A Forest So Dark and Deadly

Chapter 4

I'm still staring at the TV when it flickers off a few minutes later and I'm left looking at a black screen. From the corner of the room, Wes scoffs.

"What?" I dare to ask, my heart still pounding furiously in my chest.

"I know what you're going to say," he begins, "but I'm not going to do it."

I clench my hands into fists and gather them into my lap, "Why not?"

He looks at me for a long moment, his lips pressing into a flat line. The breath hesitates in my chest as I square my shoulders.

"It's a stupid risk I don't want to take," he snaps.

"Wes, this could change our lives," I fire back, "why can't you even try? Hell, I go out to the forest every weekend and I still survive! Why can't you make a similar sacrifice for once?"

His glare pierces me but I don't let myself flinch. I don't let myself feel his anger. I won't give him the satisfaction of shutting me up that easily.

"You're expendable, I'm not, if I got sick or died, no one would be left to take care of you," he explains.

"I've taken care of myself well enough since Dad died, no thanks to you," I reply flatly. 

I stare him down as he watches me for a long moment, almost like he's expecting me to lunge. He knows I'll never do it. I haven't touched him in over a year because I can't touch anyone anymore without risk.

"I'm going to deliver my orders," I find myself spitting as I get to my feet and head for the door.

Wes doesn't reply as I sling my bag onto my back, Zira following as I open the door and slip through.

I don't look back.

I walk from the edge of town where our little house sits towards the main center. I stop in front of the courthouse and set my bag on the marble steps so I can unzip it as I pull out my order sheets and read through them.

I wince at the pain in my elbow as I start walking for the first drop-off.

"You're not coming by for a check-up?"

I flinch and nearly drop my stack of papers. I shoot a glare in the direction of the voice as an older man steps out from behind a pillar that is holding up the roof of the courthouse. A cigarette sits perched between his fingers, the butt of it glowing a faint shade of orange as blue smoke curls from it.

"Why do you care?" I spit.

"Honestly? If you die, I don't have a paying customer...," he takes a drag from his cigarette, his eyebrows rising as he shrugs, "or at least a somewhat paying customer."

"Oh, fuck off," I hiss under my breath and he smiles.

"Got anything for me?"

I dig into my bag for some of the copper coins I had set aside, along with a few silvers. I drop them into his outstretched hand as he counts them and nods.

"That pays off the interest at least," he muses, "I'll give you a check-up and a shot at a discount if you'd like."

The pain that is swelling in my elbow screams at me then and I wince as he tilts his head.

"Come on then, let's go," he says as he flicks the cigarette butt onto the ground.

He snuffs it out with the toe of his boot before he starts walking. I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to follow but the pain in my elbow urges me forward.

After a breath, I trudge after him.

****

"Any pain?"

"Lots," I mutter through grit teeth.

"How many sores?"

"Just the one."

Gloved hands expertly roll up my sleeve as narrowed eyes inspect my right elbow. An ugly, black sore the size of a thumbprint stares back at me, the center of it weeping blood as it oozes down the side. Averly clucks his tongue at this and shakes his head as he wipes a sanitizing cloth over it.

I hiss as it burns in response, a curse slipping past my lips as I clench my hand into a fist. His dark eyes watch me expectantly as I breathe evenly through my nose, the breath threatening to stop as the edges of my vision blacken and swim.

"Just breathe," he mutters.

I snort as I shut my eyes, "Thanks for the suggestion."

He grunts at this as I hear his wheeled stool squeak away from me. I can hear drawers being opened and shut as he rummages around before the stool squeaks again. A cold, damp cotton ball is swabbed over my upper arm and I breathe out.

Pain pricks me there as bile bubbles up in my throat. Even though I've had an injection dozens of times the feeling of the needle under my skin still makes me nauseous. I sway against my will as a hand steadies me.

"Almost done," Averly encourages me in a softer voice.

Cold trickles into my arm as tears well up in my eyes. I fight back against the shivering that threatens to overwhelm me as I feel him remove the needle.

"Good as new," he chirps, "open your eyes."

I open my eyes a crack as he wheels over to a trashcan in the corner of the room and tosses the used syringe into it. He sheds his gloves and tosses them inside as the lid closes with a bang and he stands up to write something down on his clipboard.

"How much did that cost me?" I mutter.

"We won't worry about that, for now, I assume you haven't taken a dose since you left on Friday?"

I shake my head and he pauses before he writes something down. He reaches up to run his fingers through his gray hair before he nudges his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"And I gave you the dose on Friday at...noon?" he asks as he flips through the papers on the clipboard.

"Yes."

"Out of ten, what would you rate your physical activity for the two days between Friday and today?"

"Ten, I came across a very pissed off dog on Saturday, it chased me pretty far," I comment and he nods.

"Okay, that makes sense," he murmurs as he jots it down.

I nod as he fidgets with his paperwork before he sighs.

"Had me worried there."

"Why?"

He looks up then as he squints at me, the deep wrinkles around his eyes crinkling with the motion.

"I thought it was getting worse."

It's the reality of the situation; that I will likely get worse and will probably die. How soon? No one knows. Frostfire can be like that.

Heat rushes through my back suddenly as I feel abruptly nauseous, my stomach churning irritably as I place a hand over it. He frowns at this as he takes off his glasses and sets them aside.

"You're exhausted, go home, Rowan, get some rest," he suggests in a low voice.

I shoot him a hesitant smile as I scoot to the edge of the examination table and stand.

"I will after my deliveries, I promise I'll try to make the injection last as long as I can," I promise.

"Don't be spouting bullshit," he snorts as he waves his hand dismissively, "now get out."