Breath Of Death

Caretaker.

I felt groggy when I opened my eyes. It took me a minute to understand my surroundings but I was laying on a bed in a room. I winced at the pain I felt when I sat up. I looked down at where the pain came from and saw blood on my shirt. Lifting up my shirt I could see that a bandage was wrapped around my stomach.
I stood up and dropped to the floor. I was too weak to stand. I grunted and ached from the pain. Tears built up. Then I was turned over by a familiar face.
Tristan lifted me up carefully and placed me softly on the bed. He grabbed some water from the side table and held it to my lips.
"You don't give up do you?" His eyes stared deeply into mine. He was concerned.
"How long have I been out?"
   He hesitated before answering.
"4 days."
"4 days?!" I've never been unconscious for that long in my life. I started to get up again but he stopped me.
"No ma'am."
"Excuse me? Ma'am?" He really thinks he can tell me that. Hilarious.
"You heard me. You keep moving, and you'll tear the stitches."
"Stitches?!"
"Yeah I gave you stitches with a needle and string."
"You gave me stitches?!"
"Can you stop yelling?!"
I laid slowly back on the bed and sighed. I was stressed. I had been ripped away from my family, bitten by an infected, almost killed by some sick man, kidnapped by another and shot. Can it get any worse?
   I checked my shoulder where I was bit and to my surprise, the redness started to go away and it looked like it was actually healing. Not something I'd ever expect.
"Tell me about your parents."
"My parents? Why?"
"Do you have to question everything?" He pulled out a small book and pencil.
"Yes. Yes I do." I said glaring at him and his stupid tiny pencil.
"Did your parents have any genetic illnesses or conditions?"
"I don't know."
   He sighed frustratedly.
"Did you ever go to the doctor? Did your mom or dad go?"
"Didn't know my dad so you can stop worrying about that one. Mom was as healthy as can be. Can I go back to sleep now? I liked it better when I wasn't awake for you to interrogate me."
"Darling, these past four days have been the best days of my life with not having to hear you complain about everything. Now answer my first question." I was too stunned to speak and he was scribbling harshly on the paper now.
"Uh...what question? I answered already."
"Early onset dementia. Possible diagnosis. Have you ever gone to the doctor peabrain?"
"I'll have you know I have a photographic memory sir!" I huffed.
"Guess that leaves me with lack of common sense then." He scribbled more.
   Images popped into my mind like a flashback. Completely distracting me from his rude comment. Doctors. Lights. And dark rooms flickering.
"Hearing loss. Check." Tristan said snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Huh? Oh uh yeah..."
   His head lifted and his blue eyes looked at mine. I turned my head away breaking the gaze.
"For what?"
"I don't know." I completely forgot that I was in the hospital a lot when I was a kid. Couldn't tell you why though. I don't remember.
"How long?"
"I don't know."
"What did they do?"
"Can you please stop? I can't give you what you're asking for because I don't remember!"
"You're such a great help." He got up and walked out leaving me stranded on the bed with nothing to do.
"Thanks! You're so nice!" I yelled as he was in whatever room he headed to.
I laid in that bed for a week before I was able to get up and move around. Tristan would go out hunting and leave me all alone. He did leave me a list of things to do like walk every hour so that my body doesn't make blood clots and make traps for the prey.
It was hard to keep focused on walking around when my gums were giving me this constant pain. I wanted to rip my own teeth out and naw on some ice.
One day, as I'm brushing my teeth with the pot of water we collected and a tooth brush I found brand new from its pack, I noticed my gums started hurting terribly. I spit blood in the sink and lifted my lip to look. My eyes examined closely on my canine, then the other until I was looking at all of them at once. They were sharp. Pointed and raised slightly. I had mini fangs. I stepped back from the mirror. My skin was paler, I was skinnier, and I had fangs. Even my eyes looked lighter. They used to be green, and now they have a blue tint to them. A thought crossed my mind.

Am I....turning into one of...them?

A slammed door snapped me right into reality. I knew it was Tristan from the way he walked. He was a big man and his steps were heavy. Except this time they were rushing. He ran right into the bathroom and grabbed my hand pulling me with him.
"Wha-" I started to say but Tristan shoved me against the hallway wall and covered my mouth. He placed his finger on his mouth signaling for me to keep quiet. I nodded and he lowered down to crouch through the rest of the hallway.
I followed him all the way out of the back door to the outside. Then we started running. Since I've only been walking for a week, running felt like a marathon but we did all the way to a big city.
When we were finally able to sneak into a nearby jewelry store, I asked him what the rush was.
"Hunters. We were hunting the same prey but the caught onto me. I didn't want to risk anything."
"Risk what exactly?"
"Them finding you."
"So we just have to leave anytime someone comes around?" What does finding me mean? I was so confused.
He turned around and grabbed my shoulders.
"Look, I know you've been in La La land for a while now but I don't need anyone coming around trying to make this trip more difficult than it already has been. I'd prefer to bring you back to my dad's alive."
"So you can make the cure."
"So you do have common sense. Great. Let's keep moving, we're losing daylight." He let go and grabbed a map from his bag and held it out. Then he let out a big sigh. I'm guessing from how long it's gonna take us to get to his dad's lab.
   I pondered on the thought of that. What is going to happen when we get there. If helping them make the cure was actually something that I should do. Leaving behind Blessing and Javier to save the world was something I didn't think I'd have to choose between. Say I do end up being the cure, how am I going to get back to them?
"I need to take a walk." I shook the thoughts out of my head and headed out.