Oblivion

Chapter 5 part 3

       Orion dragged Henry behind him over jagged rocks and sand; I followed along in a haze. My world was falling apart before my very eyes and I couldn't do anything to stop it. My limp was becoming worse, through the haze of my adrenaline rush I had ran haphazardly on it until Orion carried me to safety. I watched Orion drag Henry with disdain, I tried to complain to him about it once but the look he gave me chilled my blood and I kept my mouth shut. Finally, Orion let go of Henry and sat on the ground, his face was red like he was sun burnt. I stumbled to the ground next to him and with feeble fingers I went to work on Henry, until my fingers touched his skin. It was cold and clammy under my finger tips and shaking I felt for a pulse. Nothing jumped under my fingers, it was still and cold and I put my head in my hands.

    "You can't save everybody. No matter how hard you try." Orion said blatantly, rubbing his burnt and bandage arm.

I sighed, I didn't want to argue, not in this heat, "You knew you were dragging around a dead man. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

     "You wouldn't have believed me if I had told you. You would have had to figure it out on your own."
     I didn't say anything. In my mind I knew he was right, I wouldn't have believed him, I would have called him a liar. But here was Henry or what used to be him, lying on his back, eyes closed and looking like a man made of candle wax. Now there really was nothing left of Everlost.

     "We should bury him." I said mostly to myself, not really wanting Orion's commentary but he threw it in anyways.

      "Leave him for the buzzards. They've gotta eat too." He said insensitively and I sighed. Arguing with him was like trying to push a mountain, basically impossible.

     "Let me see your arm." I reached out to take his arm, but he jerked back.

      "It's fine. Worry about your foot, you were stupid enough to run on it." He complained, nodding towards my foot, blood was seeping through my shoe.

     "If I can die of infection so can you. Now let me see your arm and don't make me force you because I will." I said irritably. Orion sat defiantly, his arms crossed and he looked at me with intimidation.

       My jaw clenched and I took a couple practice breathes before I spoke to him, "How about this, if you let me look at your arm and rewrap it, and I'll look after my foot, sound like a deal?"

       "I would much rather prefer you looking after your foot first then go to sleep and let me deal with my own injuries." He said abrasively and he stood up and walked a little way away. I saw him peel away the filthy bandage, throw it on the ground and rip off a part of his own shirt and wrap it around his arm. I sighed and untied my shoe and gingerly I pulled it off my foot. The bottom if my foot was red and swollen and the gash was deep, puss and blood was seeping out. Not good at all. I thought as I started to push and prod the gash; pushing as mush if the puss out as I could. I screamed a bit until I had finally pushed most of the puss out, before I wrapped my foot up with a clean piece of fabric. When I looked up, Orion was standing a little closer this time, watching me with clouded eyes and they lingered on my foot before snapping back to my eyes.

     "Happy?" I asked, I felt numb and a bit shaky as I pulled my shoe back on tenderly.
He didn't say anything, he just nodded and he sat down in front of me, "Your foot is infected."

       "I know. We need to go somewhere that has water, food, and medicine or we'll die of dehydration and starvation before infection gets us. Where did you come from and how far away is it?" I asked out of the blue and Orion looked startled for a moment.

    "What?"

      "What town? What's the name and how far away it from Everlost?" I asked him, my patient wearing thin.

Orion was silent for a moment, "Hallowdrive."

*End of chapter 5 part 3*