Lila could only find band aids for her arms and chest, where the skin was bubbly and blistered. She hadn't even showered since the accident, too afraid of the pain.
Justin hadn't been home, leaving after Lila couldn't stop crying. She hadn't seen him in nearly four days, and truthfully she hoped he never returned. Lila knew punishments were normal in society, but burning someone with boiling water seemed ridiculous in her opinion. She couldn't fathom it, truthfully.
Her skin was getting worse, though, she realized as she carefully peeled the bandaids from her skin. It was still red and wrinkly. Some of the blisters were infected, she could tell. She had a nasty one on her wrist she was sure would leave a scar. She was sure most of her burns would scar.
Who would want her then?
Lila had considered leaving Justin before, but never like this. At this point, she was ready to accept whatever consequences she would face by leaving him, even if it meant a man on the street murdered her or sold her, or whatever Justin said they would do to her. She couldn't take it anymore.
But she was also horrified to be on her own. She hadn't been independent in over two years, and had no money and no resources. She hadn't had access to a phone or the internet in years and she wouldn't know where to begin.
Sighing painfully, Lila decided to let her welts and blisters dry out for the day instead of trying to cover them up. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, but she was sure bandaids weren't right.
After not leaving the house since the accident, Lila decided to retire to the rooftop for the night. She needed to see the ground, and feel the sun on her face. It would burn, probably, but she didn't care. She didn't even care if Justin locked her out, should he come home. Honestly, she was searching for a reason to never see him again, and getting locked out seemed like a solid enough reason.
Right as she opened the door to leave, she heard the deep voice of the man from the roof.
"Thank you," he said down the stairs, as a woman walked back down and out of the complex. He was standing with his door wide open, groceries sitting on the doormat. She assumed he had gotten them delivered and was now putting things away.
Without thinking, Lila walked down to his door, standing in front of him as he returned from dropping off some of the bags into his home.
"Hey, um," Lila muttered. She cleared her throat, and with confidence, "do you have any cream or bandages for these?"
She held out her arms, showing him the burns.
YOU ARE READING
COCONUT RUM -corpse husband-
Fanfiction"And you will finally know what love is supposed to feel like..." - He was surprised by the slam of the door from the stairwell, signaling someone had joined him. His anxiety spiked, forcing him to smudge the cigarette into the ground before quickl...
