He had just used my injuries against me, taking advantage of the pain stopping me from doing anything to protect myself.
“This isn't fair,” I said, giving him an angry glare as I looked up at the underside of his face.
“Life isn't fair, you're old enough to understand that. I suggest you get used to it.” With heavy strides, he started walking. “It could always be worse you know. Besides, you're the one who said you couldn't walk anymore, so I'll take that burden off of you.”
“Don't tell me what's fair and what isn't. Because this, this is fucking bullshit. The only burden I have is being here with you, I'd rather you just leave me.”
“Call it what you want, I don't really care. You're coming back with me, that's it. So you can either whine about it like a fucking child, or suck it up and deal with it.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“I'm the guy who's going to make sure you live through the night, how about that?”
“I don't know if I'd call this living.” Huffing under my breath, I tucked my arms under each other, wishing this horrible nightmare was over already.
Bobbing and rocking in his arms, he strode down the side of the road like he didn't have a care in the world. I could feel him taking in deep breaths, I could hear his heart beating against his ribs as it pumped the blood through his body to keep him going.
I half expected this man to not have a heart at all. How could he?
But it was there, lulling me into a trance as the wind blew against my hot cheeks and my body succumbed to the aches and pains. My eyes began to shut, and I found it harder and harder to stay awake.
Sleep was calling me, taking me away so my muscles could heal and my mind could clear. And I allowed it, giving it full control to take me.
I had no other choice. I couldn't walk, I couldn't run or fight, not without giving my body time to mend.
Porter's heart thumped in my ear as my lids closed one last time, soothing me into blackness.
Until I saw the sun.
I had a dream. It was one of those dreams where you know you're sleeping, but you can't wake up. You're dug in like a tick, trapped in the unconscious world your brain had created.
I was walking down a road in a small country town. It was a place I had never been to and never seen, but in my mind I knew it existed. There were dusty old buildings, all of them abandoned and desolate.
I was all alone.
Birds were chirping in the trees, butterflies were wisping by my face, and I could feel the wind off their thin, brittle wings. The sun was coming up over the horizon, so I stopped to watch it.
It was beautiful. The giant orange globe appeared to sizzle as long tendrils of fire whirled and swooped like thin arms.
In my dream I was calm, everything was perfect, it was exactly the way life was supposed to be. There was no weight on my shoulders, no pains in my body, no water in my lungs.
I was free.
But that freedom didn't last as the sky turned dark and ash began to rain down. The heat off each dust drop burned my skin, and all I felt was the intense need to get away.
I started running, trying to escape the searing pain the sky was delivering. Only there was nowhere for me to go. It didn't matter which way I turned, it didn't matter how fast I ran, I couldn't find shelter to protect me from above.
I was never getting out.
I was never getting away.
I was slowly dying.
