Page 7 of A Whisper of Cinders

I made that last part up, but when the corners of her mouth lift a tiny bit, I know I made the right choice.

“That sounds…lovely,” she murmurs, her voice so silent and weak.

My hand is stained red, the gauze slowed down the bleeding, but it can’t do miracles. Her breaths are laboured, and I know she won’t be with me for much longer.

I hum a soft, wandering tune that floats up from somewhere inside of my head. I don’t know if it’s mine or something I’ve heard before, but all that matters is that I give her one last moment of peace.

So I keep humming, even as her chest stops moving.

Doctor Herbert reaches me minutes after that, her worried eyes taking me in. “Are you alright?”

“I…I think so. I’m relieved she wasn’t alone, but I wish we could’ve done more. Her artery was hit, wasn’t it?”

She nods. “Even though I was with her quickly, the damage was too severe.”

I look at her and can’t help but notice how peaceful she looks. “Did you see who did this?”

Doctor Herbert sighs deeply. “No, unfortunately I didn’t. I’ve let the guards know. I’m sure they will catch them soon.”

“What is her name?”

“Leanne.”

“I think I saw her running away last night.”

She hesitates only for a second before answering. “Yes, she had a lot of built-up anger towards her parents, couldn’t see why it was good for her to be here.”

That makes two of us.

The Doctor kneels next to us and lifts Leanne’s head from my lap. “Let’s move her towards the stretcher.”

I hadn’t even noticed there was one lying next to us. I stand up and move towards the legs of the girl, gently picking them up. Her skin still feels warm, although everything inside of her has gone cold.

Doctor Herbert counts down, we lift her and gently lay her on the stretcher. We walk back into the infirmary and place Leanne on one of the examination tables.

“I will take it from here, Maily. You can take a break if you want to.”

“No. I’ll gladly continue with my chores, if that’s allowed.”

She makes a quick scan of how I look, assessing if I can continue. “Of course, little dove.”

I leave the room, close the door behind me and walk to the sink to wash my hands. I haven’t taken care of a dead body before and I’m not sure if I am ready to do so.

The water stains red immediately, it takes a while for every trace of blood to be washed away. Since my clothes are a bloodied mess as well, I change into a set of spare ones.

I go back to the storage room, notice that the puddle of blood is gone, and continue with stocking the medical supplies.

The day passes slowly. I eat lunch behind the front desk, which technically isn’t allowed, but Doctor Herbert pretends not to notice, and I’m grateful for it.

A few patients trickle in, needing small treatments; bandages, ointments, quick check ups. Nothing serious. But every time they see it’s me behind the counter, their hesitation is obvious. Their eyes flick to my hands, my face. As if I have a disease they think they might catch.

It obviously isn’t, but that doesn’t stop the way they flinch every time I come near.

“…yeah yeah, you’re alright, tough guy. Just let the kind Doctor do her job, okay?”

Irene walks in with a young man whose name I believe is Noah. His head is tilted back, blood covering the front of his shirt. I want to greet them, but Irene beats me to it.

“Oh it’s you. Isn’t the Doctor around?”