The Timoria

Chapter 3

Wren
My first reaction was to scream.
Then terror jolted up my spine at lightning speed, striking my collarbone with a jolt and paralyzing my entire body.
My eyes were the only thing that moved, glancing at the traffic light, pleading it would do something, anything to show me what the sudden change was for. But all I was met with was silence.
It almost seemed to laugh at me, harsh red and glaring, like a giant, murderous balloon.
Something tugged at the back of my brain.
Balloon.
A... memory.
I clenched my teeth and grabbed onto the tug, pulling it harder and harder, fighting the current pushing it backwards with all my might.
Glimpses of light flashed in my head, like light reflecting off of fractals of a broken mirror.
A red balloon.
A loving hand.
A loud pop.
It all came in pieces, and I clung to it and pleaded with it to stay with me.
I gathered it into my imaginary brain arms and held it, refusing to let it go.
A balloon.
A loving hand.
A pop.
A gun.
Nothing made sense.
It was like only getting four sentences of a book and trying to piece it together.
And it hurt, I realized, hurt like crazy.
I committed the pieces to memory and turned my attention back to the traffic light.
An ear-splitting roar.
I clutched my hands to my ears as the screaming started.
A roar, much nearer to me.
I glanced in it's direction and forced my body to move, backing into a tree.
A giant, horrendous beast charged through the trees and into the stream, splashing its way towards me at an inhumane speed.
I forced my back as hard as I could against the trunk and did the only thing I could think to. I froze.
Not a movement escaped me.
I watched as the beast stopped and sniffed the air.
A frown crossed my face, and it charged towards me once more.
Panic flooded through me and I relaxed completely, attempting to calm every nerve in my body screaming to run.
It stopped again, a confused look crossing its grotesque features.
The beast was terrifying with its blood-coated, bearish muzzle and long, serrated claws.
The thing that stuck out to me the most was it's eyes.
When I froze, they went completely dormant and white.
I flexed my fingers a little and it's eyes sprang to life, red and writhing with fire, as if they were burning from the inside out.
I froze again, and the milk flooded and extinguished the eyes once more.
The beast itself went completely confused again, as if I should be moving.
I suppressed a gulp and patted down the rising panic.
The beast sniffed around the tree, a breath away from me.
I could feel it's stench, like rotting flesh and curdled blood.
The creature seemed to only be able to see movement, which made this game incredibly hard to win.
I pleaded for the green light to return as the creature sniffed my face, billowing fowl breath and frying my hair.
I held my breath and forced my eyes to remain open, not making a single movement.
And then a blessed screech resounded, sending the beast scrambling back and into the forest to await the next red light.
I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground, fear crawling into my brain and making itself at home.
I raked a hand across my face and curled up into a ball, resting against the tree trunk.
The creature was so grotesque, so absolutely terrifying, it had been engrained in my memory like a deep scar that refused to go away.
The beast had left a path of destruction in its wake, sticks and leaves engrained in the mud left by the creatures force.
I combed my fingers through my hair and surveyed the damage.
Our cave had been left alone, but the stream? Who knew how many fowl diseases the beast had left to kill us?
Everything in this Timoria was a trap. Nothing was as it should be, but somehow it was.
Sage had been right.
Sage.
I bolted into the forest, blindly attempting to follow the trail he hadn't left.
Panic swelled into me and I was drowning in it, suddenly claustrophobic in the green, earthy forest.
Branches slapped me in the face and I stumbled through the trees.
He remembered.
I had to find him.
He was the only chance I had of remembering anything more.
My foot caught on a root and I fell face-first onto the ground, leaves and twigs scratching my face.
I sat there for a while, hyperventilating and wringing and un-wringing my fingers, trying to calm myself.
I was no use to anyone panicked.
My face lifted from the ground and I surveyed the trees around me, looking for anything remotely useful.
A glint caught my eye.
A security camera, trained on me, watching my every movement with an evil glint in its eye.
Cold, hard resolve settled into my stomach and I glared at the camera with all my might.
