Dark Angel (A 001 prequel story)

22 - Sailing

"Hey! Come on! Wake up! Please".
It was cold and dark.
An annoying voice was pestering her.
She wanted silence.
Instead there was just noise around her.
The sound of heavy rain and that voice tormenting her.
She didn't want to wake up. She wanted to linger in the light.
But she was lying on something uncomfortable, her brain hurt like it was about to explode.
And she felt angry.
She didn't know if it was because of the annoying voice or about something that had happened.
Her eyes opened with a deadly glare.
She was in a car. Lying on the back seats.
The rain was pouring around them and made an awful noise that worsened her headache.
She was drenched. She hated feeling drenched.
Above her was a young man she had never seen before.

"Hello" he said with a sheepish smile, adjusting his glasses "You're going to be alright. You're safe now".
"Who are you?" she asked pressing a hand on his chest to push him away, enough to feel less suffocated.
"I'm Julian" he said awkwardly "You don't know me but I'm a friend. I've been looking for you for all these months, since you were missing".
She looked around, but it was just all so dark. And rainy.
"Where am I?".
"My old jeep. We still need to get out of..." he had a moment of hesitation then continued "this town. There's a checkpoint at the end of the road and I couldn't risk that you'd wake up when I need you to be silent and invisible".
She lifted herself on her elbows, wishing to bang her aching head against a wall.
"Are you kidnapping me?" she accused him.
"No. I'm helping you" he said quickly widening his eyes "I've been warned that people here would do anything to keep you and do whatever they were doing to you".
What the hell was going on?
She wished to remember that happened, how she ended into that car with a stranger under the pouring rain.
But her mind was blank. And the headache didn't help.
"I can't remember. Something is wrong with my mind" she said feeling panic raising to choke her.
He pressed a hand on her shoulder "You've been under a big trauma. Don't force it".
"No. It's wrong" she spat "Why am I drenched?".
"It's pouring with rain outside. I had to carry you... from the building to this car. We are still in the forest. And we need to get out of the town as soon as possible" he said nervously.
She narrowed her eyes at him "You're keeping secrets from me. You hold your breath each time you're about to tell me more".
He gaped, feeling exposed.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I've been told how to save you, but I'm quite frightened at the moment".
"Who told you?".
He shrugged "I don't even know. Someone working in there and who was ashamed of what was happening to you. We exchanged some letters in the last days. He begged me to help you. And I'm glad to help you".
"Show me the letters" she commanded.
He looked more mortified "I'm sorry. One of the instructions was to burn them after I read them".
She cursed loudly.
"I'm so sorry. I have some dry clothes for you to change. You're shaking for the cold" he pulled at a bag at his feet and handed her some clothes, stranger as the drenched ones she was wearing.
"I'm not undressing in front of you" she warned.
"Fine. I'll wait outside" he picked an umbrella and walked out of the car.
That wasn't enough. But she was sick and tired of those wet clothes, so she hurried to remove them and wear the dry ones. They smelled bad, but she had little choice. It was too cold to stay naked.
Julian stepped back int the car taking the driver's seat.
"Better now?".
"A bit" she felt so exhausted that she laid down.
"Does the radio bother you?" he turned on the device. It wasn't annoying as the sound of the rain hitting the car like it wanted to crack it.
"No. Leave it" she surrendered to her headache and fell asleep.
It felt more like a nap, because it didn't take long before she was again aware of being in a car with a stranger.

The radio was playing a country song and then played another one.
She barely paid attention to it until she felt it teasing some strings in her. So she focused on the lyrics.

I am sailing
I am sailing
Home again
'Cross the sea
I am sailing
Stormy waters
To be near you
To be free