Trying to Survive (Part 2) by C.J. Crowley Read Free Book Online Page B

The air in the room was hot and stale, so I eased myself out of bed, opened it all the way and stepped outside… Still hot as shit…
       I pulled out the pack of cigarettes Jessie gave me and dug around for my lighter. There was a rather large pond in the backyard directly across from me. It was producing a headache-inspiring amount of different noises from all the frogs and bugs chirping away. They so were high pitched and annoyingly loud that it wasn’t long before they drove me back inside.
      Can’t even leave the damn door open…
       Knowing it was a waste of my time to try and fall asleep, I left the room and headed down the hallway. When I walked past Melanie’s door I heard the light squeal of hinges. It was cracked open and I barely noticed the gleam of an eye staring out at me.
       I came to a stop and the door eased its way open – revealing Anthony. He whispered “Where are you going?”
       “I was just going to hang out downstairs for a while.”
       “I can’t sleep.”
       “Why not? What’s the matter?” They did spend most of their time sleeping on the way here…
       “I saw a dog outside and I know those things are gonna get it.”
       Shit… I’m all about helping animals – just not at a time like this. What the hell should I say ?... I sighed and leaned down as far as I could without hurting my leg. “We’re goin out there tomorrow to look for food. I promise I’ll save the dog if I come across it – it can come along with us… Now go back to bed and get some rest.”
       My lie didn’t seem to comfort him. He still held onto the wrinkled expression of being close to tears as he slowly nodded and closed the door.
       I felt so terrible. For a moment I actually considered heading outside to try and make friends with the dog so we could take it with us… It would really make them happy, but we just can’t… Or maybe we can? Would it really that big of a deal?
       As I walked down the stairs, I noticed that my bandages were feeling old and soggy again. To kill time, I found the duffle bag, gathered up everything I’d need and headed to the bathroom… it’s time for me to see what they did… Along the way, I grabbed two large candles that were sitting atop decorative stands on a small table placed under a painting in the hall.
       After I lit both candles and rested them on the sink, I stood in front the mirror and looked myself over. My clothes were filthy and riddled with random blood stains. My hair was wild and greasy, the stubble on face was turning into a beard and I’d been scratching at it so much that my neck was raw… I look like a crazy person.. . Do I even need all this shit wrapped around my head anymore?
       First I peeled the bandage from my cheek, taking some hair with it. The gashes were fully scabbed up and noticeably smaller in size. I could tell they were going to leave substantial scarring, but there was no point in keeping them covered any longer. If anything, they were at the stage where a little fresh air and dryness would do them some good.
       I opened the small white box with the red cross on it and located the scissors and a pair of tweezers so I could remove the stitches Walt had put in. There were only a few for each cut, and they were all loose and clearly ready to be removed. It took nothing more than a series of cautious snips and gentle tugs with the tweezers to slide them all out.
       I unwrapped the lengthy bandage, put my hands on the sink and leaned closer to the mirror. The only thing left to remove was the square of gauze and tape that held my eye shut.
       I took a deep breath and peeled it away.
       Just as before, the moment air hit my eye and the lid became mobile again, the pain shot through the roof. I stared just long enough to get a good look before I covered it with my hand… I really do look like a monster…
       Part of my eyelid had been ripped away. There were more gashes on my brow and