Oblivion

Chapter 3

         "Your father's sick."

My head shot out of my hands, I was sitting at the table after I had cleaned my dad and put him back to bed after I cleaned the floor. How could I stupidly forget that he was here!

I whipped around to him; Orion stood behind me, obviously he has no sense of personal space, I had to take a step back.

      "Yeah I know but if you think that I can't defend my father and myself and then you're horribly wrong!" I challenged, not backing down from him.

Orion stood motionless and he spoke calmly, "Your father's very sick. Have you no cure?"

      "If I had a cure I would have used it already." I was irritated at him. What kind of weird world was he living in?

       "Do you know what his illness is?"

I clenched my teeth, "No, I don't. You're asking a hell of a lot of questions and they're making me incredibly uncomfortable and I would like it if you would stop before I-"

       "Bash my head in?" he offered.

I took a deep breath and finished my sentence, "throw you out of my home and chase you off my property."

Orion looked surprised, "That's a new one."

      "It was never old. Sit down, I need to look at some of your scrapes and redress them." I moved to a cupboard in the hall and pulled out a rather old first-aid kit.

      "Is this really necessary?"

      "Yes it is. I need to make sure that nothing gets infect- woah! Woah! WHat are you doing? You only have to take your shirt off!" I had turned around to see the naked body of Orion standing only a couple feet in front of me. The instant I realized that, I spun back around.

      "You did not make that clear."

       "Just put your pants on!"

It was quiet when he pulled  his pants back on (which had once been my dad's) before he spoke again, "My pants are back on."

I sighed and turned back around to him. Orion sat on the make shift bed watching me. Creepy. I thought as I started to pull away the surgical tape. Now that he was up and moving I noticed that he was not a bad looking guy in fact he was the kind of guy who could get any prostitute, even the high priced ones and not have to pay. But he was a little odd as well, he was tall and with tight muscles, they were the kind of muscles you wouldn't see on any man in Everlost.

      After I had cleaned and re-patched his cuts and scrapes, I slipped my shoes on and went to work outside. I didn't ant to leave Orion with my dad, but I had no choice, I had neglected my chores when I was taking care of both Orion and my dad. I was working the little crops I had planted this summer when a cold feeling passed through me. I had no idea where it came from but it was a sickening feeling that made me feel like something was wrong. I didn't know why I would feel like this until a single word flashed through my mind.

     Dad!

I sprinted back to the house, my hair had fallen from it's bun and was stuck to my face when I pushed the door open. Orion was still sitting on his bed with one of the tattered books laying open on his lap. I ignored him and shoved open my father's bedroom door; he was still in his bed laying on his back and for a moment I sighed until I took a closer look, he looked like wax.

My heart sank and I reached out to wake him, "Dad? Dad come on you need to wake up!" he was cold to the touch and a wail escaped my throat. I cried, I cried loudly, so loud I was sure all of Everlost could hear it. How could this happen I was only gone for twenty minutes! I dug my hands into my father's clothes and buried my face in his blanket. I tried to take his hand in my own but I found that something was already clenched in his fist. I carefully pulled the paper from his fist and with blurry eyes I read his final words:

      Don"t worry my darling Addieca,

They're coming to get me. To take me away.

I love you always,

-Daddy

"Coming to get me?" "To take me away?" What the hell did that mean? My mind screamed and I was half tempted to throw the note away but I couldn't bring myself to part with the dirty paper. I was to busy crying and trying to understand my dad's last written words that I didn't notice Orion was standing quietly in the door way.

    "He told me to turn off the beeping machine ten minutes after you left."

My heart clouded with confusion and rage when I rounded on him, my eyes brimming with tears.

      "Did you now? You listened to the sickly and half delusional man! If you had left it on, I could have heard it and I could have saved him! I could have saved him!" I screamed and I tried to sock him in the face, but he was quick to grab my wrists before I could actually hit him.

He spoke carefully, "No, Addieca you couldn't have. It was his time."

     I was too distraught to ask how he knew my name, all I wanted to do right now was tear his throat out and finish the job those two guys in Everlost should have done. But his grip was too strong and he was oddly too calm.

     "Let go of me!" I screamed trying to shack him off, but he just held on and he didn't let me go. He clenched my arms and pulled me into a rough bear hug. I cried and tried to lash out at him but he didn't seem to mind, he just held on like it was nothing. Orion held on until I was done crying and screaming at him; I felt hollow and numb when he guided me away from my father's side and into my bedroom where he laid me down. He said something to me but I couldn't hear him I just pulled my pillow towards me and held it tight to my body. Orion waited for me to answer, but when I didn't look at him and I rolled over to face the window away from him. I had a feeling about what he said and mostly to myself I whispered, "He told me once he wanted to be buried back by the old cross, where my mother was buried." and I closed my eyes to fight away tears and a headache. Orion left me in my room without any farther questioning and I was alone in silence before I slowly fell asleep.