Peaceful Chaos

1. Fresh Cuts

Silently I wait, within the four unfamiliar wall. Crimson drips from my fingertips as I sit below the broken window, looking out at the dead space outside. The wind throws the few grass blades left, the dust covered road lays still, no life traveling down it. Knowing it's safe I step away from the window, the floor creaks beneath my weight.

It's steamy and dark in the house, the smell of old furniture and must fills my nose. I navigate thew the house still not making any loud noise even if I had Beowulf search the house before I settled in.

I found the kitchen right away, old potted plants sit under the small window above the sink, wilted and barren of flowers. The pantry door had fallen off the hinges long before I had entered the house, the shelves empty and sad a thick layer of dust covering the rotted wood. The air around me reeks of rotten potatoes, I look at the ground and see why, beside the blackened food I see a few cans of vegetables and soups. The amount is more than I had expected coming in here and I also know I can't take too much with or I'll be weighed down.

I reach down and take a cold can in my hand, then another and one more. One can of chicken noodle and two of canned green beans. Before all this had happened I would refuse anything involving green beans but the ever growing tightness in my stomached told me to eat anything I could get my hand on.

I tuck the three cans into my burlap sack that used to hold a bunch of apples. I continue searching for anything else in the small pantry, but I find nothing but the recognizable label of a can of spam. At least it's some kind of 'meat'.

I let a low whistle escaped my lips and a second later Beowulf find his way to my side. I scratch behind his ears as he pants out the stench of dog breath.

Without commanding him to he follows me up the stairs of the old house, each step creaks under my weight but on the sixth step it lets out a low moan then collapses under my foot. My leg goes all the way through the step and the wood digs into my flesh. I let out a soft pained yelp as I slap my wounded hand against the railing to keep me from falling the whole way down.

I breath in the screams my body begs to let go of and pull my leg out slowly and sit a step above the dark jagged hole in the old wood. Beowulf climbs the stairs avoiding the hole and sniffs the fresh cut along my thigh.

I stand up, whining as the stinging jolts through my right leg. I cautiously travel the rest of the stairs and get up on the second floor, here I smell the same musty scent from the ground floor. The first room I come across is a bathroom, the cabinets left wide open things tossed from the counter. Surprisingly I find some painkillers, only about six pills left in the bottle, the bottom cabinet has a small plastic bag full of untouched gauze and bandages I rapidly pull a long piece of pure white gauze and wrap my crimson stains palm. The stinging continues in my leg so I pull my pants past my knees and wash my cuts with water and wrap those too.

The rest of the cabinets are empty except for the layer of dust on each one.

By dinner time I've looted the house of everything I could need, a thick blanket from one of bedrooms some clothes and socks and a few kitchen knives.

I I light a candle on the mantle and open the one can of green beans and the spam, Beowulf lifts his head from beside me as he smell the meat and sits closer, panting and begging.

"You can wait your turn" I say to my companion, he makes an unsatisfied noise and finally lays down next to me.

I pinch green beans into my mouth and right away feel my stomach becoming more happy with me.

I can't risk lighting a fire and giving away my position so I force myself to each the spam cold, I still end up leaving some for Beowulf to each and he devours the meat in seconds.

Suddenly a scream cut through the twilight, a scream no man could ever make. The sound cause Beo to stand up, I do the same, slowly making my way to the window.

The blueish tint the air has lets me make out two figures in the night. One being dragged along by the feet, a small figure kicking away at the tall man pulling it along the rough gravel.

A war goes back and forth in my brain, save this person or risk getting killed myself.

Damit.

I creak the door open a little waiting for the two to pass the house so I can sneak up on him.

They pass and I creep out the door, I slowly and steadily approach them, the smaller one notices me and stretches their neck to see me, I place my finger over my lips to tell them to not say anything.

I get close enough where I can smell the gross scent of vomit and piss on the man, I try to keep the itching feeling to pinch my nose closed away.

A second later I swing the heavy pipe I hold and hit the man over the head, with a pained groan he crumples to the ground and let the small one go. I quickly hog tie his lymes with his own shoe laces.

The little figure crawls away from their unconscious captor and looks up at me in surprise.

I notice a feminine face below me staring back with dark eyes. Holding out my hand for her to get up on her feet, she takes my hand and I hoist her up as she wobbles a little.

Without a word I walk back to the house knowing I have to pack up and leave quickly.

"Thank you" the faint voice behind me says.

I don't stop walking, I did my good deed for the week I don't need some little girl holding me up.

"Wait don't leave, please, I need help" she quietly insists.

I turn back to face her, she has moves forward a little, only five feet between us, "Follow me" sigh, why do I do these things.

She smiles and follows close behind me as I step up on the steps to the door.

Beowulf stares intently at the girl as she approaches, he can tell she holds no danger to me so Beo doesn't bother growling or getting between us.

"I'm packing up, you can stay for a night with me after that you're on your own got it" I point at her and she nods.

I push my bedding into my bigger back pack and clip the old tattered tarp to the top, hand the girl a sack of supplies and take the candle with us out the back door.

Beo runs at my side only a few steps in front to keep me safe, I look back and the dark body of a man stays still in the dirt.

I keep the girl between Beo and me as we make our way into the trees.

This is going to be a long night. 

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