Traitors

Fierce looks down at me with a slight smile, giving my hand a squeeze before walking out into the hall. Mae follows him out quickly closing the door behind her leaving the sound to dissipate in the room.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I hear her squeal from outside the door. "Did I not tell you to be careful?"

"I almost lost her today. I think I owed her that much." He admits. "I owed myself that much."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Her voice is fading where I can no longer hear either one of them.

I lean my head back and let the room spin around me. The beeping of the monitor to my left beeps with the rhythm of my heart as I try to bring myself down from the adrenaline rush. I've been wanting to kiss him for awhile and now that it's happened, I wish I did it sooner. I allow my heavy eyelids close as I fall the sleep with ease.

Fierce arrives in the late morning and sits with me until Mae releases me. Lia drops by in the afternoon with the clothes I leave in my locker at The Tunnel. She notices Fierce's hand intertwined with mine and looks at me expectantly. She doesn't say a word nor asks, she just drops the clothes on the chair in the room and asks how I am. I say I'm okay which catches Fierce's attention. He squints his eyes at me aware I'm lying to Lia, but I smile to reassure her. She gives me a kiss on the top of my head and exits without a word. Fierce admits the interaction between me and Lia was weird, but I shrug it off.

Mae enters the room about an hour later and says I'm free to go and if I have any questions or problems to call or come back right away. She shakes my hand and gives Fierce a side hug and kiss on forehead before exiting. Fierce helps me up out of the bed and hands me the cane Mae brought in yesterday. I struggle with walking on my own, but I'm going to have to manage. Fierce rests the clothes in the restroom for me so I can change in private.

The car ride is silent and empty of words which need to be said. Fierce is driving in the opposite direction of town and even the suburbs. Only thing in sight is forestry, rubble, and the occasional road kill brushed off to the side. I can see the sun sinking between the branches and leaves. It peaks out once and awhile shining directly into my eyes. The sky swims in a mixture of reds, blues, and purples, blending with the thinly stretched out clouds.

He slows the car down before turning onto a hidden graveled driveway. I shift in the passenger's seat unsure of where we are. We bounce from side to side as the wheels graze over the stoned path leading up to a stone two story house. Trees hover around, camouflaging it from anyone driving along the main road. Fierce reaches up to a remote attached to the sun visor and presses the button. The garage door in front of us starts rising up as he slowly pulls into the garage. He sighs before cutting the engine and removing the keys from the ignition. He looks over at me amused by my confusion.

"Look, you can't go home without arousing suspicion and we're both banned from The Tunnel for a few days," he says unbuckling his seat belt, "so I figured you could stay here with me." He clears his throat. "Just for a little bit." I nod in agreement knowing he's right. I can't go home, not with a cane and a noticeable limp. "Just a warning," he opens his door, "Kyra doesn't like strangers." He snickers to himself before exiting the car. I whip open my door placing the cane onto the concrete before swinging my legs carefully out of the car and onto the ground.

"Who's Kyra?" I call out into the echoing garage. Fierce walks toward the door leading into the house ignoring my question. "Who's Kyra?" I yell louder, but all I get is a breathy giggle. "Fierce!" I shout frustrated.

I slam the car door shut and hobble toward the door he entered. I struggle to open it, but after a few good pushes, it unsticks and swings open. I cautiously walk in taking in the sitting area which lies ahead. Tan leather couches are situated facing the television with a glass coffee table between them. I turn my head to the left and sigh in defeat. Stairs.

I press the cane into the wood gripping the railing with my left hand. I push myself up releasing an involuntary shriek when I feel the ripping pain in my thigh. I hear Fierce's footsteps wandering around upstairs before they finally sound closer. He appears before me at the top of the staircase. He shakes his head charging down next to me. He crouches down grabbing my arm and wrapping it around his neck. He slips his good arm under my legs and in a solid motion, lifting me off the stairs. He climbs the stairs carefully trying not to bother my thigh.

Once on the second floor, he slowly lowers me back onto my feet and smiles as he walks away. I whisper a shy thank you. I take a few steps feeling my leg start to give out on me. I sigh feeling my eyes fill with water. Not being able to use your body the way you're used to is frustrating and defeating. Mae said it would be difficult at first so I don't know why I'm expecting a miracle. I shuffle a few more steps and tumble into the nearest chair.

