Page 24 of Echoes From Within

“Find my baby,” she cries, her voice fading. “Please, find my baby.”

“I will, sweetheart,” I say. “I won’t stop until I do.”

And I’ll burn this fucking world down building by building to do so.

Chapter Six

Venom

“You’re being discharged today,” the nurse tells Sophia.

We’ve been out of that damn place for two days now but Sophia’s mind is still trapped inside. It turns out she disappeared a year and a half ago without a single trace as to where she could be.

From what I understand, she took over her parents’ business shortly before they passed away. It was eventually partially shut down when she vanished.

“Is there any place you can go?”

I’m leaning in the corner of the room waiting to hear her answer. She knows I’m here but does everything she can to avoid looking in my direction. The safety she felt with me for that short amount of time seemed to have vanished once we were outside of those walls.

Not that I can blame her. Inside that prison, I was someone safe for that small amount of time we were together.

“My apartment is gone,” she whispers, looking down at her hands. “But, I have my parent's house that I can stay in. I’ll be fine.”

Those last words were spoken with so much pain that it physically hurt to hear. She will be fine. But it’s going to take a while.

I want to offer her a room at my house, but considering how much she flinches every time she looks at me, I remain silent.

“We’re a reminder of that place,”Doc says.

I think he’s right.

Everything in me revolts at the idea of walking away from Sophia, but another part of me thinks it would be for the best.

Plus, that fucking bastard, Malachi, escaped. He must have some secret tunnel out of his house because there’s no way he would have gotten past the number of people raiding the place.

I’ll find him. I already have feelers out. No matter how long it takes, I’ll find the bastard.

“I’ve sent all of your medications to the pharmacy,” the nurse tells her. “You have an appointment to see your family care doctor is two weeks. Whenever you’re ready, you should make an appointment to talk to someone.”

Sophia simply nods.

“I’ll return shortly with your discharge papers and then you can head on home.”

I wait for several more minutes after the nurse leaves before I straighten myself and walk slowly towards Sophia’s bed.

The second she notices me moving she flinches and it breaks my fucking heart.

“We’re just hurting her,”Miles says.

For the most part, Miles stays quiet. He’s the most silentalterbut the onewith the biggest heart.

“Hey sweetheart,” I say softly, stopping a few feet from her bed. “I’m just going to be straight with you, alright?”

She doesn’t move.

“I can tell that me being around is causing you to panic,” I tell her gently. “So, as much as I hate to, I’m going to walk away. But I want you to know that I’ll be here if there ever comes a time when you need me.”

Removing a card from my pocket, I walk to the window and place it where she can see it on the windowsill.