To Trust a Giant

Chapter 36

Pain was no stranger to Stella. Her whole life was filled with hardships and the streets were in no shortage of pain. Stella had to grow up, learning how to stomach the garbage she ate, where to find water, and how to find clothes she needed. Those were not even the hardest things Stella had to go through, dealing with death, betrayal, and abuse was far more harder to survive than eating dirty bread. She had been through so much, Stella should be a pro at surviving. So why was it so difficult now?

Food was scarce, and the only clothes to keep her warm was a gray hoodie and sweatpants. But what was probably the most alarming was the infection that plagued her thigh. Two weeks of trying so desperately to keep the cut clean were for naught. It had grown red and swollen, she couldn't even walk without feeling pain every time her legs rubbed together. Stella decided her best bet was to hangout in an alleyway until she could figure out what to do about her cut. Thankfully, no one really roamed around the place for too long since it was a dumping ground for trash. Broken pieces of wood and glass littered across the ground.

The night was still, and tonight was especially frigid. Stella had heard it was going to snow soon, winter is officially here and if she didn't find a way to keep warm, she would surely succumb to the freezing temperatures before sunrise. Stella shivered as she dug through a knocked over trash can for anything that might aid her for the night.

Her hands brushed against a soft fabric. Stella brushed away a pile of dirt and found a crumbled up was a human sized green blanket. The fabric must have been some thick wool, it was perfect for keeping warm. She pulled it out of the garbage and started to shake off the crumbs. That's when a vile stench invaded her nostrils. Stella couldn't help but gag, it smelled worse than the sewers. No wonder it was in the trash. Still, this was a victory for her. With a deep sigh, Stella wrapped the foul blanket around her and shuffled her way out of the trash.

The sound of shattered glass scraping against the pavement could be heard in the shadows. Stella froze in place, fearing it was another giant. Something small and white scurried in the darkness. It was getting closer and closer, until it got close enough for the street lights to reveal what it was. Another human.

A girl to be exact. She had long greasy black hair that draped over her face, although Stella could make out a pair of deep green eyes and dirt that smudged her face. Her white clothes were so torn, Stella couldn't say what they were originally; they obviously weren't keeping her warm because she shivered with each step she took and they hung off of her very loosely, probably cause the girl hasn't eaten in such a long time. There was no doubt in Stella's mind, that this was a feral. Humans so detached from who they are, that they can barely talk, it's no use for them when ferals are never in groups. They only know one thing, and that's how to survive and they'll do it anyway they can.

The feral raised a shaky hand at Stella. There was a glass shard in her hand, it was big and jagged. There would be no issue slicing into something with that.

"Mine." She hissed.

She wanted the blanket. Stella gripped her blanket tighter. She couldn't give up her only source of warmth, and running away could trigger the feral to attack. Stella's best bet was to try and slowly back away from the wild girl and hope she wouldn't try to fight. The feral watched with fierce eyes as Stella started to slowly shuffle away. She kept walking backwards, not breaking eye contact with the girl. It wasn't until she was halfway across the alleyway when Stella's heel got caught onto a wooden rod. She couldn't save herself from stumbling over, she hit the ground with a hard thud and let out a whimper when her thighs pressed together.

The feral took the opening and began running towards Stella at an alarming speed! A wild look flared in her eyes. Stella scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain flaring up in her thigh. She felt a harsh tub coming from the blanket that draped around her. Stella turned over and saw the feral using all of her strength to try and pry the blanket away from her.