The Awakened

Chapter 17

James returned much later, by the time he was back I had finished stitching Chase's back and began to lather salve onto the wounds. James brought in three bowls of salad along with several pieces of sourdough bread.

"I'm not the greatest cook," he said quietly. "Sadly, Chase got that gene, sorry it took so long." He sat the tray that held the bowls in the middle of the enormous bed. "Are you going to need help eating Chase?" He asked gently. Chase shook his head no as I began to wrap bandages around his chest to his back. The redness of his skin was startling to look at. A mess of purple had already begun to engulf the edges of the deeper cuts. I continued to wrap it as gently as I could muster.

"All done," I said, moving off of the bed.

"Thank you," he said feebly, slowly pushing his entire body onto the part nearest the edge by the frame. "Where are you going Makayla?" He asked in a slightly fearful manner, a tone I'd never heard him use before.

"I'm just going to shower and change my clothes, I'll be back soon, okay?" His face showed no emotion as he nodded.

"Will you be back?" I looked from him to James.

"I'll be back, don't worry," I gave them both a small smile and left.

I moved as silently as possible, scared my mother would end up hearing me. I feared how she would react to us bringing Chase back to the house. I went to the supplies closet, filling one of the mopping buckets with water, and grabbing one of the grossest looking mops I could find. I filled the bucket with a water and bleach mixture then moved over to the door and began to mop all from there all the way to Chase's room. All I could hope was that the rain from outside would wash away any blood close to the house.

When I finished mopping, I dumped the bucket out in the utility sink, then softly walked up the stairs. When I got to my room, I found that every single article of clothing I had on was ruined. Although it was black, my jumpsuit was tarnished with large amounts of bodily fluid, the same went for my shoes and jacket that all clung to me tightly. The not-too-distant feeling of blood being all over me, made me want to vomit. Then the worst part of it all, it reminded me of Jackson's final moments, which hurt all too well. Jackson's ragged breathing along with Chase's screams echoed through my head. My feet felt unsteady.

I gagged as I removed my clothing. They were wet, yet in some areas dry, however, I couldn't tell if the moisture was from water or blood. As I removed them, I couldn't help but feel sick. The smell of iron was thick in my room now, after undressing I went to open the window closest to me. Breathing in the moisture rich air, to hopefully help myself with the nauseous feeling, that was until the eyes in the forest looked up at me, sending shivers through my spine.

I made my way to the bathroom and hopped in the shower to get rid of the sickness that started to plague me. I deep washed my hair, and scrubbed my skin till it was almost raw before I felt like all the red had been washed away. Shortly after, I exited the shower and towel dried my hair. Then I decided to put on an old t-shirt and a basic pair of sweatpants, before once again quietly walking down the stairs. At that point I wasn't sure if my parents were still home, not a sound was made in the home.

When I arrived downstairs, I went and got one of the cleaning wipe packages to wipe the blood off of Chase's walls, and floors, especially in his bathroom. As I opened the door, the anxious face of Chase seemed to finally relax. James was nowhere to be seen and I could only assume he was in the bathroom as the door was shut.

"I'm back," I whispered as I entered, shutting the door behind me in an inaudible fashion. I took out some wipes, wiping down the door as Chase spoke.

"You don't need to do that Makayla, I'll clean it tomorrow," I stared at him, blinking slowly. Shaking my head as I continued, "Please, it's my mess, I'll clean it."

"Whether you care to believe it or not, it's partially my fault you're in this type of position now. I didn't watch Jackson, I didn't help you, nor did I stop my mother from hurting you. So in return this is the very least I can do." I finished cleaning it up then placed the wipes on his bedside table. Then I made my way onto the bed, sitting beside him. His sheets were as soft as silk and a beautiful, light blue in color. They were soft and his bed was decently cushioned as well. Although he didn't need to, he moved over to make room for me.

Chase hadn't touched his bowl of food yet, and mine sat full beside his as well. "Where'd James go?" I asked him, grabbing one of the bowls of salad, and some ranch that was in a container beside it.

"He went to shower, same as you," His voice was hoarse as he spoke, and he tried to clear it as best as he could.

I nodded my head, taking a bite of lettuce. "Why haven't you eaten?" His green irises shone vividly in the dim light of his room.

He licked his lips which were cracked in several places. "I can't eat right now, everything makes me feel nauseous," I nodded my head slowly, putting my bowl down. I stood up, walking toward the door. "Where are you going?"

"To get you a glass of water."