Alone

Fragment 8

I woke up. It's midnight. I stood up and almost puked. I was brain dead. I felt like a zombie. I limped and stumbled through the forest for a long time. I was mentally not aware of anything. I had even forgotten how sick I felt, how bad I hurt, and how hungry I was. 

At sunrise, I saw a distant village. I looked down at myself. Limping, stumbling, legs and arms coated in blood, I looked absolutely disgusting. How could I start a new life when I looked like this? Nobody would want to help me out. 

I walked into the city. I immediately saw about five people walking around, doing their daily stuff. A girl who looked my age was watering flowers in front of a house. She must live there. I wouldn't want to live near the forest. That forest did terrible things to me. My new clothes were ruined.

The girl looked up at me and her eyes went wide. I was about fifty feet away for her. She didn't scream or run but went back to watering the flowers. 

I turned around and went to a tree and sat down. I was too exhausted to go any farther.

Two minutes later, the girl went into the house. Five more minutes later, she returned outside with a basket. She walked towards me. She didn't look scared or confident.

I watched her as she kneeled down ten feet in front of me and opened up the basket. She pulled out a half loaf of bread.

"I made it right before watering the flowers, so it's still warm and fresh. You can have it if you want." She held the bread out towards me. Her voice was soft and kind. She looked concerned when she looked at me. The smell of the bread wafted over to me. It was a mouth watering delicious smell. I sat up taller and tried to talk.

"Thank you!" My voice was dry and raspy.

She leaned forward and handed the bread to me. Then she pulled a water bottle out of the basket and handed it to me too. I said thank you again.

The girl had blond and brunette hair. Its length was between her shoulders and halfway down her back. Her eyes were hazel and her skin was tan from being outside a lot. 

"When you feel you can walk, would you like to come inside? You are welcome to use the shower and I can clean up your cuts. You can borrow clothes too. I'm just an inch or two taller than you, so my clothes should fit you okay. You could keep some if you would like. I'll get you some fever medicine quick."

"Thank you!" I called weakly after her as she ran off to her house to get the medicine. A minute later she came back to me and handed me a small pill. I took it and swallowed it, hoping it would help fast. 

The girl went back outside and brought back a book. She sat down by the tree next to me and started reading it.

I haven't read a book since my parents died. I bet my reading skills are rusty.

Half an hour later I tried to stand up. Immediately the girl shot up and tried to balance me. I wobbled a lot and took two steps before sitting back down. 

"It's alright, you don't have to hurry. Take your time." My caretaker told me. I should ask her for her name.

"What's your name?" I asked after a moment.

"Katy Nicole Tarem. What's your name?"

"Carly Diane Lythe." I responded. 

"Nice to meet you, Carly!"

"Nice to meet you too!"

We shook hands and then she kept me balanced as I forced my legs to work. I almost fell multiple times, but we eventually reached her house. Once inside, she sat my down on a wooden chair in the dining room.

"My parents left yesterday, they won't be back until next week. So, you can stay for awhile. Once they come back, I'm sure you can still stay. You are welcome to stay as long as you need, actually!" Katy told me. "Don't worry, I have money. My parents left me double of what I would possibly need to make sure I'm fine."

"Thank you so much!" Tears came to my eyes.

"Oh!" She quit ran to the kitchen and brought me back a tissue.

"Thanks."

"No problem!"

 Katy left once again and returned with a water bottle, a bucket, the box of tissues, and a little white bottle. I looked at a magazine that was sitting on the table while I let Katy take care of me. She gently placed one of my feet into the bucket and then poured half of the water over my knees and down. Next, she used the tissues to wipe the blood off of my leg and dry it. Then Katy opened up the white bottle and squirted a small amount of a lotion like substance onto all of my cuts. She then placed bandaids all over my leg. Finally, she did the same to the other leg. 

"Both of my parents are doctors, so that's why they are gone so long. They have to help out another town. They also taught me what to do for Red Spider fever and bad cuts." I was informed.

"Red Spider fever?" I had never heard of it.

"It's what you have. You get bitten, normally on the ankles or wrists, by a spider, we simply call 'the red spider'. It gives you a super bad fever and really hurts where you were bitten. It takes a while to heal, and the fever can give serious damage. But, your fever looks about 104, at 105 is when it's getting really serious. Above 105, you have a small chance of saving all of your memory. The heat starts to melt your brain. It will probably just take you four or five days to completely be fine. I don't think your brain was damaged." 

"Woah." Is all I could say.

"Yeah."

Then Katy took care of my arms and made me a bed on the couch.