The Ruins Of Tomorrow

27. Don't Forget

I had lost track of where I was going. I've been jumping from house to house for the past few days. I went back to Cambridge, but I had found nothing but the dead lurking in every corner. My muscles and body were aching so badly that it was hard to keep walking on for many miles.

I let out a dry cough, stumbling up the hill as I felt drops of water land on my cheeks. I looked up at the sky to see the clouds forming as light rain poured down. I opened my mouth to taste the fresh cold water as I limped my way to the road until I slipped on the concrete.

I tried picking myself up as the cut on my leg was still hurting a little. My chest throbbed as it was hard to breathe and I found myself unable to move another inch. "Shit..." I mumbled.

I felt myself passing out when I heard a cry behind me. It sounded like a muffle and I had thought it was the dead crawling their way towards the road. But it was a person. Shots exploded down the road and then I felt a cold finger touch my hand.

A strong and firm hand wrapped over my waist and I was thrown on someone's hard back. My breaths were shallow, to where I thought I stopped breathing. The same voice cried out again, saying a jumble of things that my brain couldn't comprehend

They moved quickly, jumping and sliding. A soft hand pressed against my forehead as I twitched. It felt nice. There was warmth in their touch and it made me feel safe. A smile formed on my lips just before I fell asleep.

~

I woke up in a familiar bed with a cloth sitting on my forehead.

I touched my aching head and moaned as I turned to my side. I saw a medicine bottle sitting on the nightstand and a glass of water. I felt so thirsty as my throat was dry. I let out a cough and took a sip of the water.

Lillian opened the door as a look of relief was showing on her face. "Holy shit, you're awake," she said. "You've been asleep for two days, Scarlet."

"Really?" I said. "I don't remember what happened."

She walked closer until she sat on the bed and looked at the fresh gauze around my leg. "You got an infection and ended up with a fever. You are still sick," she said, grabbing the medicine bottle and opening it. "When I found you on the side of the road, gosh I swear I thought you had been bitten. I thought you were gone and I felt like crying."

She took out a pill and told me to take it. "It's for the pain. I'll make sure to wet the cloth again, but you should eat something and then get more rest."

I took a sip of the water afterwards and let out a cough. My head felt super warm and my body was still aching from the illness. Lillian left the room for a minute and came back with a bowl of berries as she set them on the nightstand. "Don't eat too fast or else you might throw up."

I nodded at her. I didn't feel hungry anymore, but if I wanted to get better I might as well force myself to eat a little bit of something. I didn't want to keep being a nuisance or burden to Lillian even after I betrayed her trust and ended up leaving her behind.

Lillian sat down next to me on the bed as she covered her face with her hands appearing irritated and looked over at me with a saddened gaze. "I shouldn't have sent you away while you were sick. I'm sorry, Scarlet."

"There's nothing you need to be sorry about," I said. "I left because I needed to. But even after all that, I couldn't find my way back."

"I didn't even expect to see you again," she said. "I was traveling around the area to search for more supplies and saw you stumbling up a road in the distance. I was glad I found you."

"I'm glad I'm back," I said. "I think I like it better here."

Lillian smiled at me as her cheeks turned into a rosy pink and she grabbed the bowl of berries and gave it to me. "It makes me happy that you're here with me, Scarlet."