"I can't believe she made you run all the way back to New Canton," Caleb grumbles, his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me steady.

After that run as well as the one back to New Canton my ankle is red and swollen. It's just a bad sprain but it still hurts like hell and I'll probably have to go see Dr. Lobatse and ask her to wrap it up or get a note so I can get ice for it from the kitchens.

"She probably did it because she's still mad about the whole Lem thing."

I send him a narrow eyed glare, but don't say anything because I know he's probably right. Maxine wanted me to stay for a day to rest my ankle, because it wasn't broken but needed rest and running all the way back to New Canton would put it under a lot of strain. Even Janine said it would be okay for me to stay one night, although I would have to sleep on the floor.

Janine contacted Nadia and told her about my small injury and planned sleepover at Abel, but she refused, saying that it wasn't anything serious and I was needed at New Canton. I am not one to argue when needed, and since I know the AMTB was much worse I thought I could suck it and run back. And I was going to, because I had no desire to argue.

Sam on the other hand...

He spent nearly half an hour arguing with Nadia before he gave in and let me leave Abel Township, and that was only because Janine could hear their bickering all the way to her farmhouse and couldn't stand to hear any more of it. The run was fairly easy, and quick for someone with a sprained ankle, but the adrenaline is gone and all that's left is a red and swollen ankle that can barely hold its own weight.

Caleb is helping me limp towards the medical rooms. It's basically a large building with multiple doors on the outside, each with a doctor, medical supplies, and a gun. Each doctor has a specific room, so I direct Caleb toward Dr. Lobatse's. She's the nicest doctor I've had besides Maxine, and I know she's been wanting to talk to me but I've not gotten the chance to actually speak to her up until now.

We reach her medical room-Room 247-and since it isn't locked, we know she is inside and not working at the hospital. She turns to look at us as we enter, and her eyes widen when she sees me clutching onto Caleb like a lifeline.

"What happened?" She asks. "Has she been bitten?"

"No, she was just stupid and ran all the way back from Abel with a sprained ankle," Caleb replies with an eye roll, and I send him a sharp glare in return.

"Why would she do that? If she sprained it in Abel I'm sure Dr. Meyers would have insisted on her staying a day or so to let it heal." She pauses and looks at me with questioning eyes. "Did Janine make you come back?"

"No, Nadia insisted," He answers before I can.

"Oh. Oh, I see," Dr. Lobatse murmurs, but then she pats the examination table that you'd see at a doctor's office. "Well, come sit, Five. I'll take care of that ankle and take a look for infection per protocol."

I nod, and the redhead holding onto me helps me limp over to the table, and sit down. "If I'm not waiting for you outside it's because I'm at the school to pick up Willis."

Another nod. He gives me a small smile as he walks out the door, but I can see the irritation in his eyes. I'm nearly certain he wants to punch Nadia in the nose for making me run all the way back here, but I can't blame her. This isn't much of a punishment considering I made her believe he was alive.

"I'm sure the children are going to be upset about hearing this," Dr. Lobatse says as she gently tries to take off my right shoe and sock. She frowns when she does, and looking at it I grimace. It's worse than I thought.

It's bright red and is swollen to the size of a tennis ball. I'm surprised I made it back to New Canton if it was this bad even half the way there. I can only assume it's because of the cold and adrenaline masked some of the pain that I made it.

'Why do you say that?' I question.

"Because you're their mother, maybe not biologically, but that's how they see you. I've spoken to them from time to time. After all, Milo had a second degree burn on his arm and Penelope was traumatized when they came to New Canton, and Willis..." She sighs. "They care about you, Runner Five. Penelope refused to speak to anyone until she saw you, and while Milo was being treated he kept asking if you had come in at all."

'I... didn't know that.' The stab of emotions nearly knock me off the examination table. Guilt, sadness, flattery...

Happiness.

It's wrong to actually feel happy when I hear that when they were injured and scared they worried about me, but I still feel it. They care enough about me to worry when they should have focused on themselves. They shouldn't have done so, nor do I think I deserve their love or care but... I still have it.

