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I am here! I slapped, slamming my wrists against the wood. Please hear me!
“Who’s in the shower?” Silas’s deep voice echoed.
“It’s got to be Marie,” Nathan said. “I checked her room, she’s not in there. Maybe Sang’s out in the woods. I told her not to go without me.”
No, not Marie! In a panic, I clutched my knees together against the stool. Please hear me, please hear me.
With what little strength I had left, I jumped, trying to lift the chair with me to slam myself back down against the tub.
Thunk.
My butt slammed against the flat part of the wood. Pain radiated from my tailbone through my spine. A sharp pang connected against my ankle. I gasped, a wash of red covering my eyes at the agony.
More silence. Were they thinking Marie was finishing up and were they trying to get away?
“Silas!” I squealed. “Nathan!” I knew they couldn’t hear me. I collected myself. I pulled myself up again, twisting my ankle as I drew up the stool and slammed it down against the tub. I rocked forward, and leaned back to stop myself from slipping off into the tub.
“That’s not Marie. That’s Sang,” Silas said. The doorknob rattled and a thud pounded against the door.
I twisted my face away from the door, shaking, crying quiet sobs. Thank you, thank you.
The floor shook, a loud crack thundered, mixed with splitting wood as the door broke away from the frame, slamming up against the wall. I vibrated with shivers so hard against the stool I was sure I was going to fall over. I was ashamed, cold, tired, in pain. I was embarrassed they had to come for me. I was so sorry to drag them into this. What would I ever do without them?
The curtain was pulled back. Silas loomed over me, his face contorting into a rage so strong that I wanted to cower but I wouldn’t allow myself to do it.
“Fucking shit,” Nathan said. He looked confused, disbelieving his own eyes. He reached out for me, diving into the cold water and wrapping his arms around me. “God damn it Sang, why the hell didn’t you call us sooner?”
Silas reached down, pulling at the stool. “She’s fucking tied up.” He growled and helped Nathan, pulling me and the stool out from the shower.
They lowered me onto my side against the floor of the bathroom. I coughed against the tile.
Nathan put his warm hand against my cheek. “Sang?” he called to me. He brushed my hair away from my face.
“Nathan,” I said as loud as I could, but there was nothing to my voice.
His blue eyes lit with tears. He shook his head. His eyes drifted from my face to my bound hands and feet. He grumbled something and turned back to me. “I’m going to break this damn thing, okay? Don’t move.”
I nodded but on my side, I was shivering uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure if shivering counted as moving.
I heard Silas speaking but I couldn’t see him. “Kota? We’ve got her. No, she’s not okay. Bring Dr. Green. We’re taking her to Nathan’s.”
Nathan stood over the stool. Silas slipped down and hovered over me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Nathan kicked at the stool. I was jerked but Silas held on. The wood split. Another kick and my hands in the cords pulled away from the stool. He worked on freeing my legs, breaking the smaller wood slats and sliding the rope free.
Silas collected me in his arms, picking me up. I was still shaking so bad, but I felt his warmth and leaned against him, burying my face into his shoulder.
The water was turned off and a moment later Nathan held out a towel. Silas readjusted until he had the towel wrapped over my body.
“Let’s get her out of here,” Silas said.
“No shit,” Nathan said.
My eyes closed as Silas thudded down the back stairs. I breathed in the night air.
R escue p arty
I woke up to the smell of cypress and menthol. The scents confused me. The sheets were stiff against my skin. Did I do something to my bed? My face felt heavy and thick, like I had the worst cold in the world. My head throbbed between my eyes.
Dry air tickled my throat and a coughing spasm hit me hard. I sat up, and through slit eyes from my raging fit, I recognized Nathan’s bedroom with karate posters and exercise equipment stuffed into his closet.
My lungs were on fire. I needed fresh air. The menthol was suppressing and I couldn’t breathe.
I got on my knees, trying to crawl to the edge of the bed. My whole body rattled as I coughed. I touched the floor and I got one step before my legs failed. I collapsed against Nathan’s dresser, knocking it against the wall. I slid to the floor. Objects sitting on top of his dresser dropped to the carpet around me.
The door opened. Kota and Luke hovered in the doorway. There were more faces beyond them that I couldn’t make out as my eyes blurred.
I sat up against the dresser. The cluster of people at the door swooped in on me all at once.
Kota reached me first. He put his arm around my shoulders, trying to pull me up. His spice scent around me was too much. I pushed him away. I was coughing too hard to tell him that it felt suffocating.
Dr. Green nudged Kota away. He pressed his palms against my cheeks in an effort to get me to focus. I tried to back up but I was against the dresser and couldn’t move. I pushed a
t his arms but he wouldn’t budge. “Sang,” he said. “Sang, listen to me. Calm down. If you pass out, I’ll have to take you to the hospital.”
“Air,” I breathed out. “I can’t... I need air.”
“Let me take her,” Kota said. He pulled me into his arms, despite my squeaking protests. I coughed against his shoulder, my eyes scrunched closed. I willed myself to stay conscious. I didn’t want to have to go anywhere. I wanted to be with them.
Kota passed through Nathan’s house. The sliding glass door was pulled aside and Kota put me down onto the concrete of Nathan’s back patio. He took my arms and he held them over my head.
It helped. I sucked in air between the raging coughs and slowly I started to calm down. He held me like that until it died off and I was drinking in oxygen.
Kota knelt by my head, bringing his face close to mine. His glasses slid down his nose as his green eyes softened. “Sang?”
I wiped my face to clear my eyes. “Kota,” I breathed out.
“Want to sit up?”
I nodded. He crawled behind me, pulling me up by the shoulders until his chest pressed against my back. His legs extended on either side of mine. His arms were wrapped around my stomach. I was shaking again but I was warm and Kota was there.
North knelt next to us. His dark eyes met mine and he frowned. “You okay, Sang Baby?”
“Perfect,” I squeaked out.
His eyes glazed and he blinked hard, but he grinned down at me. “You’re so full of shit.”
I attempted a smirk. He was right. My face still hurt. My throat and lungs felt twisted like knots. I hated feeling so helpless. I hated that I’d brought them into this. I was consumed with worry that my mother was looking for me right now, maybe even calling the police to find me. Still, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay forever.
