The Franklin Series: Forgotten| On hold

Six

Johanna took one step out of the door that had been a barrier for her for so long. She took a breath of the air. It caught in her throat and made her gag. A repugnant odour mixed with the stale oxygen in the hall. She would need to be outside before a true breath of fresh air could be taken.

She wiped the spittle around her mouth on her arm. The sound of foot steps echoed down the hall. She dashed down the hall that was across from her. The footsteps gained speed. That's when she knew they had heard or seen her.

She focused her energy into swinging her arms. She lengthened her steps and blocked out all sound. If she ignored her follower, maybe he would go away.  She ran until she got to a door.

It was locked.

She tucked her body in an opening next to the door. She held her breath. The footsteps got closer. Her heart boomed in her ears. Her hands were shaking as she brought them up to cover her mouth. The sound of footwear on the ground slowed. The person took time between each step.

They must know the door is locked. They know I'm still here.

Her body quivered at the thought. She had overworked the little muscle strength she had. When they found her she would be useless. They would take her back to the doctor.

She had experienced the punishment for attempting to escape twice before. The first time he added a day to her red room exposure therapy. On her second attempt he upped it by two days. This time it would be three days, if he didn't slit her throat as he had promised on her last try.

She took a short breath and held it.

The man stepped in front of her. He looked straight ahead.

She held her mouth shut with one hand and wrapped the other one around herself.

He raised a key ring from his pocket and unlocked the door. He stuck his head out and looked both ways.

She took a deep breath and held it. Her nails dug into her arm. She watched him put his keys back into his pocket. When his hand came back out a piece of paper fell from his fingers. She watched it float to the ground.

She closed her eyes. Her heart was close to exploding. Her ears were ringing. A sharp stinging sensation ran down her body. She heard him moving. When she looked up he was gone. The piece of paper was still on the floor.

She waited until she couldn't hear him anymore. She grabbed the note and opened the single fold.

Find my mom, she can help. Good luck.

Marcus

She held the scrap of paper to her chest. He was alive. She was still experiencing connected dreams but hadn't seen him face to face since her last failed escape.

She took multiple deep breaths and counted to ten. She stomped out of her hiding place and slammed her hands onto the door.

It swung open.

He didn't lock it.