Sacrificial

Chapter 7: A Cabin of Memories

I spring up. My head is dripping in sweat. I press my right hand into my chest. "I'm real. I'm here," I whisper to myself. Another damn nightmare. It feels like they are coming on more frequently the closer I get. Two weeks of walking, but I am ahead of schedule. I should be able to get to the fence by this afternoon. That will give me a week. I don't know what to do with it, maybe panic. Panic, that seems about right. As if there is anything else that can be done.

I open my bag. There is still plenty of food left. She made sure I would not go hungry. Even on the journey away from them, she takes care of me. It should never have been her job. Still, I am grateful and forever will be. I grab a piece of bread from the bag and look at the note again.

Our Dahlia,

I know you can do anything, but we thought a few treats might help you feel a bit better about what you must do. Remember, we have your back and will be waiting for you when you get home.

Love,

Aster and Arvin

I brush a few falling tears from my cheek. I cover my mouth with my hand. I shake my head, knowing she did this is enough. I play with the rock also found in the bag. I cannot contain my tears, knowing I will forever lose the game. This is the one time I can allow my tears to leak through. No one is here to watch me. No one is here to judge. So, I give myself forty-five seconds to cry. Then, I must continue on. I close my bag and check my bandana, ensuring there isn't a bit of hair falling from it.

I walk on. It is probably an hour before I can start to see the town. Trees are everywhere, with smoke stacks billowing smoke into the air behind them. I continue on.

I take a look around. Nothing much has changed. Not from the last time. It has been 15 years, and nothing has changed. It's still falling apart but standing firm. It almost defies both the elements and its own nature to fall apart even as it is hit with storm after storm. There is something to be said about that. The wood is damaged and barely held together on the outside, but here, on the inside, it wears the weather much better. There is a fire pit, too, but I won't be using that. That would give a giant red flag that someone is living here, and even if the guards are like the ones I lived with, there are some things they cannot ignore, and that would be one of them. And how would I explain that to them? It's better not to, and I will ensure I don't have to. I walk around the cabin a few steps more. I don't even want to disturb the dust too much. I doubt they would be smart enough or care enough to look at the dust. But again, I am not taking any chances.

A week of doing nothing. I think I am going to drive myself insane. I can't do that. I need to find something to do. I will need to hunt for food, but how long can that take? It's just for me, so it will not take nearly as long as it did when I was...

I could do that. I don't know how I would get the stuff to him, but I could do that. I am sure I can figure that out. But is it a good idea?

I can figure that out tomorrow. For tonight, I gather everything I need for myself. I try to find something I can use to weave a mat together, but it doesn't work. I try late into the evening when only the moon can taunt me, but it doesn't work. It never did before, so why start now. Eventually, I give up, curling myself into a small ball to sleep.

However, nightmares pull me quickly awake. I know I do not want to spend any more time asleep, so I stretch and change into something that will help me blend into the forest, and off I go into the woods. I look toward the sky. The sun isn't even taunting it yet.

I am home. I am home once more. This feels like home. I had spent so much of my childhood here. The fresh air always wakes up my lungs. I grab a bag from my bag and start picking all of the herbs, bark, and plants I know will help the apothecary. It will not last long. Maybe a week. I can come back a few more times. It could help them last a month, maybe more if he rations it correctly. I hope he's still alive. I mean, he wasn't that old when I left, right? Right? Who would be the apothecary if it isn't him? I'm sure he would have taught someone, but I can't think of who. Maybe another upstart with no prospects. Starving. Scared. Willing to please. Willing to help. Telling lies to get something, anything to eat. Even willing to...