These High Walls

Chapter 2

I awaken by the voices of about four men. I remember one of the voices from the night before. In that moment, all the events from yesterday evening enter my mind. All the fear, relief, and pain come in a split-second back.

My breath begins to speed up, instantaneously I can't breathe at all. I keep my eyes closed in fear of what or who I would see. I feel around with my hands and notice that I am in a cage. My heart keeps going faster while I try to find the door of the cage with my bare hands.

The cage is about one cubic meter and has two blankets and three cushions in it. One blanket lies on the ground and the other blanket, and the cushions lie on a pile in the corner.

I realize in my panic that the voices quiet down. I can hear a pair of feet coming to the cage. I am still hyperventilating, and my eyes are still closed, but now I also stopped moving. I am afraid that it's the same people that attacked me, I don't want that event to repeat. I just want to go back to my dream, where everything was still normal, where I could talk and laugh with the children.

"Hey, I am Niall, can you try and breathe with me? Give me your hand." I quickly do what he says afraid that he might hurt me if I don't do what he says. I feel his hand and flinch, they're soft and kind. He places his hand over my hand and on his shirt where his heart is. "Try to breathe at the same time as I do."

When I am finally calmed down, I realize that there is no heartbeat under my hand, and I start panicking again. I pull my hand back and begin yelling for help. I hear two pairs of footsteps on the staircase and hope that it is the police, but I know better. I stop shouting when I realize this and I curl in a ball. I only want to sleep and wake up in my soft bed.

"What did you do to make him yell!" one of the men that came downstairs yelled.

"I didn't do anything, I just calmed him down before he panicked again. I don't know why."

"How did you calm him down."

"I laid his hand on my chest and said he had to breathe with me."

"He didn't feel your heartbeat, you idiot!"

"Is he asleep?" the second man that came downstairs asked.

"No, I can still hear his quick heartbeat," Niall said, "can you please leave us alone again? I will fix this."

"Much luck with that"

I hear the two men laughing and going upstairs. Niall lets out a deep sigh: "How am I going to make you calm?"

I slowly take one of the cushions and put them under my head. I have to feel around a bit to find the blanket because when I was panicking it moved to the other side of the cage. When I find it, I roll myself into it and I wait until Niall breaks the silence again.

"Since you won't open your eyes and you won't speak, I will tell you some things about your surroundings and myself. You are currently in the living room of the house. On your left is a couch and on the left of the couch is a big plant. Behind the plant is a big window that extends all over the wall so that you can see the woods when you're sitting on the couch. In front of the couch is a small coffee table with some magazines. There also is a TV, but I don't know how it works yet. We bought it just a couple of days ago. On your right is a doorway without a door to the kitchen behind you. Where I am standing is a door to the hall. The house stands in the middle of the woods. Sometimes we can see wild animals through the windows."

Niall stops and I question why in my head, I secretly liked the prescription of the room in which I'm laying right now. I want to ask why I'm in a cage however I don't dare request it, afraid that he might have left and that I would be talking to nobody. Suddenly I hear someone knocking on the door that leads to the hall.

"Come in," answers Niall.

I can hear the door opening and heavy footsteps coming my way. I crawl farther into the blanket and hide my face under it. I can hear the man chuckling while he walks past me into what the kitchen should be. I wait till he comes back and both Niall and I keep quiet while the man disappears.

"That was Harry, he's a bit weird," Niall says with a chuckle. My mouth releases a chuckle, I quickly cover my mouth.

I flinch when I hear someone yell from upstairs: "I heard what you were saying Niall, you're going to pay for that!"

Niall chuckles and says: "Where were we, oh yeah I was going to describe myself and the boys to you. I have brown hair and blue eyes. Harry has brown, curly hair with green eyes, Liam has brown hair and brown eyes, and finally, Zayn has black hair and brown eyes. We are four friends who have been living together in the woods from the moment we were all 18 except Harry who was only 16. We skipped university, now we have a bakery in town together, and we sometimes do photoshoots. You're probably asking yourself how we could afford a house when we were 18, well I don't know either. We just laid our money together and found out we had enough to buy a mansion in the woods. Liam said I can't tell who we are exactly, so that's all I am going to say for now."

After a short pause, Niall asks the question I was hoping he wouldn't ask: "Can you tell me something about yourself, maybe?"

I hesitate but figure that I would be here for a long time if not forever, so I answer the question with "Maybe."

"I am Louis, I am 23 years old. I live alone in an apartment. I work in a hospital as a manager of the cooking team. I don't have a close bond with my family because they wanted me to be a doctor and because I am gay."

"Oh well, nice to meet you, Louis."

Suddenly, I hear him getting closer, I lean back. It seems like he senses my fear because he says: "I want to shake your hand, like when you meet a person more properly."

I relax and put my hand out for Niall to shake. I flinch when I feel his soft hand again, I softly shake it. After that, I notice sleep coming and I tuck myself into the blanket. I relax my muscles and immediately drift off. I wasn't awake for long but it felt like a whole workday.

When I wake up, I feel a presence next to me and hear movement in the kitchen. My neck and legs are stiff from the uncomfortable position I was in during the night. The cage doesn't give much room to stretch out, but I try my best to release the tension in my muscles.

"Good morning, Louis, I am Zayn, Niall probably already told you everything about me. I said that he doesn't have to tell you our whole lives but when does he ever listen to me? Are you hungry?"

I nod even though I know he is standing in the kitchen and can't see me.

"He nodded." another voice from by the door says to Zayn. I turn my head to the second person by the door. I guess that's Liam since I don't recognize the voice and he is the only one I haven't heard the voice off. I hear Zayn approaching me, and the presence beside me suddenly starts to stand up.

"Why are you making so much noise this early in the morning," only then Niall seems to remember that I am there, "Ow, good morning Louis, do I have to get these two idiots out of the room so that you can eat in peace?"

I nod hesitantly and hear Liam and Zayn leave the room.

"Seems like Zayn made you some weird smoothie with banana and strawberries. Can you put your hand out so I can safely give it to you?"

I put my hand out and Niall puts the smoothie in it. I feel around the top of the glass so I don't spill all of it on the ground. I drink it quietly while Niall does something I can't put a name on by just listening. Afterward, he comes and sits in front of the cage.

"Did you sleep on the ground?" I ask quietly, I am not even sure if he heard it until he answers: "Yeah, I didn't want any of the boys to scare you to death for some stupid prank. Can you please open your eyes, it will be bad for your eyes when you open them after a long time?" he asks hopefully.

I don't answer his question alternatively I give Niall the glass back. While he goes to put the glass away in the kitchen, I slightly open my eyes and see the room exactly as Niall described it. Niall comes back and for the first time, I see my kidnapper, or rather one of them. I stare into his bright blue eyes while he stares back. After a couple of seconds, I break the stare out of embarrassment.

"I didn't expect such beautiful eyes, they are even more blue than mine."