Blood of Eden (chapter 10)
Blood of Eden
CHAPTER TEN
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I open my eyes as the sun beats down gently. I am so cold. Immediately, pain overwhelms me. I gasp for air and it hurts to breathe…Where am I? My mind feels dazed, and after several moments, I realize I am upon my back. My head hurts worse than any part of me, and it’s not just the outside. It’s inside my head.
Why am I here? Why do I hurt?
I try to move but it hurts so badly. What happened to me? How long have I been here?
I know nothing except what I see and feel, and what I see is blurred while what I feel is a hard ground and nothing but pain.
I try again to move, and after several moments, I am finally able to move my arm, though it hurts.
Where did I come from? Did I fall? Was I hit by a vehicle? Was I beat up? What—why am I here? I recognize nothing around me as I weakly sit up with great effort. I must have been here for days, whatever the reason, and I’m filthy and my clothes are torn.
I slowly manage to get to my feet. Something bad has happened to me. I wince and cry out at the pain in my feet, but then I walk slowly. I trip and fall after only a moment, but I struggle to my feet again, which begins to kind of become numb.
Not knowing where I’ve come from, I have no idea where to go. So, in a daze, I walk painfully for about an hour, hopelessly following the tracks, staying near the rock line, stumbling ever here and there. The level of the ground begins to rise, as the slope of the sides of the valley seems to fall gradually. I turn and begin to try to climb up the steep hillside but have to pause along the way, pulling myself to a tree to lean against it. It hurts to breathe still, and I’m dizzy. My head aches as I let it fall back against the hard, rough bark of the young Black Jack tree. The shape of the tree with the slope of the ground seems to cradle me gently, trying to nurse my senses with serenity and bliss. The soft dirt at the base of this tree upon which I sit is quite cool, though dry. The shade is kind.
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During the moment to catch my breath, I want to simply fall asleep, but for my aches, I couldn’t if I tried. I feel as if this could only be a dream, like it’s not really there, and my thoughts are cloudy still, yet some deep knowledge tells me this is very much reality.
I must go on. I can’t stay here…But where do I go? It doesn’t matter.
So I struggle again, the pain intensifying again. I’m hungry and thirsty, as if I haven’t eaten for days.
After several minutes, I want to give up. The slope is too steep and too tall for me to continue like this. Yet I keep climbing upward ever still.
The sun bores into my eyes, reflecting off the large stones in its direct light.
As I reach the top, a faint remembrance haunts me, one of the last things I knew; rain, darkness…cold…fear. But of what?
As I walk through the trees and grass, the pain in my feet grows numb. I don’t care, even though it should be a relief. All I know is the gnawing hunger and savage thirst, and I’m so very tired. I can hear my own footsteps as my legs trod the grass or rocky ground, patches of different terrain. I also feel the earth beneath my feet. Each piece of small gravel or dirt, each hard, stubby stem of grass or stick that so much as lightly touches my bare, wounded feet remind me of pain and draws bits of blood, and my fingertips are still dripping blood slowly as the wounds crack.
After what seems an eternity, probably four hours, I hear distant voices. Something tells me to follow it, and so I make my way through the woods, not knowing where I’ll go, not recognizing anything. Several times, I nearly topple over from exhaustion. My mind is completely blank and I still can’t remember a thing, not even who I am, yet I can feel something familiar about how I can seem to feel and energy radiating from everything about me, the trees, the grass and bushes, the ditch to my left, even the ground, even the weak whispers of the wind and its ruffling the leaves or causing grass or branches to sway, or dead leaves upon the ground to tumble away. Any sound made wishes an impression, and makes an impression upon me; I feel it.
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I reach the tree line’s edge, the trees thinning out and brick buildings coming into view. This area is quite the secluded, and I get the feeling no one usually comes to this area. The area is quite secluded, and I get the feeling no one usually comes to this area. The underfoot is rocky soil with few patches of grass, requiring little maintenance, and the way to the building is with threes round the area, low-branched pine trees; there is lots of privacy. I want to stop and rest, but I still hear the voices nearby. I stumble a few paces toward the left side of the stone building, it’s being unfamiliar to me, and there are a few people gathered perhaps twenty yards or so away. There are all young people, perhaps me age, most older by a couple years. I stop, swaying weakly. They can’t see me. Their backs are to me and there’s a tree in the way. I can’t understand what they are saying. It seems foreign, and it’s kind of echoed. But after a moment, it becomes a little clearer.
It’s a group of perhaps five guys or so. There’s two big guys with broad chests and one has sandy brown hair and brown eyes, while the other has reddish-brown hair and a dark tan. His eyes are hazel. I don’t know how I can tell, but I can. The other three vary in size and looks. One is tall, but well in shape with a medium build and light brown hair, and the other two are smaller. One is weak-looking with black hair while the other looks like a geek, but he looks like he could be mean if anyone got on his bad side.
