Arriving in front of another hut, at the edge of their very small settlement, Mikael stood there hesitant. He needed more medicine for his father, but had no way of compensating for it.
'But I have to try at least.'
He called for the person who made the tonic. "Aunt Didi! Are you here?!" He shouted.
"I'm coming inside!"
Carefully he went into the small house, hoping she would just be asleep and nothing more, or out for the moment.
Her house was a bit bigger than others, as she was the only capable healer of their group. When they escaped, she secured some more important herbs and ingredients to make simple medicine. Also on a hastily build shelf to safe it from wetness were some papers made out of animal skin, clumsily bundled together or just rolled up.
"We risked so much for these things." Mikael spoke out loud. He wondered why these things where so important for Didi that she risked not only her life, but also that of many others to carry that stuff away from danger.
"Are they really worth it?" He reached out to take one, curious what they are or contain.
He twitched together as a friendly but stern voice called out to him.
"Do not touch these. They are really so important as to risk my life."
Mikael turned around, looking at the middle aged woman with long dark red hair and thin lips. Her skin showed she lost weight in a very short time, and the bags under her eyes displayed the long nights she stayed up.
"Aunt Didi!" Mikael said, embarrassed to be caught in her home.
"Sorry about that. But I have a urgent request."
"I can already guess, little Mik. Brom, right?" She guessed," His medicine should soon run out, after all he hadn't much to begin with. And why else would you look for me at this time."
Her voice sounded a little lonely, not for the lack of company, but for the reasons the people came looking for her.
"Yes." Mikael responded. "Father coughed more often since we stopped here, and each time it gets worse. Can you help him? But I can't pay right now, so..."
He searched for a solution, a reason she would give him more medicine.
But she cut him short.
"Sorry Mikael." she sighed. Taking a simple stool for him to sit, she kneed before him, explaining her dilemma.
He looked at her with hope, worry and a type of worship, like she can produce a miracle.
That made it even harder for her.
"I would certainly give you the tonic, but I can't. I have neither the ingredients nor the time to make another. In addition, the herbs loosing effectiveness shows that it is not a simple illness that can be cured with measly herbs. And it has nothing to do with money either. Brom helped me as much as me him, so I would always help him." She looked apologetic at his green eyes, hoping he would stay strong in case his father may not get better, even possible dying.
These news were the worst for Mikael, as he placed his hopes on Didi, as she could always help them cure anything that wasn't lethal or unknown.
He didn't know how to react, just looking blankly back at her, at a loss for words.
"I'm really sorry." She said. "But I have to do work now, and need to concentrate. So can you please leave."
He nodded in delirium, not even registering how he exited the hut or walked through the grass towards a clear plot of land, without any persons.
There he sat down, holding his legs in a angle and burying his head, crying silently, as he felt lost, not knowing how to help his father or whom to speak to.
'Everyone has problems, threats are everywhere and our situation is bad.' He thought with reddened eyes after he stopped sobbing.
He was for a moment angry at Didi, for not making any more medicine, despite knowing her circumstances.
Angry because no one would care if he would pass away in his sleep. Because their life right know is at the bottom.
'What did we do to deserve this? Why were we attacked by these people? How is it gonna end?'
Clueless, helpless and full of questions he sat there, just staring far away, not focusing on anything.
After a while, where he came to no answer by himself, he stood up, turning back towards their provisional hamlet.
His steps were slow, without energy and his arms were just dangling besides him. Others that saw him payed him no second glance, as they all have at some point the same expression.
At some point Nina, his friend that was about two years older, saw him.
'Mikael!' she thought happy, as they were the only children their age that escaped.
She ran up to him, wanting to escape her loneliness as her parents didn't escaped with her, and she relied on a friendly woman to give her a roof.
"Hey, Mikael. Why the long face?" she too cheerfully asked. Only seeing his side, his expression was unknown to her.
"What happened?"
He was glad to see her friendly face. As one of the few she had still a spark of liveliness in her, making somber days a bit brighter.
"Hi Nina, nice to see you."
