Tuesday, November 4, 2014

T.N - Chapter 80

Oh man, I really have no good excuse as to why I haven't posted anything in a few months.
Hello, I'm back (for now at least), and I hope you enjoy this chapter!



As I sprinted through the dim glow of the red emergency lights, I listened for the sound of Heathcliff and Wolfgang's footsteps behind me. Hearing nothing but silence, I slowed down my pace. My legs wobbled, and I placed a palm on the steel wall, steadying myself.
My fingers pulsed where it pressed up against the wall, fluttering with exhaustion. I tried to suppress my ragged panting by taking deeper, slower breaths, but my lungs struggled for more air and I gave up on trying. I let my hand slide down, and my head dropped as I stared at my shoes.
"Every time you do something alone, you end up getting into trouble," echoed Wolfgang's voice in my head.
My breath hitched.
"Theo, you're being irrational."
My fists clenched.
"End up getting into trouble."
I looked up into the dimness and started running again.
"Being irrational."
Feet pounding, head whispering, I ran down the slowly winding corridor.
"Trouble."
I came across a ladder ingrained into the wall, leading up to a hatch labeled M.D 2. With shaking hands I grabbed each rung and hauled myself up.
"Irrational."
Turning the latch, I push the hatch up and lift myself through. The halls were silent with emptiness, and I silently ran down the hallway.
"Trouble, irrational."
Warmth, wet saltiness. Was I crying?
"Trouble, irrational, trouble, irrational."
I was crying.
"Trouble, irrational, trouble irrational trouble--"
My running turned to trudging steps as the red lights blurred into hazy dots and my steady breathing turned into quiet sobbing.
"--irrational trouble irrational trouble IRRATIONAL TROUBLE--"
I slipped into a utility closet and I cried.
I cried about everything. Over being kidnapped. Over Kyle strangling me. Over Wolfgang getting shot to save me. Over losing Grandfather and almost losing Kyle. Over losing Kent when he betrayed us, betrayed me. Over the thought of possibly losing everyone else. Dennis. Wolfgang. Heathcliff. Charlie. I cried over the sheer absurdity of everything and how helpless I was in the midst of it.
Wolfgang was right, I knew. From everything I could tell, anytime I acted on my own, I just put myself and often everyone else in danger. And despite knowing this, I put my own pride and ego first. I just wanted to protect everyone, but that became so twisted.
I remembered a scene from my childhood at that moment. There was Heathcliff and Wolfgang, and we were all at my house while our parents and grandparents had their talk. Wolfgang and I were 6 years old, while Heathcliff was 8. We were play acting as usual, going over the same scene for the hundredth time.
"I'm the prince!" shouted little Heathcliff, a big grin on his face, brandishing a toy sword. "And I'm going to save the princess!"
"And I'm the fierce dragon!" replied Wolfgang, roaring and growling with delight. "The princess is mine, and you'll never get to her in the tower!"
I was the princess of course. Every day we met, before we started playing, they placed a crown on my head and insisted that I wear this purple sparkly tutu. Every time I picked up the toy sword, they took it from my hands. Every time I put the dragon costume on, they told me to put a dress on instead.
"You have to be the princess," they insisted. "You have to be rescued." I hated it.
"I just didn't want to be the princess anymore," I muttered to myself.
"Theo?" whispered a voice quietly from outside the closet door. "Is that you?"
I froze up. I sniffled a couple of times, wiping my face with my sleeves. "Charlie?" I paused. "Yeah, it's me."