But I don’t want to. I’ve suffered for months without my girl, one-hundred and fifty-two nights I’ve spent longing for her. Tormented by my imagination and what could be happening to her.
Fauna must feel my turmoil as her eyes soften but she subtly shakes her head, warning me not to try.
A sharp sting blooms across my tongue as I sink my top front teeth into its flesh. Frustration is taking over me at being kept apart from Isla.
Ru motions for Fauna and Isla to enter first acting as another barrier between us and I can’t stand it. After them, the others enter one by one, their guards still up but willing to follow their friends.
Then it’s just Vish and I left alone at the entrance.
‘You alright, man?’
I sigh, releasing the pinching stab of my teeth on my tongue.
My head is a war of emotions, one primarily being pissed off at not being able to get close to her.
‘I don’t know…’
‘At least you know where she is. Know she's safe.’
I nod. He's right and that fact has lightened the burning pain of worrying for her safety. But a new one has come along and replaced it.
‘She’s pregnant, Vish.’
He doesn’t need me to say it outright. He’ll have been able to put two and two together — us living in a society without easy access to modern medicine, none of us having a fucking clue on how to deliver a baby… the concerns are endless.
‘We’ll figure it out. Whatever you need, I’m here to help. Isla means the world to me…’
I shoot him a venomous glare, one that feels out of character for me. Especially with it being directed towards one of my closest friends. But if he thinks for a second he feels more for my girl than I do, then he is more delusional than I’ve ever thought.
They may be childhood friends but that ended seven years ago when she was left to fend for herself. I may not know all of the details but I know they got out of their house that night and she didn’t — or so they thought anyway.
Vish can fuck off if he is going to play any games with me over her. I will not be sharing my girl.
‘Hey…’ Kit greets as I stomp through the gate.
He’s a young guy, still a teenager, but he’s shot up like a bean stalk over the past year or two, growing to be nearly my height. Kit’s still got that young nature about him, one that’s not been responsible for taking another's life. His sister, Kat sheltered him from that. They’re a unique duo — their nicknames speak for themselves — but they’re incredibly skilled and reliable.
‘Hey Kit,’ I answer. ‘Better not be falling asleep at your post.’
‘Never.’ He holds a hand to his heart, standing up straighter.
I wave goodbye, making a beeline to the stadium's entrance where the others headed through.
‘Liam,’ Vish calls after me but I ignore him.
Not one part of me wants to listen to what that asshole has to say. I don’t need to hear how much she means to him. Don’t want to think about it. And I definitely don’t want to fucking consider what it could mean.
The second entrance creeks open and I’m greeted by Stephen, an older guy with a greying beard sticking beneath his mask.
He nods in greeting, but doesn’t say anything as I shift past him and into the hallway. The wave of stale rum perforating the air, probably from whatever he drowned himself in last night. He’s not much for talking, prefers to find his company in a bag of baccy and a bottle of something.
Ahead, the hallway is empty, the group must have moved faster than I thought. The light from the other end shines down towards me and the absence of any shadowed figures means they have made their way out to the main pitch already.
After moving in here, Ru and the others decided to get started on the renovations to make the place liveable. To combat lighting issues, we settled on wider entrances from the field, knocking down walls in the suites that caused more darknessthan anything else and added oil-burning lanterns, candles, fires, anything we could think of.
It means the winters are dark but with the company of a log burning fire they can be made a bit happier and a hell of a lot cosier.
Today with the rare sunshine the large stadium grounds are fully lit and I hurry down the corridor, a little more irritation in my step than before.
