The Hostage and the Runaways

It had been a little over a week since they escaped Glen’s chamber of tortures and they had moved as far as they could away from Kansas.

Currently, they were staying in an old abandoned motel off the main stretch of highway in Arkansas. The place was hidden from view but it still had all the comforts of home – minus the room service, electricity, TV, no running water and vermin. Although it could be a lot worse – Isabella certainly didn’t see how at that moment but the last thing she was going to do was complain. At least the abandoned room had a mattress to rest and at the moment, that’s all she needed.

Killian laid next to her, his brown eyes closed and breathing steady. She knew he was asleep, much like everyone else that was residing in the cramped room. Unfortunately, as much as she needed rest; the nightmares grew intense every time she closed her eyes. It got to the point where she wasn’t sure when the last time she fully slept was.

“Four days?” She questioned out loud, looking up toward the window – seeing Kellie sitting there on the old air conditioner, his foot propped up against the wall, looking out and scanning the vacant area.

“About four, you really should try sleeping, little sapling.” Kellie said, keeping his voice soft so he didn’t wake anyone up,

“Nightmares.” Isabella sighed, shifting her body so she was staring up at the cracking ceiling, her eyes vacant of emotion.

“What are they about?” Kellie asked, his eyes never leaving outside.

“Glen, Ethan – my past.” She summed it up in a few words, moving her hand up and down the worn mattress.

“Sums it up perfectly. Have you tried asking Zayn for something? Sleeping pills or something for sedation to stop the dreams?” Kellie asked, now turning to face the girl with a smirk.

His voice was so confident and relaxed in his Irish accent that, his pronunciation was easy to understand and though they were twins, Killian and Kellie were as different as night and day.

“He gave me a few sleeping pills but I still felt the onset of a nightmare. They haunt me most days. When Harry and them had me as their hostage, there were a few times during my stay that I was sedated and they were pretty peaceful nights – I think. I woke up gagged with Niall’s shirt the one time, so I’m not sure but only one in a few times I don’t remember dreaming.” She smiled at the memory.

“Do you want one? I could –“Kellie began to offer but she declined before he could get out a full sentence.

“No. I can’t rely on them to help me sleep. I’ll catch sleep when I can.” Isabella smiled kindly at his gesture.

“What put you to sleep before?” Kellie asked, his blue eyes peering at her through the darkness.

“Ethan would hold and sing to me until I fell asleep. When I ran, I would rely on my CD’s to help put me into slumber but after a few close calls I had to stop listening to music when I slept. I had to be awake at a moment’s notice and almost always, I would find too many close calls. So I stayed awake, slept in shifts and just ran. I would eat once a day if lucky. I lost so much from always running that my survival mode just sort of said fuck it and kicked in full time. Probably why I can’t sleep, my mind can’t get out of it.” Isabella answered truthfully, smiling as Killian’s head moved.

She stole a glance at Harry, he was leant up against the corner by the door with Louis’s head draped on his shoulder, both were fast asleep. Niall and Liam took the opposite corner by the bathroom – which, everyone was afraid to go into. They too had followed Harry and Louis’s example.

Zayn was sleeping on the floor, crammed between the bed and wall. It was a tight fit but Isabella didn’t bother explaining that to the dark haired doctor.

Kellie got up from the window and maneuvered around to Isabella, carefully sitting at the edge of the bed.

“I know something that can help but you have to trust me.” Kellie told, his voice holding no trace of doubt.

“I trust you.” Isabella gulped, feeling his fingers gently guide down the side of her neck and stopping just above her collarbone.

“I press here and you’ll fall asleep. I don’t know how well it would help with nightmares but it is one of many pressure points I use to knock someone unconscious.” Kellie explained, feeling Isabella flinch.

“Killian got me with that one when he was trying to help me escape – the day they…when they took his voice.” Isabella choked back the familiar pang of guilt, feeling his fingers massaging over the point gently.

She noticed it was relaxing her muscles.

Instead of fighting it she glanced into Kellie’s eyes, letting his touch shake her from unconsciousness, although she was surprised to hear him start to sing. It was soft and no one but them could hear it – besides Killian if he had been awake.

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;

Remember me to the one who lives there,

For once she was a true love of mine.”

His eyes sparkled, massaging the beating pulse in her collarbone.

“Don’t fight it, Ella. I promise, nothing is going to happen.” Kellie smiled, his other hand massaging against her oily scalp.

He continued to sing to her, his Irish voice soothing. Serene; like a waterfall in the forest.

“Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;

Without any seam or needlework,

Then she shall be a true love of mine.”

Isabella was slipping away, feeling the bed beside her shift. Killian had woken up and shifted to look at her, his brown eyes tiredly observing the scene but a few moments after, his arms were around her securely, her back meeting his chest, her head nearing his heart, listening to heartbeat.

The words were fading and her mind traveled far away, surrounded by peace.

It took a while but as Isabella’s eyes finally stopped fighting, he gently pressed the small pressure point in her neck and watched her whole body relax.

Killian held the girl protectively to his chest but nodded a thanks, using his hands to signal.

Kellie nodded in response.

“You’re welcome. If only getting her to eat was this easy, yeh?” Kellie shook his head, standing back up, walking back to the window and pausing.

Killian joined Kellie at the window after detangling himself from Isabella, using sign language – although a bit frustrated.

“Signing at me in Irish with anger does little to make me understand the point you’re trying to get across.” Kellie told him calmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Killian sighed and signed in English.

Kellie just smiled and changed the subject, he refused to even touch base on the subject, knowing it would just leave them both frustrated.

”Glen maybe the world’s biggest ass plug but your dialect has improved. Hand gesturing or not.” He smirked, knowing he was pissing his brother off.

“Gesture this, asshole" Killian signed before flipping his twin the bird and going to lay down next to Isabella again.

Kellie laughed but it quit almost a second later, a bright light shining off the window. He wanted to make sure it wasn’t a false alarm.

Judging by the scary looking guy with the big gun – it was safe to assume that they had the right address.

“Killian? Grab Ella, we got to get the fuck out of here, we’ve been found.” Kellie muttered, grabbing the fog horn beside the table and pressing it. “EVERYBODY UP, GET MOVING, WE’VE BEEN FOUND!” He screamed, watching them all jerk awake with a start.

Just like that the room went from peaceful to full out panic.

Had Isabella been awake, she too would have only said it was a matter of time.

That’s all they we’re living on though, time.

Notes

SEQUEL TO THE HOSTAGE AND THE WANTED - I suggest reading the first story or you maybe a tiny bit lost.