The Carnage Trilogy (Book 1): The Carnage [Unbending, Unyielding, Unforgiving]

by Birch, Matthew

  "Please, just trust me" Maya’s half-smile has all kinds of fakery in it. She takes one last deep breath before pointing at my injured leg. "I'm sorry, I know it's not much but it had to do for the time" Sadness clouds her features as she apologises for the curtain piece she started to untie. "You did what you could..." I reply back with a soft, comforting tone. Maya's face dulls for a moment, "I thought you were going to die..." And just like that, this whole ordeal just became pretty serious.

  I want to reach out, I want to reach out and tell her she did a great job and I owe her everything I have. She saved my life and I honestly couldn't be more grateful deep down. Not only has she saved my life, but she's about to do it again right now...

  "Thank you" Is all I can say for her selflessness. To be fair, what did I ever do to deserve this? She lightens up a bit, her hand wrapped around a bottle of saline. "I would do it again" She smiles to herself, only to then close up and go blank.

  "This is gonna hurt..." She says regretfully, bringing the bottle towards me. Outstretching my left leg, I await the searing pain that will be the burning from the saline. A part of me really doesn't want this. Paranoia rushes over me and I find myself asking, "Do you know what you're doing?"

  Maya nods slowly, giving me a strange look as she reaches out to the table and grabs a white kitchen cloth that had already been placed there by her no doubt. She retrieves it, bringing it back to her body, our eyes not moving the entire unhurried trial of her medical skills in which, she failed. How did she do that? She almost forgot the cloth...

  "Yes, I know what I am doing," She says plainly, her false, innocent eyes evading my gaping mouth and eyes that scream how much I really don't trust her even more now! I raise both my eyebrows in protest and already feel myself wanting to scoot away and tell her no. "Have some faith in me, I know what I'm doing" Maya opens the bottle of saline, flipping the cap onto the table before in one, swift motion, turning the bottle over and letting it dampen the white cloth. "I used to uh... Kinda work in this kinda area" Her innocent face transforms into a poker face, obviously unsure of herself, she has to hide her true thoughts to reassure me. "Kinda?" I repeat her words cautiously.

  "If it makes you feel any better, there's a reason Patrick asks me for help with Linda” Maya points out as she shrugs her shoulders. "Now, are you gonna let me or do you wanna die?" She beams at me.

  "Oh yes please, do let me die" I joke, grinning to myself. Maya sighs, rolling her eyes and getting on with it. When the white cloth oh so slowly connects with my torn leg, I feel my eyes pop as I throw my head back. Clenching my jaw, closing my eyes, and grinding my teeth, I defy every part of my body that wants to get up and flee. I hold a shout deep down, its urgency growing the longer she holds the cloth in place. The burning sensation I expected ripples through my body, setting every nerve ablaze. I yelp, holding back a pained grunt as she begins to press harder.

  "Just a little longer" Maya's dulling voice does little to comfort me. Soon enough, she removes the white cloth and the burning cools for a moment, but it still remains annoyingly. Sitting up, I check out how it's looking. "Well, it's clotted and the saline should've cleaned it best it can. Before I do anything else, I think it's safe to bind it" Maya seems to be talking to herself, as if going over a plan she already formed in her head. I say nothing, simply biting the inside of my mouth until there is nothing left to chew. "Now, I am not going to be able to stitch it up..." Maya says like it's the worst thing in the world.

  Placing the open cloth neatly on her thigh, she proceeds to place the bottle of saline on the coffee table before grabbing the duct tape. "It's not much, once again, but it's better than nothing" I find myself in a daze as I watch her patch me up. The entire time, she talks me through the process. Telling me about what each thing is going to do, how it's going to help and what could've been better if she had more time to search. Not only that, she's constantly apologising and she won't stop. Soon enough, once my wound has been clotted, cleaned, and bound. She finishes up by spraying an antibiotic ointment on my calf.

  Wiping her sweating forehead, Maya gasps happily, "And there!" She says, presenting my now patched up leg proudly. Smiling, I offer her a weak thumbs up before dropping back onto my cushions. "Bandage, Maya" Letting her know the one thing she missed. She apologises once more before going to wrap up my leg. Tired of her constant self-doubt, I say aloud, "Please stop apologising, you're doing a great job"

  She stops, and I have to lean back up to see why she's stopped. Her face contorts as she hides away, she sniffs like she has a cold and when she finally looks up at me, I see the water glistening behind her caramel eyes. I freeze. Maya's crying.

  "Maya?" I whisper as I try my best to lean forward to comfort her for something I don't understand. Maya looks away, wiping her tearful eyes and coughing to clear her throat. "I'm sorry... You shouldn't have to see me like-"

  "No, what's wrong? Please tell me" I ask her kindly, shifting slightly so I can face her better. Maya closes up, pulling her body into herself and simply saying, "The last time I did this, it was to save my dad..."

  My heart breaks.

  "I'm-" The words don't even make it past my lips.

  "He- We-" She stutters frightfully.

