Silence

Chapter 2

When I woke up, it was dark. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. It meant that LeafMouth had left and was in its nest, wherever that was. It also meant the NightWatchers were awake, and that they were out in the halls.

I grabbed the door and it gave a low groan as it opened. I froze and listened. The NightWatchers were blind, despite their name. Though, they had great hearing, as long as I was quiet they shouldn't be able to find me.

They didn't seem to hear the door, so I walked out and looked around. Thankfully, the hall was empty. Different shadows cast on the floor. I took a quick breath and started to the infirmary.

The halls were quiet, except for the sound of my breathing. I made a turn and stopped. The hall was full of NightWatchers. All of them sitting on the ground with their pointed, curved ears turned upwards. They were blue with pure white eyes, like full moons. Their faces were cat-shaped. They walked on all fours and had paws with long claws that were kept retracted when not in use. At the end of their bodies were long tails with straight fur growing from them.

I stared for a moment, still frozen in shock. This was the fastest way to the infirmary, and the lightheaded feeling in my head and throbbing pain in my arm both told me that I didn't have much time to waste.

I took a deep breath and started to walk past them. I watched every step and made sure not to trip over anything. Once I made it past them I let out a relieved sigh. I glanced over my shoulder and continued to walk to the infirmary.

══════════════════

I had reached the infirmary, the wooden, and rotten door covered in overgrown plants, preventing it from ever being closed. I walked inside and saw that the supplies were still untouched, making it obvious that my idea had worked.

I walked over to the place where I stored the bandages and painkillers, both of which I had to use sparingly, and sat down and started unwrapping the cloth from my arm. It was a very dark brown and hardened from the blood.

I looked at the wound and winced, Now that it wasn't bleeding, I could see it more clearly. It was red and deep, I could see the raw flesh exposed. I couldn't clean it while it was this deep, not without any water, which I didn't have.

I sighed, knowing I was either going to have to risk infection, or use alcohol. I thought it over for a second, deciding that a little pain and taking longer to heal was better than an infection and a couple of weeks of extra suffering.

I looked for the alcohol, and once I found it I applied it with a white cloth I had found. I had bitten the inside of my cheek and waited for the burning to stop. Once the wound was clean, I put the supplies away and started to bandage my arm. Then treating my head in a similar fashion.

I was going to take some painkillers, but the bottle was only half full. If I wanted to last more than 3 more months, I had to wing it and save them for more serious injuries.

I put everything away and started to leave. I had let my guard down only for a moment and tripped over a chair laying on the ground. I had fallen on top of my injured arm and cried out in pain before I could stop myself. Moments later I realized my mistake.

I could hear the sound of the NightWatchers screaming as they ran down the hall towards the Infirmary. In a panic I crawled in a fairly sized hole in the wall, using my hand to cover my mouth and calm my breathing. I looked out the crack and saw the Nightwatchers.

══════════════════

They tore the room apart trying to find me. I watched in horror as my supplies were scattered on the ground. I was furious and frustrated. How could I have been so careless? Now I was forced to pay the consequences.