'Is that what you wanted to tell me before?' I ask as she finishes compressing my ankle in gauze tape. Her eyes flicker up to read my hands, and with a sigh she shakes her head.

"No, what I need to talk to you about is... personal. I think that's a good way to put it. Take off your shirt and pants. I need to check for bites."

I slowly stand, leaning on my left foot and holding onto the examination table for support as I try to shimmy out of my clothing. My heart is beating a hundred miles an hour, and I'm sure I've become paler than Dracula himself.

Personal? What does she know? Does she know I'm from the AMTB? Does she know about my files? About what I've done?

It takes everything in me not to start hyperventilating as she checks my skin for bites. If she knows who I am-if she's seen my files somehow-will she tell the council? Will she tell Janine? I may have gained more trust than I had when I first arrived, but if they were to find out... what would they think of me? What would they say? What would they do?

Would they kick me out of Abel and New Canton? Would they leave me out for the zombies? Would they-

"Runner Five, you're shaking," Dr. Lobatse says, pulling me out of my paranoid mind. Her face holds an expression of concern. "Are you alright?"

I can't even find it in me to sign a yes or no; I just nod.

"Well, you are clean, but I need to ask you something before you put on your clothing and leave." Her words are cautious, as if trying to speak to a scared animal. Although with my expression that might just be what I look like.

"Runner Five, when did you loose your voice?" She asks, and I blink. That was not what I was expecting at all.

'How did you know I lost it?'

With that Dr. Lobatse sighs. "When you arrived at New Canton, you were given a full medical examination by me. Do you remember? We did this to make sure none of the Abel Township residents had anything that could be spread to the New Canton people.

"When I examined your throat... I noticed the scar tissue there. It lined your entire throat and from what I guessed your voice box as well." She pauses for a moment. "That scar tissue was thicker than it should be-as if you didn't get the right treatment. And the scar tissue indicates that this wasn't something you were born with."

I say nothing as I'm still unsure whether I should actually answer. This could always be a test or trick.

Maybe she isn't going to tell the council. Maybe the AMTB made contact with her somehow and are trying to see if I'll stay faithful and stay quiet.

I've heard about them doing it before-calling one person in the base and hiring them to test the possession and see if they'll be faithful. I've heard of what happens if they aren't, and if it's true than I don't any part of that. Those punishments makes the time I lost my voice sound like a picnic.

"The only way for your throat to be that badly damaged is if someone forced an acid down your throat and then didn't give you the correct treatment after you threw back up, which you must have done since you're still alive, although I don't know if that was intended for you to do or not." She looks at me with concerned eyes. "Did someone do that to you, Runner Five? Did someone try to hurt you?"

I keep quiet, fear pulsing through my veins as my hand reaches up to grab the invisible backpack strap.

"You're too afraid to tell me, aren't you?" She huffs when I still don't give any answer. This must be some sort of trap, either by the AMTB or just her trying to find out who I actually am.
It has to be. No one has actually asked about my voice; No one even knows I used to have one. Well, I mentioned it once to Maxine but most likely she has forgotten about it, because she's never asked or-

"Would you tell me what happened if I told you there's a chance you could talk again?"

My head snaps up so quickly I lose my balance and fall onto the floor, with my swollen ankle, while still being half naked.

"Good heavens, are you alright?" Dr. Lobatse moves toward me but I raise up a hand to stop her.

'What do you mean?' My eyes are wide and my mouth is hanging open. She can't actually be serious, right? But why would she tell me this? Does she really want to know that badly?

"I mean, if what I'm thinking happened to your voice is true, there may be a way for you to get it back. There may be a way for you to speak again."

My brows furrow as I push myself into a sitting position. 'How?'

"I'll need to know what caused you to lose your voice first," She answers, and I search her face for any sign that she might be hiding something, but there's nothing.

'I don't know,' I reply honestly. 'I was given a drink, and a few minutes later I was given another so I'd vomit it up. I got surgery to stop the bleeding, but never anything else since they wanted my voice gone.'

"And who are they?"

'I can't tell you that.'

"Are you afraid they'll hurt you if you tell?"

