The only good thing about walking rather than driving somewhere, is that it's easier to find your way around, getting a greater chance of getting the location correct. The snow has stopped falling from the sky for the first time in a while, but the air is still wicked cold, and I keep reminding myself how dumb I am for not wearing enough layers. I tighten my grip around myself as I read the last bit of the directions from a crinkled paper that I wrote on before leaving the house, and arrive at a incredibly sketchy looking brick building. It looks about 3 stories high, and as if it has been standing for generations. I gulp and hesitate before entering the doors, this could be dangerous, beyond against the rules made by my mother.
Once I enter the building, I'm surprised by the decor that covers the place. The lobby of this misterious building looks like the inside of a five star hotel. A huge chandler hangs from the ceiling with clear jewls twinkling in the light that the small bulbs bring. I run the bottoms of my shoes against the rug that greeted me at the door to remove the mixture of snow and slush from my shoes. All the way at the other end of the room is a white desk; a man sits behind it dressed elegantly, he stares intently at a computer screen not even blinking when I enter. The silence that fills the room is making me uncomfortable and the fact that he hasn't noticed my presence makes me question weather I should just walk past him, but I don't know how to get around this building and there's no way I am leaving now. Not after I've already gotten this far. I walk slowly to the man sitting at the desk; he's so still that I'm surprised he hasn't passed out from not breathing.
I hear my footsteps against the white marble floors, cleaned to perfection, echo in every inch of this room. Even when I arrive at the front desk standing inches away from the strange man, he doesn't even flinch. "Um, can you direct me to apartment 48B?" I ask him sounding unsure of myself. He looks up at me slowly, with a look that I can't quite read. His eyes are dark, like black holes that swallowed all the color that could have ever been in his eyes. His skin is sickly pale looking thin and fragile like paper.
"Excuse me? Who are you?" His deep voice says loudly even though I'm standing less than a foot away from him. I step back in surprise when it echos throughout the room just as my small footsteps did moments ago, only this is much louder then my baby-like steps.
"I-I um I'm Sara," I say with a shaky voice that makes it clear that I could start crying at any second that I continue to be half scared to death. "I just want to get to apartment 48B." He stares at me and for a second I don't think he is going to o anything but this all seems like it's happening in slow motion and anything he does is a blur until time catches up with itself. His face forms from a blank expression to a deadly, evil, monstrous scowl. "I don't care what you want, little girl," he spits standing from his chair. His hand reaches up, into the pocket of his jacket. His hands are thin, you can see the bones in the fingers that are just as white as his face. Worst of all, you can see the veins that pop out of his skin giving it a 3D effect. I feel my eyes widen as a gun is slowly pulled out his pearl white jacket pocket. The beating in my heart has never been faster, I feel my hands go cold and I take a few steps back, but he comes out from behind his desk aiming the gun right at the very middle of my forehead.
My throat is dry, my eyes are on fire as I try to fight every urge to let the tears fall down my cheeks showing my surrender. Every stride he takes in my direction, is every small step I take back, but I know I can't get far, his gun has my eyes, and every part of me knows that trying to run will only get me into more trouble and cause me my life.
"W-what-" I try but am cut off by a voice like venom.
"Shut up!" The man yells in a dangerous voice. My bones are stiff and no matter how many steps he takes towards me, I can't find myself to move anymore, this could be the end, and it feels like this is all just starting. When the man is close enough, he grabs me forcefully by the collar of my jacket. I let out a squeak without meaning to but the man doesn't notice.
"Listen to me, very carefully." He says in a voice so deadly, that I could fall to the ground and faint at this very moment. My insides twist, I could see myself puking in the very near future. The man breathes heavily right in my face, I smell nothing but intoxication from him. No matter how much alcohol he consumed, there's no way this could be from intoxication; no, this is him, his soul is dark and cold, I have no reason to blame the alcohol for this, this is pure and this is him. I almost laugh at myself when I realize i've never had a drink in my life yet I'm already making inferences.
"You will leave right now," I flinch when I feel spit right beside my nose. "You will not come back, and you will say nothing to no one!" He yells. He doesn't let go of my coat, and I wonder when this will finally be over so I will stop shaking like a dog during a thunderstorm.
"Do you hear me?!" His voice booms throughout the entire room, so loud that an earthquake could happen. I don't say anything, instead I nod very quickly, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. He lets go of my jacket leaving wrinkles where he gripped it forcefully and pushes me towards the door with much strength then I can handle, causing me to fall to the ground landing on my arms before my face could hit the floor.
Scrambling to my feet, a gunshot goes off in the air and behind me I see the chandler crash to the ground breaking all kinds of glass and little pieces flying into the air, some hitting my in my face and hands, cutting deep enough to have blood slowly leaving the cuts.
