The Wilds (Based on Lauren Olivers Delirium Series)

Welcome to the Homestead

I wake up to the sound of feet shuffling across a dusty floor. I open my eyes a little to see I am in what looks like the inside of a log cabin.

There is a patchy quilt over me. I am in a bed with wooden posts. There was a wooden chair near the foot of my bed and a table beside my bed with a tin cup filled with some broth and bread. There were windows but covered with curtains that were also patchwork. Then in the farthest corner I see a girl around thirty with frizzy red hair braided down her back. She was wearing dark jeans and a brown t shirt. She turns around and smiles.

"Oh thank goodness you are awake." She says opening the door and peeking her head out she yells,"Dodge can you bring me the boots. She's awake." And then shuts the door and pulls over the chair next to me.

"You have broken your tibia. It snapped, the snap was lower near your ankle. So since we don't have plaster for a plaster cast we will give you a boot to immobilize it for now." She smiles taking the blankets off me and I realize I am only in a big t shirt reaching mid thigh. I notice my foot and ankle were swollen as she unwrapped my foot.

"You are lucky Ryder got assigned to you. If you had Toad or Pat they would have left you there. I have no idea why Ryder Carried you all this way without asking for help." She says rolling the bandages and placing them on the table. She hands me the broth and bread and I take it graciously.

I shovel it into my mouth not even caring what's in it. In walks a boy about 27. He has dark skin and short dark hair. He was really tall. He was carrying two black boots. I remember seeing those in a medical book I used to read when I was in 8th grade. They put the boot/brace on my foot but its way to big. Then they put on the other one which was smaller and a tighter fit.

"You need to rest a bit. Keep it elevated we will have Rose and Milly bringing food everyday." Says dodge.

I nod and swig back the rest of the broth wiping my mouth with my hand.

He leaves and the girl comes over to take my tray. Before leaving she stops. At the door and says,"if you need anything I am Rose." smiling and closing the door behind her. I look down at my foot. There was a huge hulking black thing on it now. I lean my head against the pillow and close my eyes. I try to count how many people were mentioned so far. There was Dodge, Rose, Toad, Pat, Milly, and I heard Ryder say Rocky when we were breaking out of the crypts. There must be a bunch of people here I thought. I eventually fall asleep.

I went about a week with waking up and eating then going back to bed. Sometimes Rose comes in and talked to me and Milly sometimes gives me an extra slice of bread or a couple berries. Milly was ten with blond hair and blue eyes she barley spoke to me.

Finally one day I got tired of just laying in bed and I got up. It took a while because I had to ease onto my legs which were not used to walking and limped to the door. I open the door to be blinded by day light. I look out to see tree branches over head. I walk to The railing and look down to see I am in a tree house sort of thing. There was a bunch of them scattered at different levels and different trees. They were connected by walkways and bridges. Everything was made out of wood. I limped to the left along the wooden pathway to the neighboring tree where I heard a bunch of voices. when I opened the door i saw Dodge and Rose talking while sitting at a table and Ryder standing really close to a really pretty girl. He was saying something serious. The door slams behind me and everyone's head snap up to me.

Ryder steps away from the girl and his eyes lock with mine.

"Hey! how you doing kido?" Rose asks.

I just give a little nod.

"She should be in bed right now." Dodge says.

"Dodge! She has been cramped in that room for a week let her sit down with us for dinner." Rose says. Dodge just shrugs and says,"I am going to see how Rain and Parlor are doing with the food" he says leaving.