Oblivion

Chapter 2

I was halfway out of Everlost when I noticed the barely clothed man laying in the dirt. It wasn't a shock to see a body in Everlost laying around in the streets; naked and everything stolen from the corpse, but this one was weird. He may have been lacking a few clothe items such as a shirt and pants, but he still had his shoes and underwear. People in Everlost don't usually leave clothing on the dead, they don't leave anything to waste. But of course that wasn't the only thing unusual about this body, with a closer look I noticed that he was covered in bruises and scrapes. Slowly, I slid off my horse and approached the body cautiously, Everlost people don't usually kill people to take just their pants and shirt to leave the shoes and underwear, they just wait till the elements kick in and kill them.

       I wasn't the one  to pick around the body but I was curious about it. Why would anyone leave a perfectly good pair of shoes? I thought as I walked around him, he was laying face down and I couldn't see his face. I wounder if the shoes are my dad's size... he could do with a new pair. Quickly, I kneeled down beside the body and started to pull at his shoes.

     I was working on the second  one when suddenly the body moved and groaned. I sprang back and to my feet in surprise, I had thought he was dead! When he stopped groaning I quickly bent down and pulled his other shoe off and retreated back to my horse.

The man spoke louder, "Help me please. Water." he groaned and fell silent again. I was smart enough to know not to trust anyone no matter what, but this guy looked half dead already. Somewhere deep inside me told me that I should just move on and leave him to the heat but I wasn't cold-hearted like everyone else and with a long sigh, I pulled some rope off my saddle, tied his hands and feet before fastening him to two old pieces of wood and tied him to the back of the horse. I'm going to care for him but I wasn't going to be nice to him.

      The man didn't wake up the ride home in fact I was getting the feeling that he was dead for real this time. But to my disappointment when I dragged him inside he groaned a bit before going silent.

My dad popped his head out from his room, "Addieca is that you? Whose that? Why is he here?" he asked weary eyed towards the young man I had struggled to get on the bed.

      "I found him on the ground." I shrugged trying to pass it off as if it wasn't too big a deal. "Oh yeah, I also got you new shoes." and I dropped them at his feet.

My dad sighed loudly, "You can not pick up random strangers off the street and bring them back here! He could have jumped you! Stole your horse and water! He could have raped and murdered you or kidnapped you and sold you into slavery!"

      "I know I tied him down!" I tried defending myself.

       "That's not the point, he could have woke up and-"

I was quick to cut him off, "I know but he didn't. Now try on the shoes, see if they fit." I pushed the shoes closer to him.

       Dad looked from the shoes to me before kicking off his old holey shoes and he bent down and slipped his feet into the "new" shoes. A smile pulled to his lips.

       "Do they fit?" I asked as I cleaned the young man's wounds with a damp washcloth.

        "Yes they do, where did you get them?"

         "I got them off this guy. I thought he was dead and they were still on him! I would have thought they would go first." I said, casually wiping away dirt from the man's wounds.

        "Oh so you stole them?" Dad sighed and shakily bent down to untie the shoes.

I stopped him, "It's not stealing if he foolish fell asleep in Everlost. He even deserves to get his shoes stolen from him."

Slowly, dad stood back up and I sighed to myself with exhaustion as dad slipped back into his room, looking unsure at his new shoes. He needs to remember that things like shoes and other things are harder to find and buy. I went to tending the young man, whose breathing was slow and shallow. This guy better wake up soon, I can't waste all the water cleaning his wounds.

*Hey guys! This is the end of Chapter 2 part 1 and part 2 is coming soon. I promise*