"You see what's going on here?" I screamed. "People, good people, are dying because of you! You fowl beasts are punishing us for something we can't all control. You should be helping us! That's your job as world leaders! Why can't you just man up and take responsibility for something that was your own fault?"
A thud.
My head whipped towards where the sound cam from, a random tree.
Then pain shot up my leg and I looked down to see a dart protruding from my foreleg.
I ripped it out and tossed it with surprising accuracy at the security camera, and it shattered and rained down upon the leaves below it.
I shuddered and turned my attention back to my bleeding leg.
I ripped a portion of my shirt off and wrapped it around my leg carefully to slow the bleeding.
I had succeeded in virtually nothing by that small rebellion that had escaped me.
Something about the knowledge they were watching us die made me long to curl up in an angry, quivering ball and shut them out.
Who was they?
Well, the Exousia, but who exactly?
I cried out as pain shot up my leg after I shifted my foot a little.
I grabbed an overhanging branch and snapped it, making a sort of walking stick, and positioned myself carefully so I could walk if only a little.
I had to find Sage.
I called his name countless times, ignoring the pain in my leg and stumbling farther into the unknown.
I had to function. I forced myself to.
I wouldn't let him die, not without having something to say about it.
I surprised myself with that sudden twang of affection. I didn't  really like Sage, i always felt something was off about him.
Like he wasn't being entirely truthful to me.
I swallowed hard and screamed his name louder.
Night was falling fast and my teeth were chattering like a marble bouncing up and down on the floor, kept moving by momentum.
I wrapped an arm around myself and scanned the trees again.
A cry escaped my lips as my numb fingertip hit a snag in my twig walking stick.
"Sage!" I screamed, my voice hoarse.
A tear slid down my cheek.
What if he was dead?
There was no chance finding the camp now, I hadn't taken the time to commit my path to memory.
I needed water desperately and every muscle in my body aches as minutes passed by meaninglessly.
Forest became all the same, blurred together and faint.
I let out a shaky sigh and collapsed onto some roots, leaning against a trees harsh and unforgiving trunk.
He was probably dead.
And all because of... a fish.
A smile threatened to show, but I wouldn't allow myself that luxury.
I mean, it wouldn't be that funny to be killed by a fish.
I turned my attention to my screaming leg.
The blood had long soaked through and was coating my whole lower leg.
Grogginess seeped into my every limb and threatened to take over.
I shook it off and tightened the bandage.
I had to keep looking, even if the sight I was met with wasn't a good one.
I felt like slapping myself.
I didn't care so much about Sage, did I?
I didn't need him, that was for sure.
But something kept me going, stumbling to find the body of someone I barely knew.
Tears were coming full force now, leaving warm trails down my cheeks.
Everything in me wanted to lie down and never get up.
I desperately tried to remember anything useful, but it was like a blind man tying to explain color.
Memories were lost in some void were no one would ever return, just jagged fractures.
I gritted my teeth against a harsh wind, and noticed it was more gentle than I would have expected, but to me it had ice in its teeth.
Stupid, stupid ice.
I groaned a little and let my knees bend, putting more support onto my walking stick.
A shout to my left.
A scream to my right.
"Sage!" The pleading in my voice was so evident I cringed at myself.
Another scream from everywhere and nowhere at once.
My head whipped back and forth, searching for its source.
A fox appeared in the trees, staring at me with eyes that glowed flaming gold.
It disappeared just as fast as it had come, and reappeared on the other side.
"Help me," I pleaded, breathing heavily and leaning on my stick.
It shook his head and grinned, then disappeared once more.
I sobbed harder, enveloped in a cold like no other.
I collapsed onto the ground and fought back an overwhelming darkness, breathing slowing.
It occurred to me I didn't want to find him dead, and with that, I was asleep.
~~~
"Ouch," I mumbled.
I picked my head off the ground and looked down at my leg, which was turning green.
The dart had been poisoned.
I looked up at the sky.
It was about high noon, the sun in the middle of the fake blue sky.
I swept a hand across my face and fought back the headache pounding my brain.
The fox was a hallucination, of course, the chill from the fever.
