Isolation

Chapter 24

"I need bandages!" Vera said.

She doused them in alcohol and placed them all over his body. He started whipping his arms and legs around wildly. A hand smacked her in the face. She went flying to the floor. The others managed to tie him down. She wiped off the tears that threatened to show and finished putting the bandages on him. She grabbed a needle and stuck it into his pulsing veins. She took it to the computer and inserted it in next to the samples from Austin and Addison.

"Come on," she begged.

The computer finished its analysis. It matched the same signature. She stomped over to the screaming Rocco.

"You idiot! You drank from the river?"

He shook his head but didn't say anything.

"Don't lie to me. I just ran a test on your blood. There's no way you didn't."

"I didn't drink from the river!" He shouted.

He went into a fit of screaming again, pulling against his restraints. She shook her head and grabbed one of the emergency tranquilizers. She applied it to his neck. After a few seconds, he calmed down, but it completely knocked him out.

"I can't believe I'm in love with an idiot," she said. "I vouched for you!"

She suddenly seemed to remember they weren't alone. She looked over at Austin and Addison. She looked at Rocco one last time and gave him the finger before leaving. Austin looked over at Addison.

"About that vacation," he said.

She nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Me, too."

~~~

Mark's head was throbbing again. He tried to reach up and rub his temples, but his hands wouldn't move. He opened his eyes. He was inside some kind of hut made of wood. Event the floors were arranged in a circular pattern from cut down trees. It was pretty sophisticated.

It was bare and not very big. He tried to move, but he was tied to the post in the center of the hut that was holding up the ceiling. He noticed the lack of his present wolves and started to panic. The room smelled like urine. He wasn't liking what he was reading between the lines. The doorway was covered in cloth. He could barely feel the breeze that was coming through. The air was stale. He wanted a fresh breath.

A woman wearing basic, brown clothing opened the door. She looked similar to a Native American, but her hair was all blonde and blue-eyed. She froze when she saw he was awake. He looked away. She came all the way inside. She was holding a bowl of water. She held it up to his mouth. He looked at her, searching for deceit in her eyes, then felt stupid. They tied me up here. Why would they kill me?

He graciously drank as much as he could before he had to breathe. She smiled a little at his desperation. She dipped a rag inside and touched it to his head. The spot where he was smacked was bloody and had a cut. He winced from the pain. She looked at him with pity.

"I'm sorry they did this to you," she said finally. "They can be harsh sometimes."

Mark was shocked. She had a thick, Indian accent.

"You speak English?"

She stopped.

"You speak English?"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't expecting anyone on Earth to still speak the same language as me. Sorry. It's a stereotype. I shouldn't have judged."

"It's not your fault for judging," she said. "You had a bad encounter last night."