  Placing my steady hands on her shaking ones, I offer her a warm smile and use my thumb to perk her head back towards me. Water droplets free fall from her eyes and cascade down her cheeks without a care in the world. "It's okay, just take a moment and then tell me. That's if you want to, you don't have to" I reassure her, giving her a moment to let my words sink in. She nods, moving away from me. "Give me your leg," She says softly. Sitting back, I resume my position and place my leg out for her to continue her handiwork.

  "I hadn't seen him in five years," She says, lifting my leg up onto her spare thigh. "Five years... I had been... Working, in another country and-" Maya wraps the bandage around my leg. "We'd had troubles in the past. We, um, never really got along. At least until one day he finally contacted me" Maya proceeds to carefully wrap the bandage around my wound. Next, she begins to tie the knot. I wince at the tightening but accept it because I have to. She eyes me down, taking careful consideration of my expression as she determines the perfect tightness for the bandage. "When we spoke for the first time in five years, he told me my mother was dying, and to come home..."

  Maya finishes the bandage, gently pushing my leg off her thigh before setting down everything else she has back on the table in an organised fashion. A small smile creeps onto her lips. "And, when I got back to Venezuela, he was already there at the airport waiting for me in Caracas, the place I was raised"

  Maya wipes her eyes one last time before grabbing a spare dark green cloth and using that to clear her face. "And, I was able to say goodbye to Mama... I had never felt more alive than I did then. Though, you should have seen the look on my face when my father told me he wanted to come to this place to scatter her ashes. Mama never wanted a burial, preferring to be cremated instead" Maya explains blissfully while shifting to my side. She adjusts me, placing a big, poofy cushion below my arm. She then outstretches my arm and inspects the five small holes. She seems to nod to herself, muttering something below her breath before grabbing the saline off the table and another white cloth.

  "We travelled here, went to the northern resort. It was beautiful coming here at first. You should've seen my face when my father tells me this was the place I was born!" We laugh in unison, a moment of happiness for the both of us. Her glee passes and her face hardens. This is where the bad news comes, isn't it?

  "We never did scatter the ashes. We got our camp set up, all the friends and family with us. We were planning to do it the next day, so instead; we decided to have a feast in her honour at the time"

  "So, a barbecue I am guessing?" I ask, my tummy churning at the very idea of it.

  Maya smiles, "Yep, I wish you were there. The food was amazing" She licks her lips, her mind probably on the food we don't have the luxury of eating anymore. Like
she did for my leg, she proceeds to patch my arm up. Luckily for me, it's not in as bad of a shape and won't take as long!

  "Then the creatures came and ruined everything... Took my family, killed my friends. Then, they came for my father and I tried so hard to save him. I really did-" As she explains more and more, I see her break that little bit further. Parts of who she is being chipped off with each word. Her voice twisting into anger, then sadness, then back to a passionate rage, her eyes twinkle with regret afterwards. "He died in my arms; he told me how much he loved me and how proud he was to have me as his daughter... All on the same day we met after a tough five years. The last thing he gave to me was that hatchet we lost" Oh, that's my fault isn't it? Maya finishes with the five little stab marks on my arm by applying the bandage. She's quiet for a moment, most likely resenting me as she finishes the job. I just feel all the more terrible for causing her to lose that hatchet. There is one question I've had for a long time now.

  "What were those initials on the hatchet?" I question calmly. "M.V, Maya Vazquez. He got my initials inscribed as tribute to me" She replies. Taking in a gulp of oxygen, Maya ties the knot and leans back a little to get a full look at my arm.

  Maya

  "It's not too tight, is it?" Checking over with him how the bandage feels, Ed gives me a charming smile and simply says thank you for the second time. Suddenly, he's telling me all kinds of things. How grateful he is, how sorry he is, how he knows I placed emphasis on ‘hatchet we lost’ from earlier because it's his fault it's gone. Yet, I can’t ignore that he saved my life. All I can do is place my index finger on his blistered lips to get him to shut up. "I said we for a reason, plus if you hadn't pulled me away, we'd both be dead"

  Ed raises his eyebrows at me, his forehead creasing while his eyes travel along my finger. Flushing, I remove my finger and cough awkwardly. "Anyway, that's my story..." I let it all out, my past before this hell came to us is out in the open now. I've basically told him all there is he needs to know. Patrick still knows more, but he needed to know. Ed didn't need to know. Unlike Patrick, I told Ed by choice. I just wanted to tell him. There's something about him: safe, secure, trusting. It just feels right here with him.

  "So, why'd he get your initials engraved then if you hadn't spoken in five years?" His question is to the point and fair. "Because he missed me" I answer, my heart skipping a beat at the reasoning behind it. My hearts broken enough, I don't need to crack it apart any more than I already have. "Aw, that's nice of him. I'd probably do the same if I was missing someone like you"

  Those damn butterflies take off again. Ed realises what he said, a flush crept up his face but he stays by what he said. Then, instead of maybe thanking me, he chooses to make it worse. "I kinda missed you when you were out saving my life again by doing all this" He gestures to everything I've done for him. I wholeheartedly smile and wave a hand at him. "It's nothing," I say.

