Companions

    Jasmine hoped that the noise wasn’t too noticeable. The aged locking mechanism that barred the door in front of her was opened with a single kick. Jasmine checked the girl that was leaning on her to see if this sudden impact would be too much for her. Ellen’s face was still as pale as ever but this jolt caused the arm she had around Jasmine’s neck to slip. Her right arm dangled to the side limply as a few drops of blood spilled onto the floor.
    Jasmine’s eyes flashed as she quickly but gently lifted Ellen’s arm. The haphazardly wrapped limb’s bandages started to unravel a bit, revealing a grisly wound that claimed Ellen’s hand. Ellen groaned.
    “Shit. Why now?” Supporting the injured girl with one arm Jasmine had to use her mouth and her free hand to tighten the wrappings before entering the long abandoned apartment building. Jasmine gently laid the injured girl by the wall, giving the bandages on Ellen’s stump a good tug before stepping outside again.
    The sun was starting to set now, and THEY might start coming out of the shadows. Jasmine knew that the two might not survive another encounter. Jasmine knelt down and touched the blood on the ground. It was still fresh and could potentially attract unwanted visitors. As she unscrewed her water bottle, Jasmine hoped Ellen would forgive her in using some of their precious water to hide their tracks.
	With the outside taken care of, there was still the issue of the interior, especially with a door that now had a defunct lock. Most of the windows in the apartment building were still boarded up but what about the front entrance? Jasmine knew well enough that if she was able to get in with such little difficulty, then tonight’s temporary shelter would not be as ironclad as she wanted. Still, a heavy bookcase in front of the door would at least make Ellen feel a bit safer.
	Jasmine placed her hand on the injured girl’s forehead and almost pulled back immediately on reflex. Jasmine didn’t know what a normal temperature should have been, but she immediately knew that Ellen was burning up from a fever. Some blood was already seeping through the wrappings on her arm. Riiiiip! Jasmine tore another strip from the shirt she was wearing and wound it tightly around Ellen’s stump. Ellen groaned and her head moved a little, but otherwise barely anything changed. “I’ll be right back,” she promised.

	“Food...medicine…” Jasmine mumbled under her breath as she dug through the cabinets. A can of corn, a tin of preserved eels, a package of dried biscuits… Jasmine slipped them into her bag despite the fact these were useless to her. She cursed as she continued to rifle through drawers. There weren’t any first aid kits or even anything vaguely helpful like rubbing alcohol for disinfection. Jasmine paused as she pondered to think if something like that actually would help. She had never had to deal with infections before but she had certainly read and heard about how deadly it could be. She shook her head and continued to look, determined not to let her first attempt at saving someone’s life be a failure.

	The first thing that Ellen noticed was that it was dark, so dark that she wondered if her eyes were even open. There was a deep thumping noise that lingered in the air and it was only after a moment that she realized it was her own heartbeat. There was a second rhythmic pulse coming from her arm, each beat sending a searing hot surge through her. She tried not to let all the memories from earlier overwhelm her.
 	“J-Jasmine?” Ellen tried to call out, but only a weakened whisper escaped her lips. Ellen struggled to get to her feet, having to grab ahold of the wall for support. Her head felt hot and heavy, as if caught in a haze. “Jasmine? Where are you?”
	As her eyes adjusted to the darkness Ellen became more aware of the dilapidated unit she was in. The floor was littered with debris and the slivers of moonlight that trickled through the boarded up windows illuminated layers of grime and dust.
Despite the cool evening air, Ellen felt like her whole body was alight, tongues of agony lashing out at where her hand used to be.
	Ellen heard the sound of some movement. “Jasmine? Is that-”
    Because of her haste and condition, Ellen’s body was unprepared for such a sudden movement and she felt her legs give way under her. She instinctively reached out to brace her fall only to realize that she didn’t have her dominant hand anymore. Ellen felt the impact more than the pain. It was more numbing than anything else.
    “Jasmine? Please...help…” The last thing she saw before her vision faded was her mangled arm still reaching forward.

    Heat. Fire. Pain. The prickling of a thousand needles. A cool calming breeze.... Ellen’s eyes slowly opened to see Jasmine’s familiar face looking down at her. Jasmine’s hand normally seemed strangely cold but now it felt comforting as it rested on her forehead.
    “Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake!” Jasmine spoke before Ellen had a chance to. “Are you okay to eat something right now?”
    Ellen nodded. Her head still felt a bit warm as it rested on Jasmine’s lap.
    Jasmine gagged as she opened the tin of eels. “Sorry,” Jasmine mumbled, covering her mouth, “I can’t tell if it’s gone bad or this is just how it’s meant to be like. Do you think it’s edible for you?”
    The smell was a bit strong but the smell of food stirred something within Ellen’s belly. It made her temporarily forget about everything else. “Ah…” by habit she found herself reaching for the food with a hand that was no longer there.
    There was a moment of silence as the two girls stared at each other, unsure of what to say. It was Jasmine that broke the silence first. “Um, how about I feed you then?”
    Ellen smiled, “Thank you Jasmine, I’d appreciate that.”

