Chapter 6
They�d been walking for a while,� it seems. He didn�t really remember. There were trees around him A forest? How did they get here? The train. � They jumped off. � Why? � To find Xandrie's friend� Why? He didn�t care anymore. He just wanted to stay here among these trees. To lie down for a while. To rest.
His body refused to obey the unconvincingly weak voice in the back of his mind that told him to keep moving.
He stumbled against the trunk of a nearby tree and slid heavily down against it, his eyes closing almost on a reflex.
Xandrie was at his side within seconds, shaking him (none-too-gently this time). �Get up, Christian! Don�t you dare give up on me now! Get up!�
He forced the heavy eyelids to open, his feverish clouded gaze meeting her concerned one. �I � can�t,� he murmured.
�Yes, you CAN! It�s not much farther.� Her voice grew desperate now, as she came down on her knees before him. Nervously, she placed her hand on his forehead and pulled back as if scalded. �You�re burning up, she exclaimed, her fear growing.
�The wound � I think it�s � infected�,� he mumbled, his eyes sliding shut again. �I can�t � move � anymore� sorry�.�
Xandrie inhaled sharply at that, the wave of panic washing over her, gripping her heart in its tight cold embrace.
This can't be happening!
She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at up at her, to stay conscious, as she tried in vain to ignore the clammy feel of his skin and the feverish heat emanating from his body. �Listen to me, Christian. I will go get help now. I�ll be back in a minute. I need you to promise me that you�ll stay awake. Can you do that?� The green eyes pleaded with him, waiting for a response.
He nodded weakly, almost imperceptibly.
He would, at least, try.
Xandrie smiled then, a tense but relieved smile, and disappeared somewhere in the midst of trees, while Christian rested his aching head against the tree trunk, fighting to push back the wall of encroaching darkness.
Xandrie came back soon, as promised. There was a man with her. An older man � at least, as far as he could tell. He couldn�t really see his face � his vision was hazy at best, and it took too much effort to focus. He chose to close his eyes altogether. It was easier that way.
He heard Xandrie say something to the man, and then he felt two pairs of hands pulling him gently up from the ground. He expected a stab of pain at that movement, but the fever seemed to have completely overpowered his body, dulling all other sensations, and some part of him was grateful for that.
Christian didn�t remember being led into the house or being put onto the bed. He realized with a start that he was no longer standing, and he looked up to find Xandrie leaning over him with a bottle filled with some type of clear liquid.
�That�s all I�ve got for a disinfectant,� she said apologetically, bringing the bottle closer to his injured shoulder.
The sharp fumes hit his senses moments before the burning liquid was poured onto his wound. Alcohol. He felt the slight burn even through the thick veil of heat that clouded his brain.
A pair of sharp forceps appeared in Xandrie�s hand, and he knew what was coming next. He closed his eyes wearily, allowing his mind to surrender to the long-awaiting darkness. And it swallowed him up eagerly and completely, making him blissfully unaware of the sharp instrument that bored into his flesh.