I thought to myself, 'Crap, they have already encircled the town. We need to hurry.' I took off towards the bakery as fast as I could, but I felt my steps still being a bit uneven. I don't know if that was because of the medicine, blood loss or just flat-out fear though. I felt Sam and Josh each grab and arm and for a bit I thought I was flying. They were pulling me so fast that my feet were barely touching the ground. That also told me that I was not as clear headed as I thought I was.
I could hear the growls behind me which told me they were too close behind me, but I could not turn to look and see how close the wolf was from me. The way Sam and Josh were pulling me I didn't dare try to look back as I would trip and that would end the three of us in a heartbeat. Glancing ahead I could see a wolf standing there but it was past the bakery. The door was slightly open, and the baker was waving his hand to come quickly. We got close and I felt the air fly by my back. It felt like a paw swipe just missed me as we fell into the doorway and the door was slammed shut.
"Yer were lucky I looked outside before I closed and locked the door or you three would have been dead. Now, how did the lass here get hurt?" Asked the Baker.
"I fell on some rocks and they both saved my life." I replied quickly before Sam said what he was thinking. I was afraid of what he would say at this moment. The baker already did not like Josh that much right now, so I did not want anything else stirred up.
The Baker gave me a look but left to make sure other windows and doors were locked down tight and secure. We quickly moved up to Josh's place from the stairway in the back. When I walked in my jaw dropped. This place looked huge and amazing. I thought it was just one big room but no he had a true apartment just like at the inn in game although there was an extra set of rooms. I looked in the first room and found a large bed and a few dressers. Looking in the second one I found another smaller bed with ropes lying beside it. I shuddered at that room, really didn't need to know what Josh enjoys in his free time or was that his couple time.
"Sure Marie, go ahead and make yourself at home and enjoy snooping around in my home." Josh said with scarcasm.
Nodding and putting on a proud face, I replied. "Glad I have your approval, so I will do just that. You have never let me up here before, so I am going to make the most of..."
"Marie" They both yelled as they jumped towards me as my world faded into complete and total blackness.
"Josh, what should we do? She keeps blacking out over and over. I think something is really wrong with her. We can't go get a doctor and neither of us no more then to clean and bandage the wounds. Do we even have any food up here? The last time wolves came into town they stayed for a few weeks. What if her wounds get infected?" Sam said slowly building himself up to a panic and started pacing.
"Sam, Sam? SAM!!! Chill dude. Things will work out ok. Calm down Hun." Josh tried to get Sam's attention, but he was in true panic mode. "Sam, I have never once seen you like this. PLEASE calm down."
I moaned and gave a slight cough. Both of them froze and turned toward me. Josh moved over and touched my forehead. "She is slightly warm to the touch right now. Sam, take a few deep breaths, you will do me no good with you panicking. I need your help. Please go downstairs and ask the Baker's wife to come up here. She has had 3 kids in her life so she will know what to do. OK, Sam?"
Sam nodded to Josh and turned towards the stairs and left almost at a run. Sighing Josh turned around and looked at Marie. He was at a loss of words; Sam has never once freaked out like this in all the time he has known him. Looking at Marie he wondered why Sam would be so upset over her. He knew she was his best friend, but he wondered if there was more to it. Maybe there was a reason why Sam was protesting him getting married to Marie. He sure knew he was relooking at his stances on a few things.
Coughing again, the steps to the Baker's wife and Sam were almost drowned out as they came up the stairs. The Baker's wife was carrying a few towels and a couple bottles, while Sam was carrying water and a bowl.
"Now children you need to clean the wounds with water, then pour this bottle on it." She held out the bottle as she said that. "Then you need to pat it mostly dry and then finish it off with this bottle before wrapping the wounds. Now as for her cough, prop her up so she is not flat on her back and then keep a cool towel on her forehead to help keep her head cooler. I will be back after I make some porridge for her to eat when she wakes up. Also make sure you do that stuff while she is asleep. It is really going to hurt if she is awake."
"Sam what is that stuff?" Josh asked.
"Homemade peroxide and then the other is pretty much pure moonshine or another strong alcohol. They make the alcohol for their bread, apparently it makes it extra fluffy and moist." Sam replied.
"Yikes, that will hurt big time on an open wound. Yeah, let's get to work then." Josh said. "Hey Sam, why are you against marrying Marie? Other than her being trapped that is."
"Not now Josh, we need privacy for this talk and Marie needs us both to focus on her. But once she is better, we can discuss this in depth. OK?" Sam replied to Josh looking him straight in the eye.
Nodding Josh and Sam quietly set out to work on the tasks given to them by the Baker's wife. They cleaned every wound on her legs they could find. It was to the point her entire set of legs were wrapped in bandages. Sam made sure the legs were not wrapped together too. He didn't want Marie to wake up in a panic thinking she was trapped. From what he could tell nothing Josh and himself cleaned should cause a fever though. Maybe it was the meds she was given?
Groaning and moaning Marie started to shift a bit back and forth. She started to get worse and both Josh and Sam were worried she was going to tear the bandages, so they held her in place. They both could hear the Baker's wife coming back up the stairs.
"Oh goodness gracious me, what is going on here? Is she trashing about?" asked the Baker's wife. "Did you get EVERY wound?"
"I think we did, let's turn her over and make sure. Sam, help me out here please. You take that side, and I will start to turn her towards you. Ok?" Josh asked Sam.
Josh didn't wait for Sam to reply and slid his hand under Marie's back, as he did his hand quickly became wet and he quickly pulled it back out from under her with a look of terror on his face. Showing his hand everyone gasped. It was covered in blood, and something tinged with a streak of black in it.
"Did she get attacked by a wolf? Don't you know they are poisonous if they scratch you? I have never seen black streaks in the blood though. Usually, it is green if they scratch you. So, this is something new, ok now turn her over and let us see this wound on her back." The Baker's wife shared.
As they turned her over, blood dripped down off the table and to the floor. Josh felt lightheaded and had to sit down the world was starting to spin. "Do NOT touch the blood. Something is wrong with it. I think it is the shot of whatever that guy gave her that is causing the black streaks and all the pretty swirls that shouldn't exist." Josh passed out with a smile on his face.
"OK, we now know that we need to keep a barrier between us and the tainted blood. Let's start by wearing gloves, here put on a pair Sam. Then we will need to find the wound by wiping away the blood gently." Instructed the Baker's wife.
Slowly they started to wipe away the blood, but they couldn't find a single cut in her skin. Her back was pretty much entirely covered in blood when they started but no wounds were being found. It was almost as if the wound healed or something. Once all the blood was wiped away Marie started waking up and coming around. She moaned and then jumped up off the cleaned table.
"Calm down Marie, you are safe here at Josh's place." Sam said slowly and carefully.
I woke up ready to fight and prepared to take out any and all opponents. Strangely though no one was a threat around me. I relaxed and saw Josh out cold on the floor. I could see blood with black streaks in it on his hands and arms. I grabbed a cloth and started to wipe off the blood. I was pretty sure it was my blood so I knew that I was the only safe person who could wipe it off him.
"Don't touch the blood unless you want to be passed out again." Sam warned me.
"Actually Sam, I am safe to touch my own blood once it is out of my system and wiped off me, I have an immunity to it for a few months and it can't affect me again until that wears off. So, I am perfectly safe from this drug for a while. I am shocked he used that drug knowing what it will prevent in the near future. I am now pretty much impossible to knock out. We all know how hard it is to take me anywhere when I am awake and ready for the challenge." I replied with all the knowledge that I knew at the time. I am not sure why I was trying to impress Sam, but it felt important at this time.