of coffee. He handed me one, which I accepted, despite the smell. I sipped at the burned liquid and rejoiced as it slid down my throat.
My throat.
Memories grabbed at me, eager to remind me why I had lost consciousness. I gulped and felt the pain around my lymph nodes. Why was I still alive? I should have been a dead girl in the ground by now. None of it made any sense.
“What happened?”
My hands shook worse than ever when I heard my voice and the way it cracked. Each syllable hurt to pronounce, and yet despite my efforts, the words still didn’t sound right.
He responded by slowly taking the cup from my hands. I didn’t want it anyway. Its contents were threatening to spill. “You probably shouldn’t talk.”
His accent was thick. I guessed he was angry again. “Tell me.”
I could feel his eyes on my neck, maybe surveying the damage there. I was just grateful he hadn’t made another attempt to touch me. The idea of being touched by anyone ever again was enough to make me retch.
I looked at Charlie, too. He was no longer covered in filth. He’d changed his clothes to a button-down green shirt and jeans. It frightened me to realize I could have been out for that long.
“Even though Ben told him to leave you be…” His voice trailed off. “Wallace thought you were too much of a risk to leave to chance.”
I turned away and shut my eyes. I knew what had happened next. Tears rolled down my face when I remembered my fear and helplessness—how brief the pain had been.
“Hey.” I heard him swallow. “I’m, ah, sorry.” He sounded heavy. “That son-of-a-bitch…”
“Please.” I cut him off. “I just want to go home.”
He stood up and backed into the dark corner. When I was sure he was away, I felt brave enough to look at him again. Those slouching shoulders of his and the thumbs that dug into his pockets revealed more than he wanted to say.
“B-by the time I got there, Wallace woulda come back to finish you off. Didn’t have much choice, did I?” He stuttered through the whole explanation. And although I only caught about half of what he was saying, it was enough to make the blood in my body feel like sludge.
“Charlie.” It was the first time I had spoken his name out loud. It sounded like a foreign language within itself. I saw him stiffen and raise his head in my direction. Carefully, I slipped my legs off the bed and tested my weight on the floor. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said it was moving, but there was no way that could have been true. “What are you saying to me?”
He hesitated again. “We gotta make a delivery to Singapore in six days. I—we didn’t know what to do, so we brought you with us.”
Although I heard the words, my brain wouldn’t digest them. It was as though he was just saying random things strung together to make noise—what he was explaining couldn’t possibly be real. I was going home, wasn’t I? My breath became shallow and rapid and for an instant I felt as though I were having an asthma attack. He must have seen my panic because his arms stretched out, his hands pointing downward. “Just—just relax now.”
“No. No. No. Where am I?”
I detested the way he straightened himself out and stood so rigid. There was no hesitation now. “The Diyu,”
Similar Books
