What Is Left

Doctor Smith

Olivia screamed and pulled away, tumbling backwards into the pit and landing on her head. Her vision tunneled and as she stood to see what she could do to escape, she fell back down and blacked out.

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She woke to the smell of fire and burning flesh.
Olivia sat up but fell instantly, black spots dancing in her eyes.
"Stay down." A deep female voice says, it was almost calming, smooth.
Had someone saved them from the masked figure?
No. She smelled the meat and sat up again, looking at the hunk of meat over the fire.
"Juniper!" She cried, not seeing the child anywhere.
Is that it, She thought, are they going to be eaten by this woman? Slowly cooked over a fire.
The thought of her being cooked alive made her almost puke.
She stood, uneasy on her feet, and looked around, "Juniper! How could you?" She turned on the woman then blinked. The woman was wearing a torn, dirty suit. The sword was laying on her lap as she sits on a rock next to the fire.
Juniper, only half of her showing, was laying behind the rock.
Olivia immediately thought her legs were gone.
The woman blinked "are you hungry?"
"What?!" Her screams were too loud, echoing.
Juniper jumped awake and sat up, "olly?
Olivia didn't care that she called her olly. She ran to Juniper and hugged her.
The woman still seemed confused, "She was just asleep."
Olivia looked at the woman, "what's on the fire?!"
"Er. Rabbit?"
Olivia took a second to think, "rabbit? I thought...they all died in the fire?"
"The fire? That didn't reach this side of the highway."
Olivia looked around the dense forest, lush and green, she smiled, "it's... beautiful." She hadn't seen green in..a while. The grass reminded her of Junipers eyes, which made her hold onto Juniper tighter.
The woman took out a few paper plates from her bag and put some of the rabbit on each.
She gave Olivia the heart...which she took as a compliment.
They ate in silence....almost silence...Juniper still hummed a bit while eating. That was difficult she did almost choke a few times.
After they put the plates in the fire the woman looked at Olivia.
The woman looked to be around 20 something but could of been older.
Olivia at the time was 15 so there was a big age difference that Olivia hated, she always wanted to be the older one. The one in charge. Even when she was with her parents she wanted to be in charge.
"My name is Doctor Samantha Smith." She smiled, her teeth flashing in the firelight.
Olivia huffs, "I'm Olivia."
"I know. Juniper talked a lot about you." Samantha looked at Juniper warmly.
Juniper leaned on her, which Olivia did not like. If they had to run and Juniper is near Samantha then it'll be hard.
Then Olivia realized something, "you're a doctor right?"
"I did say that." She nodded.
"Have you helped Junipers ankle?"
"Why of course. You were out for a while. Checked you over it's quite a bump."
Olivia sighs, wary on that topic, "thank you....so samantha-"
"Doctor Smith." She corrected.
Olivia decided she did not like this 'doctor smith'. She was talking like Olivia was a child.
I'm 15, Olivia thought, I'm no child.
Doctor Smith stood and looked around, picking up her sword, "now that you're awake you can help out. I have a hatchet in my bag I want you to go get more wood. Juniper honey can you help me collect some breakfast for the morning? Can you climb?"
"She isn't climbing her ankle is hurt." Olivia growled.
Doctor Smith rolled her eyes, "she just rolled it. It is fine."
Juniper jumped up, "I can climb yeah!"
"No you're not." Olivia ordered.
Juniper sat back down, confused.
Doctor Smith looked at Olivia, "well you aren't climbing in your condition...how long have you two been alone?"
Olivia looked at the ground, remembering her family. And the one friend she made a bit ago. Before her family left, "a while."
"You poor dears. That doesn't give you any excuse."
"The fire will attract the monsters." Juniper piped up.
Doctor Smith smiled at her, Olivia then knew who the favorite was, "good observation Juniper. We aren't sleeping on the ground."
"We are not sleeping in the trees. We are leaving." Olivia took the hatchet from doctor Smith's bag and held it up.
Doctor Smith grabbed Juniper and held her, "no. You two are staying. You will die out there."
"No! I was fine on my own! I can do this! I can do this!" Olivia was convincing herself that.
Juniper started to cry, not understanding what was going on.
Doctor Smith knelt behind her and hugs her back, "it's okay. Olivia put the hatchet down we can discuss this in the morning."
Olivia only put it down for Junipers sake.

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They slept in the trees that night. Doctor Smith had a platform built up there. She had been there for a few days and set up a camp. Olivia, of course, did not sleep. Well she tried not to. She was going to wait till sunrise then take juniper and run. Maybe take that sword as well, but her eyes shut and she fell into a dreamless sleep.