~~*~~
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Adam
tossed and turned on the cot, his sleep haunted by visions of dead animals,
nooses, and blazing fire.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
A
cold nose nudged his arm and Adam grumbled, pulling his arm back from the edge
of the cot and draping it over his stomach.
He
started to doze, his dreams rising up to disturb him again. A hoarse scream
pierced Adam’s half-sleep and he sat up with a gasp. Walter was across the
room, digging at the closed door and whining.
Adam
surged off the cot, got tangled in the sheet wrapped around his legs, and fell
to his knees on the floor. A crash split the silence. Walter barked,
frantically biting at the wood.
Adam
realized the noises were coming from down the hall and, with a jolt of horror, understood
that it had to be Dirk. He threw open his door and started running. Dirk’s door
was locked, the handle refusing to turn in Adam’s hand. He screamed Dirk’s name
as he pounded and Walter lunged at the door.
A
horrible, wet, choking noise sounded behind the door and Adam lost all
semblance of reason. He shoved Walter out of the way and stepped back, kicking
the door beside the knob as hard as he could.
Pain
sheared up his leg. He ignored it, kicking the door a second time. The choking
sounds had grown more frantic by the time his third kick crashed the door back
on its hinges. And his worst nightmare was realized.
Dirk
hung from the iron fixture at the center of the ceiling, twisting and
frantically clawing at the rope noose digging into his throat. As he spun,
fighting death with every second, the fixture started to loosen from the
plaster.
Unfortunately,
it didn’t appear that it would fall in time to save Dirk. Adam ran over and
grabbed at Dirk’s thrashing legs. In full out panic mode, Dirk couldn’t stop
himself from flailing. His legs kicked in violent arcs, slamming against Adam
over and over before Adam managed to get his arms wrapped around them.
Gritting
his teeth, Adam lifted Dirk as best he could, managing only a couple inches. It
was enough to allow Dirk to pull some air into his lungs. He gasped in a breath
and cried out at the pain caused by the effort.
“Breathe, baby,” Adam urged.
“Just breathe. You’re gonna be fine.” Even as he tried to calm his lover, Adam
looked around for a way to hoist Dirk up enough so he could remove the noose.
There
was a chair across the room, lying on its side against the wall as if it had
been thrown or kicked there. Adam had the sudden, horrifying thought that Dirk
had done this to himself. He couldn’t reach the chair unless he let go of Dirk
again and there was no way he was doing that.
Dirk’s
legs started to slip through Adam’s arms and he panicked. His arms and
shoulders were already straining from trying to keep him elevated in the clumsy
hold. He glanced at Dirk. Can you get your legs over my shoulders?”
Dirk
pulled on the rope with bloody fingers and managed to lift himself a little but
he was weak from his struggles and grew quickly frustrated when his fingers
slipped.
“Never
mind, here…” Adam stretched out a leg and hooked his toe over the cot, dragging
it closer. Dirk started to struggle again and Adam realized he was pulling on
Dirk’s legs. He quickly readjusted to take the slack off the rope and reached
out with his leg again. With much grunting and straining, Adam finally managed
to hook his foot around the frame and tug the cot closer. The cot scraped over
the floor until it was close enough for Adam to step up with one foot.
With
his leg bent and supported by the cot, he settled Dirk’s feet onto his bent
thigh. Dirk was able to shove upward onto his toes and give himself another
couple inches of slack. He gasped, his bleeding fingers slipping over the rope
as he tried to pull it past his chin and scrape it over his head. Finally he
was free and he looped his fingers through the noose so he could lower himself
to the floor. Adam held onto Dirk as he slid downward, supporting him as he
dropped.
As
Dirk’s feet touched the floor his legs collapsed beneath him. Adam caught him,
grabbing him into a hug that nearly finished the job the rope had started. He
finally loosened his grip when Dirk gasped in pain. Kissing Dirk’s face Adam
thought his heart might pound right out of his chest. Dirk clutched him hard,
his chest heaving.
“Who
did this to you, Dirk?”
Dirk
scraped a shaky hand over his face but didn’t respond. He was vibrating with
adrenalin and his gaze was blank. He appeared to be shocky with fear.
“It’s
okay, babe, we’ll talk about it later. Let’s get you to the hospital. We need
to have that throat checked out. If it swells up you might not be able to
breathe.”
Dirk
sighed but let Adam help him to his feet and out the door.
1 comment:
Ohh this I need to read...
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