The House at the Edge of the Cliff

Sickness Setting In

" Please! Ple-ase don't hurt me any-anym-ore." I sobbed into his neck. My body and mind needed comfort, and in my panicked state, I was seeking it from anybody. Even if that meant it was from the man who caused all of this.

He stayed very still for a second as he processed what I was doing. He eventually shifted around so that we were both laying down next to each other, with me squished up tightly against him as I cried for mercy into his neck.

He rubbed my back soothingly as his arms wrapped tightly around my body. Keeping me close and pressed against him. His head rested against mine, I could feel his scratchy beard against my ear.

I continued to sob that same sentence over and over and over again until I could no longer speak anything else. When I could no longer speak I continued to cry, shiver, and hold him close. His grip on me never loosening for even one second.

He was surprisingly warm. For as cold of a place we were at, and as cold of a man as he was, his toasty touch was comforting. I knew later I was going to be screaming at myself for clinging onto him like a crying newborn... but at the moment I just could not process that.

I could only process my own need for human contact of any kind. At this very moment to me, he was not the man that kidnapped us, hurt us, and killed some of my friends. To me, at this moment he was only a man that was comforting me. Giving me what I needed in order to not lose myself completely.

My arms were able to relax a little bit, to the point where they moved back to me and both of my hands were now resting on his chest, though I still gripped tightly onto his vest.

One of his large hands was at the small of my back. His thumb, rubbing up and down my spine. The other hand was behind my shoulders. That hand was attached to the arm that my head was resting on.

He never moved or shifted in discomfort. He stayed exactly where he was. Letting me let loose all of my built-up steam against him.

Slowly, but surely, I was beginning to settle down myself. Every few minutes my body would jump as my panicked state slowly started to ebb away. Making me cling onto him even tighter and push myself against him almost as if I was trying to go through him.

My face was so hot and wet with tears. They soaked into the cloth material of his vest and made the skin on his neck sticky. I did not care how scratchy his beard was against the top of my head. I just... I just needed this comfort right now.

Eventually, after a long, long time of crying my heart and soul out to this man. My kidnapper and murderer of my friends, I was able to settle down to the point where I was no longer crying, or shaking.

My eyes were closed and I tried to keep as calm as I could. My body was weak and sore all over from the constant stress and running for my life. Also from being stabbed, burned, and stitched up.

Now that all of the fear and adrenalin were leaving my system, I was really starting to get hurt by my wound. He had cauterized it, and it burned like Hell.

It would flare up for a minute or two, then calm down and leave me with peace that I knew would not last. Then it would Flare up again and the cycle would repeat.

I clenched my eyes shut as hard as I could. Trying with everything I had to get through the pain. There would be no more running for me from now on. I could probably still walk if I could get through the pain, and had something to lean against.

But running from this man? Or his dogs? Or whatever else this mountain had to throw at me? I could forget that. My only hope of getting out of here now was Lucas escaping the dogs and making it down to the bottom of the mountain safely to get help.