1 chapter 1

I woke up on the bank of the riverside, my legs were still in the water while my torso and head laid in the mud just above it.

It was quiet except for a few bird chirps here and there, the sound of rushing river water, and a high pitched wail off in the distance.

The sounds mixed together lulling me back into the darkness of my mind, until a wave of water hit me, first my legs, then my lower torso, reaching up to slap me in the chest, leaving a few wet sprinkles on my face.

This jolted me up, I sprang up to a sitting position then quickly to standing, the world spun around around me so fast I had to clutch a tree in front of me just so I wouldn't fall on my but again.

As the world stopped spinning and I threw up river water. as that was probably the only thing that was in my stomach, with that I opened up a new sensation other than dizziness.

Pain.

it racked through me starting at my leg and up to my empty stomach, the cuts scrapes and deep gashes I had all over from the night before felt like wildfire across my skin, and made me want to curl up in a ball.

But all of that was nothing the cuts the burns the aches, it was nothing compared to the pain in my leg it was probably broken, from what I could see through the mud and blood was dark patches of black, blue, purple, and a disgusting shade of yellow, I could barely lay it on the ground let alone put pressure on it.

My next biggest injury was my shoulder or the bullet hole that goes through it I should say, I could feel the ache radiate though my shoulder down my arm and my chest, my arm was useless any way it had burns from my wrist to elbow the burns spread along to my side and mid back only to end inches from my neck.

The last most prominent pain was my head it pounded a throb of pain through me every heart beat, almost enough to bring me to my knees, I reached my good right arm up to the back of my head pulling it away I found blood fresh slick on my fingers.

A wave of nausea rolled through me as I thought of all the things that can come with a head wound.

I pushed all aside I had to I had to focus one thing at a time.

I looked around me desperately I found my knife on the ground and hobbled over clutching trees and using them as crutches in place of my bad leg when I got to my knife it was buried in the mud, only the tip peeking out letting a bit of sunlight glint off of it.

I pulled it out of the mud happy to have a bit of protection but as I wrapped my good hand around the handle the nausea was back and memories from the night before rushed through me.

I nearly dropped the knife but managed to keep my grip "I did what I had to do" I reapeted to my self over and over.

Then there was the sound, it had stopped as I got up, I thought maybe I imagined it but it was clear as day, a high pitched wail.

It was Emma I grabbed a branch it was twice the size of my wrist and it was nearly as tall as me.

I tried to run as I clutched the knife in my bad hand, the stick in my good hand, I used the stick as a replacement for my leg I wasn't really running more of going the pace of a slow speed walk but it was all I had, all I could do as I limped to the screaming I wanted to scream myself, as I pushed myself to go faster but I didn't want to draw extra attention.

There were trees everywhere it seemed I ended up in a forest hopefully not a large one I followed as fast as I could down stream following the screaming following emma.

I tripped and stumbled here and there, my blind panic to make it to her nearly making me irrational of my own safety.

she was so far away I could've sworn if gone a mile maybe two or maybe it was just me and my tiredness all I know was that I made it to Emma at some point near dusk and since I think I woke up in the afternoon I had been going on fumes for awhile.

I was overjoyed that there was nothing near her as I doubt I would have been able to fight them away, even with the knife that was still locked tight in my bad hand.

Emma had been caught by branches and twigs piled up near the edge of the river, when I collapsed next to her she looked unscathed, she had stopped crying just a few minutes before and was now sleeping peacefully, I leaned against the sticks not caring as they dug into my back my entire body had went numb awhile back.

I took Emma out of her carrier and brought her up to lay on my chest as I sighed in relief, I had gotten us both out now I just needed for us both to stay alive till I found her father, I looked in her carrier and was happy to find my pack it was full of baby food for Emma and dried and canned food for me, the "floaty thingy" as I like to call it was on the bottom of the carrier I had made it just in case at first when I jumped I kept Emma on my chest, but she must have floated off when I went unconscious, I'm glad I made it and that it held up.

the sun was setting down in the far East and I was slipping too I figured I shouldn't fight it I needed the strength sleep would give me "I'll take care of my wounds tomorrow" was my last thought before I fell asleep.