Most stories are told from the start and progress all the way through to the end.
This is not most stories, I firmly believe this story is best told end through to the beginning.
×××
The young man with the tattered clothes and the gaping wounds pressed on, trudging through the shallows with an unconscious girl slung over his shoulder. When he arrived at the hospital, the nurses immediately swarmed him, removing the girl from his grasp and whisking him away to be treated. The man struggled to get free. He needed to make sure she was okay. Three people held him down as a fourth injected him with something. Slowly, his protests died down and he fell into an uncomfortable darkness.
When he finally surfaced, he immediately slipped into panic mode and surveyed his surroundings. The blindingly white room did nothing to dissuade his fears. Hastily ripping the wires from his body, he bolted to the door and casually slipped out into the hall, taking his time searching for the girl. He knew running would only draw unwanted attention. Finally, he came across a door that was slightly ajar, peeking inside he concluded this was where she was.
He was right.
He padded into the room and sat beside the bed, gripping the young girls hand.
And he waited.
×××
2 days earlier
"C'mon, hit me harder, I know you can" the boy taunted.
The girl swung at him as hard as she could, but he deflected the blow and landed one himself. Not hard, of course, he didn't want to hurt her, just to teach her.
She collapsed onto the mat, dripping sweat. She held her hands up in mock surrender.
"Alright, alright, gimme a break, we've been at it for hours." She complained.
He laughed and collapsed next to her. They sat in silence for a few min utes, letting their breathing slow.
After a few minutes of resting, he tackled her to the mat.
"You gotta expect the unexpected!" He chuckled, she took his distraction and used it against him, flipping him and pitting him in the position she was in mere seconds ago.
She laughed at his shocked expression and stood, holding her hand out for him. His shock turned into pride as he pulled himself up.
"Good, but you've gotta be faster."
The pair spent the rest of the evening sparring, preparing.
×××
1 day earlier
The boy woke the young girl before the sun to take her running, as they did every morning. A casual morning jog turned into a race. They ran the usual 3 miles and took a break. Together they sat on a park bench, just breathing. As if it was rehearsed, they stood together and ran the 3 miles back to their temporary home.
Now, usually they would spent the day on the streets, collecting what the could from the pockets of the cityfolk, but today was different.
Today they were in danger.
The boy had her fight and train in every way imaginable. He needed to make sure she was prepared if anything happened.
If he wasn't there to protect her.
×××
0 days earlier
The boy knew it was inevitable to avoid the fight, but he still could hope. He didnt want to put the girl in harms way. She had weaved her way into his heart and he couldn't lose her.
A loud crash had them both bolting upright in their makeshift beds. He held a finger to his lips, a signal to keep her quiet. A sharp pain in his neck made his heartbeat elevate and he screamed for the girl to run. He collapsed, feeling utterly exhausted.
He awoke with a start, pulling on the metal bindings that held him in place. Wherever he was, it was dark. He heard a gentle gasp when the doors swung open. His head shot up, not to the door, but to the girl across from him, dirty and bleeding. She had been captured as well, and he couldn't save her. His face contorted to one of pure anger, he faced the man at the door with a snarl. The man didn't flinch, nor did he show the slightest sign of fear. Instead, he laughed.
"My, my, my, what have we here. You know, you've been quite the problem for us. Why don't you tell me how yo hid for so long?" The man drawled with a slight accent.
Italian? No.
French? No.
"Go to hell." The girl spat with barely contained anger.
"You're might feisty, I like that."
Russian.
The man pointed his attention back on the boy. He stepped forward and went to grab the chains, only to find them missing. The boy drew his fist and punched the man sending him stumbling back. The girl had sacrificed herself as a distraction. The two men fought, a beautiful display of anger, adrenaline and testosterone.
The young girl slipped her chains and went to run. She knew the boy could handle himself and that he would want her to get the out out of here. Two sets of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her back. She released a strangled cry and fought with all her might. The fight was bloody and painful, but they came out victorious. They dragged the two unconscious men towards the warehouse and left them.
The third had managed to sneak away in the midst of the fight. He returned now, and he wasn't leaving without a fight. So that's what they did.
They fought.
The man hit the boy and black spots stained his vision. The world was spinning. His eyes fluttered open and his ears were ringing. He watched in horror as the man stuck a needle in the limp girl's neck. He came to his senses and tackled the man, beating him senseless. He collapsed beside the girl and immediately checked her pulse, sighing I'm relief when he found one. He slung her over his shoulder and walked away. He had no clues as to where they were, but he knew they were beyond the city. They were in a swampy area, definitely not the city.
Now
The young man with the tattered clothes and the gaping wounds pressed on, trudging through the shallows with an unconscious girl slung over his shoulder. When he arrived at the hospital, the nurses immediately swarmed him removing the girl from his grasp and whisking him away to be treated. The man struggled to get free. He needed to make sure she was okay. Three people held him down as a fourth injected him with something. Slowly, his protests died down and he fell into an uncomfortable darkness. When he finally surfaced, he immediately slipped into panic mode and surveyed his surroundings. The blindingly white room did nothing to dissuade his fears. He hastily ripped the wires from his body and bolted to the door. He casually slipped out the door into the hall, taking his time searching for the girl. He knew running would only draw unwanted attention. Finally, he came across a door that was slightly ajar, peeking inside he concluded this was where she was.
He was right.
He padded into the room and sat beside the bed, gripping the young girls hand.
And he waited.
He didn't know what he was waiting for, though.
So he watched, he watched the young girl as she lay in the hospital bed. He knew he had failed her. He promised she wouldn't get hurt. He knew she was in bad condition, but he had seen her in worse.
The next morning
The nurses had let him stay. He fell asleep in the chair beside her bed. And he awoke when he heard a faint whisper. He sat upright and leaned toward the girl. Her eyes held fear and bewilderment. A few nurses ran in when her heart rate monitor began beeping all too quickly. He tried to call out to her, but he was being pushed out of the room. He heard her struggling.
"Jake!" She had cried out.
The moniter went silent. And he held his breath. She was gone. He had lost the one person he had left.
"Lillian." He whispered, the name that would become foreign to him as life pushed forward.
