The Ruins Of Tomorrow

06. Burden

The back of my head throbbed as I remembered his deep voice. As if he was right next to me, lecturing, talking with his hands, teaching me. He taught me things that no one else had taught me before. It wasn't how to solve math problems, or how to change the oil in your car, or how to fix a broken scooter. Hunter taught me how to survive.

"Don't be afraid to defend yourself, Scarlet or else people will simply take advantage of you."

He was strict about it. Hunter didn't blur away the truth of the world or how bad people didn't give a crap about you or the people you care about. He was brutally honest with how things worked, and it didn't matter if I was insanely younger than him. He saw me as an equal, like the rest of his crew. But none of the things before had changed my perspective towards the man who made it miserable for us, and his people.

The bomb set off meters away from where we stood. And the memories kept rolling in as Hunter demonstrated it to us before in our basic training. It was something I wasn't interested in learning to do, and I made it clear to him. But I still watched as he set it up and lifted the bomb in his hand, letting us closely inspect it. I remember standing in the back crowd, hoping to god I wouldn't have to use it. 

A portion of the highway was demolished, luring the dead and anything that may have heard it, too. We used our adrenaline to sprint away from the scene of the crime and found a small cave to hide underneath. Thomas picked at his nails, rubbing constantly at the back of his knuckles while we waited for the horde to pass.

Smoke got in my nose, but I had to hold in the urge to cough. Any minor distraction could bring the dead to our hideout, and as much as it made my stomach cramp, I had to sustain it entirely. A large orange flame spread across the open road, dancing in the brisk air like a cobra and moving at a swift pace.

Thomas had his legs curled up to his chest with a pale face. He had dust over him and his cheeks were red. I took out a small cloth and poured some water onto it. Thomas twitched when the cloth met his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I said. "Try not to breathe it in, the wet cloth should help a bit."

His shoulders softened at my response. He took the wet rag and lifted it to his mouth. He winced when I'd accidentally brushed my arm over the wound on his leg. "Does it still hurt a lot?" I asked, changing the subject in hopes it would ease him from the situation a bit.

"I've been sucking it in until now apparently," he muffled, frowning a bit. "I think it's bleeding through my pants again."

I lowered my eyes to his leg and situated myself. "Can I take a look at it?"

He nodded, and I lifted the bottom of his pant leg. He held in his breath and had to look away from the blood that dripped to his shoe. I slid out of my backpack and took out the antiseptic bottle. Thomas slammed his eyes shut while I poured the alcohol onto his wound. I saw how he shuddered in the cold and by my touch.

The medical books only taught me the basics back in Hunter's camp. A lot of the content was super complex, but I still tried to make an effort to learn it. I studied different stitching methods and how to treat certain wounds. A week from my learning experience, there was a group of young workers who were required to learn how to deliver a baby. A child. A small living being.

Evidently, I also learned how. Despite the world in ruins, people were still willing to have children. A family. I remembered having to assist a young nurse to deliver a baby while I privately panicked in my head with floating thoughts. The other doctors and students were out that day. Not understanding where they were, the nurse asked for my help. I was headed my way to find my brother and even though I was a learner and knew little about childbirth, she needed me and so did the mother especially. I wasn't certain what the first step was, but the word "yes" came out quicker than I imagined.