She wakes up, not feeling refreshed, but as though she has only slept for minutes. Screams and sobs fill her ears and when she turns her head, she sees the boy. He is in a little wooden lean-to/shack sorta thing. Screaming profanities at something on the ground.
"It's my fault! I had to go get the goddamned girl from the woods. I had to. And now you're dead."
She breathes in. Hard. It sounds ragged, like she's near death. And she very well is.
"Oh. I thought you were dead too. We'll meet my friend David. He was my current partner. The only on I've ever had. 1 month. I've been here for two years, get a freaking partner for a month, and then he dies. What the heck. Oh shit. You look bad. Well I can do this thing, okay? I need you to not freak out. But I've done this before on injured animals and almost dead people. People don't give me good results. Ever. I'm gonna try to help you though, okay? But in order to give, I have to take. So I'm gonna take your energy okay? You won't be able to walk-or move for that matter- for a little while if this works. So just stay still. I'm gonna have to take your clothes off now okay?"
She didn't refuse. She wasn't sure if it was because damn near close to being dead, or what. But all she could focus on was him. She hadn't had a good chance to look at him yet. He wasn't obnoxiously handsome, but he was good looking. Pale-ish skin and brown hair. Probably 15 or 16. I wonder how old I am, she wondered. Or what I look like.
And then he puts his hands on her. At first, she kinda just feels warm. Like a calming, soothing kind of warm. She looks at the boy. He is strained, and purple-faced like someone has their hands around his neck. Then, the warm just shuts off and replaces itself with cold and searing pain. The cold is unbelievable, so bad it burns. Not the kind of cold that makes you wish you had a jacket. No. this kind of cold ate at your core. And the pain was so bad it was unbearable. Her vision blanks out white. Then as quick as the pain came, it leaves. It leaves her with an aching feeling all over. The cold doesn't leave her. She needs to get up and run. The girl tries, once again, unsuccessfully. She can't move at all. The boy looks comfortable. Level headed and proud, even.
"Hey! You're not dead yet. That's gotta be a good sign."
As close as I can get, she thought. I can't move. Or blink. Or talk.