'Yes. They'll find a way to get to me.'

"Very well then," She says, sounding slightly disappointed. "Well, there is a way I could help you get your voice back, but it will only have a fifty percent chance of your throat and voice box healing properly and it will be painful the first few days of taking your medicine."

'What exactly do you mean?'

"As much as I would love to do this the easy way where you undergo surgery and have the scar tissue scraped off and then have an easy recovery, I do not have the necessary equipment and we're running low on anesthesia so even if I did preform surgery it would be excruciatingly painful."

I nod, not entirely sure how to feel about that statement. 'So I'm guessing you've thought up a less painful procedure?'

As I ask this, I almost want to laugh at the fact that I'm actually listening to her. I've been mute for over two and a half years, and I was told after drinking that mystery... poison or whatever it was that I'd never be able to speak again.

But she always was good at lying, and it's seems almost certain that Dr. Lobatse is simply trying to help, so could there possible be a chance?

"Yes, I have, but just because it will be less painful doesn't mean it will be painless. If you decide to do so, I will give you syrup of ipecac, which is medicine used to make a person vomit violently. The amount I will give you will actually cause the constant
retching and vomiting will cause the scar tissue to tear off, therefore removing it.

"You will most likely tear into small sections instead of your entire throat, meaning there's less of a chance of you swallowing too much blood. After that you'll receive treatment and medicine to help heal your throat and voice box and hopefully you will regain your voice."

I stare at her in horror. That sounds absolutely terrible. The thought of me vomiting up my own flesh and blood nearly makes me vomit right there. And if I do go through with this, I might not even get my voice back. She said it was only a fifty-fifty chance.

But what if I don't do it?

What if I run out here and never speak of this again? What if I don't try this and never speak again? What if I live my entire life wondering whether or not it would have worked?

I can't do that.

'And when would we start this treatment?' I question.

"Well, we certainly cannot start it now. We will have to wait until we know more about the fast zombies and Van Ark before you could take this treatment," She answer , and I raise a brow curiously.

'Why would I have to wait?'

"Because if you were to take this, you could spend up to a week vomiting up the scar tissue, and even after that you'd need another four or five days to recover from losing nutrients and having no food or water in your system," Dr. Lobatse responds. "That time is valuable because you would not be able to run since you could start vomiting at any given time, and you know we think zombies are attracted to the smell of blood.

"And if something urgent were to come up, you would have no way of helping out because you would be too ill to do so. It would be best for you to do this once you return Abel where you will be more comfortable."

'And how long would it take for me to be able to speak again?'

"If you do actually speak again it could take as little as ten weeks or up to a year or longer."

'But there is a chance I'll be able to speak again?' I hold breath as I wait for an answer.

She nods. "There is a chance. I'll have to make a call to Abel and talk to Maxine and see if she'd be willing to administrate the medicine to you, and make sure Janine knows that at some point in time you will have to take a break." She pauses and looks at me expectantly. "That is, if you will do it."

I stay still and quiet for a few moments as I try to weigh the pros and cons. Of course I miss my voice, and I'm sure the pain will be worth it, but what if it doesn't work? What if I go through all of this and still not be able to speak? How could I live with that?

I couldn't.

But then again, how could I live the rest of my life not knowing if it would have worked?

I couldn't.

With that in mind I realize that I have a choice to make, and one could hold the chance of changing my life.

'I will do it,' I sign as a kind smile appears on the doctor's face. 'But I have one question: If there's only a fifty percent chance of this working, why are you willing to give me these treatments if it could be used on someone else who has a higher chance of getting better or cured? Why use them on me when it could be a waste?'

The doctor sighs and pushes her glasses up on her head, covering her ginger bangs. "I've been thinking about what could've happened to you ever since I did that medical examination when you first arrived, and I always wondered why this was done to you. I wondered if you had done this to yourself, but then I thought it was a punishment or someway to get what information that was wanted from you, as if you were a spy or traitor.

