A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Eighteen

The television is playing in the background, the volume low enough so that it is more of a background noise than a nuisance. The light from the television makes it easy for me to see Alex in the otherwise dark room, curled around himself as he struggles to get air into his lungs.

"Alex," I say, scooting closer to him but not touching his body, seeing as some people don't like the sensation of being touched when they are in such a vulnerable state. "You need to calm down and breathe."

He just shakes his head, his breathing becoming even more ragged than before. It is easy to see how terrified he is, and all from just the sight of Mayor Klarr. I know our leader is not a good person, but what could he have done to make Alex so terrified of him? My curiosity is growing, but the need to get Alex to calm down before he passes out from a lack of oxygen is stronger.

"Alex, listen to me. You need to take deep breaths." When he still doesn't say anything, I eventually cave into touching his arm. He won't calm down until I practically force him.

Placing my arms on his shoulders, I give him a gentle squeeze. His head snaps up, his bloodshot eyes wide with fear. He tries to wiggle away from his grasp, but I don't let him. We are at the same level, and with him not hiding his head, our faces are only a few inches apart.

"Breathe, like I am," I say, taking a deep breath in and holding it for a few seconds before letting it out. Alex struggle at first to copy me, but he eventually starts to calm down and take normal breaths right when I feel a cramp in my leg start up.

Alex looks away from me, his eyes flitting around the room while I collapse onto my butt so that I can release the growing tension in my legs. His eyes eventually land on the television, and he freezes completely.

Looking over at the screen, I can see that they are once again flashing a picture of the mayor while talking about him. With a tired sigh, I pull myself onto the couch, patting the cushion beside me so that Alex will get up as well. It takes him a little while, but he eventually uncurls himself from the tight ball he was in and crawls up onto the couch.

"Now," I say, voice soft as to not disturb the hesitant calm we are in. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about, or am I just going to have to guess?"

Alex doesn't say anything, his eyes still fixed on the television. Letting out a heavy sigh, I rest my head against the back of the couch, getting comfortable because I have a feeling I am going to be here a while. Once settled, my eyes fixate on the human sitting beside me.

His usually rumpled hair is even more tousled, random sections sticking up, probably from his fingers twisting in the locks. His eyes are swollen from all the crying, and his lip is caught in between his teeth, worrying it as he continues to watch the colorful pictures on the television.

Just when I think Alex isn't going to say anything at all, he breaks the silence, his voice barely audible in the still air. "I haven't seen my sister in a long time, probably a year or two.".

"What happened?" I whisper when he doesn't say anything further.

His mouth opens but no words come out. Scrunching his eyes, he looks as if he is trying to figure out what to say, forming his words carefully before speaking them aloud.

"Sarah- my sister- and I lived in a small village, no more than fifty people, hiding from the war hungry humans and the cruel hybrids who spent a lot of time hunting us down. We were there for a while, for maybe six years or so, before they finally found us."

Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I manage to ask croakily, "Who did?"

Alex looks over at me, his eyes, moving from my ears to my face. "Your scientists." He pauses for a moment, returning his eyes to the screen. "They took most of us and held us in a basement somewhere. Every week, they would come and take one of us away. Once you passed through that door that led to their workstations, you weren't coming back."