DESPERATE

20

As the night sky turned yellow at the horizon, Randall knew he had to find a place to rest and hide from the campers. He spotted a broken down car and decided to check it out. It wasn't the most comfortable option, but it was better than sleeping in a tree.

He opened the door and saw something in the back seat, covered with a filthy blanket. Curious, he picked up a stick and poked it. A loud, piercing wail erupted from under the blanket.

Randall dropped the stick in shock. He saw something moving under the blanket. He gathered his courage and pulled it off. A gasp escaped his lips as he gazed at the filthy, emaciated baby girl. She was shivering from the cold and crying non-stop. Randall felt clueless. He didn't know what to do with a baby.
He couldn't move a muscle as the sound blasted through the air. He knew he was in trouble if anyone heard it. "This baby is going to ruin everything." he hissed.

Randall wrapped the baby with a blanket and cradled her in his arms. He hummed a lullaby that his father used to sing to him every night. A tear rolled down his cheek as he remembered his dad, who had died several years ago. He missed him so much.

The baby sucked her thumb and looked at him with curious eyes. "You must be hungry," Randall said softly. He laid her gently on the passenger seat and rummaged through his backpack. He found some cornflake cereal bars and broke them into small pieces. He fed them to the baby, who made a face but ate them anyway. He gave her some water from his bottle, but she choked and coughed. He patted her back and apologized. He felt guilty for not having anything better to offer. He rocked her until she fell asleep.

Randall watched the sleeping baby and wondered what to do. "Who left you here, little one? How could anyone abandon you like this? I can't take you with me, but I can't leave you either. You'll die out here. But how am I supposed to take care of you? I don't even know your name."

He let out a weary sigh and gently caressed the baby's head. She twitched her tiny limbs in her slumber. He smiled sadly and curled up next to her. He shut his eyes, hoping to find some peace in his sleep.

After snoozing for hours, Randall was jolted awake by the baby's noisy gibberish. The sun had already set. He peeked at the baby girl and smiled crookedly. "Hi kiddo! I've decided to name you Cyrie. We need to get out of here. We have a long way to go."

He grimaced when he saw the stinky mess the baby had made in the blanket. Cyrie gazed at him and grinned. He felt his heart melt at the sight of her two tiny teeth. He took off the dirty blanket and cleaned Cyrie with a bottle of water. He grabbed some clothes from the backpack he had found in the spooky cabin and ripped them. He did his best to make some cloth diaper for Cyrie.

It was difficult for him to walk while holding the baby in his arms. He took out all the lethal and sharp weapons from the backpack and stuffed them in his jacket pockets. He placed Cyrie in the backpack with her head poking out. The baby didn't complain. She drifted off to sleep again.

Randall zigzagged through the dark woods. He came to a sudden halt when something caught his eye. He felt a wave of dizziness, his heart pounding and his breath shortening. He saw a snake slithering towards him. He had a phobia of snakes. The sight of the snake's coppery-brown head terrified him. "Oh shit, it's a copperhead.”

The copperhead snake hissed, rattled its tail, and released a foul odor. Randall felt a surge of panic for himself and the baby, Cyrie. "Don't worry, sweetie, I won't let it harm us." He whispered, trying to calm her down.