Hunted || Wesari

Chapter Fifteen: Roommates

Wes hadn't slept last night.

His thoughts had been tormented by the ghosts of his past, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. Seeing as he couldn't get any medication, which was what he used to do when he had this problem, he had no choice but to lie there until the sun rose.

He groggily got out of bed, heading downstairs. Mari was asleep, her head lolled to the side, snoring softly. In the moment, Wes was jealous; his eyes felt like they were going to drop any second, but when he sat down at the kitchen table and let them, he still didn't fall asleep. It had only been a few minutes, and it was already driving him mad.

He somehow managed to make himself breakfast, and get dressed. By then, Mari had woken up, but she didn't say a word; instead, she watched him, tracking his every move with her eyes. It was unsettling.

Wes made his way outside, making a beeline to the river, and splashed some cold water in his face. It helped, though not by much. Still, it was better than before, and Wes counted that as a win.

He watered the plants, before stopping. He didn't know what he should do next. He had already handled all the outdoor tasks, and all the indoor ones, such as sewing and cleaning, were irrelevant to his survival, which meant there was no way Wes could convince himself to perform them. Which left him with nothing to do.

Wes made his way back inside, kicking off his shoes and storming upstairs. He heard Mari start to say something, but ignored her. He shut the curtains, and climbed into bed, letting his eyelids shut. This time, thankfully, he finally dozed off.

• • •

He woke up to the sound of clanging.

He shot out of bed, and ran downstairs, to find Mari gone. The only indication that she'd ever been there were the ropes that used to hold her, which were laying on the ground, cut in half.

Wes stared at them for a long time, his heart racing. She'd escaped. Who knew where she could be by now; for all he knew, she was waiting for him behind a corner, her baseball bat raised, ready to do to him what she did to Courtney.

"Do you want soup or salad?"

Wes almost leaped out of his skin. He turned, and saw Mari, leaning against the doorway leading into the kitchen, a can of soup in one hand and a lettuce head in another. She gave him a smile.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He had expected her to run, or kidnap him, or... do anything besides this, honestly speaking. He definitely didn't expect to see her in the kitchen, offering to make him dinner.

In all honesty, Wes didn't know how to react. He stood there, flabbergasted, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of a comeback.

"Well, soup it is then," Mari said casually, like this was something that happened every day. "I hate salad. To much work."

She turned and walked back inside the room. That was when Wes snapped back into reality. He rushed after her, grabbing her wrist and turning her to face him. She grinned up at him, which filled Wes with the urge to hit her.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Me pulling my weight," She replied, tilting her head to the side. "I should do my share, shouldn't I? After all, we're roommates now."

"We're not roommates," Wes replied instantly.

"I'm not the one who kept me alive, buddy," She smiled. "You choose this, really. You're stuck with me now."

"You're not staying here," Wes let go of her wrist, noticing that he was clutching it so hard that her hand was starting to turn purple. If Mari had been in pain, she hadn't show it.