"Leave!" I hear. He doesn't have to tell me twice. I run as fast as I can allowing the burning in my legs to build up, making me grit my teeth because of the pain. Once I'm outside I run two blocks until I feel that I'm far enough from the danger. Breathing is something that's very difficult at the moment but the only thing that keeps me running is the smell of his breathe, the beating of my heart when my eyes landed on the gun in his hands, the sound of the chandler crashing to the ground shattering glass sending it flying in all corners of the large room. I run down the sidewalks getting as far as I can from that place, other citizens walking in the direction I came from give me disapproving glares when I run in between people, slipping past families and some elderly women just to get away faster. Finally after I think I have gotten far enough, I lean against the wall of a random shop and try to catch my breathe, all that is coming out of my mouth now is wheezes. I sit myself down on the concrete giving my numb legs a break.
I allow my lungs to finally receive the oxygen they have been begging for and try to brush the glass shreds out of the skin in my hands but I find that I can't do it without hissing in pain. Blood begins to come out faster from the wounds making me more aggravated. If the stupid intoxicated man would've given me time to recover from my fall and get the heck out of there, he wouldn't have had to shoot at the chandler making it fall to the ground breaking into millions of pieces and giving me cuts all over my hands! I give up and just watch the blood ooze from the palms of my hands. My breathe is slowly beginning to steady but my heart remains beating at a rapid pace when my mind replays the moment the strange man pulled the gun from his jacket. I fear that I won't be able to ever forget that moment and I will now have to live with that fear forever; I shudder at the thought. Two boots stop in front of me and I am ready to bolt but when I look up my eyes meet familiar blue ones.
"What happened?" Carson bends down so that we are eye level. His eyes are wide with concern as he examines my face running his thumb over the little area without glass sticking out of my skin. I look at the cold ground beside me, covered in ice and salt to melt it.
"Sara," he says sternly. He wants an answer, and I don't want to tell him, but I know I have to. I bring my eyes back to his and sigh. I don't want Carson to share the same embarrassment and pain that I do. I know that lying to him is no longer an option, lying to anyone isn't an option, but especially not him but telling him the truth hurts a little.
"I," I start, but begin to lose words for how to explain the situation. "I got attacked." I finally say. Carson's eyes widen and his eyebrows knit together. The combination makes his face look ridiculous.
"I'm about to ask you a lot of questions." He warns me. I feel myself smile weakly and nod. He sits beside me taking my hand in his two cold ones, trying to gently pick the pieces of glass out of them. I wince when he picks at the big chunks of glass shoved further into my hand than others.
I gasp when he grips a chunk of glass and yanks it out forcefully without any kind of warning. My eyes water a little from the sharp and sudden pain. "Carson! What are you doing?" I screech. He looks up and gives me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I took a medical class a while back and I know for a fact that it's not good to keep glass in your hands especially when they are dirty." He holds up my hand that is slightly covered in dirt. "I didn't say you could do that." I point out.
"I'm afraid you have no say darling. You'll get an infection if I don't" I roll my eyes in response. What's up with the nicknames lately?
"Okay," he begins, while working on my hand. "First of all, who did you get attacked by?" He asks. I watch him study my hand, carefully touching the glass trying not to damage it anymore than it already is. I stare at the way his hair that usually rests on his forehead, now brushes over his eyes slightly blocking his view.
I look away trying to think of ways to answer the question as truthfully as I can. "I don't know to be honest with you. It was some man wearing a suit as white as could be." I answer.
"Some man in a white suit? You aren't making any sense. Where were you?" He asks right after pulling a piece of glass from my hand using all his strength. I squeak and feel my eyes water again from the pain. He looks up apologetically. "I'm sorry, but there's no way this glass is coming out the easy way."
"It's okay." I respond quietly. "But, I was at this address." I pull out the paper with the address of Alan Hollins written on it. Carson looks up and pauses, carefully resting his hand on my knee and taking the paper into his hands. With Carson so close to me, I forget how cold it is outside until a wind blows hitting my face with a cold gust of wind.
"Sara," Carson says with a more stern tone in his voice. "Why were you there?"
"I told you Carson, I need to find this Alan Hollins guy! What if he is my father?" I tell him.
"Don't you think this is a sign to just stay away? Maybe he doesn't want to be bothered." Carson says harshly. Ouch. I flinch and move my hand away from his knee bringing my knees up to my chest and slowly scooting away. I thought Carson was on my side, and now he is about to yell at me for being curious and tired of living a life that isn't mine? His eyes soften and he gently takes my hand back in his.
"Sara, I'm sorry. Um, I just don't want you to get hurt." He says with eyes softer then something monstrous I saw before. But even still, the tone in his voice is different and it's not him. Somethings up. I don't say anything to him, but instead just give him a nod to show my acceptation to his apology.
"Here, I think I have a first aid kit in my car." He says getting up and gently helping me up as well. I want to forgive him and try to shake the weird feeling, but I can't help but wonder why he snapped at me for something I had no control over.
Heeeeeeyyy guys! So it's my birthday today! :) i didnt actually get anything for my birthday besides some money from my dad because my mom got me a trip to Chicago... and anyone who knows me knows I have the absolute biggest obsession with everything divergent.. so... we are going to chicago where the book took place and first movie was filmed! im so excited lol.. oh and for my birthday i made a dauntless cake. oh and we didnt exactly reach 1k reads but thats alright, im already so thankful for the many of you that I have right now... i dont need 1k :) I hope you all have a great day and dont forget to vote and comment! byeee :)