My head nodded up and down and I heaved myself off the ground.
What I needed was rest, but I had to find Sage.
I grabbed my stick off the ground and set off again, back towards the way I'd come previously, hoping to find camp again now that my head was clearer.
Careful, I reminded myself. Don't want to pass out again.
I gritted my teeth against the pain swallowing me and pushed forward.
One foot after another.
One more step.
One more.
One more.
A misstep sent me sprawling to the ground.
"Why don't I just stay here, it's obviously where I want to be," I grumbled under my breath.
I pulled myself off the ground for what felt like the billionth time and kept walking.
After a few more falls and a lot more walking, I chose to stop and listen for the water.
In the stillness not a sound could be heard.
I moaned and kept going away from the giant traffic light.
It was useless to try and climb a tree, my leg was too angry with me and my body too sick and poisoned.
So I pushed forward, stumbled quite a few times, and finally, the sound of trickling water reached my ears.
A sigh, fast and relieved, escaped my lips and I doubled my speed, following the sound further into the woods.
I felt so stupid for not marking my trail, but I'm usually dumb enough not to plan anything out, so this was nothing new.
It struck me I didn't know that about myself, it just seemed to pop out of the void and whisper to me.
I smiled at that piece of information, despite it being a negative thing about me.
I tripped into the clearing with the stream, falling, again.
I giggled and kissed the ground, then pulled myself to the side of the stream and lowered my entire face into it, washing the mud and dirt from my eyes.
I pulled my head out and breathed.
Everything in me was relief, the water bringing a new hope to me.
I lowered my green-ish leg into the stream and took off the fabric, which was useless.
I let out a sharp hiss as a twig floated by and jabbed my leg.
The water was so blessedly cool and soothing I wanted to stay there forever.
I wanted to forget this wretched place and this wretched world I had woken up to.
But I had to find Sage.
I rinsed my leg a final time and washed out the fabric, then tied it again, tighter this time.
I pushed back off the ground and grabbed my walking stick, then cursed as it poked me.
Stupid stick.
I walked into the cave and grabbed the sharp rock I'd found and filed down the stick until it was smooth.
I was no use to him tired of hungry, so I ate a slab of fish and drank some water.
I zipped up my leather jacket to keep in the warmth and retied the laces on my boots.
I would be prepared this time.
I nodded to myself and set off again, this time dragging the stick behind me to create a dirt path.
I took my time, not wanting to over exert myself.
I tried to relax and tell myself everything was okay, he was okay, but found it incredibly difficult as I wandered farther and farther away from camp.
A twig snapped behind me.
I whipped around to see a deer staring at me wide-eyed, frozen in fear.
We watched each other, unmoving, for what seemed like hours, and finally it turned and bounded into the forest.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and started into the forest, the spell broken.
"Sage!" I called.
A moan.
I cried out and ran full speed in its direction.
"Sage!" I cried again, hoping for a response.
A louder moan.
I couldn't stop the smile that crept into my features.
He was alive.
I stumbled into a little clearing and found him lying in the ground, eyes closed.
"Sage, how dare you scare me like that!" I demanded, kneeling beside him.
I stopped short.
He was completely coated in blood, a huge gouge across his chest.
However, I didn't care about that, what I saw first was his hand.
Or, rather, where it should have been.
I gasped and picked up his arm gently, surveying the bleeding stub.
"What happened?" I whispered to him, but his eyes were closed tightly in sleep.
I whispered apologies to him and picked him up off the ground.
He was surprisingly light, but I wasn't surprised when a scream escaped my lips and I fell to the ground.
"Sage, I need you to walk. I promise I'll be here to help you." I whispered.
"I knew I chose the right person," he moaned, then accepted my hand and staggered onto me, resting his entire weight onto me.
I bit back a cry and urged myself to be steady.
For him.
We made our way back to the stream, slowly, stoping to rest more frequently than I would have liked.
At the ninth rest, I became upset.
"Sage, we really need to get back, okay? I get you're in a lot of pain, but I can't do anything about it until we get back to the cave. Please, just hold on. For me?" I pleaded, heaving him off the ground.
