Sharp Shooter-Chapter 6-Second Chance
#6 of Sharp Shooter
Kotari Ator. Heard it before? They destroy everything they touch, suffering, grief and death follow them where ever they go. Their beliefs are that of Psychopaths, their hearts are made of dirt, their eyes contain no mercy for the ones they kill. I'm all to familiar with them. You've heard the horror stories, we all have. I can guarantee, however, that you've never stared them in the face. A small force, 1,000 strong, stands against an army totaling more than One Billion and growing every day. My team and I face them side by side with our friends, known to the enemy as "Living Shadows". We are just that, and much, much more.
I woke up what felt like hours later,but I have no idea how long it was. My head was pounding and my eyes were still glazed over a bit, which left everything slightly foggy, but I could tell that I was laying flat on my back and was covered by what felt like a heavy cotton blanket ,which was good because I was freezing from all my blood loss. My head was supported by a few soft pillows and I felt...safe, content even. As my vision began to clear up, I began to make out the features of where I was. The walls of the room were a grayish blue,dimly lit by the moon light coming in through the window above my head. Judging by the amount of light, the moon was full and it was around one in the morning, that told me I'd been out for a while. It seemed to be a hospital or infirmary type room by the looks of it. The bed I was on was about three or so feet off the ground and was surrounded by a metal railing.
I wasn't sure where I was, nor did I have any idea who rescued me,having only seen blurry images and heard voices. As my mind slowly returned, I began to hear soft whispers and snores coming from down the hall, which told me I wasn't alone. I could see now that there was an IV tapped to my arm and that I had wires stuck to my chest. I could see they led to two monitors which had my heart rate at around 75 BPM and some other reading I didn't understand. I ached from the tip of my snout to the soles of my paws and was practically numb. Deciding to inspect my wounds, I began to check myself over.
Somehow, the gashes in my sides had been closed. Long gauze bandages were wrapped around my lower torso,starting just below my chest and ending at my waist. My tail had a long stitch going down nearly three quarters of it's length and I had stitches on my chest as well as having had my ears patched. My mangled arm was covered in medical warp with two metal splints on it,covered in more warping. My broken leg was splinted in the same manner. I also could feel a long stitch in my back and one going down my unbroken leg two more on the base of my neck and another one just below my shoulder. I had some scales peeling off my cheeks from being sunburned and my horns were chipped in some places and cracked in others. I didn't have much on either, only a thin pair of what seemed to be thin cotton pants and no shirt,my guess was because of all the wounds and that it would get in the way of the wires.
I had been cleaned off as well, all the sand and blood was gone and I had a cool feeling about me,telling me it had been recently done, my muzzle still had a bit of water on it. Deciding to try and sit up,I placed my good arm on the mattress,spread my paw and began to pull myself up. My entire body screamed with pain and I could feel I was pulling the stitches in my shoulder. My entire body was shaking violently as I tried to sit up, every twitch sent a wave of pain through me, which all seemed to go right to my chest. I gritted my teeth and growled at the pain as I tried to pull myself up, but to no avail.
Finally to tired to fight it any more,I let my body go limp and fell back into the bed. The impact, though quite soft, sent a wave of sharp pain through me,causing me to let off a yelp and tears to go down my muzzle. With a little effort, I rolled onto my left side and wiggled around a bit before finding a comfortable spot and beginning to trail off. I wondered how I had survived my wounds,I wondered what those things were that attacked us,but most of all,I wondered WHY.
Why had I survived?
Why had we been attacked? Why did I have to lose my parents? Why was I not allowed to die with them? All questions and no answers. The only thing that is for certain,is that I have no idea what's in store for me. Who ever had picked me up in the desert had given me quite a few surgeries I could feel the stitches on my torso,concealed under the gauze. They had saved my life and given me a second chance. The main thing on my mind though was what my vision meant.
Dad had said I had to find out on my own,and that I had lost them so something better could come along. I couldn't understand what he meant by it, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to be with them. They were all I had,and they were gone now. Normally right now, I'd be sleeping and Mom would be curled around me and with Dad on top of us to protect us.
I longed for it, I wanted them to comfort me, to tell me everything was going to be okay, but it wasn't going to happen,I'd been given what they,along with my sister,had been denied,a chance. Why? The thoughts swirled through my head as I closed my eyes. I just listened to what was around me. The whispered,hushed conversations of the patients who were up late and the soft snores of those who were already asleep. I could hear my own heart beating in my chest and it hurt to breathe, the physical pain,the emotional pain and the fear of the nightmares that were sure to come mixed together to form an abyss where my heart should have been. I was broken, mentally and physically and it was as simple as that.
Finally to tired to fight it anymore, I gave up and let sleep take a firm, welcome grasp on my destroyed body.