One Drop Of Blood

2

I wiped the blood from my hand on my pants before looking towards the oncoming footsteps. Ray, who had been putting away the medical supplies looked up as well. A girl looking to be in her 20's walked in. She had a baggy T-shirt and leggings on with a towel over her shoulders. The slightly damp hair laid limp down her back. When she saw us her eyes widened and she let out out a surprised yell. 

"HEY! ARE YOU THOSE BRAINWASHED LUNATICS FROM ON THE NEWS! I WILL HIT YOU! STAY BACK!" As she yelled she picked up a heavy looking box from a shelf and raised it above her head. Ray slowly stepped in front of me, stumbling a bit, and put his hands up.

"We're not going to hurt you. We are victims of that. I'm a certified paramedic." He lifted up his shirt showing her a patch on it. She looked at us skeptically before lowering the box.

"Don't try to trick me, I have fast reflexes!" She clenched her fists around her makeshift weapon. She carefully crept around the room, keeping furniture in between us. She kept eyeing us with suspicion. After a bit she stood up and relaxed. "How's the kid?"

"I'll be okay... I just hurt my shoulders." Ray made his way over to a chair where he slumped down, and put his hand to his head.

"Do you have any tylenol? and a glass of water..?" He asked groggily. She raised her eyebrow but retrieved the objects and handed them to him. With a shaky hand, Ray popped the medicine in his mouth and slowly sipped the water. The girl looked him over with a serious look on her face.

"I think you have a concussion..." He gave a small affirmative hum. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Rrray.... Ray Gowser..." His voice was slightly slurred as he spoke. The girl nodded in response.

"I'm Piper. Now you need to rest. Don't go walking around." He nodded as he further slumped back into the chair. She walked into another room for a few minutes leaving me and Ray alone. I looked where I could see her front door with its bolt set in place. There was a box of cans in the corner and a mcdonalds hat hung up on a rack. I heard a whistling sound before Piper came back in, carrying a tray. There were three cups of steaming liquid, I could see tea bags draped over the side. She set them on the table beside Ray causing him to open one of his eyes and look over.

"It's green tea. It should help reduce inflammation. It will also keep you more awake." She took one of the cups for herself and sat on another chair across the room, gently sipping her drink. I walked over to the window we had come in from and looked outside. There was about a 7 foot distance from the ground so I think we'll be okay. I walked through the room and sat on a couch positioned between the two chairs. Not having anything to do I felt myself start to doze off. I slumped over and let myself relax since we had finally gotten a break.

I woke up to the savory smell of chicken. As I sat up on the couch I saw Ray was still asleep. Careful not to wake him, I crept out of the room to find the source of the smell. I walked into a kitchen where I saw Piper stirring a pot. She turned towards me when she heard me walk in.

"Hey kid, can you grab some bowls and put em in the living room?" She nodded towards a shelf holding several plates and dishes. I nodded as I grabbed them and left the room. I set them on the table beside the cups of tea which were now empty. Suddenly a loud fwoosh, clash and scream came from the kitchen all at once. It made me jump, accidentally knocking one of the bowls onto the floor. Ray jumped up before stumbling back down.

"Wait here! I'll go see what's going on!" I ran back to the kitchen where I saw a raging fire climbing up the wall. The pot of what looked like soup was now spilled on the floor. Piper stood petrified as she stared at the orange mass. There was a fire extinguisher on the floor but the side had burst open causing all the chemicals to spill out. She turned to me shaking before rushing forward and grabbing my hand. She pulled me to the living room where Ray quickly stood up, though he was still leaning on the chair. She helped him up, putting his arm over her shoulder.