I came to, a wet towel in my mouth. I drained the liquid from it gratefully. My mouth was slowly filled with water, my tongue soaking it up and slightly returning to its regular size.
My mind came back, returning from the darkness that had eaten it.
The first thing I knew was that I wasn't dead, and that someone had saved me.
The gun shot.
My confusion.
Corey.
Corey was the one that saved me, he carried me through the puzzle of trees. Running in a z-motion. Me lying limp in his arms, the whole world spinning endlessly.
I sat up, what if he hadn't survived... what if he hadn't made it - been shot or what...
Who had gotten the towel in my mouth then?
I looked around with my brown eyes, my head still aching. I was in a car. The scent of the cream leather filling my bloody nostrils. The towel fell out of my mouth, I immediately felt weezy from the removal of it. I picked it up and shoved it back in my mouth, the cold water washing around in my mouth.
The car was bare, no personal touches apart from the towel I was lying on and me. The car was in lock mode the air conditioning warming me. I was already feeling better even though I was exhausted.
I pulled my body back to lean on the door, the window fogged up. Before settling down again and trying to rest I looked around outside. The weather bleak, but we were parked somewhere unknown to me.
The wind was still whipping around and leaves being thrown around everywhere, the sky a dark grey colour.
There was Corey in his furry coat and his tall 6"3 body slowly strolling around the car.
I guessed I was inside the black SUV I had seen before, considering the windows were just as dark from the inside as the exterior look of them. I sat on the seat looking out the window at Corey moving around in the wind for a few minutes.
I could still feel the dried disgusting mud on my bum and my legs. I didn't mind, I only cared that I was alive and that I could wriggle my toes again. I looked down at the skinny things, skin torn off here and there, toenails bruised and black, a broken toe and mud splattered everywhere.
Now I understand why he put a towel under me; I was a pretty ripe mess...
I could see the mud marks and blood from me on Corey's nice jacket, a few leaves still stuck on his back. His blonde hair blowing into his eyes. Even in this chill, his tan remained even, not even a whiter or redder nose.
"Oh crap." Corey started walking towards the car. I turned around and lay down again. Act natural Hope... pfft you weren't looking at him. Just lie down and act like you just woke up - he won't suspect a thing.
He opened the door with a click. 'Acting naturally' I opened my eyes and stretched a tiny bit. Then gasped when I realised I was sorer than I actually thought. Real smooth, Hope.
Corey turned his head and looked at me. I tried not to stare back at him awkwardly and pushed myself up to sit across the back seat.
"Hey. You okay?" He asked his blue eyes staring into my soul.
"Uh... yeah." I replied back weakly. My throat tearing apart as I had stopped sucking on the towel which was now dry. "Do you have some other water?" I coughed lifting the dry towel.
Without a word he climbed out from the driver's seat and walked around to the boot.
I soon had the water bottle in my hand, taking small sips of the luke- warm water. My throat sighed.
"Thanks." I squeezed out.
"Sure." He said. I took that as a 'you're welcome', confused by why he said 'sure'.
There was an awkward pause.
"What.. well what happened?" I had so many questions ticking in my mind. Not sure which one to start with, so I started at the easiest, and restrained myself from letting the others pour from my mouth.
"Well. I was driving along after I heard you got out from the hospital - your bossy nurse ushering me to and then I heard something as I was driving along near the bush. I stopped as soon as I could and waited for another hint to where you were. I didn't hear anything else until I had been out of the car for about an hour. Then I swear someone called my name so I took off into the forest. Man, I just wanted to hurry up and find you 'cause you, you need some serious help..."
I wasn't sure what he meant by me meaning some serious help, whether he was referring to my mind or me being alone. I crossed my arms over my warming chest.
"... then I saw you standing there and someone was behind you so I pushed you to the ground so you couldn't get hurt then when I heard the shot I knew I had to get you to safety - especially with all the blood on you. Your nurse mightn't like you to be dead before you were totally better... Then I picked you up and I ran because I knew with all that blood if I tried to make you run you wouldn't make it so that's why I picked you up. Then you got slightly heavier so I figured you went to sleep or something and you were so cold. Then I kept running for about ten minutes to the car and put you in the back seat so you could sleep and then I drove."
"H-how long did you drive?" I asked.
"About half a day." He replied with my ears shocked. I had been out of it for that long - not sleeping but passed out.
