Tyrant (Lazaretto Sequel)

nineteen

*trigger warning for violence and death*

May 11, 2094

CAMILA

I woke up groggy with dirt underneath my fingernails, my head pulsing in pain. My face felt stiff with salt and grime, and I opened my eyes fully to see that I was in an unfamiliar place; a makeshift tent. I became confused and then instantly petrified when I remembered everything that had happened. I tried to sit up but quickly found that was I bound by restraints above my head to something that I couldn't see. Tugging at them, I stopped when I realized I wasn't getting anywhere as I was lying on a bed made of thick animal fur, the hair as black as night.

I looked around at the tent, or hut rather, that was made of hefty branches and logs, the roof packed with mud and leaves. It smelled of earth, of all of the elements mixed into one. Looking to my right to see the sun peeking through the gaps between the branches, I wondered what time it was, what day it was. How long had I been here?

Hearing commotion outside, the forest people were talking amongst themselves. I tried to remain as quiet as possible, but my heart was rioting in my chest. The long tendrils of leaves and vines that were used as a door were suddenly pushed to the side as a forest person walked into the crowded space. Recognizing him as he was the one with the eyebrow piercings, I held my breath as he moved closer to me, his tan chest painted with war paint. His nostrils flared in annoyance as he looked at me while I looked back at him pleadingly, but I knew I wasn't getting through to him.

"Elle a augmenté. She's awake," he called behind him. 

Looking to the door once more to see the woman dressed in the red fur, the leader of the forest people entered beside him. She gently touched his shoulder as if to dismiss him, and he bowed to her before leaving us alone in the small space. I tried my best to squirm away from her, to sit up further on the bed, but the restraints kept me close. I managed to get into a sitting position, my hands tied together with cloth around a small tree that jutted up out of the ceiling. She walked closer to sit down at the end of the bed, and my eyes hesitantly scanned her features, stopping once I saw the necklace she was wearing. It was made of bones and animal teeth. I gulped and looked back up to her dark eyes.

Without saying a word she reached over, her skinny fingers coming for my face. I ducked out of the way, my apprehension not going unnoticed.

"I'm not going to hurt you, child," she said. 

Breathing a sigh of relief as I slowly leaned back, I kept my eyes on her the entire time. She reached out once more and touched my temple where she had struck me with her walking stick, and I winced in pain at the contact, but it was then that I noticed something was there. Like a bandage, or a leaf. She removed it from my face slowly, peeling it away. Once it was removed, she set it between us, and I looked at it curiously.

"It's an aloe leaf. It doesn't help with the pain, but it takes the burn away," she stated as if knowing I was about to ask. She looked up at me with a slight smile. "My name is Fox," she said. I took in her attire, immediately recognizing her auburn fur coat. "And yours?"

She continued cleaning my wound until I was finally able to speak. Why did she care to get to know me? 

"It's Camila."

She nodded as she leaned away from me, her taught stomach muscles poking out from underneath her leather clad bra. She cautiously reached around me and untied my hands, knowing that it wouldn't be smart for me to try and run away. I rubbed my wrists as she turned her head to the side and yelled for something in French. Seconds later, the man with pierced eyebrows returned with a makeshift cup of water. She thanked him before he exited the tent once more, handing the cup over to me. I took the water eagerly and finished it before she could take another breath.