The next morning, at the cliffside house.
The fierce morning sunlight through the cracks of the rotting wooden window shutters. catching dust in the air.
The heat dragged me from a fever-ridden sleep.
"Ghk..."
The first sensation to greet me wasn't refreshing clarity. It was a deep, throbbing pain that burned in my abdomen, as if a branding iron had been pressed against my flesh.
The surgical wound that ruptured last night was now inflamed and blistering hot, throbbing in time with my rapid heartbeat. The makeshift bandages I had haphazardly stitched were soaked through with dark, dried blood.
I ground my teeth, fighting against the agony to sit up.
Instantly, the world spun violently, forcing me to brace against the bedpost to stay upright.
With a trembling hand, I grabbed the bottle of heavy-duty painkillers my men had packed. I shook a few pills into my palm, swallowing them dry before chugging nearly a bottle of water.
But it was useless.
