Chapter 13

I woke up, and the first thing I noticed was the dusty, empty smell of the air.

I groaned and sat up, my leg aching.

When I looked at it, I saw that there was a bandage on it, and it was fresh and white, too.

I turned to my side, and found Gabe sleeping in a worn-out chair next to me.

I looked around, and realized we were in a large tent, the edges flapping in the faint breeze.

Then, one of the flaps opened and a woman I've never seen before walked in.

She had pale skin and a tangled head of long brown hair. She noticed me watching her, and she smiled.

"My name's Mary. I'm a doctor for the Right Arm." She said warmly.

When she reached the cot I was lying on, she checked my bandage.

"Seems to have stopped bleeding, which is good."

She went over to a table and got a glass of water.

"Here, drink this." She said, handing me the cup.

I nodded my thanks, and took a sip.

Mary glanced at Gabe, who was still asleep.

"He insisted on staying with you 'till you were better." She said kindly.

I grinned.

"Yeah, he can be annoying sometimes, but he's loyal as a dog."

Mary laughed, then walked out of the tent again.

I had been laying there for a while, and then Gabe woke up in a fit of coughing.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I tried to stand and get to him. But my legs were too weak, and I stumbled.

He caught me, and helped me back to the cot.

As soon as I was off my feet, he started coughing again.

I thumped him on the back, and it eventually subsided. I handed him the glass of water I'd been given earlier, and he took a huge gulp.

"Has it gotten worse?" I asked him quietly.

He looked at me.

"It comes and goes. Mostly all it does is make me mad, or cough." He groaned, rubbing his neck.

I glimpsed something on his arm and horrible memories came crashing back into my head.

"Hold on." I said, gently tugging down the collar of his shirt.

Black veins were running down his back and along his shoulders.

I gasped, letting go of the fabric.

He turned to look at me, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow.

"I'm going to have to leave soon, so I don't go completely insane and attack one of you guys." He said softly.

He turned away from me, then stood up and walked out the tent.

A dark color caught my eye, and I looked down at the ground where Gabe had been coughing.

There were splatters of blood.

I braced myself with the table next to my bed, and I slowly limped out of the tent.

As soon as I walked out, Joan, Charlie, and Bits, who had been standing nearby, ran over to me.

Joan grinned.

"Looks like I'm not the only veteran Runner now." She said jokingly.

I smiled, but it was forced.

Charlie noticed.

"Has he gotten worse?" She asked softly.

I looked at her, my eyes filled with sorrow.

I nodded.

Bits patted me on the shoulder comfortingly.

Joan didn't say anything, but her eyes told me how sad she really was.

I looked around and spotted him standing alone on a cliff, gazing at the mountains around us.

I was scared he was going to jump, try and end it all.

But he just turned around and headed towards the sparse forest on the other side of camp.

His normally smooth and confident walk had changed into a stiff, jerky stagger.

I couldn't take anymore of it, and I broke down in tears.

My friends did all they could to comfort me, but the only one who really understood was Joan.

When Addy had tossed the knife at Marie, she had felt what I'm feeling right now, but in a couple seconds.

Later, after I had composed myself, I went up to Mary and asked about Will.

She turned to look at me slowly.

"His burns will heal, but he's going to be permanently blind. I'm sorry." She said gently.

I nodded, my heart and brain feeling numb.

I walked into the tent, and noticed that the limp inflicted by the bullet was almost gone, which meant I would hopefully be able to run again.

Will was sitting at a table, gazing into space.

His head turned slightly at the sound of my footsteps.

"How you holdin' up, shank?" He asked gruffly.

I stopped and crossed my arms.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." I said mockingly angry.

Will grinned, then turned to face me.

Mary was right, I could tell his burns would heal.

But his eyes were blank and vacant, a pale brown color.

I pulled up a chair next to him.

"So, can you see anything" I asked.

He shrugged.

"I can see faint colors and shadows, and movement, but I can't get any clear details." He answered nonchalantly.

I nodded.

"So you're not completely blind." I stated flatly.

He shook his head, then looked me straight in the eyes.

"Gabe's gotten worse, hasn't he?" Will asked in a quiet voice.

I stood up, the chair squeaking back and making him jump.

"That's all anybody cares about! I wish people would just stop talking about it." I yelled angrily, stomping out of the tent.

I headed to the forest, forgetting that's where Gabe had gone earlier.

I found a small stream, then leaned against a tree, watching the water flow around the small pebbles protruding from the surface.

My mind had wandered, leaving my brain blank and completely unaware.

It was only when I heard footsteps behind me that I snapped back to my senses. I whirled around, and saw Gabe stumbling through the woods.

His arms were twitching, and his head was limp, lolling to the side.

My heart started racing, and I backed away slowly, the images of David and Addy going through my head.

I crept through the forest as silently as I could.

I looked back to see if he was following me, but didn't see him anywhere.

But when I turned back, he was right in front of me.

I leaped back with a shriek, but he clamped his hand over my mouth mid-shriek.

He glanced around quickly, then pushed me against a tree.

"Don't say anything. Just listen. I'm leaving. I'm getting worse by the hour, and I don't have many sane ones left. Don't try to stop me." He whispered in my ear, his breath hot against my skin.

He backed away, then stepped forward and kissed me gently.

I stuttered for words, but he was already walking away.

I swallowed, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Something crumpled in my hand, and I realized he'd pressed something into my fist.

It was a square fold of paper.

I carefully unfolded it, my hands shaking.

The note had two simple sentences on it.

It said I will always love you. But if you ever loved me, you need to let me go.

I felt fresh tears running down my face as I read the letter over and over.

The certainty I felt in my chest was like a big black pit.

Gabe was gone.