infection | D. Dixon

chapter twenty-five

*warning for sexual violence and suicidal thoughts, stay safe*

lacerations

That night Merle and I had explored the community, which landed us in a bar not far from the wall. We had come up with a plan over drinks and then he had walked me home, promising me he would get me home.

This morning, however, it was harder to pry open my eyes than the morning before. All the pain of pulling my arms out of the cuffs, getting hit over the head, and dragged through the woods had hit me— so did the drinks.

With a groan I rolled over, but moved too far and was suddenly hitting the floor. I sighed and forced myself up. The room was dimly lit and suffocating with heat.

Downstairs, the house was light and full of air. The smell of cooking eggs drifted over me. Philip— the 'governor'— stood in front of the stove, laying eggs on a plate.

"Good morning, Anastasia," he greeted me, handing me a mug. He poured coffee into it until I motioned for him to stop. "How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Reaper," I corrected him, setting the coffee on the edge of the island. "Did you sleep here?"

Philip, the governor, cackled. "No, I saw you and Merle last night, you both seemed out of it, figured I'd do something nice."

I ran my hand through my dirty hair and sighed deeply. I watched as he set out two plates, sitting down in front of me. I sat, then switched the plates.

Philip the Governor laughed. "Fair, I suppose." He began putting ketchup on the corner of the plate to dip his egg in.

"Can I tag along for that run today?" I asked, handing him the salt as he reached for it.

He paused chewing and sighed. "Why? You have everything you could ever need here."

I glanced out the window at the street. My eye caught sight of Miguel walking through the street, head held high. "Because I need to get away for a little while," I answered honestly, relenting and sipping my coffee.

Philip the Governor smiled at me. "Sure thing, you can tag along with me," he answered, "as long as Miguel is alright with it."

I raised my eyebrow, ignoring the twist in my stomach. Guess I'm not going.

Philip left the house shortly after eating and cleaning up after himself. I showered, washing off all the blood and dirt that had gathered up on my skin.

My body twinged with pain as the water hit the tiny cuts and bruises all over me. Numbly I dressed in the clothes set out for me and set out to find Merle.

Tonight is the night we leave this place. The only task I had for the day was to distract Miguel and Philip.

As I came to the base of the walking smiled. "Yo Martinez!" I yelled, "help me up!"

He bent down to give me his hand and I took it with another fake smile. Once I was up on the platform I dusted myself off and looked over the wall. I would be out there soon, under the cover of night. It wasn't safe from departed in the dark, but it was safe from people.

Then it struck me, I don't know for sure if the group is still in the prison. They should be, its safe, but it could be too much for the group to take on. There could've been a breach, there could have been any number of things wrong with the place. I had to go find out. I had to be sure, I had to for my own piece of mind.