Lost

●• Chapter 12 •●

Gregory stuck his tongue out in defiance as Bonnie placed the small cup of lime juice in front of him.

"Yuck!" He spat.

Bonnie left across the kitchen momentarily to finish preparing the food.

"You have to drink it, Greg. It's good for you."

Thankfully, he could hear Bonnie's voice somewhat clearly again, but he still could not recognize his face.

The boy scoffed. "How?? It's just limes!"

Bonnie set up the boy's dinner in front of him and sat across the table with his own food. There was one empty seat between them because Freddy was still out at sea and would not be back for another month.

"Fruits and vegetables protect you from scurvy. But lime is cheap, so we use it most." Bonnie responded while he ate.

"But dad never needs to drink this!" The boy argued. Bonnie sighed.

"He does drink it, Greg. Everyone does."

The boy groaned and took a sip, cringing at the sour taste.

"What's the big deal with scurvy anyway? Why is everyone so scared of it? Isn't it just a sickness??" He asked. Bonnie shook his head.

"Scurvy is not the same as the common cold, Gregory. It's very painful and deadly... it's not something you want to catch."

The boy sighed in defeat and continued eating. "Have you ever caught scurvy?"

Bonnie chuckled. "I haven't, thankfully. I've seen many pirates get it, and I've only heard of a handful that survived."

The boy thought for a moment. "What's it like?" He asked. Bonnie looked up from his plate and shook his head again.

"I'll tell you when you're older. It's too gruesome for you to hear about right now."

That made Gregory want to know about it even more, but he decided to let his dad eat in peace.

Bonnie took his plate from him while he leaned against the table boredly. When he was finished cleaning up, he knelt down to the boy with a big smile.

"I need to go to the market for a few things. Do you want to come?" He offered. The boy's tail wagged excitedly, and he nodded. Bonnie stood up again, and he laughed as his father picked him up and let him sit on his shoulders when they left.

...

Gregory woke up on the floor of what looked to be an old office. The only light was the lantern on the rotted, unused desk.

He stood up, thankfully uninjured, and took in his surroundings. He saw a wooden door across the room and jogged over to try and open it, but it was locked.

Now was the time for panic. He saw another door across the room and hurried over to that one, but it would not budge either. His next option was to search his surroundings.

He noticed a small, dull blade on the ground nearby. The boy picked it up and glanced around the room to look for somewhere to use it.

He caught sight of what looked to be another tunnel ahead but was blocked off by a locked wooden trapdoor.

Gregory crawled over and tried prying it open with the blade. He jumped as he heard someone trying to open one of the doors.

He hurriedly tried harder to pry it off. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as fear rushed through him.

He finally busted the door off the hinges in time to climb in before the door opened.

It was another dirt tunnel. He glanced behind him at the opening of the crawl space to see who was getting in.

To his horror, the red eyed rabbit came face to face with him.

"Are you having fun yet~?" She teased cruelly.

He hurriedly crawled through the tunnel. He heard her voice from the other side again and suspected she was chasing him, but he did not dare look back again.

He forced himself through the tight, unstable pathway. His clothes were getting muddy and torn, making him even colder.

He finally found a way out of the tunnel and ran as fast as he could in another direction. The boy was very lost at this point, but he knew the bunny was gaining on him.

He hurried over to another set of stairs he saw ahead. It seemed this place became bigger and bigger the more he explored.

The boy heard her voice in the distance again and hurried down the pavement. He was beginning to run out of breath, and he could feel himself slowing down.

That is when a small alleyway caught his eye. It was a tight squeeze, but he thought he could fit.

He made a sharp turn and slid sideways into the crack. It was working!

He made it to the other side and noticed something up ahead. Gregory squinted to get a better look and realized who the figure was.

"Dad!" He called out happily, rushing down the small flight of stairs to meet him.

Freddy glanced up at the sound of his voice. He was sitting on the ground and looked to be in pain.

As soon as he saw Gregory, he felt a new surge of energy and sat up to open his arms out.

The boy wasted no time jumping into his hold and hugging him tightly. He cried in relief and buried his face in Freddy's chest. Freddy held him just as tight.

He pulled away and looked the boy over for injuries. "Are you hurt?? Where were you?!" He asked frantically.

Gregory assured him he was alright, and Freddy seemed to relax and accept that answer.

The boy noticed his father had more injuries littering his body and looked even more tired than he did before.

"Dad, what's wrong??" He asked in concern. Freddy winced.

"I went searching everywhere for you... I was so scared, I-I wanted to find you as soon as possible, but... I was attacked -" He coughed.

Gregory nodded. "The others attacked me too..."

Freddy held him closer and struggled to catch his breath.

"I'll get us moving again in just a second... I need to rest..." His head dropped.

The boy's worry for his father grew increasingly worse as he saw his eyes shutting and his breathing grow ragged.

"Dad...? Dad, stay awake!" He reminded.

Freddy tried keeping his eyes open a few moments longer before his back hit the wall, and he fell almost completely still.

Gregory's eyes teared up as he continued shaking Freddy, but his father would not budge.

He could hear someone coming, but if Freddy was out cold, he would have no way of protecting the boy.

He felt as though he should leave and hide, but he refused to abandon Freddy.

He sat down by the bear and wrapped his arms around him tightly to seek comfort as the footsteps grew closer.

~~

A.N.

If you're wondering why the story keeps randomly referencing scurvy, I promise it's not pointless!

It will be important soon, so pay close attention~
:)