Missing Personalities

Chapter 6: Someone to Talk to

Ben's eyes blinked to life. He peered down to his hands, both enclosed around the edges of his blanket in a defensive gesture. He eased his grip and brought his hands to his face. The memories of the past few days danced around in his mind. Those few memories he could access at all, and none gave him an excuse to want to stay entrapped forever.

The memory of Edward shushing him the first time they agreed to have a group discussion. What a silly thing to get upset about. Neither Phil nor Edward seemed to get hurt when they insult each other. Maybe because...

Ben shuddered in guilt for his own thought. Because they are the ones who cause it. It wasn't fair to blame them for how he felt, even if they had spent the entire time degrading him.

I liked it better when you didn't talk.

Phil's words echoed in his head. Ben shook back and forth, as if he could make the words go away with enough movement. He turned suddenly enough to fall off of his mattress.

Ben paused. Phil was still sleeping. He lay completely unconscious yet faced upwards with an expression of caution, as if he were expecting someone to attack him in his sleep. As if he were inviting someone to do so. It was hard to see him this way, considering how lively and humorous he had been at the beginning of the ordeal, even if that attitude came at the expense of his roommates. Admittedly it was nice to have had peace in the last few days, but the gripping thought remained in the back of his mind.

Did I do that?

Ben hoisted himself up and walked towards the exit. He slowly edged around the corner of the wall and wrapped his hand around the door handle. His vision blurred. Got up too fast. Ben pounded his head before slowly turning the knob of the door.

Ben was greeted by the slight sound of crumbling, like rocks being dropped against each other. But it was so faint that he wasn't sure if he was too drowsy to trust his senses. Edward jumped to his feet from a kneeling position by the table. He pushed a chair with his foot, looking intently at the floor as he did so. He eyed Ben with suspicion.

"You're up earlier than usual," said Edward. "It's only two pm." Brought his wrist up to his face, knowing he wasn't wearing a watch. "At least, it looks like that."

Ben averted his eyes. The accusation hadn't been unwarranted. Since the day they looked past the window, none of them seemed to have the same amount of energy anymore. "Did you guys find anything?" Ben wasn't sure if he should imply that Phil was even still trying to escape, but it made him feel better to do so. It made him feel less responsible.

Edward grunted. "Your behavior isn't helping your case."

Ben looked up, matching eyes with Edward for what seemed like the first time in days. "What?"

Edward shook his head. "How would someone know you wanted to escape if you made no effort at all? Today's not the first day you've spent this long in bed. You actions are more telling than anything." He paused. "We'd need actions to tell anything about you."

Ben stood at a loss for words. Was all that really necessary? It wasn't his fault that he had trouble speaking with other people, and it definitely wasn't his fault that the three of them were stuck in some underground bunker. "What's your problem with me?" Ben asked, still mildly wary of how Edward would react. It was only now that he realized how pronounced their height difference was. Even though Edward seemed to have a good hold on his emotions, he could still be intimidating. And he didn't waste time.

"I was getting somewhere with Phil," said Edward between gritted teeth. "You know how difficult he is. You put out the last bit of hope he had and now I'll have to do this by myself. There are three of us and now I'm the only one who still wants to leave."