"Then I got us to this place and I got out for a snack and left you sleep. Then you woke up and I'm pretty sure you know what has happened since." Corey finished.
"So where are we?"
"A place where it is very cold so you might need some more clothes. But currently, we're at the back of a servo in the car park."
I looked out of the window again. Clenching my teeth again as I bumped the stick that still remained in my leg.
"You need something for that." Corey sighed as if helping me was a chore.
"Thanks." I said as he slid out of the car.
I peered over the back of the seats as he found some antibiotics, a pristine white bandage, tissues and big clumps of cotton wool in the first aid kit.
"You're not going to try to remove the stick are you?" I asked softly.
"Well, if you keep it in your leg much longer the infection will get worse..."
"But I tried. It wouldn't budge, just gave more pain and bled."
"Look at yourself, Hope. You can barely hold up your body let alone pull a stick from deep in your leg. I mean, seriously, in this state I'm surprised you can hold that water bottle up."
I looked down, I knew he was right, I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. "Fine."
He found a bit of anesthetic then came back around to my door. Opening it, he beckoned with his arms. He wanted me to get out of the car and yet he was here saying I was too weak to do anything. I raised my eyebrows. Really Corey, really?
He must of gotten the hint because he gently took me in his strong arms, the towel still under me and placed me down in the almost empty boot. It was full leather and only had a small plastic box with a large red cross on it - the first aid kit and a pile of two checked blankets tucked behind the fold-down seats.
My legs were stretched out, my ankles just reaching the end of the boot. The medical supplies Corey had found in the box were next to my leg, I knew this was going to be painful.
"So basically if it hurts too much just tell me and I'll give you a little bit of this." Corey said in a flat voice holding up the anesthetic bottle - about 25mL in it.
I nodded my head in return. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and I tried to think of other things.
Corey got the clump of cotton balls at the ready and the antibiotics. With a firm hand on the stick I was already whincing. His blue eyes concentrated on the blood that was slowly oozing out again onto the towel, I could tell he didn't want me to bleed all over his gorgeous interior. Corey's brow was pressured and his large mouth in a straight line. He tugged with little muscle and force behind it, but the stick did inch out a little, while I cursed Corey.
He didn't take his eyes off the stick once. The cold air rushing around the boot made me shiver, but I kept my leg as still as possible, knowing that if I moved it I would just make it worse.
Corey pulled on the devil again, it coming a fair bit out. I ground my teeth to the pain. Okay Hope, come on, breathe through this. Stop being a little sensitive princess.
There it was again. That little voice inside. I decided to listen to it, the voice always seemed to know what to do.
Without realising it the stick was out, bloody on one end and my raw skin continuing on from it. One glimpse at the swollen and bleeding hole that remained in my leg was enough for me to feel nauseated. I wonder how Corey controlled that...
I felt the large cotton wool go on, soaking up some of the mess. Next Corey rumaged in the kit again, removing a large tube of cream. He squirted a generous amount on my leg and rubbed it in around the wound, leaving my leg looking even whiter than it was, almost as pale as my face must of been.
Without a word of comfort Corey bandaged it up, the sterile cloth wrapping around my leg felt so good, a clump of the cotton still underneath to help clot the bleeding. There was a mess of blood on the towel, dying it a deep red.
Corey's warm hands mopped up the rest of the blood, leaving my leg pure and clean. He handed me a small antibiotic tablet. I swallowed it with the warm water, I could feel it make its journey down my throat and keep moving down.
"Better?" Corey finally said. Not waiting for an answer he started packing up the supplies and soon had me out of the boot and leaning on the black car.
"C'mon let's get you clean, perhaps even get you to look like a human being again. What did you even do in the bush? Run around scratching and poking yourself with sticks for fun?!"
I just glanced at him. He didn't need an answer; I was not in the mood to be messed with, I was just too tired and sore.
He took off to the bathroom next to the servo, me limping after him. He opened the door to the bathroom - after you. I limped in. My reflection in the cracked mirror scared me. My brown eyes were as brown as ever but I had numerous scarres on my face, my hair an absolute mess, looking a bit like a birdnest - knots everywhere and there were sticks, mud and leaves littering it. My eyes had deep blue circles under them, almost matching the colour of my chapped lips.
I turned on the water in the sink.
I was almost finished cleaning myself up when Corey broke the silence. "Hey Hope... how much shit are you in..."
"Enough for me to die." I answered.
"Well, we better move then."
His face told why.