The Girl With No Name // the 100 Wattys 2018!!

Nine

"The wounds on her back are infected," Abby said. "There are pockets here."

Theresa was lying on her stomach again, and it hurt her. Tears ran down her face as she silently wept. She faced the opposite direction of Bellamy, Abby, and Jackson. "Why can't I feel anything?" she asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"I'd imagine it's because of the infection," Abby replied, seemingly talking to herself more than she was talking to Theresa, "but an infection shouldn't be able to do this." She paused a moment and took a deep breath, running her hand through her hair. "Is anything else numb?"

Theresa hesitated. "I know that my chest isn't. I don't know about my legs -- I haven't really tried to move."

She could hear Abby let out a sigh. "Alright. I'm going to poke your legs. I want you to tell me if you feel anything." Abby poked her leg, but Theresa couldn't feel it. "Anything?"

"You did it?" Theresa replied.

Abby let out another sigh.

Theresa's face paled and her heart rate quickened. "What's going on? Why can't I feel anything?" she asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out. I need you to stay calm, okay?"

"Stay calm?!" she exclaimed. "There's something wrong with me!" Theresa started to push herself up, but Abby had to keep telling her to stay down. "Let me try to walk!"

Abby sighed in defeat and turned to Jackson and Bellamy. "Help turn her around. They're going to stay with you -- just in case you start to fall," Abby told her.

The two men came to her side and flipped Theresa onto her back. She took a deep breath and hesitated a moment before throwing her legs over the side of her cot. Her feet touched the ground, and she pushed herself up. Bellamy held out his arm -- as did Jackson -- but Theresa didn't need them. She could still stand. Putting one foot in front of the other, she walked around to the front of her cot, standing beside of Abby.

"That's a good sign, right?" Theresa asked.

"It still doesn't explain why you're numb. This can't be the infection."

"I want to go outside," Theresa said.

"I don't know if you're ready for that," Abby tried to reason with her.

"I can walk, though."

"You have a fever."

"I can walk with her," Bellamy said.

Abby glared at him.

"Come on, Abby. She's been cooped up in here for two days. She needs some air, some sunlight. Just five minutes," he pleaded.

She hesitated then sighed. "Fine, but she doesn't leave camp. Period."

Bellamy reached out his arm for Theresa, but she took off without him. She opened the tent flap with Bellamy right on her heels. It was cloudy, but she could see the sun peeking out behind one of the clouds. The sunlight shining on her skin made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but the breeze helped a little. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill her lungs.

"You're welcome," Bellamy said with a smirk on his face.

She turned her head and looked at Bellamy. "I had to get out of there," she replied. "I felt like I was suffocating."