REANIMATION

[36]

     Liy kept dead silent as much as she could during her time with Saw and Lollipop. The very few times they approached her she did interact, but when they didn't?

     Liy usually just ended up laying on the couch a majority of the time, eyes locked on the TV which (thankfully) still had a decent amount of channels up and running. The old cabin she had stayed in with Leafy had no power whatsoever, not even for lights.

     She wasn't even particularly big on the whole television thing, but it was better than staring off into space, letting her thoughts consume her whole. On the occasions she did have those moments, she was usually brought back into reality by a stinging sensation in her leg. Although the pain had definitely dimmed down, the pricks of pain here and there were definitely noticeable, especially when she tried to stand up and move around. She was heavily aware that it'd take a while before she was able to take off again.

     It was nice, though.

     She enjoyed being under a roof again, with warmth and a surrounding that reminded her of simpler times. Saw and Lollipop's chatters also helped her feel more at peace. The silence became nearly unbearable, so it was nice to have something other than her own words fill her ears.

     It had been only two days since Saw and Lollipop had taken her in, and those two days were the most relaxed she'd ever felt in a long, long time. She had that to thank them for, at least.

     But I shouldn't be here.

     I'm still leaving the moment this leg is good to go.

     She had tried a few times to walk around in the past while nobody else was around, most ending in what most would consider a failure. She'd have to plop back down onto the couch after only a minute or two. Most would think that she'd have to have given up by now, but...

     Here she was.

     Trying to walk around the house.

     She looped around the entirety of the living room, eventually moving into the kitchen. Her leg was holding up a lot better compared to her previous days. Perhaps it was because she was straining herself to keep moving even when her leg began to tremble under pressure.

She managed to maneuver around the area multiple times before collapsing back onto the couch with a fit of coughing.

"Walking around?"

The sudden voice startled Liy into falling back even further into the couch with a squeak.

"Uhm, maybe."

"That's good," Lollipop came into view, waltzing over to the infected girl, "me and Saw are gonna run out and get some supplies tomorrow. But truth be told, we don't exactly trust you staying in our house all alone. So either you have to leave here by tomorrow at noon or you have to come with us. You think your leg is fit enough?"

"I can.. come with," Liy paused over her words, almost instantly regretting what she had chosen but refusing to take it back, "do I need anything?"

"Saw's gonna be bringing the axe, we should be okay."

"Right... the axe."

The memory of Saw rushing toward her with her axe raised to strike down and kill her flashed in her mind, but she managed to push it aside.

She didn't know.

     Lollipop stood there blankly, eyeing down Liy all the while not uttering a single word.

"So."

     "...What?"

     "When are you going to tell us your name?"

Liy winced.

"Why do you need it?"

"You know our names. It's only fair. All we've been able to refer to you as is 'stranger'. And frankly? It is getting quite annoying. I'd like to at least know your name, or a nickname. Honestly, anything."

"You don't need to know my name," Liy remarked, "'stranger' is enough."

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "You're a stubborn one, I'll give you that. Why are you so persistent in keeping it a secret?"

"I don't know," Liy mumbled as she relaxed onto the couch, "the less you know about me the better. I'm gonna be gone soon so you might as well not get to know me."

"Damn. How badly did the apocalypse treat you?"

"Bad enough. I'm about ready to hop off a cliff and call it quits."

Lollipop flinched in shock from that comment, gaze hardening, "That just makes me want to confine you here forever! The fuck happened to you?"

Liy's voice was numbed of all emotion. "I lost everything. I lost my family, my friends, my girlfriend, my entire will to push on, my hopes for the future, everything."

Lollipop opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out, allowing Liy to continue.

"Can you think of any reason for me to go on? What use is a life that no one will miss once it comes to pass?"

"...I believe your life has value."

"You know nothing about me. Life has taken everything I had, soon it will take me too. I'm destined to die on this island, there's no use fighting the inevitable."

"That's not true." Lollipop's voice came in stern.

"...What?" She raised her head to look over at the tall girl, brow raising in confusion.

"There's no reason to think like that, stranger. You've gone through a lot, but that doesn't mean you give up. If anything, that should compel you to continue."

"...You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my shoes."

"Maybe not, but you need an outside perspective. One that isn't clouded by hurt and heartbreak."

"...And what are you getting at."

"You have the courage to defy the destiny life has handed to you."

"You don't understand," Liy's voice began to crack, giving way to emotion. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, but she forced herself into not letting them show. She wanted to shout it out. She wanted to say she was infected.

Yet, the words caught in her throat.

What instead came out was...

"There's no hope for me. I know I'm going to die. No strength or courage or caution or whatever can change that."

"No, there is hope."

She isn't getting it.

"Even if you're so sure you're going to die before the end of this apocalypse, you can still rise onto your feet. As long as breath is in your body you have the power. The power to fight back. Take revenge on the world for what it has taken from you. The world has forsaken you, so you shall forsake it in return."