"Wren," he answered. "Please go without me. I can come later."
"Not an option. We're going to save the world, dummy, and I can't do it alone." I gathered up all the strength I'd ever had and practically dragged him forward again.
He shot me a pained grin.
"I'm sorry for hitting you with that fish," he apologized.
"You can make it up to me by living, okay? The entire world depends on it, so don't you dare even think of dying," I ordered.
He smiled, a forced look.
I gritted my teeth and we pushed forward together, fighting back pain.
Every time my leg cried out to me, I looked at Sage's hand, a reminder it could be mush worse.
"Look for the light," I whispered to him. "What doesn't hurt?"
"My... other arm? I'm sorry, that's all I can think of. Oh wait. My eyeball." He answered, smiling a little.
"Good. My... well, my ears don't hurt, so there's a start."
Just as I said that, irony in the shape of a twig scraped my ear.
Sage laughed, and I frowned at him.
"Not funny," I informed him.
"You're right. Sorry." He cleared his throat and turned back to staring forward.
Finally, we stumbled into a clearing, our clearing.
I sighed and lowered Sage into the stream gently.
"Just wash your wounds. I'm going to go see if I can find anything useful. Take your time. Try to relax."
He nodded stiffly and melted into the stream with a small wince.
I could tell he was trying not to look too pained-and failing.
I gave him a small smile.
I knew I had to care for myself too, but he was top priority for the time being, so I limped into the woods to look for anything remotely helpful.
I stayed close to camp. I didn't want any deaths to happen while I was away. I could hear Sage from here.
We needed meat, but I wasn't sure what Sage would think about me killing an animal.
Birds flitted through the trees, tempting me to throw a rock and have my next meal.
I rolled my eyes as one came dangerously close, knowing I wouldn't kill it.
For all I knew, Sage was a vegetarian.
Except, of course, he wasn't. We'd had fish before we both almost died.
But a bird...?
I shook off my nibbling thoughts and grabbed a rock off the ground.
I waited silently until a bird came close enough, then I took aim, and thwack, dinner.
I surprised myself with my amazing aim.
I grinned inwardly and scooped the fallen bird into my hand and limped back to camp.
"I got ya dinner," I said, breaking through the clearing.
"What is it?" Sage asked, turning from his spot submerged in the stream.
"Roast bluebird," I informed him.
He cringed.
"Bird?"
"Yeah. We don't have a choice, so shut your mouth and heal yourself. I cant do that for you." I ordered, then went into the cave and built a decent-sized fire.
I found a stick, cleaned it, and made a weird spit-like thing.
Soon enough, the bird was roasting over a fire and the cave was filled with blessed warmth.
I sat and watched the flames glow, turning the spit slowly.
My leg throbbed.
I knew in normal circumstances, all that I had done would be terrible for it, but I was given no choice.
I didn't regret it.
I settled my leg closer to the fire, relishing it's warmth.
However, the light it shed was unwelcome as I saw the sickly white the poison had caused.
I groaned a little and the pain seemed ten times worse.
What kind of poison had they used?
I should ask Sage, I decided.
I thought over the previous night.
I had been so frantic for someone I didn't know... at all.
And I didn't even really like him before. I thought he only wanted me for advantages, that he didn't care about who I was or how I had gotten there.
I cursed myself silently and grabbed a stick and poked the fire.
He had been so know-it-all.
I didn't want to admit I was jealous of him.
And in spite of all that, I had fought so hard to find him, I had even cried for him, and all for someone I... well, not disliked, but I didn't like him either.
I honestly didn't know how I felt about him.
I gasped as a spark flew out of the fire and singed my bad leg.
The bird was roasted by then, nice and crispy and almost appetizing.
I smiled and breathed in the savory scent.
I left it and went to get Sage, who was resting in the stream still, but this time he had peeled his bloodied shirt off and set it to dry on a rock behind him.
His wounds were clean by now, but the water around him was bloody and he had to hold his stub up to keep it from hitting against the rocks in the stream.
We had to get out of here.