Acid

Chapter Twelve: Infected

I AGGRESSIVELY WASHED a dirty white cloth under the tap inside the building. The second it became soaked I sprinted out of bathroom. Poppy sat wedged up by the door, her face pale white and her eyes withdrawn. I rushed over to her grabbing her arm, putting the wet damp cloth over the burn. She didn't even react besides the squint of her eyes. Oh, baby I'm so sorry. I wiped away the pus from the infected burn. It already looks worse and it's been an hour... I began to tear up again using my other hand to wipe her hair out of her face.

"Oh, baby girl... I'm so sorry"

She looked at me weakly, her eyes tired. I felt her forehead again. Shit she's burning up. I put the cloth down beside her as I got up. Rushing over to the cabinets, I flung them open one by one until I found something that I could use to cover the burn. Grabbing the bandage, I rushed back, falling to my knees, grabbing her arm and wrapping it with the bandage. Like this is going to help. Alaska you should've just put her out of her misery! Now she has to suffer and it's all my fault. After the bandage was wrapped I pulled her into my arms, cradling her like I used to when she was a baby.

"Don't worry baby I'm here." I sobbed "Mama's here."

She looked up at me her eyes fluttering as she whispered "Don't... leave..."

"Oh" I broke out in more tears "I'm not leaving you... never again"

"Promise?" She said in her petite voice.

"Promise"

In tangling her in my arms we both fell asleep to the sound of the acid rain pouring. Even in my sleep I dreamt of waking up to my child being a feral. I don't know why I would allow myself to fall asleep with her in my arms but at this point, Poppy was the one thing that kept me going these past years and now she's.... she's gone. I don't care if she attacks me. I'd rather be a feral with her than be alive without her.

I awoke to a bunch of different noises. I couldn't tell what woke me up because the second my eyes opened they stopped. Looking down I realized Poppy was gone. My worst fear, the only thing that confused me is that if she turned she would've eaten me. I got to my feet, grabbing the knife that I had earlier I walked to the bathroom.

"Poppy?" I whispered.

Nothing responded. I checked each stall, and still nothing. Exiting the bathroom I heard a door open. I walked towards the sound. It had to have been the back door. Making my way to the back door, I heard voices, then suddenly Poppy ran around the corner, colliding into my legs, knocking me over.

"Mama!"

She climbed into my arms, but I just looked at her shocked. How? How is this possible? She was so sick! She was going to die! Suddenly two other people turned the corner and I picked Poppy up immediately, holding her in one arm and my knife tightly in the other.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing" The man said.

"Elliot?" Said a little boy who stood behind him.

The man sheltered him from my view, but I could clearly tell that the child was around 10.

"Mama... I found friends!" Poppy said to me.

I looked at her studying everything. She looked completely healthy. Could I have dreamt the whole thing? I looked down at her arm and saw the bandage, it had blood soaking through it and clearly needed a change in the dressing. How is this even possible?

"Look I don't want to bother you, but my brother and I just need somewhere to stay and ride out this storm." Elliot said "We'll be gone the second the rain stops"