Page 22 of Pushed Through The Dark
Chapter Five
Aubrey
"Here," he said, pushingopen a door on the second floor. "This is your room."
Crossing my arms over my chest, I peeked my head inside.
"Go on." He held his arm out and swept me into the room with an open hand without actually touching me.
Taking a resistant step inside, I kept my eyes down. "This isn't my room, this is your room, in your house. Nothing here is mine."
"It's yours if I'm giving it to you."
"What if I don't want it?" Hugging myself tighter, my lips curled down into a heavy frown. "I didn't ask for this."
"No one asks for a gift, minx, it's given by choice." His eyes dropped to my shoulder, spotting the fresh wound. "Can I look at it?"
"I'm fine."
"It looks pretty deep," he took a step closer, holding out his hands. "I won't touch you, just let me look at it." Koa took another small step, keeping his hands out so I could see them. "I have a first aid kit in the bathroom, I'm just going to grab it."
He moved past me and ducked into a dark room. A light flicked on, and I could hear him rummaging around. Coming back out, he had a small white box in his hands. Setting it on the dresser, he pulled back the top and took out a small package.
"Can I just. . ." he said with a pause, slowly walking towards me. "You don't want it getting infected."
"Please, save me this little sympathy act you got going on. I know what you are, and you don't fucking care."
"Alright," he said, throwing the small pack of bandages at me. "Then you do it. But if that shit gets infected, it's on you." He took a wide step to the door and held the handle in his hand. "I'm going to go get some rest, I suggest you do the same."
Koa closed the door hard behind him, and I stood still waiting for a lock to click. But the only sound I heard was his feet storming away. They thudded down the hall until they were nothing more than a faint click, disappearing altogether.
Where did he go? What type of game is he playing?
Did he forget to lock me in?
Placing my ear against the door, I listened intently, my gut telling me tonight doesn't just end like this. There had to be more. There was always more.
Time ticked by slowly, but the only noises I heard was the house creaking and spitting, and coming alive. There was no Koa, no sign of him outside the door.
Is this a test? Is he waiting in the shadows for me to try and escape?
Gripping the handle, I held it tightly for a moment. The cold brass felt like hot coals against my palm. I was frozen. Frozen in fear of the past and the present.
Turning this handle could mean all kinds of horrible things. There was always a punishment for not following the rules.
Screw it! Try the door!My brain screamed to be heard. I couldn't just do nothing. I had to try.
The knob twisted easily and the door opened smoothly. There was a small crack at the hinges, creating an echo down the long hall. Taking in a deep breath, I inched it open a little bit at a time.
My ears perked, listening carefully for Koa. Silence. Poking my head out, I looked left to right and saw nothing but a vacant hall. It was surreal. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone.
You're not really alone. Not in a world like this.
I couldn't forget that, it would be stupid of me to think he wasn't setting me up. But the need to try was tugging on me.
Taking a small step out the doorway, I walked on the tips of my toes back in the direction Koa had brought me.
The house felt old, maybe built in the eighteen hundreds. There were old fashioned details in the crown molding across the ceiling, and the light fixtures hanging on the walls were brass.
