The Dark (DEVON) // ✔️ // [NEWADULT]

|| Chapter Fourty-One - We Run ||

   I was startled awake by a loud bang that echoed through my room. I cracked my eyes open just a touch to investigate what was going on, but my room seemed untouched, the door was still shut with the lock in place.
   Slowly, I got up out of the bed, my neck aching from the awkward position I'd dozed off in. The diary slipped off my chest with a dull thud that was absorbed by the carpet.
   Upon initial inspection, I couldn't see Parker or Meghan outside my door - and still couldn't when I reached the small barred window.
  
   The hallway was mostly dark, the only beam of light coming from the bottom of the stairs that set the far end of the hall alight with an eerie orange glow.

   Not. For. Me.

   I backed away slowly, I've seen far too many unoriginal horror films to know what happens every-time you stare down a dimly lit hall for too long.
   Nothing good.

   The bed creaked under my weight as I sat back down on it, the nature of my room itself was unsettling, there was no light switch to use at my own leisure.
   Lights were automatic, from what my watch told me they go out at 9:30... I'm yet to know what time they come back on.
  
   The time was 4:56. I prayed they were all early risers.

   As for that bang, I had no idea what that was. I lay back and stared up at the concrete ceiling for some time until the sound of footsteps approaching the top of the staircase grabbed my attention.
   In a panic, I threw myself under the covers and buried myself in the pillow in an effort to appear to be asleep.

   My stomach churned at the sound of the lock twisting in the door, I shut my eyes as tight as I could without squinting them, got a fistful of blanket and pulled it up to my mouth. Trying to hide myself away as best I could.
   I heard the sound of the door opening and then closing again, my feet became restless but I fought to keep them still.

   I heard the intruder let out a breath and begin strolling around the room. They let out a small chuckle once in a while, and then... my ears picked up the sweetest sound I'd heard in a while.
   It filled me with relief... but just as much dread, considering I know what I know.

   "So off-trend. I would've thought Isaac Kingsley could've done better than this." She whispered.
   I opened my eyes and watched as Kat sashayed around my room, her hair was pulled back into a tight knot at the base of her skull, she was wearing her usual dark lip, dark eye combination - even through the dark I could see the winged liner - and she wore an all in one black, leather ensemble with all sorts of gadgets attached to it.
   True spy gear.

   Kat was Devon's secret weapon.

   I cleared my throat and she paused, smiled and slowly turned towards me, "Hey babes!" She spoke with a hushed tone and approached me slowly with her arms out.
   I embraced her and she giggled, "Fancy seeing you here..." she threw her hands up, "...kidding of course you're my third rescue of the day, now let's go before I set this place alight and watch the human firecrackers burn!" The way she said it, so innocently, so full of childlike wander, made my core shake.

   "Please." Was all I could say.

   Kat chuckled and got me to my feet, "we have approximately seven minutes to complete a fifteen minute run to an exit I've sourced, so we better start now." She winked at me and grabbed my hand.
   Then we sprinted.

   I didn't miss that as we ran, Kat was chucking lit matches behind us, the hissing of the carpets catching fire made me cringe.
   This wasn't the option, I dragged Kat to a halt, she turned to me with a face like thunder and shook her head, "Don't you dare try to tell me to stop missy. I am faster than you, I bet if I ran ahead and threw a few more behind me, you'd be a crinkle crisp within seconds." She snarled.

   I held my tongue and we continued running until we reached a thin passageway cut out of the wall, Kat pushed me into it and I grunted as I pulled myself through it. I felt sick to my stomach, the sensation of the walls almost caving in on me made me feel dizzy.
   "You're slowing down." Kat said calmly, despite the sweat lining her brow and upper lip as she clawed her way through the passage behind me - a little easier than I had, I'd gained some weight over the past few days.
   Embarrassingly.

   "It's hard." I replied, breathless.

   Kat laughed, "Devon's waiting outside with Abby and Matthew." She goaded.
   Point proven - she wasn't too fond of the group.
   However, her claim did little to give me the extra push I needed. I still felt numb, all the memories that room held were fresh in my mind... my dad. My mom. Who still hasn't been found.

   We finally dragged ourselves out of the passage and into a dingy clearing with an stepladder going all the way up.
   My tummy twisted and I vomited on the floor by the ladder - the big steel frame was slick with water and would no doubt be a difficult thing to tackle for someone as fit as me.
   The vomit kept coming, Kat joined my side and rubbed my back, "Jeez, didn't realise I'd pushed you so hard darling. You been feeling funky this whole time? What have they been feeding you? Was it Mexican food because if you cook that badly it can-" I held up a hand to cut her off.

   She tapped my back gently twice, "I'm sorry sweet, let's get up this ladder yeah? I can feel the heat coming from the compound as we speak." I nodded and started climbing up the ladder.
   To my surprise, it wasn't as slick as I'd anticipated and as soon as I got somewhat within arms reach of the top, two hands came down and dragged me out.
   I collapsed onto someone's chest, and sobbed.

   Kat got to the top and dropped another lit match into the cavern, she hissed and quickly covered the top of it with the metal grille.

   "Hey... hey it's okay now." A familiar voice whispered down my ear. Devon. I didn't open my eyes, I just clutched his chest tighter and sobbed harder.
   Was it relief, fear, the awful sick-to-my stomach feeling I had... or all of the above?

   I continued sobbing through the whole experience, I felt weak, I was weak. I'm just a girl, I'm not cut out for this.
   My body was limp and lifted from the ground, carried to a car, then carried back into my "home", my "sanctuary" for now.

   My eyes remained closed.

   I didn't want to see.

   I don't want to remember.

   I want to sleep - forever.

   Warm arms wrapped around me, pulled me close and I felt a gentle kiss to the back of my head, "You're safe." Devon whispered, and I fell into a deep sleep.

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Gotta get her back home amirite? Don't worry though... it's not over quite yet.

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