We're all familiar with influenza. There are very few people that have gone flu-free throughout their entire life. We've all had the dreaded "flu shot" at school, we've all protested it, and we've all gotten sick after they inject us. I suppose this is hardly the time to make a statement, but here we are. This pesky little parasite, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by a virus. We've all been through the high fevers, runny nose, sore throats, and vomiting. The flu is a pretty serious virus. That's why I'm pissed.
I trekked through the thick snow, shivering from the cold and trembling with rage. How do they expect me to just be okay with that?! They may or may not have saved me from a raging lunatic; I can't be the one to say if they're telling the truth or not, but they expect me to just give my life up to them? Not. Happening. No way.
The wind began to pick up, as did the snowfall. The wind howled in my ear and nearly knocked me over, but I trudged on through over a foot of snow. I was used to this. It's been years since I've spent a winter indoors, let alone-
I froze. Footsteps crunched in the snow behind me, each one shuffling closer. They seemed to be walking fast. My heart rate went through the roof as I stood in the middle of a frosty wasteland, unaware of what could possibly be behind me. My mind raced through the possibilities of what was to come. Piper or Callie? Him, perhaps? Oh no. It could not be Him. I knew going out alone after their countless warnings was a terrible idea, but did I listen? No. I chose to go my own way and disregard any helpful remark. Now I'm going to be taken. I'm going to disappear like the rest of their spies. I'll be held hostage, or I'll be experimented on, or... or killed. I should be running. I should be getting away from any threat that's approaching, but my legs won't work; they're frozen like the raindrops. My neck won't even turn to see my soon-to-be-captor. Chills went down my spine the moment I heard heavy breathing. The next thing I knew, something brushed up against my... leg? A powerful force pushed me to the ground, but the snow cushioned my fall. I laid face-up in a pile of fluff as something warm...
"Boe?!" The large dog was standing over me, licking my face. "How did you...?" I looked around. No one was here. He came alone. I sat motionless in the snow for a while, Boe sniffing the area around me. I couldn't bring him back to the base without risk of the others keeping me there. And I had someone to get back to. Someone with the flu. Again, that's why I'm pissed. I need to take care of him. Stretching my legs, I got up and brushed excess snow off of my clothes. They were soaked now. I guess I should've talked about hypothermia rather than the flu earlier. "C'mon Boe!" I ordered in an excited tone. He wagged his tail and happily followed. I'd just keep him for the night. He'll provide some warmth and comfort.
For what felt like hours, I trudged on. The cold air nipped at my skin as the blizzard raged with more and more passion as each agonizing minute passed. My head spun with each step, and my bones ached and shivered. I could feel unconsciousness lurking around the corner, but I had to press on. Even Boe had started to whine. I tried to look brave and strong for his sake, but he could tell I wasn't doing so well. I pat his head gently every once in awhile to try and comfort him.
Soon enough, I spotted it; a little speck of light in the distance. I knew that was our nightly fire. As soon as I laid my eyes on it, a burst of energy sent my flying towards it. Boe must have sensed my excitement, because he was bounding towards the flames right by my side with the same intensity. As I got closer, I could see a small figure huddled close to the fire. It shifted a bit when it saw me. A small voice cried out through the storm, barely audible.
"Kylie!" I ran faster. Upon approaching the figure, I knelt down. Tyler was on the ground under our make-shift, wooden canopy, shivering like a chihuahua. I was too, but his seemed somehow worse than mine, even with my soaked clothes. Boe trotted up to him, immediately sniffing his clothes and licking his cheek. Tyler laughed a bit. "You found a dog?" He questioned.
"It's a... long story. How are you feeling?" I asked. For about a week now, he's had an awful case of the flu. The poor kid can't sleep one night without throwing up at least twice in the middle of it. I felt his forehead; it was a bit shocking to feel how warm it was compared to my frozen hand.
"Where have you been?"
"I've, uh..." I trailed off, not focusing on the conversation at hand. I was too busy skimming my brain for remedies; my "concerned-mother" mode was kicking in. We were the same age, but when one of us was in need, the other would coddle them. Tyler snapped his fingers in my face to get my attention. I shook my head. "Again, long story."
"We've got nowhere to be and plenty of time to waste." Tyler busied himself with securing our little canopy. The wind had started to rock it, and we knew letting it fall was risking our fire going out. I watched him for a moment. His feeble arms shook as he tied pieces of wood together with more strength than had been used the last time we tied them. Tyler was weak. That, I could tell. His auburn hair was matted and dirty, his nails were yellowing, and his skin was beyond pale -- it almost took on a grey-ish tone. My gaze drifted to his vibrant cedar-green eyes. They were still full of nothing but life; no stress or worries about our current position, no stress or worries about his own health... He just wanted to keep living.
Tyler finished his little fixer-upper and looked at me with a proud smile, which I returned the best I could. Meanwhile, Boe circled a spot on the ground a few times before curling up next to Tyler, who laid his head on the canine's stomach like a pillow. "So," he started. "Tell me your bedtime story."
