The Bone Maiden: an Immortal Wake Prequel Novella by Zachry Wheeler

Author:Zachry Wheeler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: immortal wake, zachry wheeler, the bone maiden
Publisher: Mayhematic Press
Published: 2022-03-30T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

Orin awoke to excruciating pain. His eyelids snapped open, revealing beams of broken light dancing around him. He was facedown on a filthy stone floor. Still in the cellar, but away from the tattered sack on which he fell asleep. The base of a ladder stood beside him. The scattered light merged into a single cone, at which point he recognized the source.

A flashlight.

And then the smell of blood.

And then the pain erased it all.

Burning, piercing, stabbing pain. His back was on fire, yet there was no smoke to blame. No water to ease the suffering. He could only writhe and wail as the agony consumed him.

“Shut up,” the maiden said from above. She was tending to the injury, albeit not in the gentlest of manners.

“What the—aah—fuck happened?”

“You caught a rusty nail as I was carrying you up. Gashed your back. Now shut the fuck up while I close the wound.”

“Since when—ergh—do you care about—ugh—closing my wounds?”

“Since you became my guide. The quicker you heal, the less you whine.”

“Ergh—fuck you, too.”

The maiden chuckled softly, which ended with a sharp rip.

Orin turned his head. “Is that duct tape?”

“Feel free to pass the gauze and saline if you prefer.”

Orin closed his eyes and plunked his head on the floor.

“Here.” She grabbed the handle of an old tool and stuffed it into his mouth. “Bite down and don’t scream. Shouldn’t take but a moment.”

Orin’s eyes watered as the pain shot from bad to worse. The maiden pressed the wound together with her hand and knee, then bound it with tape. She proceeded down the gash until every inch was covered. Orin buried his teeth into the wooden handle as tears dripped from his pinched eyelids. He groaned and trembled, but did not scream. The maiden secured the bandage with a few more strips, then returned the tape roll to her satchel. She plopped onto the floor next to Orin and released a heavy sigh.

“Good job,” she said, then patted his sweating scalp.

Orin spat out the handle and fought to slow his breathing. His eyes remained shut as he willed the pain back to a reasonable level. “Thanks,” he said between labored breaths.

“Welcome.” Blood dripped from her hands and plinked the floor, adding a grim melody to the cellar. “You also broke a rib, by the way. Should feel a nagging sting for a while.”

“Huh? How did that happen?”

“Lost my balance on the ladder. Had to drop you.”

Orin huffed. “I retract my thanks.”

The maiden snickered. “You’ll heal up soon enough.”

Orin opened his eyes and turned to meet the maiden’s gaze. “So what now?”

She sighed and glanced around the filthy cellar. It radiated surrender, from cobwebs to rotten shelves. Roots from nearby trees poked through cracks in the walls. Just a hole in the world that time forgot. It had served its purpose and returned to the insects.

Her eyes wandered back to Orin. “Want some breakfast?”

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