Across Dimensions (ONC 2020)

Chapter Three: From Escape To Gun Point

Throbbing pain in the back of my skull beats like a drum. It summons my five senses back into the waking nightmare that I now know as my life.

How am I still alive? They're hunting me. I need to run.

I sit upright, but immediately find myself back on the floor when sharp pain stabs across my abdomen. Each breath to follow takes pleasure in reminding me that a few ribs are broken. An earth shattering scream, joins the drum beat, hammering into my head. I jolt at the intensity, which makes more pain cascade down my body.

"Oh my god, you're alive. A-and you came through a m-mirror. Oh crap, crappity crap, crap, crap. Maximus wasn't messing with me. A person fell through a mirror into my room, and kissed me. Why did you kiss me? That was my first kiss! And you spoiled it! I don't even know you, and it wasn't romantic or exciting. I didn't have a foot pop. There's a boy in my room, are you a murderer?  Am I going to die? Oh my god I'm going to die."

My blurry vision comes into focus, revealing the speaker to be a girl not much older than I with olive skin, and wide, terrified chocolate brown eyes.

Before I have the chance to utter a reply, she pulls a metal object from a satchel and points it in my direction. Her finger moves awkwardly to hover over the trigger, "If you m-move I will s-shoot you."

Inwardly I groan. It's as if my life has become a series of unfortunate disasters... For a reason I cannot remember.

Why am I no longer protected by Edipeis? Did I cause the beam to fall that had me pinned? Who is pursuing me? Will they figure out where I went and follow? Am I safe here? Well, safe from them.

"If you can find it within your heart to spare me, I would rather not die. I came here to escape from a terrible fate. I don't expect you to trust what I say, or do anything I request. Because I am a stranger, that makes me dangerous. If you trusted me, I'd call you a fool." I wince each time I take a breath between sentences. By now, I'd think I would have gotten used to the sensation enough to dull it. But it only seems to be increasing in intensity.

Having medical supplies right now sounds amazing, but asking favors of the young lady with a gun trained to my head would be idiocy.

She moistens her lips with her tongue, before tucking gorgeous midnight hair behind her ear on just the left side... Or is that her right? Why do I care? By the stars, am I admiring the beauty of a stranger holding me captive? What in galaxies name is wrong with me? Can Stockholm syndrome be this early onset?

"What caused you to deserve it? Did you kill someone?" She asks timidly.

I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.

One of her eyebrows raises, as she awaits my answer.

"I would like to know as much as you do. If the fellows with weapons hadn't intended to kill me, I could've asked them. But... At the same time, I'm not sure I want to know. If I did kill someone, it would have likely been in self-defense. Unless I'm secretly a monster, and did something terrible." I say staring at my hands.

Could these be the hands of a murderer? Did I commit an unforgivable wrong? I went to Edipeis to help people, when did that change? What happened to change it?

"How do I know you aren't lying?" She asks, her eyes narrow with suspicion.

I smile wryly, "You don't."

It was not the answer she wanted to hear, nor was it the one I wanted to give. But it is the truth. I can no sooner prove to her than I could myself the lack of malicious intent.