Dawn Of The Day - ONC 2022

Chapter 26. Fever Dreams

"Kyrie eleison Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison Christe audi nos
Christe exaudi nos 

Pater de caelis Deus, Miserere nobis.
Fili Redemptor mundi Deus, Miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte Deus, Miserere nobis.
Sancta Trinitas unus Deus, Miserere nobis."

...

The dream of a seven-year-old girl sitting next to her brother, in between her parents at Sunday service put a smile on my face.

It was hot. And sticky.

I scratched my neck and wanted to cry at the sensation but someone held my hand.

Cruel.

My body felt heavy as if it had been buried under a mountain for a full year. Not before getting thrown inside a meat grinder. I was a fish stranded ashore, whose lungs were burned with each breath.

The person continued holding me down.

Dreams were havens, but I couldn't seek refuge in them any longer. I had been rejected from their world.

I willed my eyes open. The older man who was sitting in front of me had one hand pressed on my shoulder. His face was haggard, full of pain and concern.

"Dad..." I hissed.

"Take it easy... You've lost a lot of blood."

Suppressed emotions filled his equally raspy voice. I didn't know he could sound like that. Maybe I had always known but chosen to forget that Dad was human too. The rough material burned on my neck as he helped me up. I touched it cautiously.

Someone had patched up my wound. It felt warm and sticky under the gauze, but on top, it was dry. That was a good sign. I didn't know how long I had been out, what day it was, or if the sun was lowering or rising in front of us. We were still inside the helicopter. The sun's blinding light shot straight at me. I squinted my eyes. All I could see were crazy colors and shadows.

"How do you feel, Lou?" A calm voice poured in. It was almost monotonous.

I couldn't see the person's face, but I knew that voice well. Even with my eyes closed, I could see with my heart. Waves of emotion hit me when I wasn't ready.

"Like shit," I turned and mumbled at the grey headlining, wanting to say more, but couldn't think of anything.

"Of course."

The person retreated into the shadow. Fortunately.

"You scared us, Lou," someone else chimed in, "it's good that you're awake, though... We can get going. The explosion will hopefully slow them down a bit, but they will catch up with us eventually."

They. Right. I pulled myself up, groaning the whole way like an old donkey. Dad linked his arm with mine.

"Lean on me," he said.

I nodded and let him guide me out of the helicopter. The sunset that greeted us was like nothing I had seen before. It was breathtaking. Fiery and intense.

An ocean of lush green vegetation waved in the wind with a few red dots here and there, breaking the pattern.  The closer we got, the bigger they became.

Crabs.

The island was a tiny strip of land that up until ten years ago, no one had heard about it. Nothing but rainforest in all directions and millions of giant red crabs occupied the place. The crustaceans we saw were as big as puppies. They confidently marched on the beach and covered every single tree. They studied us as we walked by. The fascinating sight of the crabs reconfirmed what I had heard and gave me some relief. There should be no big predators on the island, but my knowledge of nature stopped there. Nothing was guaranteed at this point.

We tried our best not to step on the crabs while making our way deeper into the island. The climate was very different compared to Nova Aria and even Miramar. It was much hotter and extremely humid. I felt dizzy from the mixture of a thousand wildflowers' scents and the insects' noisy love songs.

I touched the gauze on my neck every now and then while dragging my feet behind Dad and Vince. My brother cut through thick shrubs with vigor while Dad kicked and pushed the branches away as best as he could. He worked steadily, but his face was pale and covered in sweat.

"Dad, slow down," I pleaded, but my voice was lost in all the chopping and stomping.

It got darker around us. Everything started to blend into one shade of indigo. Occasionally, a flock of birds passed by, taking away the little light from the tiny gaps between branches and leaves above us. They called out to each other loudly. Their voices sounded like clarinets from heaven.

My eyes followed the dance of light and dark in a daze. My shoe went straight into a fallen tree trunk. The wood turned into mush upon contact and a whole nest of tiny black dots—like flying poppy seeds—exploded in the air.

I swung my arms wildly, hoping the swamp wouldn't get into my nose, ears, hair, or clothes, but there was no use. Something stung my neck. I slapped it and immediately regretted my action.

"Fucking hell! Sweet Jesus!" My curses echoed through the jungle.

"Damn it, Lou, keep it down, " Dad and Vince exclaimed at the same time then ran to my rescue.

My neck felt as if it was glass and I had shattered it into a million pieces.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" 

I continued cursing through tears. The itch that came after was the stuff of nightmares. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemies. Before my brain could process what had happened, I had ripped the gauze off, earning myself another head-splitting pain.

"Ahhh! Fuck!"

I fell on the ground, rolling on dead leaves while scratching with vengeance.

"Come on, Lou!" Robert pulled me up and restrained my wrists, "Get up! You're ok! You can do it!"

I felt hands, then a back. It was warm, clean, and sturdy. Beat the muddy ground.

 "The mosquitos must be attracted by your wound," I heard my dad's voice. "Stop scratching! You will bleed more!"

"Thanks, Dad," I cried and yanked my hands away, but someone was faster. My hands were tied around Robert's neck like a cangue with either a scarf or a shirt. I couldn't tell. My neck was covered with another piece of fabric.

"Got to do what you got to do," Vince mumbled, "VIP treatment. Only for you, Lou."

I bet he was grinning.

I groaned in response while rubbing my neck on Robert's back.

"We need to clean your wound soon but try to be still for now. We're almost there," he chuckled.

His breath fanned my hands, giving me a different kind of itch. The faint, familiar scent of his shampoo tickled my nose. Maybe, also my heart. I turned away, keeping my mind occupied by counting the passing branches that I could see. After a while, drowsiness washed over me.

"Thanks," I mumbled without certain Robert could hear me.

The guy slowed down for a split second before picking his pace right back up.

"Don't mention it," he chuckled again.

His lips brushed the back of my hands. The wound must be giving me a fever.