So You've died. Now What?

Chapter 8: I'm Self Conscious Okay?!?!

Light was shining through the tent’s canvas. Something was making it hard for me to get up; Major’s arms were still contently wound around me. The blanket made it impossible for me to move my feet. My struggling woke him up, he ran his fingers through is hair and let out a long sleepy yawn.

            “Morning Sunshine.” He grinned, sleep still in his eyes and his voice. He curled up closer to me trying to get a last few minutes of sleep in.

            “Hey now,” I poked at his stomach “We still have to find Penelope, or did you forget?” I asked while simultaneously trying to flip him over.

            “Noooo, I want to stay here with you forever!” he sat up “No one would know we’re here! We could stop running from everything, once in a while we could go shopping in town. Maybe then I wouldn’t mind what’s happening to me…Yeah! I think I would go through all of it so I could still see you every day.” He smiled happily like he had just figured out a solution to all of his problems.

            “We can’t do that Major, we have to make sure Penelope is safe. What do you mean something is happening to you? I heard you talking to Tomm about fixing something that was wrong with you…”

            “Oh, you heard that? Well it’s nothing, sometimes I get a little stubborn about these bandages cause I don’t like wearing them. But I need them, and Tomm is trying to help me figure out a way where I might not have to wear them anymore! I can’t wait for the day when I can wear a shirt without these hideous things making bumps from underneath!” he laughed and pulled on his shirt. “You see what I mean? You can still tell the bandages are there.”

            He crawled over to his boots and jacket and began to put them on. He grabbed my boots and put them on my feet for me. I waited on a tree stump for him to finish putting the tent away. It was getting intensely cold in the woods. When Major was done he walked over to me.

            “Zip up your jacket Maebe, you’re the epitome of death.” He was about to pull me onto his back so he could start the search again when I opposed.

            “I think we should walk. We’ll have more time to scan the area for Penelope so we won’t run past her.” I declared.

            “Ok we’ll walk.” He grabbed my hand once again and pulled me deeper into the forest.

            The horrid screeches of the forest weren’t as bad as they had been last night and we walked slow enough so I didn’t trip over dead roots and moss covered rocks.