We didn’t speak much as we made the trek back to my place. Which was fine since my head was still pounding and my side felt as though I was being stabbed by a thousand tiny knives every time I took a breath. And then it started to rain.
“We’re nearly there,” he said looking up at the sky. Drops of rain fell on his face and streaked a path down. He was covered in grime — much like myself, I imagined. He picked up the pace a bit while still showing concern for my ability to move.
As cars and other pedestrians passed by I could only guess as to what they saw as we scuttled along. A tall skinny guy — bruised and battered — being dragged along by a lean yet somewhat muscular guy who looked to be covered in ick. It was not a pretty sight to be sure.
Gaining my wits I said, “Perhaps we should take the back entrance.”
“Good call. Where are your keys?” he asked.
I fished around in my coat pocket and produced a small keyring with various keys and chains then handed them over. As we entered the building it was as if a huge vice that had been slowly clamping tighter and tighter on my chest had finally released and everything that just happened started to wash over me. It shook me. I let out a gasp and then my body took over and I began to sob and shake.
“It’s alright, we’re almost there. I’ll get you safe up to your apartment. Just a few more steps.”
I wanted to with all my being just collapse there on the marble floor in front of the elevator. I am not some hero or whatever — this sort of thing doesn’t happen in real life. As the doors to the elevator opened a few of the other residents who lived on my floor stepped out and gave Benjamin and me a sideways glance.
“You should see the other guy!” Benjamin quipped as we shambled in and the doors closed behind us.
“You’re doing good,” he said as a gentle hand moved up and down my back.
We got inside my apartment with no further incidents. Ben sat me down at the kitchen table and began unlacing my shoes. He pulled them off and threw them to the side. Then got up and pulled a glass from the cupboard above the sink and filled the glass with water.
“Drink,” he said as he presented the glass. I obeyed and gulped down nearly the whole glass. He took the glass from my hands and filled it again.
“Do you have any aspirin?”
“In the bathroom, on the shelf”
“Got it. Take two of these.”
As I swallowed the pills and finished the second glass of water Benjamin had taken up a seat across the table from me. He wasn’t looking at me. While he was looking in the direction of my shoes I could tell that his gaze was distant. He was lost in a thought. Or calculating our next move.
“We need to talk,” I said after a minute. “But after I take a shower. I smell like piss.”
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