PANDORA - Book 1 (NWC's 2nd place winner)

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

            “Who are you?” I ask the silhouette of the guy standing on the doorway of the pharmacy. He’s holding his hands up to show me he’s not attempting anything.

            “We’re just survivors, just like you. Please, let the kid go,” he answers.

            “Turn the lights on.” I order him. He palms the wall until he finds the switch. Light floods in the room. I am slumped on the floor with a gun on a little girl’s head. Rohan is still unconscious and is lying on his stomach. The side of his head is bleeding but not much.

            The guy standing in front of me resembles the kid I am holding, probably siblings. Both of them have dark hair and thick eyebrows and brown skin. He looks like he’s around my age and the girl is eight or nine. The two of them has the same weariness on their faces which suggests they travelled far from here.

            “What did you do to him?” I ask them tersely. I gesture my head toward Rohan.

            The guy answers, “He attacked my sister… So, I hit him with a chair.”

            “And so, you attacked me, too.”

            “You got a gun. I don’t really have a choice. Please, we don’t mean harm.”

            I press my lips together. Guns are becoming a subject of miscalculation of the situation lately. I glace at Rohan. It was a misunderstanding, I think. He must’ve mistaken them for hemophages that’s why he attacked them, and this guy was just protecting his sister. All of us were just scared. Paranoid. Untrusting. Those made us do abrupt decisions that hurt each other.

            I pull my captive up with me. She whimpers again so I lower my gun and let her loose. She runs to her brother and breaks into tearful sobs. The guy who I had a tussle with hugs her for a few seconds before facing me again.

            “I’m sorry about your friend,” he says.

            “It doesn’t matter.” I wave his apologies away and kneel beside Rohan. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

            “We’re looking for medicine. She’s feverish,” he gestures to his sister.

            I point to the counter. “There’s still some left there, I think.”

            He goes to the counter straight away. I notice the girl’s paleness. The kind of pale when a person’s doesn’t eat well or drink enough liquid. She’s sick. I take my bag, pull out a small bottle and hands her water. She looks at me with disbelief but takes the bottle anyway.

            “Thank you,” she says with caution. I think I scared her. Her brother comes back to her side and gives her the medicine.

            I just nod and take another bottle from my bag. Still kneeling, I pour the contents on Rohan’s head. He wakes up with a violent gasp. I didn’t realize he’s holding his knife and I almost got slashed if I didn’t block his arm. The little girl screams.

            “Calm down! God, you’re lethal!” I exclaim. Rohan lowers his knife upon realizing it’s me. His eyes travel around the room and groans when he sees the duo. I hear him curse.

            “Mind your words. There’s a child here,” I chastise him but he ignores me and stands up. He touches his head and curses again when he sees the blood on his hand. I stand up, too.