I Am Alone

Chapter 17: Marsh

We trudged and slopped through the marsh, we end up needing mangrove sap as an adhesive for the grappling bolt I'm working on, and the swamp is the only place to get some.

So Fang and Crimson are fighting off leaches while we try to stay out of the water as much as we can, but at times it's needed to cross the water, we're a walking buffet to the many arm sized leaches.

"Aaron, you have an elbow leach." She says after we stop wading in the water, sending me into a panic.

"What!? Where?!?!" I look around and do not see it.

"Where do you think?" She smirks and points to my left elbow, where a leg sized leach is hanging off my arm.

"Agh!" I rip it off leaving blood and a ring where it latched on, I rub the irritated skin and groan lightly.

Fang pulls one off Crimsons nose and she pulls one off his tail. Aphmau seems to repel them, or so I thought until she turned around and one was hanging off her leg.

This leach was different , the others were black and slimy. This one was green and looked to be much more agitated, as it was wiggling profusely.

I grab it and pull, it comes off and Aphmau jumps back in surprise.

She looks down at the odd colored leach in my hand.

"Oh. Thanks." She chuckles and stabs the leach with her T-Rex tooth knife, it dies immediately.

"Yeah, let's just get the mangrove sap and leave, I'm tired of pulling leaches off us." I have a stone tree tap in my hand, I find the nearest mangrove tree and the sap starts oozing out.

"Bucket." I say and a handle of one finds its way into my hands, I collect all the sap we would ever need and pull the tree tap out.

"Great, now we can go home." I hop on Fang and Aphmau hops on Crimson, I see her have a dizzy spell as she holds on to Crimson's back.

"Are you okay?" I ask, she nods but still seems a little out of it. I climb off Fang and pull her down off of Crimson.

She shakes it off but I don't trust her to stay like that, I'd take a look at her temperature when we got home, for now, she was riding with me.

Crimson runs behind us as Fangs carries us home, it's a few days journey back home, as we had to cross the mountain to get into the swamps.

Nightfall comes, and with it, the humid air of the swamp becomes more bearable, but Aphmau has gotten worse, she had almost fallen off Fang multiple times, and she sweat profusely.

We have to stop, I feel Aphmau's head.

It's burning up.

"That isn't good." She has a green sickly completion, she's pale, and she hadn't even spoken or really moved since I took her off crimson.

I jump off of Fang, carrying her bridal style, and lay her against a rock that juts up out of the ground.

I prepare a single sleeping bag, I wasn't sleeping in my own with Aphmau being suddenly sick, then again, she did look like she was going to puke.

I lay her down gently on top of it and start a campfire near it, but not too close, I'd feel horrible if I burnt her by accident.

Both Fang and Crimson brush their faces against Aphmau like she was on her last breath, I consult the book, I have no idea what's going on.

I flip through the pages and finally find one on illnesses that are native to the island. There is only one.

Swamp Fever is contracted by getting bitten by an infected leach, these leaches are more aggressive and slightly green in color.

If contracted, the virus will quickly travel through the body, symptoms start within the first five minuets.

Symptoms are: Fever, hallucinations, weakness, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and liver failure, that leads to death.

Death usually occurs within the week of contraction.

There is one known cure for this virus, but it is difficult to find the ingredients , your best bet is to just let a Megalodon eat you.

Cure Recipe:

Infected Leach Blood.                                  Gorgon flower bud.
A handful Mejoberries.
Rockarrot Root
Ginseng Root
Boil in water for twenty minutes, let cool for five, drink, cringe, and then wait for the meds to kick in.

Not contagious by human contact with fluids or otherwise, only contracted by an infected leach.

I close the book, there were two things I don't have on me, the Infected leach blood, and the Gorgon flower bud, though I know where to get both.

"Aaron.....I don't feel well......" She batts weakly into the air, she must be hallucinating, I quickly pull her knife out of her pocket, the blood from the leach is still there, now I just needed the bud.

She coughs, and groans as she turns over, there was no way I was going to find that flower in the dark, I would have to wait till morning, until then, I will keep watch on Aphmau.

I lay on top of the sleeping bag with her, and hold her semi-close, though still far away enough so that I could move if she vomited, because if I got it, then we're both dead.

"I'll make you better Aph, I promise." I move some hair out of her face, and tip some water into her mouth, she wants to refuse, but I force it.

"I'm sorry, but you need fluids, drink." She obeys, and almost drains the whole flask.

"Try to get some sleep, okay? You need your rest." She rolls into my chest but covers her mouth and nose with the sleeping bag, She coughs again, and try's her best to speak.

"Aaron.....you shouldn't be next to me, you'll get sick too." I shake my head and support her head with my arm, she groans.

"It's not contagious, besides, I don't get sick, now, get some sleep." Crimson and Fang cuddle up next to us, Fang letting Crimson use him like a pillow, and Crimson brushes her head on Aphmau's open palm.

I lean back into the rock and look up through the trees and into the sky, where millions of tiny stars twinkle down on us.

I spot the North Star and smile, but the more I look at it, the more it looks warped, and as A small bird flys in the sky, it hits something solid in the sky.

A forcefield, a barrier concealing us from
The outside world, I hold Aphmau a little closer, this island is manmade, man controlled.

And I know for a fact that something went completely wrong, that lab, and the fact we were both sent to the same place.

I look down at Aphmau and I think back to all the memories I now had of her before this, I smile, but it quickly turns into a frown.

"I won't let you die to this , that is a promise."