  "Did you just say nothing?!" He raises his voice a bit, and I have to shush him to quiet down. I already feel the blood rushing to my face when he says, "You're honestly amazing"

  Ed

  The words are just coming out by themselves now. I have no idea what I'm saying. Maya's cheeks grow into a rosy tinge of pink. She once again looks away, never truly able to look me in the eyes when showing what she calls weakness, I call human emotion. It's all natural and she tries too hard to fight it in the name of strength. I get it, she's tough as nails but everyone's soft and gooey at their core. Well, most people anyway.

  "T-thanks..." She stutters, bottom lip quivering. I smile; a warmth in my chest as I gaze at her. Her black locks are loose, left to flail around her. Dark, caramel-like eyes glow in the candlelight. Her bloodied yellow jacket is hanged over a nearby armchair, leaving her in nothing more than a black tank top and black leggings. Her boots have already been kicked off onto the floor. She mixes up the blackness with the white bra I can see because of the transparency of her top. Her average bust exposed to me. She's so cute, trying her best to hide the blush that becomes scarlet red.

  I'm feeling bold.

  Maya

  My face reddens more when I feel him gently wrap his arms around me, one hand gently brushing my top up. His rough hand snakes its way to my waist where I'm bruised from his last-second actions earlier today. "I'm sorry for causing that..." He whispers weirdly sensually, only making me feel all the weirder myself. I feel trapped in the moment. Our eyes connect. I can't stop myself. Within seconds, our lips clash. My dry lips meet his blistered ones and we stay still for a moment.

  My heart burns with anxiety, and when he reciprocates the action, I feel myself wanting more. Moving forward, I press deeper into the kiss, yearning for more. He keeps moving with me, our bodies moving as one as I climb on top of him. Straddling his waist, I move with him, our lips still entwined.

  Ed

  Losing myself, I keep going. Rolling with whatever is happening now, I don't understand, and I don't want to. This is perfect. She's perfect. Sneakily, I brush my hands up her smooth sides a little more, tugging the hems of her top with me. We keep kissing; the gentle action becomes fierce, our lips battling for supremacy over the other. My chest burns, my heart wanting more and more of her. Though, it doesn't last forever.

  We separate, both of us taking a moment to gasp for breath.

  Then, silence as we stare the other down.

  Maya

  Oh my god, what am I doing?! At least he's being gentlemanly about it, immediately stopping with taking my top off the second I pulled away. There's this look in his eye, I know what it is and he wants more. But we can't. I can't.

  It's not the right thing to do. "I'm sorry Ed..." I whisper, falling onto his bare chest. Ed says nothing, simply wrapping his arms around me for a sweet, heart-wrenching embrace.

  Ed

  Staring at the ceiling, I realise everything we've just done. I don't know what to feel. Do I feel happy, proud? Or scared, miserable? Why did I do this? Especially while she was feeling down of all times, what have I done...?

  "I'm sorry too..." I find myself saying into her black hair. Maya sniffs back tears. "Don't b-be sorry-" Carefully sitting back up and getting off me, Maya makes sure to avoid hurting my arm or leg by accident.

  "I-It's me- I shouldn't have done that" She murmurs to herself, already stepping away towards the armchair. Dropping down, she makes herself at home in it. She won't meet my eye though. Stunned and eyes round, she can't bring herself to believe we just did that.

  Without anything more to say, I just think about everything that's happened.

  Except, it's difficult, my mind keeps drifting back to Maya. Whether it is her lips, her body, just, all of her really, the fact she gave her life on more than one occasion for me. The fact that despite everything, she's been here for me, opening up to me, showing weakness in front of me and now-

  This...

  Maya

  "We should sleep..." I whisper, the candles flickering around us as they burn out. Gradually, the room grows darker and darker. The time we have left isn't increasing here, which is a blessing because I want a way out. Someway to just, escape how awkward this is now. I-

  I just don't know anymore.

  "Yeah..." He says back, grabbing the blanket that had slipped off him during the heat of the moment and recovering himself. Before the cover lands, I glance one last time at his body, at how close we were to-

  My god if we didn't stop then-

  "I'm gonna try and f-find somewhere to sleep upstairs if that's okay with you?" I ask him as casually as I can, though 'casual' is not really working in my favour right now.

  Our eyes meet for the last time tonight. I don't know what he sees in me right now, but at the moment I see someone I want right now more than anything. He doesn't quite seem the same though. Almost fearful, Ed shies away, simply turning to his side on the sofa. "Okay... Sleep well" He says, his eyes moving away from me to focus on the dying candle by the fireplace.

  "You too..." I say back, getting
out from my seat and slowly trotting my way through the darkening home. We don't say goodnight, we say no more at all. We just go our separate ways and leave it at that. Now, all we can hope is as the pitch black settles around us, that we don't get discovered by any lurking monsters. Neither of us is really in a position to fight...