“I was afraid to move you,” he continued, oblivious to my total lack of back story. “I told you not to climb on the ship. It wasn’t stable enough.”
“I-I’m sorry,” I said. My voice croaked, and my throat felt like sandpaper. I felt as if my mouth hadn’t formed words for thousands of years.
“Can you stand? We need to get back to the castle.”
The castle?
The stranger’s eyes narrowed. “Elodie, what do you remember? Be honest. You’re safe here.”
We must be using different definitions of the word safe.
“Well?” he prodded.
“Nothing. I don’t remember anything.”
“What do you mean you don’t remember anything? What’s the first thing you remember?”
“NOTHING!” I shouted. Did he need flash cards? Anxiety crowded out my ability to think and behave rationally. It felt like bugs were crawling on me. Maybe they were. I smacked at a spot on my arm. It was getting dark fast, and the wildness had clearly overtaken this place. I’m pretty sure I don’t like wildness. I thought suddenly that I should start a list of these things as they occurred to me, but I didn’t have any paper.
“What do you mean nothing?” he said.
Come on universe. I couldn’t be stuck out here with somebody smart?
“I don’t know who you are or who I am. I don’t remember anything about my life!” It came out a little more dramatic than I’d intended, as if there could be a low key way to deliver this sort of information.
“Is this one of your jokes? Because I can tell you, if it is, it’s not funny. I was scared out of my mind when you wouldn’t wake up.”
“How long was I out?”
“A few hours.”
“I t-think I need to go to a hospital.”
“That’s not an option.”
A chill slid down my spine. Maybe this guy wasn’t on my side. Hell, how did I know he hadn’t beaten me over the head with a broken tree branch in the first place?
“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t mean it that way. Let’s just get back to the castle. We have electricity there. I’ll explain it all to you when we get back.”
I stared at the hand he offered. “How do I know you won’t hurt me?”
He took a deep, measured breath which didn’t reassure me at all. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m your husband. Trevor. Everything is going to be okay.”
I flinched when he reached into his back pocket as if he might be going for a weapon. But it was just his wallet. He pulled out a long thin paper and handed it to me. It was deeply creased from being folded and kept for so long. There was barely enough light left to see, but it was a strip of photos from a photo booth. Trevor and a woman.
“She’s pretty,” I said absently, staring at the blonde girl with brilliant blue eyes.
He laughed. “There’s no conceit in your family. You’ve got it all.” Off my confused expression, he continued, “She’s you. That was our first date.”
“Oh.” I handed the strip of pictures back to him, feeling suddenly awkward.
He put them in his wallet and stretched out his hand again. “Elodie? We need to get inside. It’s not safe out here after dark.”
“But, how do I know that’s really me?”
“There’s a mirror in the castle. You’re going to have to trust me. What’s the worst-case scenario?”
“You’re a psychopathic killer?” I said, not sure if I was kidding.
He rolled his eyes. “And if that’s the case, you’re screwed anyway. Now come on. I’ll explain everything when we get home.”
***
I felt so weak, like my legs had forgotten how to work right. Was that the adrenaline and fear? I had to lean against Trevor and half-walk, half-hobble. The castle rose out of the center of the destroyed theme park, shining like a beacon. It was the only building that had electricity. The dilapidated shops and rides along the way lay in ominous shadows as if they might spring to life and attack at any moment. In spite of myself, I clung more tightly to Trevor’s hand.
“The castle runs on solar power. It’s the only thing here that does, but it’s got everything we need for a while,” he said.
What had happened to this place? Why were we even here? I was afraid for us to get inside the castle to find out. Whatever it was, it felt like something... apocalyptic.
“Just a little farther. It’s safe inside.”
After helping me out of the pirate ship, he hadn’t let go of my hand, and I hadn’t pulled away. I needed help navigating the unpredictable terrain. I was almost afraid to tell him how weak I felt because I didn’t need him to think I was dead weight. His hand was warm and solid. It was the only thing that kept me solid.