The Wrath

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eventually, as always, her tears began to dry up, however grief stricken or hopeless as a person may feel, nobody can cry forever. Nadine raised her head slightly, then rubbed her eyes with her hands. The crying seemed to have helped a little, she was thinking clearer now.
Her eyes moved down to her leg and the open stab wound. Placing her hands flat against the floorboards for support Nadine pushed herself up, shakily she got to her feet. Limping a few steps closer to Alans body, Nadine dropped down onto her knees. She observed him for a few moments, ensuring that he is definitely dead, in horror movies the killers always wake up when they are supposedly dead for one more scare.
After a few moments Nadine felt confident enough to slip her hand into his coat pocket, she felt inside, but found it empty. Leaning over him, she then slipped her hand into his other pocket, this time she felt cold steel which resembled a bunch of keys, she closed her fingers around them and took them back. She pocketed them then reached for the handle of Kats knife, she clenched it in her fist then pulled at it grimacing slightly, clearly disturbed by what she is doing. The knife slid out easily, the blade smeared with blood, which Nadine wiped against Alans waistcoat.
She stands up again while folding the blade back inside, then walking backwards, not wanting to turn her back on Alan, she retreated out of the bedroom, past the faulty coat rack, through the hallway and into the bathroom. Without glancing into the bath, Nadine closed the shower curtain, she needed to dress her wounds before doing anything else.
In the bathroom above the sink there was a cabinet with a mirror on the front of it. Nadine pulls the front of it outwards to reveal shelves stacked with soaps, razors, waxing strips and medications. Nadine reached for a small green first aid box, after placing the switchblade down on top of the cistern, she pulls out the box and opens it up searching for anything in there that could be of any use to her. The first thing that catches her eye is a long stretch bandage. She unrolls it then proceeds to wrap it tightly around her thigh, the moment it touches her wound she sees a blood stain starting to show through it, she tucks it in on itself then picks up a roll of gauze tape from the box. Nadine tears off two lengths then uses that to hold the bandage in place. When finished with the protective coverings, Nadine returns the first aid kit into the cabinet then peered in observing the bottles of medication in there, carefully examining each one, reading the labels thoroughly until she finds a bottle of Amoxicillin.
In the back of her mind she recalled that the tablets were left over from her having a wisdom tooth removed about eight months ago, but only needed half of the amount she had been given. Removing the bottle, Nadine easily opened the childproof lock on it and shook out two tablets. There was a small plastic cup on the side of the sink which Nadine filled with cold water then popped the two pills into her mouth, washing them down her throat with the cup of water. She tipped the remainder of the water down the sink then put the cup back where it belonged then returned the pills to the cabinet. Closing the front of the cabinet, she couldn't help catching sight of her reflection in the mirror. Nadine stared in shock at the face looking back at her. The blood that had trickled from the cut on her cheek, the bruise on her forehead from hitting the floor, the graze on her other cheek from hitting the paving slabs, the gash under her eye and the ends of the splinters sticking out from her forehead had painted her face in blood.
Sighing heavily Nadine placed the plug into the sink then turned the cold tap on fully. She waited until there was enough water in the sink then bent over and splashed the cold water onto her face, the coldness of it as it seeped into her wounds made her gasp. Firstly, she picked up a pair of tweezers from a pedicure set then leaning closer to the mirror to see clearer, focused on the splinters, there was enough of them exposed to be able to grip the ends and remove them. One by one, taking her time, using the tweezers she carefully pulled all nine out. There was a flannel hanging from a hook beneath the cabinet, which she soaked in the cold water then tentatively wiped it over her face, although her touch was gentle and so careful, it still made her wince in pain. Despite the pain Nadine continued to try and clean her face up as much as possible. Eventually the blood on her face was wiped away. With the exception of the bruise and the actual gashes she looked like herself again. Placing both hands on the side of the sink she leant on it then drew in a deep breath. She raised her eyes and gazed at her reflection.