"But then I actually watched and got to know you a bit better. I see how you are around those children and Caleb and I see how happy you get around Sam and I see how sad you were to see your friends leave back for Abel. I know there is no way what happened to you was something you deserved. Someone did this to you to be cruel, and seeing as to how you're still terrified and won't tell me who did it to you confirms that.

"You deserve this, Five. The apocalypse takes a lot of things from a person, especially someone as young as yourself, so you should be able to get your voice back, or at least, you should be able to get the chance to try."

Her words nearly make me speechless as I am once again reminded that for some odd reason people actually care about me and my wellbeing. I'm reminded once again that some people are just nice people who actually give a shit about others.

Like Anna.
Like Wes.

'Then I will most definitely do it,' I answer proudly, almost confidently, 'And I'd like to start as soon as I get back to Abel.'

"Runner Five..." She says almost in a warning tone.

'I understand you believe it would be best if I wait, and I will. It will be another few weeks if not months before Abel Township is finished. By then we will have made at least some progress on Van Ark.'

She doesn't look very convinced, but still she nods. "Alright. I'll make the call through transmission to talk about it with Dr. Meyers and Janine."

'Thank you,' I say, before shakily pulling myself up from where I was sitting. I grab my shirt and pants and try to get them back on, and while I succeed, it does come with much difficulty.

"I'm also going to make sure you have no runs tomorrow, since you need to rest that ankle for a day or so." She scribbles down something on a piece of paper and hands it to me. "This is so they'll give you ice when you go to the kitchens. Rest well, Runner Five."

I nod, awkwardly hobbling out the door with the note as well as my shoes and socks in hand. I shut the door behind me and lean against it, still trying to comprehend what's just happened.

There's an actual chance I might get my voice back. A slow smile starts to form on my face as that hits me. There's a chance I might actually get to speak again.

"Took you long enough," Caleb says with crossed arms. His face holds one of annoyance, but that doesn't actually effect me. I'm still smiling like a moron at the fact that I really have a chance. I might get to speak again; I might get to sing again; I might get laugh loudly again.

"Mum!" Willis shouts, racing forward and engulfing me into a hug. I have to grab onto the door knob to keep from losing my balance, and he seems to instantly notice my change in posture-how it isn't relaxed. He looks downward at the foot that isn't resting on the ground, all wrapped up tightly in bandages, and something that resembles pain fills his eyes.

"You're hurt."

This gains Milo and Penelope's attention as well, and they're rushing toward me with wide eyes-fearful eyes. Caleb slowly walks behind them, holding out an arm for me to grab when he reaches me, and I gladly take it.

'It is just a bad sprain,' I reply. 'Nothing to worry about.'

"So you're going to be okay?" Penelope asks shakily.

'I'll be fine. I promise.'

"I don't like you getting hurt," Willis mumbles as he hugs me again. "I want you to be okay forever. I don't want you hurt."

"So how long are you going to have rest?" Caleb asks when Willis pulls away and I'm left to grabbing onto his arm with my free one. I shove my shoes and socks under my arm and hand over the note for him to hold.

'One day, maybe more depending on how bad it is afterward,' I answer casually.

"I guess we should get you some ice then, huh?" He questions. "I'll walk you to the sleeping quarters and then I'll go get the ice for you, alright?"

I give a nod and a small smile of thanks, which he returns as we start to walk. Penelope and Milo start to tell me about their day, only pausing when I wince at putting too much weight on my ankle for too long of a time. Willis will make a comment or so, but his focus seems to be on my injury. He's staring at it like he hates it for causing me pain, and I know I'll need to make sure Willis is not around me much when I take that syrup of ipecac.

I would tell them about me getting the treatments, but if I do not only will I raise up their hopes before it's begun, but I'll raise up my own as well. Of course, I have hopes that this will working, which is why I'm smiling through every twinge of pain I feel right now, but even with the hope of it happening I know I cannot have too high of hopes, just incase this all comes crashing down on me. If I did get my hopes raised up and this all failed...

I couldn't live with that.

A/N: Huh, this chapter was longer than I thought it it'd be. More of a mellow chapter, but I think this has some pretty good information, right? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please be sure to vote and comment. Thank you and have a blessed day!