As soon as my hands hit the black sludge, pain seeps through me, but when I pull my hands away part of the carnivorous black blob comes with it. Quickly rubbing it off onto my sweater, I notice it doesn’t burn through my clothes. Thank God I decided to wear a bra today, I slip out of my sweater and throw it onto Knox's chest to wipe away whatever we were hit with. The smell of burnt skin is God awful, and I continue to apologize as Knox groans while I work. Tossing my sweater to the side, I realize we’re in bigger trouble: I had no idea the black goo stuff was acting as a clotting agent.
“FUCK!”
Bright red blood starts gushing out of his wound, and I’m no doctor but I was raised around a nurse. This is an arterial bleed and needs surgery to be stopped.
Okay. Think, Rez. No time to panic. What do you have?
Looking around quickly, I get my answer. NOTHING. I’m in the middle of the woods, I have no idea which way the hospital is, and I have a few minutes if any to help him. Pressing my palm against his wound, I put all of my weight against it as I pull out my phone with my free hand. Not caring who I call, I hit the first speed dial I have and wait anxiously as it goes to voicemail.
Shit!
I feel all of my coping mechanisms going out the door as I sit here and try to save Knox’s life. My breath increases and my phone keeps slipping out of my sweaty hand as I try to hit the second speed dial. I feel as if I’m on the brink of losing all control. This is not how I pictured our first date going. Wait…was this a date?
Damnit, Rez. Get your head back in the game.As I hang up on the third voicemail, Knox lets out a cough and blood spills out of his mouth.
“NO!” I scream, dropping my phone and reaching for his face, leaving bloody finger prints along his scruffy jawline. “Please, Knox. Don’t leave me too.”
“Dear, you can be so dramatic. Although, this wasn’t supposed to happen.” Startled, I look up and see Anwen—the Fate I met my first week here—standing on the other side of Knox, rolling her eyes at me.
“Anwen! Can you save him?” I ask as hope blossoms in my chest for a second. Looking into her unique eyes I pray part of her powers are to heal.
“I’m afraid I cannot,” she says with a somber tone and my heart plummets. I can’t lose him, not when I’m finally opening up and getting to know this gentle giant. “But I can put him in stasis while you call for help.” Hope once again flairs, and I feel like my heart is on a rollercoaster with these ups and downs, but I’m not about to take her gift for granted. “He has greatness ahead of him and it would be a shame to have that wasted.” She looks fondly down at Knox and my little green monster surfaces. I’m about to throw everything off the table until I remember she’s here to save him, not hit on him.
Anwen gives me a knowing look as if she can read my emotions bouncing around, and that’s when I remember that she probably can. “Sorry. My emotions are all over the place, more so than usual.”
“It’s okay, Nerezza. One day your powers will be strong enough to wield miracles, but you’re not there yet.” She kneels down and places her hands an inch above Knox, running her hands over his body before looking up at me once again. “You can let go now. He’s stable.” She smiles down at me, and I return more of a grimace as I focus back on Knox, slowly removing my hand to see that the blood is just pooled there at the entrance. “I can’t leave him in this state forever, Nerezza.”
Losing what little patience I have, I turn to her with my phone in my hand and shake it. “And who should I call? The Ghostbusters? No one is answering their phones!” I cry out in a huff, shamelessly pouting as she gives me an annoyed look.
“Well, Dr. Steinbeck’s phone is on and he’s in his office. If you tell him you're west of the clinic in the treeline, he’ll be able to save him with no problem.”
Not hesitating or even questioning how she knows that, I quickly dial Dr. Steinbeck.
He answers on the first ring. I skip the pleasantries and get right to it.
“I need your help. Knox is bleeding out. We’re west of the clinic along the treeline. You shouldn’t be able to miss us. Just look for the destruction of trees and fallen limbs.” I rapidly spout out what Anwen had told me, but unlike every other bad TV show, I actually stay on the phone with him.
“Okay, I’ll be right there. Stay on the phone.” Nodding my head like he can see me, I relay the message to Anwen only to find her gone.
Why does she do that? I had so many more questions. While Steinbeck is running to us, I fill him in on what’s happened the best I can so when he shows up a few minutes later, he’s better prepared to save Knox’s life.
After thirty minutes of sitting around the empty hospital bay, I decide to try the Door Knight messaging system since I can’t get hold of anyone with my phone. I had tried calling and texting, but nothing. Hell, I even tried messaging the guys, but they didn’t go through. I would have tried a messenger pigeon if there were any, so my last resort is the Door Knights. I just hope Knots is right and all the doors are sentient. Slowly standing, I let out a grunt as I stretch my aching muscles. It turned out I was correct and I didn’t break anything, but I’m bruised to hell, no question. A nurse gave me a potion to help alleviate the pain before leaving me and going to help Dr. Steinbeck with Knox.
Walking over to the door in the corner, I lightly knock on it.
‘Um. hello? Are you alive?’I ask tentatively.
‘Well, what do you think? I’m talking, aren’t I?’
Great. Why couldn’t I get the meek and quiet Door Knight?
‘Could you get a message to Knots for me, please? Let him know I’m here with Knox and I can’t get a hold of anyone.’
‘Now why in Purgatory would I help you?’
Now I know I’ve been raised better, but I’m in a foul mood. So I would like to think that excuses my shortcomings.
‘Because I’m tired, hangry, and cold. I lost my favorite sweater in the woods. This scrub top is scratchy as hell. I’m still covered in my friends blood. My fucking phone doesn’t work. Knots said the Door Knights would pass on any message that I had. And of course, I get the one Door Knight I can’t give an attitude adjustment to by sitting on his face,’I exclaim, throwing up my hands. Thank God I’m alone because I’m sure I look like a lunatic.
