A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

22. Good Soup

The sun seemed to pierce through Mara's eyelids, her hand coming up to cover her eyes instinctively as she let out a tired groan.

Mara took in a deep breath, attempting to swallow, the dryness in her throat making it difficult. Her limbs were tired, yet weirdly not as sore as she expected them to be. The events unfurled came flashing back, and in a second Mara's breath hitched, her eyes shooting open. She instantly regretted it, the bright rays of the sun beaming down on her mercilessly enough to temporarily blind her. Her hand came back to shield from the light as she looked around, fear in her eyes as they shifted from wall to wall and object to object. 

The girl crawled back as best she could, her legs tangling themselves around the blanket that currently covered her bottom half. Mara winced when feeling a slight sting on her left arm. Upon looking down, she froze in place when noticing a needle—an IV—pierced through the inside of her elbow, connected to a long and thin tube. Upon following the tube, Mara's eyes were met with an IV bag in which a clear fluid sloshed around, prompted to by Mara's hectic movement. 

Mara's heart was erratic, adrenaline once again pumping through her veins and her brain telling her to run, to leave before anyone came. However, now that she sat up against the bed frame, the weakness in her limbs heavily weighed her back down. Mara took a look around, realizing that she was indeed unaccompanied within the warm yellow walls of a quaint room. A window sat on the other extreme, the blinds opened and revealing the rays of sunlight that suddenly weren't so bright anymore. A harmless lavender pot sat on the ledge of the window, bright purple flowers basking in the sun with leaves a healthy green, almost stretching towards the sun happily. The faint smell of lavender was pleasant, aiding in relaxing Mara's stiff muscles.

Mara looked to her sides, the bedside tables accessorized with medical equipment Mara knew nothing about. A couple feet beside her sat another bed, clean yet slightly unkept as if someone had previously lain in it. An abstract painting hung on the wall across from her, warm colors splashing against the canvas and offering consolation. Then finally, at the farthest corner of the room were Mara's belongings, her bag propped up against the wall on the floor. Her belongings were all present, as far as she could see. This eased her a bit more. However, as comfortable as she felt in the room, Mara couldn't help the nervous tension in her body. Turning to look at the door, not knowing who would walk through it was anxiety inducing.

Mara listened as faint, muffled voices could be heard nearby. They didn't sound familiar, nor did she expect them to.

I'm still alive and that's the weird part.

Mara expected to wake up in the afterlife after the events unfolded the night prior. She expected to see her dead self mounted to a wall along with every other victim the cult-like group had captured. What she didn't expect was to be alive, covered by a blanket in a comfortable bed with an IV needle sticking out of her arm.

I'm not in a cave either.

Mara glanced at her wrists, noticing that they still appeared thin, however her skin had returned to its healthier complexion . She was still too afraid to look in the mirror in fear of what her face would look like. Mara brought the blanket up passed her hips, using it to shield her entire body except for her head.

Just then, the door knob twisted and creaked, startling the girl and causing her eyes to widen drastically. The door whined as it opened, a tall figure entering the room and making his presence known. Mara stared with fearful eyes, watching as the male, a tall, black-haired man donning a calm expression and casual clothes strolled in. He nonchalantly came to Mara's bedside, which caused the girl to flinch back. This seemed to startle the male as he jumped in shock, letting out a loud gasp with eyes just as wide as Mara's. He blinked rapidly at her, finally noticing that the girl was awake and staring directly at him. The male seemed to be at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before he finally stuttered out,