Project 43: Healing

Lifeboat

Elias reached forward. Never had he wished for wings as much as he did in that moment. Even a propeller attached to his heels might be enough for him to grab the side of the ship. He felt the finally closed wounds at his side rip open like wrapping paper on Christmas morning. He felt his body overextending and all of his bones, muscles, veins, and nerves aching for help.

His left-hand fingers gently graced the cold surface of the ship. The metal felt almost freezing against his burning skin but only for a moment before it was gone.

At the last possible moment, his right hand latched on. It was only his fingertips, but he was managing to hold on. A silent cry left his throat in relief as he allowed himself a micro-moment to relish in not dying. That one pushup felt like it lasted forever, Elias couldn't remember a time when he wasn't desperately trying to push his body upward and he didn't seem to be even close to finishing when he finally threw his left arm over the edge.

Elias panted on the floor for a moment. The blood in his ears drowned out all possible boots and pipes in the world as his heartbeat echoed through the blurry world he found himself in. Hurriedly, he started crawling to the lifeboat he had previously seen as his destination. Slowly he got up on all fours and finally, he found himself limping, lunging himself into the small lifeboat hanging off the side of the ship.  

The boat was covered by a sheet that had been clearly moved multiple times in the last hour or so. It was the only thing providing Elias with any sense of hope. Maybe they wouldn't check in so many times. Maybe they'd move on to patrol the streets and airports. Maybe he could finally give in to the exhaustion that had been knocking on his skull for too long.

The ship started moving. Elias heard the familiar hum of the engine as the lifeboat gently swayed from side to side with the motion of the huge ship. He couldn't stop the cry from escaping his throat as tears spilled from his eyes. His whole body shook with the vibrations of his relief, flooding throughout his frame. Nothing had ever made him as happy as the sound of that engine and finally, he was able to succumb to the soft arms of sleep, cradling him into a deep slumber.

Elias waited until nightfall before he lifted the canvas that was draped over the lifeboat. His body was mostly healed thanks to a couple of hours of deep rest he allowed himself. Almost all of his wounds had closed up, some better than others, but he wasn't bleeding any more. His wrist was definitely broken as well as his knee from when it hit the side of the ship. His shoulder had been dislocated at some point during his escape but Elias wasn't sure when, all he knew was that popping it back in place was not a pleasant activity.

The deck was empty. most of the crew was probably asleep and the ones that weren't had retreated inside to escape the freezing breeze of the ocean. Elias climbed out, careful not to move too quickly and risk opening up one of the millions of wounds he seemed to have gotten all over his body. The chains keeping the lifeboat secured screeched slightly and Elias got ready to fight. He waited to see if anybody had heard the sound before moving again.

Wondering without a direction, Elias tried to figure out what kind of a ship he was on and if he could find a kitchen to steal something from to help with his healing process. He slipped through a door into a dark hallway. Dark was good. Dark meant there wasn't anybody there.

After mapping out the ship for a while, Elias finally found the kitchen. He moved like a cat through the space, toward the refrigerator in the corner of the room. He tried not to flinch as the bright electric light illuminated his face, rendering him blind for a second before he was able to see into the fridge.