Shadows danced along the wooden walls as lightning flashed into the open doorway casting strange obscurations across the darkened room.
Ayumi finched causing her seized arm to pull back as the others hand tightened around it again. A hiss escaped her lips as she clenched her fist and bit on her lip. The bandages began to dye a light red as she held motionlessly.
The other abandoned their grip hastily as their gaze fell upon the faint traces of blood that now stained their palm. Their eyes shot up to Ayumi as they pressed their body tightly against the bed frame, shoulders raised and eyes narrowing at her.
"If I ever need a reliable grip I know where to turn to." Ayumi beamed as she pulled back her arm, letting it relax in the rest of the other.
The man picked himself up to a sitting position just as the light from the hallway and thunderstorm cast off his small frame of a body. A thin, same as her's, garb clung to his body. From his skin, a colorless hue filtered as it glistened with small droplets of sweat. Bandages crept out from beyond the edges of the cloth. From his neck and under the sweat-drenched torso, the vestige of some about his stomach bled through.
"You don't look good." Ayumi leaned forward as she angled for his line of sight.
His eyes cast themselves about the room from one corner to the other and then to the hallway. Its dim lighting held more than the room they were in. Pushing off from the bed his muscles shook as he reached a standing state, his ankles bowed inwards as he took each step. Reaching for the door he grasped the frame as he leaned against it quivering drawing in low wavering breaths.
"Here." Ayumi ducked under his right arm and settled it over her shoulder, while her other enclosed around the backside of his waist.
The man's eyes looked at her widely as his body attempted to pull away but was blocked by the frame he leaned against.
"If you want to go to someplace, just point the way." She glanced to him with a small grin.
With his body still shaking slightly, raising his left hand from the door frame he held a trembling finger and pointed to the garden.
Tottering down the corridor they passed the corner bench she'd sat on and continued on passed to the other side of the garden square. The air was a damp cool, but sweat began to drench her has the heat from the other radiated between them. Ayumi cast a few glances up at the other whos head barely hung upright.
Dark circles gathered under their lids, bloodshot eyes wavered in a constant fight to look ahead and hollowed out cheeks sunk into a slack jaw that gasped at the air for each breath. Patches of scaled skin dotted about with still present nicks and cuts.
"How long you in for?"
The other staggered as he turned his head to her. His eyes squinted as he rubbed his fingers against his eardrum. His eyes reeled inside his skull, and he raised his hand to his throat as he ran his across the covered skin. Beneath the shifting wrappings, she saw the marred skin, claw marks that damaged against the flesh.
He opened his mouth, a short whimper escaped as he found himself doubling over in a coughing fit with his knees giving way.
Gently Ayumi helped him to the ground as she rested him against the nearby wall. For a while, his mind drifted as time abandoned reason and his body convulsed until his mind surrendered and drifted into a hazed focus beyond sight.
Ayumi paced swiftly back down the hall, in hand a small pitcher of water and a glass, rounding the corner the other sat leaning against the wall eyes barely open lost in the window before them.
A loud roll of thunder shot through the air, Ayumi jumped, some of the pitchers content scattered on her bare feet. Before her, the shell of the man remained unmoved. Tilting her head to the side she watched his gaze unblinking and unbroken.
"I'm back!" She greeted as she was no more than a few measures from him.
The other did not move.
Ayumi stooped down at his side, the other flinched into a ball as a wide-eyed gaze met hers. His feet now pulled tight to him as he leaned away from her nearly tipping over sideways.
Setting down the glass to the floor she poured some from the pitcher in it.
"For your throat." She slid the glass closer to his hand.
The man looked at her and then the water. Ayumi looked at the water then moved it closer to him.
"Here."
The other further backed away sliding down the wall and landing flat on his back. Ayumi's brow furrowed, she raised it to her nose and smelt it, took a sip of it and swallowed.
"It's good water." Ayumi extended her hand to the other.
A trembling hand reached out and took her hand sitting back up. Reaching he took the drink from her. In labored breaths and hunched form he drank it, tears streamed from his face as he finished offering the glass back he looked to her.
---
Ayumi leaned against the reverse wall feet folded like a butterfly under her as she rocked side to side. Behind her, the weather continued to rattle the thin glass as a draft of cold damp air filtered from some distant gap. Before her, the other nursed the water inbetween gulps of air.
Stopping her motion she pulled from her pocket the scraps of roti and looked to the other.
Water ran unrestrained from the sides of his mouth with clenched teeth and tightly closed eyes as he took a mouthful of water down.
"Oi," Ayumi stretched out her hand. Holding out her hand the other did not respond, taking a deep sigh and a long inhale she opened her mouth whole.
"OOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIiii!"
His eyes slowly scanned to her as she nudged the food towards him, looking down and back at her. Pausing she looked at the cup of water than at the food letting out a sigh she took a bite chewed, swallowed, and opened her mouth.
"See?"
Extending it again to him the other took it, placing it on his lips he began gumming it and with some effort swallowing it. His hands clasped about his throat as his toes curled with a muffled cry that eeked from his voice.
Crawling over Ayumi took a seat up next to him. From the pitcher she poured more water in the cup, she tapped him on the shoulder she reached over taking the bread from his hand and broke a piece off dipping it in the water.
"ich-ni-sa-go-ro" Lifting it from the glass she put it to his lips. "Easier right?" She smiled, the other took the soggy bread chewing it slightly and swallowing.
The back and forth continued until all the bread was gone and the two sat in the long empty hallway listening to the drone of the storm about.
"I can get more if-" Ayumi paused, the others head began to dip down as their head fell on her shoulder. Looking to the carrot-topped man she stretched her neck and folded her feet under leaning back against the wall.
"I think that the old one won't be too happy with us when they find us."
Ayumi leaned her head atop his as she nodded off to the static.
Comments (0)
See all