I woke up from a noise. A rustle? A snap? I feel as if I am slowly losing my sanity. I frown. The cut down my cheek stings but I ignore it. My head starts to throb.
I remember seeing Jacob as he was when I left. His eyes were sad and he looked betrayed. A familiar feeling of guilt washed over me.
Then, a new picture came into my head. It was Jacob again. He was wearing a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants. His eyes were laced with tiredness and he had a sickly pale look to his face. Is he alright?
"Better than me, at least." I grumbled. He is sitting on his bed, examining an Xbox controller. The horrible one that I always use. He was studying the controller, almost with caution and fear. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I didn't try to wonder why he was looking controller. Jacob probably really hates me now. I felt even more guilty.
Sometimes I wonder why I left in the first place. Not just because of my 'family'. (If you could call it that.) I felt something... calling me, pulling me toward it. It's stronger now, whatever 'it' is. It sounds really stupid, doesn't it?
Maybe I really I am going crazy.
* * * * *
My hunger is gnawing at me. I eat just enough everyday to not die. I groan and try to will it away. I've walked a few minutes now. My legs are sore but, I am almost there, I can feel it. I sit down on a rock.
I've been doing this for... how long? Days? Weeks? Months? I don't know. If I walk a little more, I'll be there. Just a little more... I get up and start to walk.
I stumble a little but catch myself. I've had lots of practice with that. I walk for a while again I don't know how long it is before I trip and stumble again. This time I wasn't so lucky and fell. I couldn't stand up. I sat up and leaned against a tree. Or a rock. I really don't care right now. My vision is blurred.
I groan, waiting for it to pass, whatever 'it' is. I try to crawl somewhere or move somehow. I absolutely hate sitting still. It's just wasting valuable time. I need food. I feel like I am going to die, for real. I am numb, but that isn't as luxurious as it seems at first.
I feel like I am going to throw up, but I have nothing to throw up. I'm just killing time. I have a sick feeling in my stomach, and it's not because of being sick. I feel like I left a huge part of me behind. That I might never see Cora or Jacob again. I sat, dazed, as that thought settled in. Blackness dotted my vision and started to spread. I spat blood. "Probably something in the berries." I sighed, leaning my head against the tree. I hear footsteps crunching, getting closer.
I'm gonna die here. I'm gonna die here. I smiled at the sweet relief of the thought. And I closed my eyes and before I drifted away, I saw a boy's face.I had time to register him yell to someone behind him and his bright green eyes look at me with concern before I black out.
* * * * *
I wake up on a bed. At first I felt like I was back in my room and this was all a bad dream.Then I realized that this bed was way nicer than mine, as well as this room. "Where-"
Then the pain hit me and I collapsed, "Agh!" I screamed.
My stomach hurt like hell. Hell probably would've been better. The door opened, and a woman who looked like she was in her 60's, with kindly eyes walked in.
She was holding a tray of food. I coughed. "Oh my, you're awake!" She rushed over to me and put the plate on my lap. "Here, eat." she said.
I wanted to, oh I really wanted to, but my stomach wouldn't let me. I coughed up blood. "Here." she said, and she put the spoon up to my mouth.
I couldn't swallow. I tried and finally got my throat unstuck and managed to swallow. I grabbed the spoon from the woman and started to eat it up. Then, halfway through, I realized it was soup.
Actually I really didn't care. I finished it faster than I meant to . "More..." I said. "There, there. You're a hungry one, aren't you. Well, you can't stuff yourself. Here, lie down."
She helped me lie down. Suddenly, I felt really tired. "Joan?" A man's voice said as the door opened, "Is she awake?" The man was about 6 feet, something, with a buzz cut and looked super army and muscled-ish.
"Yes but, she needs to rest. You can't-"
"Hello." he said, pushing the woman, Joan, aside. I don't like him already. "Do you remember anything?" he asked. What kind of question is that? "Uh... I think so." I said. "Good. So, how'd you get here?" he said, not detecting the sarcasm in my voice.
"I, uh, walked." I said. "Don't act smart with me." he said. He reminded me a lot of the police officer who questioned me... how long ago? Didn't make me like him anymore.
"Alrighty, fine. At least tell me your name." "Why should I?" I said. "Because, we are your only chance of survival. You were on the verge of death out there."
He made a good point. "Zee Hunter." I said. He didn't say anything for a while. Then he laughed, "You? Zee? The one who's supposed to save us? Ha. What a joke."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about. I think you've got me mixed up with someone else." "Clearly." he said. Anger bubbled up inside of me, "Look, whatever you think I'm here to do, I won't do it. You 'clearly' have no idea what I've been through. My friends, my life, I left it all behind to come here. And you know what the sad part is? I didn't even hesitate. That was stupid, seeing that 'clearly' this is a joke. Not me."
"Oh, what're you gonna do? Go back?" My anger reached a boiling point. I opened my mouth to say something, but the glass that Joan put there exploded. It literally burst into pieces. I muttered, "How did that happen?"
"Jayden?" he called to a person standing behind him that I didn't notice before. It was the guy who had found me. "It's unidentified." he replied.
The army guy glared at me, "I dunno what you are or why you're here, but I will find out."
And he left. Props for him, way to be cliche. Jayden was still in here, staring at- a phone?- in his hand. "What the...?" he said. My head started to throb, and the wave of tiredness came back.
"Go on now," Joan said, "The girl needs to rest." "Oh, of course. Sorry." he said. I tried to make eye contact with him, but he avoided my gaze and left. Something felt familiar about him. "Sh... child, don't think." Joan said, "Go to sleep."
And I slowly drifted away...
