Page 9 of Poison

Eventually, I made it to the front doors and out onto the street. I managed to stagger about one hundred feet or so before I decided to take a break. Pressing my back against a wall, I slid to the ground.

There was a tug on my arm, and I yanked away, unable to open my eyes to see who had their hands on me. They tugged again, and like before, I pulled away, this time falling onto my side. My body felt so heavy. I couldn't do anything about it.

"Isaac, get up. Come on, we have to get you home."

I didn't respond.

"What did you take?"

I groaned.

"Isaac!"

I finally heard nothing at all.

Chapter 7

What the hell was that obnoxious sound? I rubbed my eyes and winced at the sharp pain. Oh yeah, my face was bashed in by a psychotic sex fiend. Unconsciously, my nails scratched my arms, trying to calm the itch that was picking at my skin. The sound burrowed into my ears again. With a loud groan, I sat up to see a large black bird on a perch.

It cawed at me. What the hell was a raven doing in my room? In a daze, I took in my surroundings, and my heartbeat sped up. The room wasn't mine, and this, sure as hell, wasn't my bed. Frantically, I tossed the sheets away and jumped to my feet, running to the door in a near-blind panic. Just before I gripped the doorknob, it swung open, almost hitting me in the face. And there was Vic, in only a pair of shorts, holding a plate. I jumped back.

Vic set the plate down and approached me like I was a wild animal. As his hand moved toward me, I screamed, "Don't fucking touch me! Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

He froze and held his hands in the air, slowly backing away. "You're okay, Isaac."

"Where the fuck am I? Did you kidnap me? Are you fucking stalking me?"

He moved closer, and I pushed my back up against the wall as hard as I could. When I realized I was trapped, I slid down to the ground, drawing my legs as close to my body as possible. When he took another step, I screamed, "Stay the fuck away from me! Don't fucking touch me!" My heart was racing, and I couldn't catch my breath. I felt like I was drowning, and my heart felt like it was about to explode. Dots danced across my vision, and my head got fuzzy.

Vic dropped to his knees. When he reached for me, I batted him away, but he persisted. I thrust my foot out, connecting with his gut. He fell onto his ass, grunting, "Fuck!"

"Don't fucking touch me! Don't come near me! Just stay away!"

"Alright," he murmured. Keeping his hands up, he slowly backed away until he reached the door. "I won't touch you. I won't come near you, but you need to calm down."

My body shook intensely. All I wanted to do was hide. I needed to escape; I had to get away. Curling up, I burrowed my face into my arms and began to rock back and forth. I'm not here. This isn't happening to me. I'm okay. I'm not here. Eventually, my body stopped shaking, and I was able to lift my head. The bird squawked as my eyes wandered around the room. The place was vastly different from my apartment. The walls were painted a sea green, a messy bed sat against the wall under a window, and clothes were strewn all over the floor. The top drawer of the dresser was partially open, and the nightstand was littered with empty drink cans. Apparently, Vic wasn't much of a housekeeper.

"Are you calm now?"

My attention snapped to him. "What am I doing here?"

He sighed, "You passed out outside of Hell's Gate. I figured it was better to take you here than to call the authorities. I wasn't sure what your sponsor would have done had he gotten a call from the tox-tank."

Slowly, the tension in my body released. I studied his face; there was concern in his hazel eyes, and that made me smile slightly. "I'm sorry. I—"

"You woke up in a strange place. I get it." He walked over to me and held out his hand. Instinctively, I winced and pulled away, making him sigh again. "I'm not going to hurt you, Isaac."

I stared at him before slowly forcing myself to my feet. "I don't like being touched." My arms wrapped defensively around myself.

"Are you cold?"

Did I lie and say I was cold? Or did I just tell him the truth? I wouldn't mind having him as a friend. Friends, for me, were in very short supply. However, I had a feeling that my little freak out would most likely make him not want to talk to me ever again. "It's an anxiety thing. I don't like people touching me without permission. I guess this is my subconscious way of telling people to leave me alone. It works for the most part; typically, people take the hint."

Vic shot me a slight smile. "Well, I made you some food." He picked up the plate and held it out to me.

Keeping one arm wrapped around my chest, I reached for it with hesitation. Just as my fingers hit the ceramic, a loud chime rang through the room. My blood nearly froze, and I looked down at my shackles in panic;there was a tiny little bright orange dot blinking on the cuff. "Fuck!"

Vic stuck a finger in his ear, wincing at the sound. "What is that?"

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