UNFORTUNATE

Chapter 4

"Trying to clean my feet since I don't have any shoes. Well, I don't have anything, really. All thanks to you." The poison lacing her voice made him flinch.

Gulping, he took a step into the room. "We can go back to your house to pick up some clothes tomorrow. It wouldn't be safe to go just yet."

She knew he was trying to be nice, but Leanna didn't care. Dylan was nothing more than a criminal, if not a killer. She still didn't know what he was doing at her house that morning, or if he'd been alone. If she had to guess, she would say the odds of him having company entering the house were pretty high.

"I've got a better idea; you can just let me go. That way, neither of us will have to deal with the other."

Shaking his head, Dylan walked out of the bathroom. There was a second of silence before the sound of the television turning on filled the small space. Leanna sat on the cold tub edge for what felt like hours before gathering up the courage to enter the other room. To her surprise, Dylan was sleeping.

His quiet, steady breathing filled the air. Out of curiosity, Leanna felt herself leaning forwards. He was sleeping on his stomach, chin resting on his forearms. The tattoo seemed to laugh at her when she looked at it. Her face was so close to his arm, the words were beginning to become blurry.

"What are you doing?"

With a start, she flung herself across the room. Eyes the colour of the sea watched her from a distance while she struggled to her feet. The lowered sound of the television was the only sound in the room. Dylan pushed himself up before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Leanna's heart continued to pound inside of her chest as she watched from a corner of the room. Voices were still piercing through the thin walls from outside. Dylan's eyes wandered down to her ankle, where her tattoo was. He shook his head before throwing himself back on the bed. Exhaustion was beginning to take over her, watching how peacefully he was sleeping just a minute before.

"Just lay down if you're tired," he mumbled. "I don't bite. Hard."

Heat rushed to her cheeks at the words. The thought of sleeping just inches away from a criminal was terrifying. Still, her eyes were beginning to droop. Sleep was becoming a more desperate calling. Biting her lip, Leanna approached the bed. When she was closer, it became clear Dylan had fallen asleep once again. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

There was little space left on the bed, forcing her to hang halfway off the edge. Turning over, Dylan's arm brushed across her cheek. The sun was still shining outside, making it near impossible to fall asleep. Leanna felt her eyes getting heavier, sleep beckoning to her. Giving in to the near overbearing need to rest, she closed her eyes.

Shouting from outside the room jolted Leanna awake. Sitting up, she looked around the room. Fast asleep beside her was Dylan. He didn't so much as stir while the fight outside continued. Taking shallow breaths, she stood up and made her way towards the window.

Peering through the blinds, two men were shoving each other in the middle of the parking lot. They ignored the crowd gathered around them. One threw a punch, which was immediately mirrored by the other.

Sometime in unconsciousness, the tank top she was wearing became tangled. Fixing it, Leanna's attention returned to the fight happening just a few feet away. Blood splattered when the bigger man's fist made contact with the smaller one's jaw. Hands flying to her mouth, she dropped to the floor.

Cheers rose in volume. The sound of fists hitting flesh could be heard even from inside the room. It seemed to last for hours before the noise died down, the group of men moving on to elsewhere.

"Dylan?" Her hushed voice still seemed too loud in the dark night.

There were no lights on, plunging the entire room in darkness. At some point, he must have turned the TV off. Now, the only sound around was Dylan's heavy breathing. The group outside seemed to have decided to shuffle their way towards the bar beside the gas station. The only evidence they were even there a puddle of blood on the dark asphalt.

Desperation growing, Leanna got back to her feet and walked towards the bed. "Dylan!" she yelled while trying to shake him awake. Something glinted in the pale moonlight streaming through the blinds, making her come to a halt.

A handgun was resting on the bedside table, in full sight. The chances of it being loaded were slim, and she didn't even know how to work a gun. Still, she crept her way towards the weapon. It wouldn't matter that she didn't know how to use it. Aiming it at a disoriented Dylan would be enough.

Grabbing it, she aimed it at his chest with shaking arms. A kick to the shin sent him jumping awake.

"What-"

"Give me the car keys! I'm leaving!" She knew there was nothing menacing about her, but she still tried.

Dylan seemed to come out of his drowsy state quickly, frowning at the gun that was now being waved in his face. Before she could even react, she was flat on the bed, her hands pinned above her head. The gun lay forgotten somewhere on the floor.

"Come on now, sweetheart. Did you seriously think that was going to work for you?"

She was well aware of his body being pressed against her own. A dark chuckle escaped him when he looked down into her eyes. Somewhere in the distance, a car started and pulled out of the parking lot. Lights lit up the room when the vehicle passed by.

Bad idea.Horrible, horrible idea. Ticking him off was not what she was intending. His face was so close to hers, she could see the faint scars of the left side of his face. Leanna's heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. Dylan's nose trailed from her cheek down to her throat before he came to an abrupt stop, launching himself across the room.

"s**t," he mumbled under his breath. "I- excuse me for a second."

With that, he stormed out of the motel room. Still in shock, Leanna was still lying down on the bed, her body frozen in the exact same position.

She got up after lying there for a few minutes. The gun was left abandoned on the floor, still gleaming in the moonlight. Bending over, she picked up the cool metal and held it in her hand. A shiver ran through her as she placed it back on the bedside table. Without Dylan in the room, it began to feel cold. Pushing away the feeling of his nose against her skin, she curled up in a ball on the bed. The comforter smelled of old laundry detergent.

"What is going on?" she asked no one in particular.

The need to sleep won over the desire to remain awake. Events from the day played over in her mind. She just remembered it was her birthday. Though it was probably early morning by now. It was amazing how much changed in a span of fewer than twenty-four hours. After shoving all thoughts far down, sleep came to her. The power of it sending her straight into a nightmare-filled sleep.