    Ellen ate in silence, taking small bites of food that Jasmine offered her. Occasionally she would be offered a swig of water which she would accept wordlessly. She wondered what Jasmine was thinking as she was feeding her. Jasmine’s eyes were kind but there was always that veil of mystery within them that seemed to hide what she was thinking.
    “Ah, sorry.” A cracker slipped from Jasmine’s hand. She bent down to pick it up but all the blood rushing to her head suddenly made her feel dizzy. She mumbled an excuse, “Sorry, I’m a bit tired…”
    Jasmine looked up to see Ellen staring at her with concern. Ellen reached over, and while hesitant at first, gently brushed aside some of the long hair from Jasmine’s face with her stump, revealing relatively fresh cuts that haven’t quite healed yet. “You’re hurt.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “When was the last time you’ve eaten? It must have been a while now.”
    Jasmine brushed Ellen’s arm away. “I’m fine, really. You’re the one we should be worrying about.” Jasmine paused. “I’m not hungry anyway,” she lied.
    Having it pointed out to her made her realize how famished she was. Jasmine tried to ignore the pang of hunger that she felt as she opened her mouth. “Right now you’re weak and injured. You’re the biggest priority now. I can’t afford to let you...die.” The last word was spoken with a soft whisper.
    Ellen was quiet for a moment. A sad smile crept up on her face. “You know, if I actually did die, it’d probably be easier for you right?”
    “Don’t say that!” Jasmine snapped. She was surprised at her own outburst.
    “It’s true though,” Ellen retorted, “I’m not as fast or strong as you, especially now that I’m missing a hand. I’m probably slowing you down and forcing you to accommodate my schedule. I see it taking its toll on you, especially with how you’re holding back like you are now.”
    Jasmine couldn’t exactly deny these allegations. She opened her mouth trying to find some words to say but nothing came out.
    “In fact, if I die I can probably be of more use to you then. What is that, enough to keep you going for-?” Ellen didn’t finish her sentence as she saw tears streaking down Jasmine’s face.

    “Please don’t say that,” Jasmine sniffled, “You’re really important to me and I don’t know if I could go on without you.” Jasmine wiped her eyes. “I don’t know if I’d want to.”
    Jasmine let herself be drawn into a hug. Ellen’s body felt soft, small, fragile.
    “I’m sorry for saying all that,” Ellen apologized, rubbing Jasmine’s back with her hand, “I just thought that I was being too dependent on you. You’ve been pushing yourself so hard for me and I’m just worried. If you weren’t around then I wouldn’t even have the choice of going on. I’d probably be torn apart and eaten within a day.”
	Ellen continued, “You should probably eat something to keep your strength up, for the both of us. Since I’m going to be depending on you for your physical abilities it’s okay for you to depend on me this way too.” Ellen wiped away some of the tears on Jasmine’s face. Leaning close to Jasmine’s ear, she whispered, “Will you feed now?”
	“A-Are you sure? I don’t know if it’s a good idea if-”
	Ellen silenced the complaints by putting a finger on Jasmine’s lips. “I’ll be fine. I promise. Here, you probably don’t even need to do anything extra for this.”
	Jasmine could feel her heart thumping in her chest as Ellen presented her stump. Blood crusted bandages fell to the floor. Jasmine held the abbreviated limb in her hands gingerly, looking again to Ellen for reaffirmation. There was a smile and a nod.

	Ellen didn’t mention the prickling and searing feelings that stabbed at where her hand used to be as she held her arm out in Jasmine’s grasp. Jasmine brushed aside a lock of hair from her face and tenderly placed her lips on Ellen’s stump…
	The effect was so immediate that Ellen shivered. Jasmine’s lips were as cold as ice but it seemed to quench the burning sensation that lingered where Ellen’s hand ended. She knew Jasmine was trying to be as gentle as possible but she didn’t feel much pain at all.
	There was something oddly intimate and yet carnal about this connection. Ellen let her hand rest on Jasmine’s head, patting it as the other girl was feeding.

	“Are you sure you’re alright? You look a bit pale. Did I overdo it?” Jasmine hastily rebandaged what was left of Ellen’s arm. It was missing a bit more than just a hand now.
	“I’m...fine.” Ellen took a deep breath before continuing. “That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.”
	“I’m sorry, I should have known better, That was-” Jasmine’s protest was once again stopped by Ellen placing a finger to her lips.
	“I’m fine. Really. Although, could I have a bit more food? You’ll have to feed me again. Oh right, before I forget,” Ellen wiped away some of the blood on Jasmine’s face and held out her blood stained fingers to Jasmine, “There’s still some left!”

*************************************************************************************************************

    Jasmine blinked her eyes groggily as she awoke in the morning. She wasn’t used to sleeping in the evenings but she must have dozed off during the night. The two girls had fallen asleep together, fingers still entwined.
    Jasmine looked over at Ellen who was still sleeping. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, but Jasmine could tell it was filled with more vitality than yesterday. The days ahead for the two might not be easy, but Jasmine knew that she would be fine as long as Ellen was with her.