Sometimes It's Even Darker

Chapter 8 - Run If You Can

Days are long and nights are full of secret plans. Tobi conspires when the night falls, lying in bed alone while Aethernia sleeps vigilantly on the sofa in her room. She sleeps as if she knew he wants to escape if only she turned her hed away. He wonders if he can just overpower her and run, but he reminds that he's still a little bit weak and slower than usually. And she has an axe in her woodshed.
Once he suggested that he would help her in cutting wood. She denied and when he started to urge her, she hit the snag with an axe so hard that she almost slivered it in two parts. „Which letter in <no> you don't understand?”, she asked then.
Tobi doesn't want to admit he is afraid of her, but he is. So he prefers to escape cunningly.
He easily gets bored in her house while she is doing something on her own, so he writes music and lyrics for a new Edguy album. After a few days he realizes he creates far better and faster than usually, as if Aethernia's house was magical for him.
This day is so warm and sunny, so Tobi is sitting on a porch and writing new stuff. Suddenly he gets hungry, so he walks to the massive fridge which stands in the kitchen. He opens it and sees the void.
„Oh God, it's a chance of my life”, he thinks with an instant feeling of relief.
- Aethie? - he calls her gently and suddenly he freezes in thrill.
Aethernia is talking with somebody. Tobi doesn't hear what exactly she's saying, but he can hear not only her voice coming from her room. He looks towards the doors. They are opened, but he can't see anything inside. It's completely dark there. Tobi holds his breath and listens carefully. He hears the voices: hundreds of silent voices whispering random syllabes. Hers is the loudest among them.
- You won't dare – she says angrily – I know I have changed, but this time I don't need your help. It's not even help. It's a curse.
THEY whisper something obscurely and Tobi sees colourful flickering lights pouring out of her room. They look like they were created by something metaphysical. Fear clenches it's mighty hands on Tobi's throat.
- It's all right. You may help me... just in case, okay? But don't dare to come closer without my premission. - Aethernia drawls again. Whispers are gettinng louder and louder and suddenly they fade into silence. Tobi can hear their last silent words:
„He listens!”
- Aethie? - he speaks again. She doesn't answers at once, she waits a few seconds. Tobi feels his heartbeat in his gullet.
- Yeah? - she responds finally.
- We ran out of food.
- I know - Aethernia comes out from her room. She looks even more mysterious and scary than usually. Tobi notices she draws a big wooden trolley covered with tilt at the top.
- I wanted to tell you about it. Can you listen for a while?
He nods, but this time he doesn't smile. She doesn't seem to notice this little change and she continues her speech with the same cold calm:
-Tomorrow I have to go down to the town. I hate these trips, but you know I have no choice. I will send my art to people who booked it. And I must buy some food for the money I will get. I will bring it here, but this trip can take a whole day. I may return in the evening, I may return at night. I don't know. But I will leave you alone here, in my place. Will you manage?
Tobi barely prevents himself from screaming.
„Alone, fuck yeah!”, he thinks, drunk with sudden happiness. „My escape will be easier than I thought firstly.”
He smiles warmly, forgetting about his fear, about everything.
- I think I won't have any problems – he replies gently.
- Good – Aethernia closes the doors to her room. There is so silent that Tobi can't believe he heard strange voices a while ago.
„I must have misheard it”, he thinks when Aethernia looks at him sadly and whispers:
- I hope nothing bad will happen here.