Debby was in her room, the candle light flickering wildly from the strong wind blowing in through the window. Shadows danced across the walls, but she barely noticed them. She sat quietly, lost in thought thinking about herself, about everything life had thrown at her lately.
With a sigh, she got up and moved to the window. The cold wind bit at her fingers as she reached out to lock it shut, deciding it was time to sleep.
But just as she turned, she froze.
A voice
Faint...but desperate
it was coming from the direction of the old clinic. Her heart skipped. Her father's house wasn't far from there. That voice. She sure she heard someone. without thinking twice, she grabbed her jacket and stepped out into the cold night.
As she was rushing toward the clinic, she could hear it. the loud banging of the gate echoing through the night. Her steps quickened, heart pounding in her chest. When she finally reached the place, the sight made her freeze.
Two men were lying on the cold floor. one by the gate, the other not too far from it.
Her hand trembled as she pointed her Torchlight around, scanning the scene. Fear crept into her chest, for a moment she thought it might've been a gang fight. But there was no sign of a gun, no visible sign of a gun shot wound.
She stepped closer carefully, her light landing on the man lying just ahead, The one not too far from the gate.
He looked pale
She knelt slowly, hesitating, then reached out and touched his cheek, checking if he was still breathing.
just as she was about to check his pulse, the man stirred weakly. His eyes barely opened, his lips dry and pale. He raised a shaky hand, pointing toward the other man by the gate.
"Red.....my friend..." he muttered, before losing consciousness again.
Debby wasted no time
She rushed back to her house and woke her sick father. with his help, they dragged out an old wheel barrow and carefully placed the men inside, one after the other. It wasn't easy, but they managed to push them into the clinic.
Though it hadn't been open for decades, replaced by a newer facility closer to the town center. there were still supplies left inside. Debby had always known the place wasn't entirely abandoned, and now she was glad she did.
Inside the dusty clinic, she worked quickly and calmly, using what she could find to treat their injuries.
TWO DAYS PASSED
Neither of the men had woken up.
Debby checked on them every hour, keeping their fevers down and cleaning their wounds. But Alexander's condition worried her the most. He had lost a lot of blood, and his body was slow to respond.
She had no choice but to test his blood type and quietly visit the new clinic in town to get a matching supply. She didn't give them any names, just paid What she could and left.
That night, after checking Alexander's iv, she sat beside him in silence. The candlelight flickered against the old clinic walls, casting faint shadows on the peeling paint.
Her father stepped in, his breathing low and unsteady. He leaned heavily against the doorway, his frame thinner than it had been a month ago. His skin was pale, and every step looked like it cost him strength he couldn't afford to lose.
"you're going too far", he said quietly.
She looked up. "I couldn't just leave them there".
"I know" He walked to the chair slowly, lowering himself into it with a soft grunt. "But this...this isn't our burden. you don't know who they are, Debby. they could bring trouble ".
she glance at Alexander again, still, pale unmoving.
maybe trouble found them first.
The morning sun leaked faintly through the dusty windows, casting weak stripes across the clinic floor.
Red stirred, groaning as he blinked into the light. His head throbbed. His throat felt dry. Everything around him smelled like disinfectant and dust.
He sat up slowly, eyes squinting. The room was old. Strange. Not a hospital.
His eyes landed on Debby, who stood nearby watching him.
"where .....where am I?" he croaked.
"you're in the old village clinic", she said softly. "you've been out for two days"
Red's eye brows knit together. "who are you?"
"I'm Debby", she said, "and this is my father. we found you....at the gate"
He turned sharply, eyes widening. "Alexander -"
"He's still breathing", her father said from the corner "Barely"
Red sagged in relief. Then he looked at them again, confused, shaken. "what happened? how did we .....?"
Debby stepped closer. "we were hoping you'd tell us"
Red exhaled shakily, rubbing his forehead. The memories rushed back in flashes, the fight, the storm, the curve, the crash.
"I....we were driving fast. Too fast. There was snow, and the road was slick. Then we lost control. My friend got injured badly, and I dragged him out, but the clinic was closed. I didn't know what to do".
He paused, guilt thick in his voice. "if you hadn't come... we'd both be dead".
Debby exchanged a glance with her father but said nothing.
They left the clinic briefly to check the crash site. The car was still there, barely visible through the snowdrift. No one had come by. No police. No towns people. Nothing.
it was like nothing happened. And there's a good explanation for that. The place they're in is so remote that you barely see more than five people pass through a day.
it's a good thing they found their way to the clinic or else their dead body frozen from the cold weather would be in that car.
When they returned to the clinic, Debby went to check Alexander's iv and stopped cold.
He was convulsing
His body jerked violently against the thin mattress, his head snapping to the side.
"Dad!" she called. "something's wrong!"
Her father rushed over, but Debby had already grabbed the supplies. Her hands trembled.
"There's nothing else I can do", she whispered after checking his pulse. " His system is crashing. I've used everything we had -"
Red grabbed her wrist, desperate. "No. No, you have to do something".
"i don't have anything left!" she snapped, heart racing. "Do you want me to bring him back with air?"
"if he dies here" Red said, his voice shaking. " his family will come for us. Do you understand me? they'll destroy this village looking for answers "
Debby starred at him.
She hadn't asked before. But now she needed to know
"Who is he?"
Red looked down at the trembling body on the bed. Then he met her eyes and said.
"Alexander Whitson "