He told her briefly how his fathers health got worse, and medicine wasn't an option anymore.
They were silently walking along the path, not knowing how to comfort each other.
'At least I still have part of my family.' Mikael thought. 'Nina doesn't really have anyone like that.
It is unfair of me to just load her with my burden.'
"Sorry Nina." He said, kicking a stone away with more force than necessary.
"I shouldn't be like that. We all lost something important to us."
Nina shook her head, disagreeing with him.
"It's alright. Witnessing the passing away of someone close to you and not being able to help can we worse than abruptly losing them."
She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer to let him lean on her.
They walked, without a clear destination, but still somehow ended up in front of Broms hut.
Remembering how violently he coughed and his natural bad sleep, he was afraid to go inside.
'What if he is already...' he dared not to finish his thought, hesitating to put his foot over the threshold.
"Should I take a look first?" Nina suggested.
'No! If he is really... dead, then I should be the one to see him, not Nina, not another one of the villagers.'
He ignored Nina's good intentions, crossing the line and walking with shaking legs in the hut.
He found Brom still laying in his makeshift bed, a bit of blood just coming up from the corners of his mouth accompanied by a violent cough.
At first, Mikael got very cold, as if his soul left his body. Then, when Nina also got in alarmed from the noise, he already found himself besides his father.
His hands hovered over Broms body, shivering and unsure what to do.
Nina feared not much better, looking back and forth between the duo and the outside, ready to call for help.
Mikael remembered how he got sick back some years ago, and his mother laid him to sleep on the side, in case he had to vomit.
"Nina, help me turning him over!" he called her. Despite Brom not eating as much as before, he was still very muscular, and his form made him too heavy for Mikael alone.
She no longer hesitated, rushing to his side.
"On three. One, two, three...!" he counted, and together they rolled him on the side. Almost instantly the coughing got quieter, and his breathing stabilized.
Mikael fell on his butt, a bit worn out. Nina instead put on of her hands on Broms forehead. He sweated a lot and had a slightly pained expression.
"He has fever!" she announced, searching for Mikaels eyes as this was far from getting better for them.
"Get some cloth with water to cool him down, fast!" She ordered, taking control now.
"I will look for Didi, maybe she has something."
Without waiting, she darted out, rushing down past the huts and towards the healers house.
Meanwhile, Mikael took a bucket with water, took an old cloth that saw better days and moistened it thoroughly.
He tapped away the sweat and carefully put the cloth on his forehead.
Then, he cut do nothing really more than make another fire and warm up the house.
While the season wasn't really a cold one, it still was cold enough to cause some heat issues and produce morning dew.
Mikael heard after a while, still waiting for Nina, the weak voice of Brom.
"Son?" The whisper like voice called out. The former strength nowhere seen.
"Yes, I'm here father. How are you feeling? Can I get something?"
Brom just weakly removed the cloth, rolling back and looking at his boy.
"Mikael, I don't know if I wake up again if I fall asleep again. I'm just so damn weak right now."
His talking stopped, replaced by another violent cough. He held the cloth before his mouth, and it got stained by splotches of bright blood.
"Don't say that dad. You are the strongest person I know. If someone can survive all this, then it is you. Please, don't leave me. I'm scarred alone."
Again, tears rolled down his cheeks, kneeling beside his father, not daring to touch him, in fear of hurting him.
"Silly, I would never leave you on purpose. And remember what I told you, even if it was years ago."
He began to recite:" A person can only die when..."
"... The people start to forget, through remembering your teachings and by upholding your values I can keep you alive." Mikael finished.
"Along these lines,yes." He smiled weakly. "But if you have to break my values, it's also alright. No one should control your actions, not even me."
He lifted his big hand and brought it towards Mikaels cheek, brushing away some tears. Then, Broms eyes grew heavier, and his hand laid back down. He fell into a heavy sleep with a very weak breathing.
Mikael then heard someone breaking through the open door.
"Move aside a bit, Mik." said Didi sternly.
She grabbed Broms arm and felt his pulse.
Her eyes showed her emotions clearer than words could.
"This is not good." she said under her breath.