A Remaining Podeshire 1

Chapter 9 (Part 5)

     Suddenly, Oliver felt something warm dripping from his lips. He opened his eyes, looked down, and saw blood splattered on the floor. He quickly realized the blood was coming from his mouth, and he began to panic.

     Gregory slowly marched towards Oliver. With a slow and deep breath, Gregory knelt and faced his friend as he buried his hand in his pocket. Then, he snatched out a bottle with glowing red liquid inside and opened it.

"Here... drink this..." Gregory calmly said as he placed the bottle on his friend's lips.

Oliver hesitated, his mouth shut tight as he shook his head. "No! It's poison!"

Gregory's face hardened as he looked at his friend. "...This is my last healing concoction... remember?" he reassured him.

     Gregory placed his thumb below Oliver's jaw and gently wiped away the blood with a warm, careful touch. He continued to clean the wound off Oliver's lips as Oliver's breath shivered. Once done, Gregory wiped his thumb on his trousers.

"Come on, drink now," Gregory said with a firm and convincing voice as he leaned the potion onto Oliver's lip.

     Oliver hesitated again as his mouth clamped shut. Oliver closed his eyes and shook his head. But, after taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes, looked at the glowing red elixir, and lifted his lips, allowing Gregory to feed him half of the vial. Oliver's eyes glistened as he stared at Gregory in the eyes while drinking the potion.

Gregory placed a palm on Oliver's cheek as he looked into his eyes. "There... feeling better?" he asked.

Oliver took a deep breath and nodded, the pain and fear slowly subsiding. "...Honestly, I was a quiet yet joyous child until everything changed," he said.

Gregory stated, "...I can understand how tough that must have been for you." He then placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "But you're not alone anymore. Remember... I am not here 'with' you... I am here 'for' you..."

     While Gregory spoke, Oliver's gaze drifted past him and out the blurry window. He could see the dark blue sky outside, devoid of stars and shrouded in an eerie darkness. And the night air felt heavy and oppressive.

     Oliver's eyes felt heavy. He couldn't resist the temptation to close his eyes. Slowly, his eyelids drooped lower.

     Suddenly, the door swung open, causing Oliver to snap and widen his eyes. Cal entered and immediately saw his son, Gregory, kneeling near Oliver. Furious, Cal hurried towards Gregory and snatched him away from the Remaining Podeshire.

"Gregory! Stay away from that Podeshire! They're dangerous..." Cal yelled as he dragged Gregory away, his voice filled with fury. "...And lethal!" Cal glared at Oliver.

"I'm sorry," Gregory quickly apologised as he stepped backwards.

"Now... instead of slacking around in this place, why don't you do something useful?" Cal said, walking closer to his son's face.

"What do you have in mind, then?" Gregory asked, curious.

Cal smirked ominously, then strode out of the doorway. "How about brewing a non-breathing potion?" he said cluelessly.