Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 35

What had taken twenty minutes in getting to the bookstore took an hour to return from as Abigail, caught up in the shock of her assault, found that her legs were stiff and lacked most of their ability to walk. Ryan continued to support her, gently holding her arms in an attempt to keep her from falling. But they had to move faster and feeling it necessary to move a bit faster, he began encouraging her to walk, at least a little faster. Finally, after ten minutes, Ryan’s patience had run out and reaching underneath her, he picked her up and carried her to the Victorian house ad upstairs to her apartment. He expected some degree of protest, but there was none, as Abigail’s mind still lay in silent shock.

After fifteen more minutes, Ryan rounded the corner to the back of the house and, opening the door, he carried Abigail upstairs. Once inside, laid her on her bed and covered her with a light quilt. He knew that, between the intensity of the assault and seeing Eli killed right in front of her, it would be a long time until her emotions healed. Yet, the psychological trauma would likely always be with her. Hopefully, her experience would result not with constant fear but the discovery of personal strength. This would be something that would stay with her for a lifetime, allowing her to get through many of life's difficult moments, those events that left her near tears and shaken on a very deep level.

Ryan would spend days with her, making sure she ate and not allowing her to hide under the relative safety of the blankets she had pulled up over her head. This was no way for her to live and brought her life down to a mere existence, and Ryan did not want her in such a state. They had become a team and Ryan needed her, so they would both survive. It had also occurred to him that given Abigail’s fear of being alone, he would be unable to leave the apartment in search of food and supplies. They were both, essentially, trapped in her apartment. Her by the profound trauma that seemed to leave her emotionally crippled, and he, by her fear of solitude. But for now, he thought it's best to give her some space and the opportunity to recover herself and get back into the necessary routine of living.