A Far Cry from Normal

11: People?

I flicker my eyes open and groan in pain. I try to get up but if feels as if I'm sown to the ground and unable to release myself. I turn my head and try to look for Maddox but he's not in sight.

"I should have known that bastard would ditch me." I mutter to myself.

I press my head back down to the floor and watch the leaves sway in the wind. My first night of freedom: complete. First day of freedom comes just in time for me to die. I can feel as if my life is dripping away, slowly and painfully. I lift up my shirt unsure if I'm ready to see what lies beneath.

Blood coats my body like an extra layer of skin. My shirt is drenched and the moss below me is stained red.

I hear a twig snap and I whip my head around. The bushes rustle and I unsuccessfully try to get up. I lift me head up higher trying to see what or who it is, until I see Maddox's face from a far. Guess he didn't ditch me after all.

As he gets closer his features begin to look clearer. He stands a few feet away from me and I notice he's shirtless and his hair is wet. "Your awake?" I hear him say.

"No, I'm dead." I sarcastically utter.

He playfully smiles, "Funny. No I mean you were out for a while. Thought you might have been dead."

"No yet at least." I groan.

"Yeah so about that. This morning I walked down the stream and found a lake. I took a shower in a waterfall so I could wash your blood off of me and then came back here. So what's your plan."

I roll eyes, "I can't do anything, I'm in too much pain."

He scruffs, "Well would you like me to help you?" He rolls his eyes.

My breathing starts to slow and I nod.

"Okay can you stand?" He says rubbing his forehead.

"Don't you think I would if I could. I can't even move." I snap.

"Okay." He walks over and unexpectedly picks me up. I clench my jaw and close my eyes trying to swallow the pain. "You alright?"

"Never better." I manage to get out.

We start to walk downstream when the lake comes into view. It beautifully glistens in the morning sun. He walks to the banks and I notice tiny waves crashing on the pebbles lining the shore. He walks a little deeper into the water and sets me down.

"Wash off the blood so we can see what we're dealing with, I'm gonna go get changed."

I watch as he walks over to a tree and grabs jacket and scrubs. He effortlessly slips them on and proceeds back to me.

I take off my shirt and and lift up my tank so I can splash water into my side. I slowly begin to see what really happened. Bruises run up and down my torso along with burnt skin and a gash cutting up my ribs.

"I'll clean your shirt." He sits down next to me and grabs them from the water. I can feel his eyes burning into me.

Why is he watching me?

"Would you stop that!" I snap.

"Stop what?" He says with a bit of tone.

"Looking at me. I don't need you pity!" As he starts to speak again I look across the lake and see something moving. Two figures emerge from the brush from either sides of the lake

"I'm nit pitying you, I'm trying to think of a way to help you. Our best bet of surviving here is to work together, two heads are be-"

People?