Infectious

Friends in High Places

All I'm aware of is the cool, brown marble of the kitchen floor both chilling and enflaming my cheek as I hit the floor. From the corner of my eye, the elderly woman with the witchy grey hair is forcing Arianne's shaky frame to the ground.

"Please, let go!" Arianne cries as the old lady grabs hold of her hair. I bounce up onto my two feet as the guards come rushing in. The witch pounces on me and I give her one swift punch to the face which knocks her out. Everyone stares at me for a couple seconds as I massage my bruised knuckles, she definitely has a strong jaw! The impact of the punch vibrates up to my wounded shoulder, making me wince even more. I look up at everyone and finally decide what to do.

"Go tie the old lady up with the other two," I instruct, "keep Arianne safe, bring her to the recreation room, there shouldn't be anyone in there right now," I order.

"What if there is someone?" one guard asks.

"Kick them out!" I say in an annoyed manner. A couple men grab the unconscious woman and drag her off and the rest bring the trembling Arianne to her temporary safe-haven. As I look around the room I spot myself in a cracked vintage mirror. My eyes are hungry with revenge and hair falls over my right eye, making me look like a patient in an insane asylum. Just like that, I'm beginning to lose my humanity.

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The Indian lady is named Nanda. She's now officially my doctor. She finishes wrapping my bruised hand with gauze and writes a few things on her clip board. I take in the welcoming ambiance of the mustard yellow paper. The hospital bed paper crumples under my thighs as I attempt replacing myself on the uncomfortable bed.

"There's someone here to see you ," she informs me.

"Bring 'em in," I order. She nods and leaves. I notice a mop of curly black hair and instantly know that it's Griffith's father.

"Hi," he says. I shoot him a venomous look, I still don't trust him.

"Hey," I spit back. Our distance couldn't look suspicious though, he had to keep talking to me. So I then gave him a high post making everyone think we were 'friends'. He's my general, he takes care of the troops and makes sure they're posted at every hour.

"There's a herd coming from the South alleyway. What do you suppose we do?" he inquires.

"Send twenty" I instruct. He nods once and marches out of the room. I inspect my bandaged hand from all sides and sigh.

"Does it hurt?" I hear a familiar voice say. I look up and see Riley leaning in the door frame. My face lights up for the first time all day. He makes his way over to me and cups his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me in and pressing our foreheads together. It's like I can hear every though churning in his mind.

"It's not that bad now," I admit. He smirks a little and his eyes become a little sultry yet happy as though he's become loopy. He smirks a little.

"What?" I ask as though his smile is somehow directed towards me.

"I was just thinking about how I've missed holding you late at night, the way your eyes light up when there's a new plot twist in our favourite tv shows. I just miss that, but at the same time I know what we have now is even better," he explains.

"Ya, I know," I say in a barely audible whisper.

"I don't say it enough but I love you, Raine," he says. The thought of eternal love makes me smile.

"I love you too," I say back. I don't know how long we stay in the same position for. Me sitting on the hospital bed, him towering over me like a safe barrier, yet all I know is that I'm slipping away and I don't want to.