Locked In

TW: Abuse, PSTD, murder October 4, 3030 Time Unknown                 The floor creaks slightly as I pace back in forth in front of the bathroom door. I bite my nails as I continue pacing, nearly wearing a hole into the carpet below. Scarlett has been in the bathroom for what seemed like forever now. Guilt gnaws at my body. I still can’t believe I hurt Scarlett. Maybe I’m making too big a deal out of this, but that doesn’t change the fact that I just hurt my best friend.         I rub my face, trying to take calming breaths. My heart aches at the memory of her pushing me away when I reached for her. I only wanted to help, yet…         The door swings open and Scarlett steps out. I notice a band-aid on her neck, just below her jawline. She looks at me skeptically. "What are you doing?"          "I wanted to make sure you were really okay," I respond.          Scarlett pushes past me. "I told you, I'm fine. You didn't do it on purpose."         I follow after her. "Then why won't you let me near you?" We stop in the middle of the hallway, the sunrise lighting the area a bit. Scarlett looks up at me with a hard, uncharacteristic look in her eyes.         She scoffs, "I am letting you near me."         "Bullshit. You pushed me away earlier."         Scarlett rolls her eyes and walks away, but I grab her wrist and pull her toward me.          "Let go of me!" She tries to yank her arm away.           My jaw sets and I look into her eyes. “Not until you tell me what’s going on with you!”          "I'm terrified, okay?”          Her words set me back. Scarlett just continues.          “The moment you pressed the knife against my throat, I thought I was going to die. I’m not ready for that!" She rubs her face in frustration, takes in a deep breath, and lowers her voice. "Do you know how many times I’ve been beaten nearly to death? How many times my life was threatened? Then the school shooting happened, and I almost didn’t make it out. Hell, a guard attacked me and I had to kill him to get away!" Scarlett rubs her arms and looks down at the floor. "And-And then you put that knife to my throat and... I don’t know, I guess it triggered something in me because I felt the same fear I felt so many times before. The fear that my life was over."         "Scarlett, I'm so sorry, I--" I try to step closer to Scarlett, but the way she flinches away makes my heart wrench. "I was having a nightmare. You woke me up so suddenly, I thought I was still dreaming about..."         She tilts her head up, her green eyes glistening with tears. "About what?"         "The guards. It was awful. I don’t remember much but they were capturing innocent people. Murdering them. I was trying to run away, then I felt a hand on me. I get my flight or fight kicked in and that’s why I attacked you with the knife. I thought you were one of them.”         Scarlett gnaws on her lower lip, not looking at me. She stares at a picture on the wall, clearly debating something internally. She releases a soft breath and she turns to me. Not saying a word, she takes two steps toward me and wraps her arms around my torso. I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around her, resting my cheek on the top of her head.         "I see you two are back to normal."         We quickly pull away to see Chloe standing at the end of the hall, a smirk on her face. Without another word, Chloe turns on her heel and walks away, leaving the two of us alone again. Scarlett and I turn to each other and laugh simultaneously. ******         "God, can it be dark already?" Chloe groans. Her head is tilted against the backrest of the couch. "I'm tired of sitting in this house with nothing to do."         "In case you haven't noticed," Scarlett whispers harshly, "there are guards everywhere outside, so can you keep your voice down, please?"         Chloe just rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to look for something to eat." She gets out of her seat and walks into the dimly lit kitchen.         Scarlett and I remain silent, listening to Chloe rummage through the cabinets.         "I would like to try and make it to my house," I whisper after a while. "I need to know if my parents are alive or at least hiding."         "What if the government already took them?" Scarlett asks.         I pick at a loose thread on the chair I’m in. "I just hope they're hiding."         Scarlett nods. "I need to see if my parents are alive, too. I know they hate me and all, but they still raised me. They’re the only family I know. I just want to make sure they're safe."         "I'm sure they are." I understand where she’s coming from. Our families are kind of similar. Though I don’t see my mom often, I still love her.          Scarlett swallows hard. "Why is this happening?" She buries her face into her hands, sniffling softly.         I get up from the recliner and sit next to her on the couch, trying to soothe her by rubbing circles on her back. "I don't know," I reply honestly.         Scarlett leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder, a comfortable silence falling over us.          I promise you, Scarlett. I will protect you if it’s the last thing I do. We’re going to get out of this city. Together.