Across the Deadzone

Chapter 3: Ophelia

I let out a sigh as soon as he left. Nine years. Nine years since I'd seen anyone from my old life. Since I'd been forced to remember the life I had before.
It was a strange feeling. A combination of exuberant and horrible, all mixed around in your stomach until it felt like flesh-melting acid.
On one hand- the nostalgic part of me- I missed what I had before, and wanted to think about the life I almost had before the world went wrong. On the other hand- the survivor part of me- said that yearning for the past would end up getting me killed.
So, seeing my childhood crush and best friend from eighth grade, living in a town carved into the side of a cliff, during the apocalypse, after we'd been separated for nine years, was a good way to sum up my turmoil.
I stripped off my faded brown pants, stiff from the sand and sun exposure, and threw them next to my backpack and shirt. They'd need a good washing, but I didn't feel like it at the moment. There was always tomorrow. Then, off came my undergarments, and my silver bracelet, which I set aside with more care.
Although privacy during bath time wasn't really a thing anymore, especially when you had to conserve water, I was glad I had the cavern to myself. The past few days had been hectic and stressful, and the days ahead didn't look any better. It was nice to have some time to myself.
Now totally bare, I took a step toward the hot spring, curls of steam wafting lazily into the air, enveloping me in a warm, misty hug. The water was blissfully warm, softening my heat-blistered skin.
Little dishes set around the rim of the crystal clear pool held blocks of soap. I grabbed the nearest one and lathered it against my skin. It had a distinct non scent that I preferred to the perfumey stuff from the Old World.
I had three days to make thirty five dice. That was no easy feat, even when you didn't have a three day time limit. And I couldn't ask Wystan for money, not when he was already giving me a place to sleep for free. My moral compass might be a little askew thanks to the apocalypse but I still felt guilty about some things.
I could help out one of the shopkeepers for a few days. Or trade something of value for dice.
Who am I kidding? I have nothing worth thirty five dice anymore other than my bracelet, and there's no way in hell I'm giving that away.
I groan and lean my head back against the rim of the pool and let my eyes close. 
Nothing was going right, especially these last couple days; first, half my party was viciously torn limb from limb during a Rubble Creeper's attack. Then, after I'd separated from the surviving members of that party, a lone Creeper caught up to me and tried to take my arm. And the rest of me, for that matter. It landed a bite in before I managed to cut its massive head off.
"Damnit," I cursed. Maybe if I had taken a few of the teeth with me I could've traded them. The things were worth a pretty penny in most towns, if only because of their venom, which we'd started to use to coat our arrowheads.
My shoulder twinged as I eased down into the water. I had tried to remove all the venom and bandage the wound, but doing that by yourself was almost impossible. If the venom didn't kick in soon and off me, then infection definitely would.
I worked my fingers through my hair, removing any knots and debris that I could find.
I heard the scuff of a shoe and turned slightly to see what the source of the noise was. Wystan stood with a bundle of clothes in his arms, trying desperately to look anywhere but me. "I have your clothes. They might not fit too well but-"
"They'll be fine." I hesitated, then added, "Thank you." He nodded and scrambled forward to set down the clothes, still not looking me in the eye.
"I'll... wait outside. The tunnels in here are a maze. It's really easy to get lost if you don't know your way around." He was gone before I had a chance to respond.
I allowed myself five minutes to indulge in scenes of the past. Five minutes to think about my family. The friends I'd lost and thought were dead. By the time my five minutes were up I had to force my tears not to fall.
Finally, I pulled myself out of the water. Droplets ran down my body, creating puddles in the uneven floor. I dried myself off quickly before getting dressed.
The shirt was obviously one of Wystan's. It was a long-sleeved, solid blue flannel, the sleeves falling past my wrists. The pants fit suspiciously well, which made me wonder if he'd either had another girl staying with him in the past or if he had hurried to buy them at the market while I was bathing.  
I slipped the bracelet around my wrist, then hoisted my bag over my shoulder again before slipping my belt- with utilities such as my dice, my machete and its sheath, and even more rations than what I had stored in my backpack- through the loops in the pants. I rolled my dirty clothes into a ball and picked up the towel. "I'm done," I said flatly, knowing he was standing right on the other side of the opening.
His head popped around the corner. When he saw that I was fully clothed, he stepped forward and took the towel from my hands.
We made our way to his flat. "These yours?" I asked jokingly, pointing to the pants.
"Oh, yeah, they're my favorite pair." He paused as if waiting for me to laugh. When I let out a breathy chuckle he grinned but tried to hide it. "No, they were my ex's."
"Your ex?" I asked in disbelief. He shot me a playful glare.
"Is that so surprising?" he asked.
No, I thought. But what I said was, "That poor girl." He scoffed.
"I'll have you know that I am quite a catch, O." It shocked me at how quick he'd gone back to calling me by my old nickname. No one had called me that in years.
I patted his shoulder. "Alright, buddy." I tried to sound as condescending as possible without coming off as mean.
We stopped in front of another tunnel opening, this one blocked off by a huge hunk of dull gray metal. "Here we are," Wystan said, wrenching the makeshift door open with a grunt. "Home sweet home."
It was a nice place by apocalypse standards: an old orange couch with some of the stuffing spilling out, a raggedy green carpet, and white LED lanterns shoved in random spots to light up the room. There was a small table- more of a nightstand than anything- pushed in the corner, along with two wooden chairs.
There was another opening, but I couldn't see inside. I assumed it was the bedroom. Probably nothing more than a squeaky mattress and some old books.
"This is surprisingly clean."
"When you were taking a bath I may or may not have tidied up."
That's when I noticed the discarded food rations stuffed into the trash can. But I decided to play along and nodded knowledgeably. "Ah, that's what took so long."
"Well, you did say 'take your time.' I guess I took your advice to heart."
The tips of my fingers began to go numb, the first sign of the venom taking effect. Usually, if a Creeper got you and you managed to get away, they'd track you for a few days until the venom took hold of your system. Once you collapsed, they'd eat you at their leisure. I cut off the bastards' head that bit me, so at least I didn't have to worry about being tracked.
I didn't think the venom would kick in so fast. Then again, I'm fairly short, and the only person I saw get bit was a six-foot-five man who probably weighed about three hundred pounds. It had taken almost five days for the venom to completely liquify him from the inside.
With a jolt, I realized that's what's happening to me. My insides were turning to jelly.
"You can take the mattress if you... are you okay?" Wystan asked suddenly, pushing his hair back from his forehead again. "You look really pale."
"I'm fine," I insisted, although the tingling feeling was starting to run up my arms now.
"Okay, but you're not?"
I shot him a glare with as much 'I am, now leave it alone' as I could muster. He didn't get the hint. Which was a good call on his part because I couldn't feel my neck anymore. My stomach rolled uncomfortably and I felt bile rise in my throat. No, it wasn't bile. Just my liquified insides. My knees crumpled below me and I hit the stone floor with a thud.
"I'm gonna get a healer." He rushed from the room but I barely noticed. I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the world from spinning and making me feel more sick.
The last thing I saw was Wystan running back in, a woman in tow before my muscles tightened and the world went black.