The Intruders

Chapter Nineteen

I DON'T KNOW when I can start to feel things. As soon as my neck was snapped, I felt nothing. It was glorious, no pain, no emotions, no memories. But then my vision slowly started to glow, and everything became red. The same red as my blood, the blood on R's bedsheets, the colour of R's bedsheets, the red when R kissed me, the red when R was killed, the colour of R's blood.

I feel the cooling air run through my nostrils. I feel my lungs fill up and sigh at the air. It cools the red, brings it back down, calming it to a orange, then to a yellow, and my eyes peel themselves open.

I'm in the hospital. My right arm feels heavy. There's something cold around my left arm. I don't even want to move my neck. Rain hits the window of the hospital, and the stench of bleach fills the room. I see movement to my left, and I spot my grandmother's curls.

"I wouldn't advise moving your neck." She says, she moves so I can see her better, it's like she knew I was awake already.

"Hi grandma." I smile slightly.

"I bet you already know what happened to you?" She asks. I nod. "Your neck will feel weak for a bit. You'll be fine to return back to the Resistance building today, but no fighting."

"Don't think I can." I try to lift my right arm, but it takes a lot of effort." I see the thick cream cast. "How long do I need to have it on?"

"It can come off tomorrow." My grandma replies.

"Quick." I say. "How long have I been out?"

"A week." She replies. "Be kinder to your body Vis, it took so long for you to wake up because it was tired."

"I mean, I couldn't help the breaking of the neck." I say.

"Cut the sarcasm." She says. "Have you been eating?"

I frown, wanting to sit myself up. It's like she reads my mind and comes to move my bed up. She sits on the edge of my bed, her hand touching mine. I've seen my wrist is handcuffed to the bed.

"Really?" I nod.

"Veronica's decision," she huffs. "answer my question."

"Of course, I have, why?"

"Your bones are very brittle; they shouldn't have broken so easily. And they've taken longer to heal than usual Survivor bones. You shouldn't have been out for so long, and even when we put the food drip on you, your body ate it up straight away, like you had deprived yourself."

"Veronica's chef cooks for me." I tell her. "I'm eating I promise."

"Then I don't know." She frowns. "But there is something off with your body, I don't think it likes this."

"This?"

"You being back here." She replies. "You don't belong here."

"I know but I will be back to the Old City soon." I say. "You could come with."

She smiles, squeezing my hand. "My life is here."

"Your family is there."

"I belong here, just like you belong out there." She says simply. "I'll get someone to unchain and get you back home. You get your cast off tomorrow, you'll feel like jelly for the first day, but I'm sure you'll be fine." She smiles. She stands up slipping her hand into her pocket. She pulls out a chain with a coin on the end. The necklace Lyton gave me.

"I had to remove it, but I shall put it back where it belongs." She smiles. She slides a hand under my neck, it's tender, like a burn or a nail you've bitten too much. I feel her lift me up and my toes wiggle at the slight pain. She quickly clasps the necklace and lays me back down, laying the necklace down on my chest.