The Shadows We Keep

CHAPTER FOUR

I was burning. My entire body felt like it was on fire. I couldn't stop the screams. They were my screams, but I couldn't stop them.

"Your entire legacy is gone!" The masked man screamed before pulling the trigger, killing both my parents.

"No!" I jolted awake, my body screaming in so much pain. My stomach throbbed with a dull ache, like a burn that was eating me up from the inside.

My body was too weak to move, and I glanced around the room, but something was off. Why was everywhere so dark?

Trying to steady my breathing, I touched my face to be sure I was awake. I was sure I was, and I was sure my eyes were open, so why couldn't I see anything?

"Hello?!" I called out, reaching forward to try to grab anything, but all I could feel were the sheets beneath me. "Is someone here?!"

I heard the sound of a door opening, and a woman's soothing voice cut through the air.

"You're okay." She said, her hand grasping mine.

I turned my head towards the voice, desperate to see who was speaking to me, but there was only darkness.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice suddenly scratchy. "Where am I?"

She squeezed my hands gently. "You're in the hospital. You're safe. Let me get you some water, you've been asleep for a while."

It grasped her hand tightly, panic settling in my veins. "Don't leave me!" I begged, my voice cracking. "Please, don't leave me."

"It's okay." She replied, shushing me softly.

"I can't see." I said. "Why can't I see?"

She went quiet for a moment before she said quietly. "When you were brought here, you were really hurt. You were shot in your stomach, and you suffered a severe head injury. The doctors... they think you may have damaged your optic nerve."

"No." I whispered, shaking my head. "No, this can't be happening."

But the darkness remained, a constant reminder of my harsh reality. My breathing became heavy, and I let go of her hand, remembering the nightmare that had brought me here. My parents..

"What about my parents?"

"I don't....I don't know anything about your parents. You were brought here alone." She patted my shoulder. "I'll get the doctor."

She was out of the room before I could ask anymore questions, but her last words rang in my head. I didn't need to delude myself into thinking my parents were alive and might have survived the way I did. I saw them die. They were dead.

Panic set in my bones as I thought about who had brought me here. Was it the masked man? Did he have me treated so he could go ahead with what he said to my father, or was he going to sell me? I needed to get out of here.

I stumbled out of bed, my hands flailing wildly as I tried to get my bearings. But there was nothing to see. The darkness sent shivers through me, but the fear of the unknown overrode my brain more and I stumbled forward. But I didn't get far before I collided with a wall, and fell to the ground, my hands scraping against the cold floor. I suddenly couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, and all I could do was feel the crushing weight of my reality. There was no point trying to run, I couldn't even make it outside my room.

A sob escaped from my lips, and then, I let it out. A raw anguished sound that tore through my throat. I screamed until my voice was hoarse, until my body was shaking with sobs. And when I couldn't let anything out anymore, I curled up on the floor, my arms wrapped around my knees, and let the darkness consume me. The only sound I could hear was the flat line coming from the monitor, and my heavy breathing.

There was nothing to live for anymore, I was trapped in a world of nothingness, with no escape.

I was blind. I was lost. I was alone.

****

The days felt like a blur, and I couldn't care less about anything that was happening around me. The doctor came in and out, he said some things I couldn't remember, and gave me some words of support. But his words didn't do anything, because I wasn't even paying attention to the things he was saying. It felt like I was in an endless void of darkness and despair, and there was no one to save me.

"This is the longest he has stayed without coming to visit you." The nurse said one day when she was giving me my pills.

"Who?" I asked.

"The man who brought you here." She replied, and I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Could you describe him for me?"

"Oh, he's tall, and huge, with the most beautiful blue eyes."

"Did he say anything about what happened to me, or where he brought me from?"

"Not really. He said he was a family friend, and your house got robbed."

"Does he wear a mask?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.

"A mask? No, he doesn't wear a mask. But I have to say, he's been very concerned about your well being. Are you sure you don't know him?"

"I've never even seen the man." I said, my voice coming out more clipped than I wanted. "And now I probably would never know what he looks like."

She was silent for a moment, before she sighed. "I'm sorry. Maybe when he comes to visit, you both could talk. Who knows, you might recognize his voice."

I sighed. "I hope so."

After she gave me the last of my meds, she handed me some water. "I'll get the doctor now. He needs to know that you're talking more."

The nurse's footstep echoed out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. What was really going on? This hospital, the mystery man who saved me, the masked man who killed my family. It's all so confusing to me, and I hated the helplessness I felt because of my eye sight.

A couple of minutes passed, and I heard the door open again. I turned my head towards the direction of the sound.

"Hello?" I said, my voice a little lower now that I thought it was the doctor.

But there was so response, but I heard the sound of footsteps approaching my bed. I felt a presence near me, but it didn't feel right.

"Doctor?" I said, my voice a little uncertain now.

Still there was no response. I felt goosebumps run across my skin as I realized that it wasn't the doctor who was in my room, and worst of all, I couldn't see who.

"Who's there?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, but I was shaking. I didn't know where to go, or who was in the room with me. For all I know, there could be a gun pointed at me waiting for me to move.

I got a whiff of a cologne, it was thick yet so light, like citrus and wood mixed together.

"I don't know what game you're playing, but this isn't funny."

"I know it isn't." The oppressive presence finally said.

I glanced towards the direction of his voice, and he was right beside me. Not too close, but close enough to grab me if I tried to run.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He continued.

There was something about his voice that felt off; it was deeply soothing, yet so dangerous.

"I'm not scared of you." I said, hoping I was staring at him, and not some empty space.

He chuckled. "Your hands are trembling."

"Who are you?"

"A person."

"Why did you save me?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I've been asking myself that questions for weeks now."

"What?"

"Let's just say I owe your father big time, and saving you is my way of paying him back, even though he'd never see that."

My shoulders slumped and I could feel a lump rising in my throat. "So they're really dead?"

"They are, and your house is gone too. It was set on fire."

I placed my hand on my stomach, where the scar of the gunshot wound lingered.

"What day is it? How long have I been here?" I asked.

"Well, you were in a coma for about a month, and you've been awake for about two weeks. It's February 20th."

"Oh my God." I gasped. "I'm supposed to be in school right now. My roommate is going to be so worried about me."

"School and your roommate's worry should be the last thing on your mind right now. Your safety should be your concern, and it's for the best you leave Miami. I'm a hundred percent sure that the person who killed your parents, won't be happy if they find out that you're alive."

"You know who he is?"

"Not yet." He replied.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps outside my room, and the mysterious stranger's presence seems to fade away. "I'll be back."

"Wait!" I called out, glancing around frantically. "Who are you?"

The door opened, and I could hear his sigh. "I'm just a person who's getting involved in something he shouldn't."

And just like that, he was gone, and I was left alone.