Please don't feed the children

please don't feed the children chp.7

LANE’S POV****

Caroline fell, her face contorted in pain. The blood on my face was now on her lips and cheeks, smearing it onto the floor her she hit the brick. Her dirty sleeve was pulled back now, letting me see the damage she’s been hiding from me.

It was more terrifying than I’d ever imagined.

It was red and violent around the wound, and covered in a layer of disgusting puss that almost made me heave again. I hold back my gag and rush over to her still body. I avert my eyes from her arm and focus on her face. Caroline’s eyes were shut tight, disconnecting me from her pools of blue that showed her feelings as if they were saying them out loud.

My hand went to the skin of her forehead and recoiled as if they’d been burned. She defiantly had a fever, probably worse than that.

“Oh, crap.” I mutter to myself. “Caroline, can you hear me?”

Her eyes stay shut, body not even moving an inch. I shake her persistently as if that could get her up. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I saw them stain her skin. For a second I thought they would sizzle from the heat coursing through her. Instead they dripped silently off her to be replaced by new ones that formed in my eyes.

I shake them away and wipe off my face. No more crying. Not today.

I grab her and shake violently this time, yelling her name like my life depended on it. Because right now, I could be the only one able to save her.

I scream so hard my throat burns and my head shakes violently. But it was like she was in a trance, unable to hear anything even if it was important. I grab her body and crawl to the nearest wall. Then I lay her on my lap and cradle her head as if she was a baby.

Her breathing was a little too shallow and her body still burned like fire, but at least she was breathing.

At least I hadn’t lost her.

Without Caroline, who did I have left? And without her, what would they do with me? Caroline had been here so long that if she were to die, would they find another? Would they kill me to start fresh?

With all these questions in my head, it took me a while to realize I still had her in my arms, and she was still unconscious.

I shake her again, this time feeling like I was going to break her if I rattled her too hard. So instead I bargained for her to return to me.

“Caroline! Don’t you dare die on me!”

No answer. Not even a twitch from her body.

“Caroline!” I shriek this time close enough to her ear to break the sound barrier.

But no, she stays quiet.

“Caroline, I can’t lose you!”