Something tells me these are not the people I need to run into, but I have no idea as to who they are.
The geeky guy suddenly laughs loud and then begins to turn away as he tells the others, I’m gonna go talk to my girlfriend…and by the way, please don’t be mean to her. Just because he sister’s a freak doesn’t mean she is. Besides, Marie isn’t really even her sister. Give her a break, will ya’?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever, Daman,” one laughs. “But one thing’s for sure, even if the one is a freak, she’s a hot little bitch. I’d screw her anytime.”
To this, the others all laugh, all except for this Daman character, whose jaw tightens. He shakes his head angrily, “Sometimes I just want to kick your ass. All you do is talk about messing around with girls. Even if she is pretty, don’t talk like that around me. I don’t care who it is. Besides, Jamie’s my girlfriend, and I don’t want to be around you guys when you’re like this.”
“Come on, loosen up,” the black haired small guy says, laughing. “But you gotta admit; Tray’s right—“
“Hell yeah,” the big, sandy brown-haired guy sneers. “By the way, you know what happened to her? Jamie never exactly told us what the hell happened. All I’ve heard is that she ran away about four days ago. No one’s seen her since.”
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Daman shakes his head. “No. She won’t tell me much either, especially since you guys’ve started hazing her. Later.”
The others all mutter the ‘bye’s, and I begin to back away. I still can’t recognize them, but the name Marie sounds familiar…Why does it sound familiar? I also recognize the names Jamie and Daman, though I can’t place them in my memory.
I back around the corner and crouch, staring at my hands as I hold them palms-up. Why do those people remind me of something? I don’t know any of them.
I still hear them speaking and laughing. One says, “You guys know what?”
“What?” one mumbles in reply.
I recognize the first voice and Tray’s. He speaks again, “I bet the freak’s a hoe.”
“Probably,” one other replies. “But who gives a shit? If you ask me, they’re all bitches.”
I cringe at their words, and I begin to see that loathing them was correct. These guys are trash with filthy mouths.
Then I hear a new voice, one that’s only laughed so far. It must be the other big guy, “Know what?” He waits for a reply. They answer silence to show they’re listening. “She won’t screw any of us.”
My hands shakily rise to cover my ears, though I know I can’t drown out their voices. I can’t press against my ears because of the pain in my hands and the gaping wounds in them.
Then Tray speaks, and I see his cruel grin in my mind, “Next time I see her, I’ll fuck her whether she wants to or not.”
“Shit,” one laughs as the others also laugh in agreement. “Well, that’s one way. At least then you wouldn’t have to go out with her.”
“Oh, hell no! She’s too weird…” Tray exclaims. His voice fades.
Suddenly, something kicks me lightly. I jerk awake, realizing I’ve passed out. I am on
my side, my face almost in the dirt and gravel. My eyes open slowly as I roll onto my
back slightly. I can’t keep them open, and I can barely see. My throat hurts and my head is spinning.
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A voice snickers, "Damn. Speak of the Devil! Look who we have here."
"Hey!" another male's voice laughs.
Suddenly, I jerk awake completely. Memories of everything flood into my mind, attacking me as I wake. I gasp
deeply as terror surges through me, and I jump, scrambling to my feet, but falling, and then getting up again to run. But
before I can run, Tray and the black-haired guy step in my way, stopping my possible escape. The pain is severe in my
bare, wounded feet and hands.
I turn to try to go the other way immediately, but then Tray lunges and he takes a hold of my arm and slams me
against the wall as he hisses cruelly, "Where you goin' bitch?"
He pens me to the wall, holding me forearms and pushing my own arms against me.
My hands are trembling wildly, as is my whole body. "No!" I yelp. "No, let me go!" My voice is hoarse and breaking.
"Shut up, freak," the black-haired guy says.
Tray sees my hands and looks into my eyes. I turn my head, trying to shield myself with my hands, though I can't
wrench myself loose from his grasp. He's far too strong, and I cannot fight him, especially in my own exhaustion and
pain. He laughs tauntingly and says sardonically, "Looks like you've had a rough few days. You look like shit…so what
happened to your hands?"
"Get away from me!" I hiss, trying to control my voice.
He pulls me slightly from the wall and then shoves me against it harder. My head hits the wall and a new pain sears
into me and I cry out. My knees try to give out, but he holds me here, trying to catch my eye.
My hands are bleeding again, and he pulls me from the wall and shoves me so that I fall to the ground roughly, unable
to break my fall. I try to get up, but it hurts too much to move.
The other guys seem to laugh, simply watching.
"Hey Freak Queen," he says. "Why the hell'd you come back? You don't belong here—"
"Leave me alone!" I cry, still trying to get up. I am unable.
Blood of Eden Chapters
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