Rosy And Leah: The Disease

Yum, Maggots For Dinner

   "HEY! Get back here!"
I hear the loud tap tap tap noises as he gets closer. I huff, and speed up, turning into an alley. That was mistake numero uno. It was a dead end, and as I approached I started to realize that I had no where else to go. Me being me, and my quick thinking (more like luck and dumb hope), I climbed the brick wall, the guard getting closer. I jumped over the wall, and blew raspberries at it.
    
   You may be wondering how I got to be in this position. Let's rewind a bit.

              Three Hours Earlier

    I just got finished taking a nap. Per usual. I walk down the designated path, made out of dirt. This part of this city doesn't worry about looks as much. This is the Market street. Every market you could ever imagine is there. You think it, you'll find it; they have markets for fruits, accessories, vegetables, bread, to sell crops, clothes, string, silk, paper, this new thing they're trying out called perfume, you name it. I found myself drooling over the fresh bread as the marketer set them out. The smell was so good, too hard to resist. And as soon as he wasn't looking, I may have grabbed a loaf. Of course he noticed as I was running away, and that douche called the guards on me.
There you go, that's how we got where we are now. Running for my life from a guard. Now you may be thinking, "Rosy, running for your life? Isn't that a little exaggerated?" Not at all. Let's just say, this isn't my first time stealing bread, not even close. I can't help it, it's so tasty, so mouth watering. Let's continue.

Present

    I had escaped, somehow. It's a miracle. I pulled my hood up and walked out on the opposite side of the alley I had just entered. I casually strolled a dirt path until I reached a shady tree, and sat down. I admired the loaf of bread I managed to steal, and basically drooled over it. It was still warm. I took my first bite out of the moist, soft corner. I closed my eyes and chewed super slowly, enjoying every little taste. This was heaven. Of course, though, this moment of bliss didn't last long. I take another bite and crinkle my nose in disgust, almost immediately spitting it out. I look at the bread and see a black spot right in the center.

    "Of course, I had to steal the rotten bread." I shake my head, and set it aside, not thinking much of it. I get up, and start towards the forest, the real reason I was in this part of the city.

    I pull my Long Bow out of my bag, I know it's not much but, it's all I can afford. It was my father's bow, but he won't be needing it now. Since, he is gone. Anyway, off the sad stuff, now isn't the time. I crouch down, and sneak through ferns and over sticks, careful to not make noise. I hear a crunch to my right, and turn sharply. I see a doe; small, maybe a year old; standing there, sniffing the grass.

    I see this as my chance, and I get into position, my body turned slightly to the left, my feet pointed towards the deer as I place the arrow and pull the bowstring back carefully. I aim at the doe's neck, steadying my aim right before I release, the arrow flying through the air. It pierces the deer right where I intended it to, the doe falling to the ground and wailing, kicking her legs. I approach her carefully, making sure to avoid her kicks, unsheathing a small dagger, another gift from my father. I slowly jab her in the heart, the doe dying instantly. A quick and painless death. Wouldn't we all like a death like that?

.. .. ..

   I sell the skin, like always, and head "home" with the meat. Home as in, a run down, abandoned old shack that I eat and sleep in. I live alone, seeing as my mother and father died when I was relatively young. It's not that bad, seeing as I have a place to sleep and food to eat.

   I sit down the bag of meat on the floor, and start up a fire, getting sticks and preparing to cook the meat. I carefully take the meat out of the bag, but then I notice something. That same black spot I saw on the bread, is splotched all over the meat. I lift it up and smell it, and almost immediately gag. It smelled like rotting flesh. I look closer and see that maggots are crawling around in it. I throw it aside. I look at the rest of the meat in the bag, only able to find one tiny piece that is normal. I cut it open and check all around it to make sure, then hastily cook it. My mouth waters at the smell, having barely eaten all day and not eaten at all yesterday.

   I take a bite, and chew it carefully. It tastes pretty good, not rotted or anything, surprisingly. I hungrily dig in, inhaling the small piece of meat. It was smaller than my hand, but I was grateful that I at least got to eat that night. This continued for days, I rarely found any wildlife, and when I did it was already dead and rotting. And whenever I got lucky and found some wildlife, it was just like that doe, rotted on the inside. What was causing all the wildlife to rot and die, killing them from the inside out? I didn't know, but I was determined to find out and put a stop to it. I refuse to go into Serfdom like my parents did before me.