The Wolf You Feed
Chapter 66
The first thing Carl registered as a coherent thought was that his mouth felt like sandpaper. He couldn't remember the last time he was this thirsty. His next thought was that he was in pain. Not the stabbing white light pain anymore. It was more of a low steady throb on the right side of his face. Carl tried to blink his eyes open. The pain intensified but he was relieved that he was at least able to see out of his left eye.
There was a glass of water sitting next on a small metal table next to him. Carl reached for it and missed. Only being able to see out of on eye had thrown off his depth perception. On the next grab he managed to wrap his fingers around the cup. He bumped the glass into his lip in his hurry to consume its contents. Then he gulped every drop of water down as fast as possible.
"Let me get you some more."
The voice was unfamiliar and came from his blind side. Carl tensed. His free hand closed into a fist, ready to swing. He turned his head so he could get a look at the man that was speaking. He didn't look familiar. But he was dressed in a white doctor's coat and as Carl took in a little more of his surroundings he could see that he was obviously in some sort of medical facility. The old world doctors office look of the man and the place was reassuring.
"I'm Dr. Carson," the man explained, "You're at the Hilltop. You were hurt so your people brought you here so I could help you."
Carl nodded and handed him the glass. The man refilled it for him. They repeated this process three more times until Carl's thirst was finally quenched. Dr. Carson offered Carl some pain medication that he quickly refused. Carl didn't like not feeling clear headed. Especially in an unfamiliar place. Then Dr. Carson went to the door and opened it slightly. He told someone on the other side that they were allowed to come in now. Carl sat up, the corners of his lips already twitching up in anticipation of seeing the girl he knew must be waiting outside the door until he was awake.
"Where's Enid?," Carl asked, pushing himself up off the bed. There was already a small twinge of panic in his voice. Aaron stepped forward and arranged the pillows behind Carl's back so that the boy could lean back on them but remain sitting upright.
"She's not here yet," Aaron explained, "but she's on her way here from Alexandria." Carl tipped his head slightly as he regarded the man next to him. Something was very wrong. Aaron's whole demeanor was off. His shoulders were slumped. There were dark bags under his eyes. He tried to offer one of his signature reassuring smiles up for Carl but it came out looking painful.
"I told Enid I would drive her here but she didn't want to wait. She left on foot. That's how I got here before her," Aaron added. "I'm sure she'll turn up sometime today."
"Enid is out there ALONE?," Carl asked. He didn't wait for Aaron to confirm his suspicions. Carl tossed the blanket off his legs and swung himself off the side of the bed. An intense wave of dizziness washed over him. Carl steadied himself with his hand on the bed and waited for it to pass. He was wearing nothing but a thin cotton hospital gown. The back of it wasn't even tied shut. But he could see his clothes folded in a pile on a nearby chair. Carl grabbed for his boxers first.
Aaron and the Doctor were both chattering at him. They didn't want him to be out of bed. But they didn't understand. He couldn't just sit around. Enid was out there. Alone. Even the most capable fighters didn't venture out this far from the walls alone. And especially not without telling someone where they were going and how long they would be gone. He needed to find Enid as soon as possible. Before anything bad happened to her.
Carl was buttoning up his jeans when Aaron started getting a little more forceful with him. He told Carl he wasn't going to let him leave. That it wasn't safe. Aaron stood between him and the door. Carl's gun was not with his freshly washed clothes. But his knife was there. Carl grabbed it and pulled it from the sheath. He pointed it at Aaron. The man backed up slightly but did not move out of Carl's way. Dr Carson took one look at the wicked edge of Carl's hunting knife and skittered from the room like a frightened crab. Somewhere in the deep recesses of Carl's mind he understood that he was in no condition to mount a rescue mission and also that Aaron was his friend and just wanted to help him. But his thoughts were consumed with everything terrible that could be happening at this very moment to the girl he loved.
"Get out of my way," Carl ordered. When Aaron didn't comply, Carl swiped the knife at him. He only meant to back Aaron up but his depth perception was still off. He sliced through Aaron's shirt, nearly missing cutting him across his abdomen.
"HEY! Whoa there!" The voice came from the doorway. Carl turned his attention towards the new threat. Jesus stepped inside the room. He had his hands up, palms facing Carl. "What's going on here?," he asked.
"I'm leaving!," Carl announced. Jesus glanced towards Aaron, hoping for further information.
"His girlfriend is walking here from Alexandria," Aaron explained, "He's worried about her." Jesus nodded his understanding. The young couple must really care for each other if she was willing to walk here alone to see the boy and he was willing to run out to find her with no shirt on and a bloody eye socket. Jesus had been looking for his ride or die for years and these two teenagers had already found theirs. He was equal parts jealous and impressed with their absolute devotion to each other.
"How about this," Jesus suggested. "How about since we have no idea which road she was taking to get here, we wait just a little while longer for her to show up. And if she doesn't show, I'll go out with you and we will look for her?"
"So will I," Aaron added. Carl looked back and forth between the two men. They seemed sincere in their desire to help him. As Carl nodded his agreement, another wave of dizziness came over him. His knife clattered to the floor and he grabbed for the chair to steady himself. He missed, but before he could hit the floor Aaron caught him. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness again was the doctor telling Aaron and Jesus to get his knife waving ass out of the medical bay.
