I could still feel the soft paws of the rats pattering over me, saturating me in fur like unrelenting rain. My head was throbbing, the headache a cumulative tiger roaring in my head, completely disregarding my health and comfort. I wished the pain and abusive memories would stop. But no one can turn back time. No one can rewrite the past.
"How are you feeling?" Jay asked, his voice soft as he went to work reapplying various salves and bandages to my multiple wounds, vague stings subsequently lacing my body. The auburn adolescent looked tired, dangerously so, his eyes soulful and reflecting a lethargic sorrow, a feeling I guess everyone shared. Looking back, I decided that was most definitely the worse experience of my life, maybe even more so than the whole tragedy with me parents.
"I'm fine." I replied. "As fine as I can be, anyway. How about you?" My words were interjected with a yawn, the action soon being shared by my companion.
"Good. I'm alright." He replied in a dismissive manner, soon standing up. "I'll go see the others, try and get some food. You just be ravenous."
I nodded, scrutinising his appearance. There seemed to be something wrong... That was it. The wounds intertwining with his flesh were still raw, bloodied in crimson clarity, faint highlights of pus and grime coating various cuts. "Have you had your own wounds treated?"
He only shrugged in response, briefly looking at me yet avoiding my speculative, prying gaze. "Mine aren't as bad as the others. We don't have much medical supplies left. I'll be fine."
I made to stand up, yet quickly fell, my attempts quenched by the agony that coruscated through my system. "No you won't. They'll get infected. We have enough supplies! You don't know how healthy those rats were; they could've been disease-ridden and unsafe."
But Jay chose not to hear and continued walking toward the others, leaving me alone with a worrying heart.
--------------------
I kept drifting in and out of rational consciousness, my body plagued by wounds and frightened fatigue. When I next awoke, determined to stay in this aware state for more than a few minutes, I was greeted with the face of Chris, sitting next to me with his arms crossed.
"Oh, hi." I murmured, my eyes scanning the intimidating, yet friendly man before me.
He jumped slightly, obviously not noticing I had awoken, and offered a small smile. ( If you could call it that. Honestly, it was more a grimace. ) "I just wanted to say thanks, in a way. I never thought of using the candle to scare them away." He paused to chuckle, but it wasn't a happy action. He seemed oddly defeated, ashamed at not being able to lead us to safety singlehandedly. "Maybe I should try this whole thing of 'using my noggin.'"
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I raised an eyebrow. "Chris, you are one of the most venerable men I have ever met. You're the reason we're even here, after all. Stop putting yourself down like this."
Chris shrugged, still unsure of the appeasing nature I was implying. Did he think I was lying? Saying my words merely to get him to feel better? The notion was as radical and gratuitous as snow in July, as well as anyone noticing if such a thing did occur. "I don't know... It's just I feel like I'm not leading us to the best of my ability. I admitted defeat when we were about to be shot at, I led us through the rats with blind complacency..." He trailed off, seemingly uncomfortable as the conversation continued. It seemed he wasn't used to speaking his thoughts and feelings and getting a kind answer. What was his life like, before this? Curiosity nagged at me, yet I persisted on the task at hand: finishing this conversation and hoping it would help him.
"Stop lying to yourself Chris. All these thoughts are false, alright?"
A sigh escaped his thin lips, his fingers fiddling with the ring penetrating his flesh. It seemed a very common habit of his, used most often whenever he was thinking or feeling negative emotions. "I'll believe you, for now. Sorry for burdening you with my stupid woes. I guess I just want to be hero, you know? Be remembered for all the years to come." Diverting the conversation from its path, he reached behind him and produced a pot of noodles. Cutlery was not a luxury we thought necessary, so instead we took it in turns to eat it with our fingers, ignoring the fact we looked stupid, sauce dribbling down our chins. It was warm: they must've made a fire whilst I was sleeping.
"When will we leave?" I inquired after we had finished, contently licking all remaining broth from my fingers, shoving any thoughts of germs and such from my mind.
Chris licked his lips, an apprehensive film seemingly obscuring his eyes. "We'll have to leave soon... We're running out of stuff. When do you think you'll be able to walk, say possibly run?"
"Two or three days, I guess." I estimated, shuffling as the weight of our dilemma pressed down, seemingly sucking out all oxygen from the vicinity.
"Alright. We'll leave then." With a huff, he rose to his feet, offering me a tired, seldom genuine smile. "Try not to get injured anymore, okay?"
"Sorry." I muttered, though I weaved in a joking tone which he clearly picked up, as his smile brightened slightly. It was one of the best things, knowing you could make someone smile and laugh.
"Anything else you'd like to ask, before I go?"
"Please check on Jay. I don't think he's treated his injuries."
"That selfless sod. I'll see what I can do." With a brusque movement of his fingers, he progressed down the tunnel.
About to settle down again, wanting my wounds to heal quickly so we could get moving, I saw Robyn out of the corner of my eye, scowling. What's up with her now? I thought. The two conversations I had just shared had kept any tears at bay, something I was thankful for in this unknown, sinister environment.
Her footsteps echoed eerily as Robyn stalked toward me, the scowl remaining on her face in platonic intimacy, the negative action fitting on her freckled features with perfect precision. "Seems like big man Chris trusts only Tempest. Itty bitty pathetic Tempest. Oh joy." I heard her mutter as she passed by.
Hardly biting back a sharp retort, a shiver briefly moving down my spine. It seemed I still had an enemy amongst this home. It seemed Robyn proved potential threat.
YOU ARE READING
Monotone | ✔️
Action"If we were so riveted in the spectrum of nature, why did we stand, petrified, as we became corrupted by idle technology, stupefied by glowing screens, stolen from life as we know it from enemies right under our noses? Why did we relent to this obvi...
