Cat N' Mau5

Chapter 16: Thoughts

I tried not to panic as Mau5 lay screaming. After failed attempts to get him to respond to me, I got up and began to upend the place in search for something to help. Anything at all.

Wrenching open cupboards, I searched for some kind of first-aid box, but was met with nothing. By now Mau5 had reached the peak of his agony, and I flinched at his pained cry, but continued to search. Then he was quiet as I checked more cupboards frantically, hoping it wasn't too late. Hoping he was alright.

I yanked open the draw with rusty hinges in the back corner, finally finding what I was looking for. Grabbing it quickly, I was back by Mau5' side. I put the back of my hand to his forehead, noting his extreme temperature. Then I slipped my hand down to his neck, checking for a pulse in the large jugular. Thankfully he had one, and I relaxed a little as I felt his pulse calm down from one hundred miles per hour. He was simply passed out.

Opening the medical kit, I decided it would provide a good opportunity to give his leg a proper cleaning. Inside the heavy metal box was a lot of gauze, bandaids, swabs, cotton balls and medicinal alcohols. A small sigh escaped my lips. Thank goodness.

I moved into a position where I could gently remove the makeshift bandage. I untied the knot and unwound the grotty shirt, giving it slight tugs here and there to unstick it from the bloodied skin. Tossing it aside, I grabbed a clean bottle of water and a handful of swabs, pouring small amounts onto the leg and cleaning off the blood and puss. I made sure I did a good and thorough job while he felt no pain, so that he may be feeling better when he awoke.

Once it was clean, I put a couple of cotton balls to the top of the bottle and tipped it up, letting the alcohol soak through. Then I proceeded to dab it over the wound, wincing at the mere thought of the pain.

Already the wound was looking better, with much less blood and puss. I could see the original slit where the shrapnel had gone in, and I began to check for any remaining fragments. Using the sterilised pair of tweezers, I gently removed as much as I could without tearing open the wound further and dropped them into a napkin that was floating around the shop. Thankfully when I was done there was hardly any shards left, and I wrapped the bundle neatly with the used products.

With his leg now neatly bandaged, I grabbed the bloodied materials and took them outside, tossing them some ways off. Hopefully if anyone searching would saw it they would realise that there were survivors, but I knew that the robo-cat would catch the stench of decay long before anyone else came along. If we were lucky, it would put it off our trail a little longer, not keeping it with us.

I trudged along slowly to the shop again, mind full of worry over Mau5. What was this red he was on about? The only thing that came to mind was that it was the colour of his sparring robot. That in itself would be an important piece of information, but enough to trigger something so strong? I didn't think so. No, it would have to hold more meaning to Mau5 for him to completely black out. When he came to I figured I could ask him, but I didn't want him having another episode. Instead, I'd have to wait until he told me on his own accord; however long that took.