Fierce opens the sliding glass door in the kitchen then slightly closes it behind him. I hear him talking, but I'm not sure who he's talking to. The door slides open and he mutters a simple "be nice" as I hear claws scraping across the linoleum tiled floor. I turn my head and see a large, furry creature galloping in. I can't tell if it's a wolf, a very huge dog or a bear. It sets its sights on me and snarls with it's ears back.

"Kyra!" Fierce shouts walking up next to it. "I told you to be nice!" It stops growling and looks at him then back at me. "Detope, this is Kyra. I told you she doesn't do too well with strangers."

Her ears slowly rise back up with curiosity written on her face. She moves over to me and I stiffen. Her nose traces around my body getting a good scent of me. She brushes my thigh and I bite my lip trying not to squeal. She notices my reaction and bumps her head into my hand. I jump slightly startled. She sits next to me with her tail wagging and bumps my hand again. The corner of my lips rise as I slowly scratch the side of her neck and up behind her ear. She inches closer and rests her head on my lap. I cautiously stroke the top of her head. I look toward Fierce whose mouth is wide open.

"She doesn't like strangers, huh?" He laughs shaking his head.

"She bit Brestion the first time she met him." I look at Kyra with a smile.

"Good girl!" I praise. Her ears perk up and her tail goes crazy. "What kind of dog is she?" I ask still not sure if she really is a dog.

"Caucasian shepherd," he says from the kitchen, "I found her when she was a puppy. She's been my pal ever since."

"You live here alone?"

"This was my family's old house. They moved out; I stayed." He walks in with water and the bottle of medication Mae prescribed for my leg. "You can sleep in Mae's room. I'm sure her clothes will fit you." I shake two pills from the bottle and toss them in my mouth. I drown them with water forcing them down. "Her room is down the hall and to the left. My room is on the right if you need anything." He smiles sweetly at me. "Bathroom is across the hall from Mae's room if you want to shower. Everything you need to dress the wound is in there." He rubs the back of his head. "I'm going to go shower. Make yourself at home." He smiles walking down the hall and into his room.

I look down at Kyra. Her eyes stay glued to me and her tail whips back and forth wildly. She nudges my good leg and runs toward the sliding glass door. I situate my cane on the floor and push up onto my feet. I limp over toward the door and pull it open. A gust of late autumn air rushes into my face as Kyra charges outside. She turns in circles on the deck before running down the ramp onto a stone pathway. She turns around and sits waiting for me to follow her. I tug the door closed and stagger over to her.

The pathway is lined with bushes and plants which are stained red and brown. I'm sure it's a lot prettier in the spring when everything is in bloom. A small gazebo awaits at the end of the pathway. The supports have green vines spiraled around them. The leaves attached still have a hint of green. Kyra runs up onto it and sits next to one of the cushioned benches along the edges. I slowly make my way to sit next to her and take in the nature around us.

I prop my thigh up on the bench with me and lightly pet Kyra on the head. She sighs closing her eyes and resting her head on my lap. The sound of crickets singing lulls me into a trance. I close my eyes and feel myself relax for the first time in awhile. Although, Kyra quickly moves startling me into a sudden panic. I whip my head around and see Fierce trudging along the path. He smiles at the two of us shaking his head.

"She brought you to her favourite spot, I see." He climbs into to the gazebo. "I've never seen her act like this with anyone but me." He scoots in next to me rubbing Kyra behind her ears.

"Jealous?" I nudge his side with my elbow. He chuckles.

"A little bit actually." He admits. "How you feeling?" He nods toward my propped up leg. I shrug getting a chill from the nightly breeze.

"It hurts, but I think I'll live." I joke moving my leg back down slowly. "I think I'll go shower now."

His hand rests on my back spotting me to make sure I don't collapse. I stumble with the first few steps, but successfully limp my way back onto the stone path and follow it back to the house. I hear Fierce talking to Kyra in a playful voice. She answers him with several excited barks. I smile to myself as I head into the house and down the hall to Mae's old room.

He was right, Mae's clothes do fit me. I discover a pair of black shorts and a gray long sleeve shirt with a shadowed Eiffel Tower on it.

Before everything happened, I wanted to travel. I wanted to see the world and visit the most talked about places, one of them being the Eiffel Tower in France. I planned on taking French when I got to high school since I had English and Russian down thanks to my grandparents who only spoke it, but we were bombed before I even had the opportunity to attend high school.

Thinking about traveling the world makes me wonder what it's like elsewhere. I wonder if it's as messed up as it is here or if everything is peaceful. All I want is to feel safe again, but recently I'm starting to think I'll never feel that way again.