Victory League: Blood & Bruises

The Medicine Woman

Montey was kneeling atop the roof in the cool of night. The crisp air nipping at his scarlet tinged cheeks as the winds whipped past him in a menacing whisper. His frostbitten fingertips kept him balanced as he stole a gaze through the crystal glass of her window. He could see her silhouette as clearly as if she were merely a shadow standing before her bookcase. She had nothing in hand and yet, there she stood for a questionable amount of time.

"What is she waiting for?" Montey whispered into the passing winds. Immediately fearing that they would carry his words like a messenger bird to the open ears of present residents. Anxious to book it before someone came searching for the bearer of his inquisition, like a snake, he slid down the darkened shingles as quiet as a mouse ready to leap onto the neighboring rooftop. Mid leap he was hit in the face with a glob of moisture that threw him off balance, causing him to fall between the seven story buildings. Plunging to his death he reached towards the moon and let out a blood curdling scream.

Montey landed with a thud on the shabby wooden slabs of his bedroom floor, still screaming as he fought to untangle himself from his dingy, once-white bedsheets. The worried howl of his Boxer mix, Big Mama snapped him back to reality. Sitting up, he ran a dirty hand through his greasy brown hair,

"Oh, it was just a dream. It's alright girl. It just felt so-" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing that his face still felt wet. He wiped the moisture off of the left side of his forehead and stared at the muddy mixture in his hand before Big Mama began to whine and lick him again.

"Oh, it was just you girl," he chuckled. Still a bit disconcerted, he wrapped his arms around her big brown trunk of a neck. His hair blending into her fur as he buried his face into her throat. The vibration of her growing growl caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up, leaning away from her, he looked up at her in confusion.

"What's the matter Big Ma-"

"Wroof!" Her bark sent him leaping back. Big Mama leapt into the air, causing the floor to jump when she landed. Montey rose to his feet and held his hands out in front of him readying himself for the attack. He loved her so deeply, but he would not hesitate to snap...

No. It would never come to that.

And he was right. Big Mama headed toward the bedroom door, before stopping to look back at Montey and let out another heart pounding bark. He understood now that she wanted him to follow her. And so, he did.

Big Mama lead Montey to the bathroom door. He attempted to turn the brass handle, but it was locked. He then proceeded to knock.

"Hey, Elaine, you in there?" He was responded with a faint moan. Suddenly a wave of heat rushed over Montey, causing him to begin to break out into a sweat.

"Elaine," he begged. This time he was met with silence. His heart pounding in his chest, Montey took a few steps back and kicked the door in. What he found in there sent him into a panic. Elaine was lying on the bathroom floor with her eyes rolled back and her body shaking furiously. Without hesitation, Montey quickly scooped his sister up off of the cold tiled floor. Which was easy because she was so frail, and he rushed her off to his bed. In a mad dash, he scooped up his bed sheets off of the floor before tossing them on her, still shaking, on his bed. He left her there before bursting through their front door bare foot, running down the street for help. Big Mama stood guard in its open doorway. Ready to attack any Whyler that dared take this opportunity to shop for free merchandise. Not that their home held anything of value beside themselves.

"How is she?" Montey asked the medicine woman. He was lucky to find her at home this morning. She had given Elaine a drink that helped stop the seizures. But he knew that there was a further issue that needed remedy. Something wrong that only the Medicine woman could help him understand.

"She is calm now, but this will not cease until she receives the proper medicine to cure her ailment before it overtakes her."

"Wha- what do you mean? So, no. There's a cure, yes?!"

"Easy. Yes. There is a cure, if she receives it soon. But it is medicine I do not have access to for it is far too expensive. You will have to go and acquire it yourself and I will be able to administer it to her."

"Well. How much is it?" The medicine woman gazed around the room and let out a deep sigh. Refusing to meet his gaze, she instead stared out of the bedroom window.

"It would cost you 15 pounds." Montey's heart dropped. That was almost triple their rent. Rent that they could barely afford on a good day. Montey looked at the Medicine woman and could see the pity in her eyes as she rubbed Elaine's hands. He could tell that she had written Elaine off as a lost cause. This really angered him. Furious, he slapped her brown wrinkled hand off of Elaine's and stood to his feet, knocking his chair back. Causing the loud cracking sound to break the glooming silence.

Unabashed, the medicine woman peacefully remained in her seat and clasped her hands together. Calmly staring into her lap, she made him an offer.

"I can give her something that would take the pain away so that she could pass peacefully. It would keep her asleep but at least she would not suffer. There would be no charge." Something animalistic took over Montey after hearing her words. It didn't matter that they came from a place of compassion. He was not about to lose his sister. How dare she even imagine it. No, in his eyes, she may as well have pulled a gun out and aimed it at him. His face shriveled up into a snarl, and with spit flying from his mouth, he snapped back at her.

"How dare you dig her grave before she's even breathed her last breath! You can keep your pity and your sleep poison," he spat, "I will get her what she needs even if it kills me. I swore to her that I would take care of her. A promise kept and a promise I plan to keep on keeping!" The Medicine woman cast a side eye around the dimly lit bedroom. Her eyes bounced from the stained floorboards to the cracked walls and back to the dirty sheets that gently rose and fell upon Elaine's twitchy bosom, rhythmically with each shallow breath.

"Of course," she said in a snark whisper, returning her gaze to her lap.

Infuriated by her snide remark, Montey's brow furrowed with great intensity. So much so, that his eyes became masked with shadow. Feeling his growing rage, he chose to leave before doing anything stupid. Montey stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut on his way out. His mind began to race as he desperately searched for a solution. He needed money, of course. For that, he needed a job, and he knew the exact employer to go to. A dangerous man with an even more dangerous greed, but for Elaine it was more than worth the risk. He owed her that much.