Page 51 of Kill Me

“Always, Little Magpie,” I whisper in her ear.

“I can’t stay here. Please don’t make me stay here.”

“I’m not leaving you here, Magpie, don’t worry. You’re coming with me.” Her sobs quieten; she continues mumbling the odd words that don’t quite make sense, and she passes back out.

I take in the surroundings of the room and the absolute filth she’s been living in. I stroke her hair as I rock back and forth.

“We need to get going. The last thing we need is a confrontation with Richard, whoever he is,” X says.

“He’s one of the head nurses. There are two of them. Him and Darla. The doctor only comes in for procedures. Other than that, we’re basically in our rooms or being forced to exercise.”

“Being forced?” His eyes turn molten.

“Yes. For one hour every day, we must be on the move for the entire hour. Quinn collapsed earlier today because of it. She begged them not to make her. She even asked for an aid, to make the movement easier, but Richard laughed at her.”

“Why do they force you to exercise? What happens if you don’t?” he asks her. I notice with every question he’s inadvertently moving towards her.

“I’ve never refused. But others have. They have really strict rules here, and punishments can vary. They rob you of your senses, lock you in dark, padded rooms, or withhold hydration and toilet privileges. When you’re here, you’re expected to be the perfect weight for your height. The more overweight you are, the less you're fed and the more you’re forced to exercise.”

X crouches next to Rhiannon, all the while I refuse to let go of Quinn. She whimpers occasionally, but she’s dead to the world, and it’s probably for the best. “I can only imagine the things you’ve seen and endured in this place, Little One. Trust me when I tell you, you’ll never be at their mercy again.”

I smile into Quinn’s hair.

Who knew the key to turning X into a marshmallow was locked away in a facility in the middle of nowhere?

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she says. “Everyone breaks their promises. They leave. Why should I believe you’re no different?” Her expression darkens. She’s fiery. He’s got his work cut out for him, and I’m here for it. About time he put in some work instead of lazing around watching The Vampire Diaries fucking traitorous prick.

“I just am. You don’t have to believe me. I’ll show you.”

“You can’t show me if I’m in here. I told you, I have nowhere to go.”

“Well, I’ve got the perfect solution for that.” He stands up.

“Ted, leave.” Ted lifts his head, looks at him and practically rolls his eyes, before dropping his head back onto Rhiannon’s lap.

Both Rhiannon and I burst out laughing.

“Ted, move.” He points in the direction of me. Nothing. Ted doesn’t even so much as move his head this time. “Fucking dog. Ruining my meet-cute here, Ted. Sort your fucking dog out, H.”

“Ted. Come.” He immediately comes trotting over, and X shakes his head in exasperation.

“You couldn’t just do me a solid this one time?” he asks me.

“Sorry, bud. I love to watch you struggle.”

“You fucking wanker.” He sighs as he puts his torch back into his belt, makes sure it’s secure and undoes his jacket. “Here, Little One, put this on.” He places the jacket over her shoulders, encouraging her to put her arms in, before doing the zip up to her chin. She shivers.

“What are you—” He bends down, scoops his arm under her legs and lifts her up into a fireman's carry and stalks out the door.”

Ted looks up at me expectantly. “I guess that’s our cue to go, bud.” I place Quinn back on the bed before standing up and mimicking X’s actions so I can safely get Quinn away from here.

“Ted, come.” He trots alongside me. I turn in a circle, taking in my surroundings to make sure I’m not forgetting anything, but there’s literally nothing here except for the poor excuse for a mattress she’s been sleeping on.

The anxiety that had been previously crawling through my skin has subsided now that I have her in my arms. But there’s a sense of failure that I couldn’t get to her before Stephanie did. The feelings and emotions wrestling inside of me are impossible to compute. Relief. Happiness. Terror at what could have been. Then the emotion I’ve been hiding from for most of my life smacks me in the face.

“You’re safe, Little Magpie. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

I walk through the door in the direction we came to catch up to X.