Life had already been so hard. It was a task just to keep living life day in and day out. And knowing that Zeek was drowning just like me…it was like a dagger to the heart.
I hated it. I hated the fact that he was suffering when he’d been the one to keep me going all those long months. It was Zeek who kept my thoughts from drifting off to bad places when we were trapped in that cell. He was the one to soothe me when I thought all hope was lost. The only reason I even made it out alive was because of the man who now lie broken on my chest.
Now, it was my turn to be there for him because I refused to give up on him.
Upstairs, I could hear Destri cleaning and shoving things into the washing machine before starting it. I didn’t notice much of a mess down here. In fact, I didn’t notice much of anything at all. It was as though Zeek intentionally kept the bare minimum.Is he always prepared to leave at a drop of a hat?I wondered as I looked around the mostly empty room.
“I’m going to run out and pick up a few things. Will you be okay with him for about an hour?” Destri asked, her face appearing from over the top of the couch.
“Yeah.” I didn’t think he was going to go anywhere. And I certainly wasn’t going to be able to, given the fact that he was using me as a full body pillow.
“You have my number if anything changes. He has no food here and we need to try and get him to eat something.”
“I do too.” Zeek’s words were soft, but still I jerked at his unexpected outburst.
“None that you should be eating.”
Zeek huffed, his breath coasting across my shirt. “I don’t need food. I’ve got the kid.”
I smiled as I ran a hand through his hair, feeling the sweat that still caked his scalp. He needed a shower, but I knew neither of us were up for that at the moment. Not that it really mattered what either of us look or smelled like. We’d shared a much smaller space without showering for weeks on end.
“Then you are certainly in good hands,” she said, almost lovingly. With a small smile, she turned to leave, making sure the door was closed securely behind her.
I didn’t know what I expected when we showed up on Zeek’s doorstep. But I’m fairly certain it wasn’t this. When we arrived, the door was locked and there was no answer. Panic filled the both of us as Mistress Destri began pondering various ways to get into his house. Luckily, before she implemented any of them, Zeek answered, a blanket draped around his shoulders.
The moment I set eyes on him I could see how exhausted he was. Dark rings surrounded his puffy, red eyes and his hair was a complete mess. He was so delirious from the demons that haunted him, he actually thought he was dreaming. I remember thinking,What type of hell has he been through out here in the middle of nowhere?
Now, his body lying on top of mine, I finally felt at ease, content. No words needed to be spoken. It was like I could finally breathe. Although I’d being lying if I said I didn’t want to know what had been going through his mind to allow another human being to mark him as they had.
So many cuts and bruises decorated his back. And that didn’t include the scars that were hidden just beneath their surface. Of course, those scars were from a much darker time.
Even after all this time, I could still see the droplets of blood as they fell to the dirty cement while I tried to stop the bleeding with stripes of fabric from my own clothes. Zeek had stood up for me, desperate to avoid me being subjected to their unique form of torture. Unfortunately for him, our captors decided to teach him a lesson that he wouldn’t soon forget, their permanent reminders etched across his flesh.
“Mad at me?” Zeek lifted his head just enough to see my face before letting it fall back to my chest.
“Never.” I put as much promise as I could into that one simple word. In truth, I could never be mad at him. “And before you ask, I’m not disappointed either, Zeek. We both know you’ve been through a lot. As have I. You have to know that it’s okay to fall.”
“Hmmm.” He didn’t agree, but I also didn’t expect he would. “Sorry.” His tears began soaking through my shirt as he muttered the word so softly that I almost didn’t hear.
I didn’t say anything, my arms remaining tightly wrapped around him. He was shattered. I wasn’t sure what I needed to do in order to show him that everything would be okay, but I’d do what I could. This time, it was my turn to keep him afloat.
Ezekiel
My body was warm. Too warm. And I felt far too content given the pounding in my head. Then again, perhaps content wasn’t the right word. But I was definitely comfortable. Probably the most comfortable I’d been since…well, for as long as I could remember. Not since I was a teenager, at least. And certainly not since being taken.
Reality and fantasy had merged and I could no longer differentiate between the two. But at that moment, I didn’t particularly care. Instead, I tried to grasp onto the feeling as tightly as possible for fear that it would disappear. Because if life had taught me anything it was that good things never lasted. And I wanted whatever this feeling was to last.
In truth, I didn’t want to have to face reality and the hell my life had become.
“Shhh. It’s okay,” someone whispered as a hand softly ran through my hair.
My entire body stiffened in response.Where the fuck am I? Better yet, who the fuck was that?
Ignoring my body’s reaction, the hand continued to gently stroke me like a cat. Although it didn’t carry much force, it felt like the weight of the world was resting atop me. My body was so tired and sore that I couldn’t even lift my head. I had no clue what had happened to me, or where I was. All I knew was that I didn’t want to move. Unfortunately, my bladder was now demanding my immediate attention.
Forcing my eyes open, I blinked erratically as my surroundings slowly came into focus.My living room?I thought in both relief and confusion. From where I was lying, the blinds were pulled shut, small rays of sunlight seeping in through the gap between the curtain and the wall.
It took a moment for reality to set in and me to realize that I was lying on something soft and warm. All I knew for sure was that it was most definitely not my couch. The heartbeat thundering in my ear was a dead giveaway to that fact.That doesn’t make much sense?I thought in confusion.The last thing I remember is…well…I don’t actually remember.
