Walls

Brian opened his eyes and looked around the dim room. Where the hell was he, he couldn't remember. Standing up, he began to move around the room trying to find the door but all he could find was brick wall after brick wall. Feeling the panic begin to build, he pound on the walls trying to find a possible hidden door. As the panic built higher within him he finally admitted to himself he was going to need help. Moving to the center of the room he hollered, "Help! Somebody, help me!"

Brian closed his eyes and listened. He hoped that when he opened them again, he'd find out that it wasn't real. Not hearing anything, he opened his eyes and saw that he was still sealed in.

"Help! Somebody help me please!" Brian cried walking to the nearest wall and pounding on it again with his fist.

Leaning his head against the wall, he thought he heard a faint noise. "Hello! Is there anybody there?!"

Brian listened and heard it again. "Help! I'm here! I'm here!"

Brian pounded on the wall again and felt it move. Yelling some more he continued to pound, moving the wall more and more until it finally fell through to the other side, leaving a gaping hole. Pushing a bit more, he made it big enough to climb through. Once on the other side, he looked around and found himself in a darkened hallway. Touching the walls, he noticed that they were the same type of brick that his cell had been made of.

Brian began walking, hoping that he was going in the right direction. Turning the corner, he came to a dead end. "Shit! Where the fuck am I?!"

Turning around he walked the other way, passing the opening he had made and continued in the other direction. Turning the corner, he continued down the hall that was there looking for a doorway, an opening, a way out. The hallway however, turned another corner and stretched out into the darkness in front of him.

Brian continued to walk down the hall that seemed to go on forever and rubbed his hands nervously on his pants. When the silence finally began to be too much, he decided to call out. "Hello! Is anybody there! Hello!"

Brian heard a faint sound once more and stopped. "Hello!"

There it was again. It sounded like someone else was yelling. Brian started walking down the hall again, then he began to walk faster until he broke into a jog. "Where are you? I don't know where I am!"

"Brian," the faint voice called from the gloom, now a little bit clearer as Brian turned another corner only to find himself in another dark hallway.

"What? Who's there?" Brian stopped again to listen.

"Come to me, Brian. I'll help you."

"Who are you? Where the fuck are you?" Brian spoke into the darkness, feeling more nervous since the voice seemed to know who he was.

"Listen to my voice and follow it. I'll keep talking."

"I'm lost." Brian yelled as he once again began to run down the corridor.

"I know."

Brian rounded another corner and sagged against the wall for a moment in frustration as he looked down another hallway. "How do you know?"

"I'm going to help you find your way, Brian."

Brian pushed off the wall and continued toward the voice. "What do you mean? Find my way where?"

"Out of there."

Frustration and fear got the better of Brian for the moment and he yelled angrily. "But where the fuck am I?"

"As you said, you're lost."

Brian rounded another corner and continued down what seemed to be the never ending hallways. "It's fucking dark and …"

"I know it's scary, but come to me. I promise to help you."

Brian could hear the voice getting stronger but couldn't see an end anywhere of the walls that seemed to be surrounding him. "I can't. I'm stuck here … behind these walls."

"You don't have to be."

"Yes, yes I fucking do," Brian moaned as he turned yet another corner and continued on.

"No. I told you I'd get you out and I will."

"How can I believe you?" Brian said as he stopped and slid down the wall to the floor.

"Trust me. I mean what I say."

Brian leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I don't trust anyone."

"That's part of the problem."

"What do you mean?" Brian asked the voice in the darkness.

"I mean that you have to learn to trust."

Brian sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "How the fuck do you do that?"

"You just … do it. I won't let you down."

"Do … do you promise?" Brian asked as he stood, pushed away from the wall and continued moving toward the mysterious voice.

"I promise. Follow my voice. I think you're getting closer."

Brian turned the corner again and found that it wasn't a corner but a doorway into another door and windowless room. Walking into the center of the room he looked around in shock. He should have known that he couldn't trust anyone. Look where it had gotten him, right back into another room where he couldn't get out. "You lied! I knew I couldn't trust you! I'm stuck in another room!"

"Brian, I didn't lie. Listen to my voice. You are so close, can't you hear how close you are? Don't give up. You have to be willing to fight for what you want."

Brian closed his eyes and thought back to the room he had escaped from. Opening his eyes, he walked toward the wall where the voice sounded the closest and hit the wall as hard as he could. After a couple of hits, some of the bricks began to move and he paused to catch his breath. Pushing on one of the mortar fell away and for the first time he saw something besides brick and darkness.

"I think I see some brightness ahead," Brian said as he continued to hit the bricks.

"That's good. Keep coming. You can trust me."

Brian finally made a whole big enough to crawl through and found himself in a large domed room with a door open at the far end. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want you to be happy, Brian."

"Why do you care?" Brian asked as he walked to the young man who was framed by the golden light coming through the door.

"Because I love you." Justin said as Brian reached his side and took his hand. Turning they walked through the door and into a beautiful world filled with sunshine. Looking back he saw the dark doorway and felt its pull.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brian jerked awake and sighed with relief. It had been nothing but a dream or had it? Rolling over onto his side, he looked at the blond man sleeping next to him and thought about the dream. Reaching over he lightly ran his hand down the side of Justin's face.

Justin sleepily opened his eyes. "Brian? What's the matter?"

Brian moved his arm and pulled Justin into his body. "Nothing. Not a thing. Go back to sleep."

Justin snuggled deeper into Brian and was back asleep in a matter of seconds. Brian kissed the top of Justin's head and closed his eyes. With a slight smile, he drifted back to sleep. He knew what his dream was trying to tell him and it was right, he really didn't need his walls any longer.

Return to Margaret's