CORINNE

Between fever and nausea and coldness, Corinne barely noticed two men dragging her out of the hut. They were soldiers. Their strong hands grabbed her underneath her armpits and legs and her head fell back as they carried her out.

They had asked her earlier how and why she let the sickness in. She had told them that the creatures promised her eternal youth and eternal bliss at the bottom of the ocean. They had laughed at her lies, deeming her worthless and infatuated.

She had never felt such weakness in her body. She had never seriously considered giving up. Her thoughts were scrambled and her emotions blurry. The only thing she heard was the buzzing in her head. And then, the shouts.

Sun blinded her and she closed her eyes; the light was too painful. She felt like she had been lying in that hut for days, when it's only been a couple of hours.

Greg left. She told him to leave.

And now, soldiers carried her out of her hut in front of the wild crowd. Insults and curses and vulgarities bounced off her brain and she didn't hear them. But she was well aware of them. And all the people that now hated her.

Tyler had told them she let the sickness in. Corinne hoped he at least exchanged that information for something useful.

Corinne turned her head and slightly opened her eyes, seeing the ground move beneath her and feet stomping towards her. But the guards blocked them from hurting her.

The guards didn't prevent people from spitting in her face, though. Disgusted and shivering, Corinne begged internally to be left alone quickly. Briefly, she wondered whether they would kill her.

In their eyes, that would be considered doing her a favour. She was already dying as far as they were concerned. Killing her swiftly and painlessly would be a mercy.

And strangely enough, she hoped they were merciless.

She couldn't see the direction she was carried in, but she saw the numbers of feet multiplying. Until, she was in the middle of the crowd, raged at and spat on.

There had to be some old survival mechanism buried deep within her that blocked all the shouts. Letting her feel nothing as the guards placed her on a wooden stage. What did they do with criminals in this town? The prison was suspiciously empty. Did they kill them?

Did they let the angry mob stomp on them until death?

That would be a horrible way to go, but weirdly deserved. She spent most of her life angering people, disregarding their feelings and their well-being. If all these people carried the revenge of everyone she subconsciously destroy, she deserved it.

The first fruity substance hit her face, mushy and slimy and strangely refreshing on her skin. She was thirsty and tired. Another fruit hit her thighs.

"Try and hit my mouth." She mumbled, but the sound was incoherent. All kinds of fruits and vegetables hit her, covering her in stickiness that reeked mostly of spoiled tomatoes. They wouldn't throw anything fresh at her.

One distinct voice broke through the barrier her mind created. One voice laced in desperation instead of anger.

"Let her go!" It was Greg. "Don't-don't do this to her!" He grunted and it sounded like he tried to push through. But his voice died out after a shout and Corinne wasn't strong enough to lift her head and look at him.

It went on for while, until everyone tired. Well, public humiliation was better than torture, Corinne thought as the hits stopped and voices died out. The sun was setting and Corinne feared what was the next thing that would happen to her. She wasn't sure how she stayed conscious.

Every left ounce of energy awoke the moment soldiers grabbed her again and carried her somewhere. If they killed her now, she'd be really pissed.

"Wh-where are you t-taking me?" Corinne uttered and tried to lift her head, but no use. It was too heavy, filled with all the thoughts that jumped from place to place, making it unable to concentrate.

She was trying really hard to recognise pebbles on the floor, because that was the only thing she saw. That and shadows, following her wherever she went next.

Soldiers didn't answer which didn't surprise her. Corinne wondered whether they would chop off her head. Maybe she could pull the Marie Antoinette and stomp on their feet once last time as they murdered her.

Corinne couldn't quite pinpoint everything she felt. But through the spectrum of emotions, one was particularly painful.

Relief.

At the thought of dying, a part of her felt relieved.

Corinne shook that off the moment she acknowledged it and forced all her emotions towards another, very powerful one. Anger.

Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed the wall near her. Corinne wasn't strong enough to do anything, but she wasn't looking for the means to escape. They were taking her outside. They were taking her exactly where she wanted to go.

Scattered bits of energy gathered within her body and she willed herself alert, no matter how hard and painful that might be.

They passed the wall; Corinne looked at the moss and vines and decaying stone with admiration. The air outside was thinner and fresher and easier to breathe. Corinne found something within her, something strong and wilful that thrashed against the idea of dying.

"P-please." She mumbled, hoping her voice wouldn't give away the sudden excitement. "D-don't leave me near the lake." She begged. "Don't. Please."

Soldiers slowed down, but they didn't speak. Corinne imagined their faces, staring at each other, questioning her words. But for all they cared, she was the person that endangered their lives, she was the enemy.

"General said we should leave her with the others." One of them whispered.

Others? Corinne's mind swirled.

"Who cares? Let's leave the bitch to rot near the lake." The other answered.

"N-no." Corinne tried to wiggle, but she miserably failed. She didn't use much of her strength, just enough to convince them she didn't want to go near the lake.

"What if someone comes looking?" The first one asked.

"No one will know after she dies and we bury her. We'll even bury her with all others that were infected." The other added cleverly. So, Corinne connected, they were leaving the infected people outside to rot. They were planning on taking her there. To wither away with them.

Good. They were merciless.

"What if the creatures snatch her?" The careful one asked.

"Who gives a shit? She had it coming."

Corinne let out a quiet, disapproving moan and wiggled again, just for good measure. But their minds were already set, they were taking her to the lake.

Corinne swore the lake smelled differently than the last time she visited. The proximity of water filled her with peace and the idea of diving in awoke excitement. Maybe this poison that coursed through her body did just that. Maybe it lured her to certain death.

They put her down on the wet, muddy ground and she waited. No food, no water, no shelter. She waited until sun set.

There was peace in being left alone to die. Perhaps she was forged differently from the beginning. She was always strange, always just a bit more calculating than other kids.

No one could ever quite pinpoint where she belonged, how she breathed. All those countless therapists her mother took her to when she was clean and Corinne young. They all stared and stared, shaking their heads and writing down gibberish for her diagnosis.

And here, near the lake, left alone to die, she felt strangely content.

So, took in a few deep breaths as sun set. It was time to do what she set off to do. Wherever that might lead her.

Her limbs were numb as she turned on her stomach and tried to kneel. Her legs barely worked, but she managed to crawl. She couldn't use all of her energy to crawl to the water, because she needed some to swim.

Unlike all others that swam to the surface, she would dive deep. She would find rest in darkness, where no one would bother her. Perhaps she was forged in such darkness, since she craved it to envelop her again.

Corinne looked at her own reflection and took a deep breath.

Diving in was easy, she only had to let go.

The cold water shook her, surprised her and sent a bolt of energy through her barely beating heart. The darkness took her senses hostage and she swam through it. Down and down and down.

Until her lungs burnt and her muscles hurt. All ration slipped from her and she followed her instincts. That deeply buried survival mechanism that always worked differently for her. The mechanism that sent her away from people instead of towards them. That led her to the depths instead of the surface.

Her chest was on fire, the pressure so high she could barely take it. Corinne swam, her arms aching with every swing she took. The water was everywhere, water and darkness. And she couldn't see anything, above or below her. Briefly, she wondered whether she made a mistake.

And then a hand grabbed her and pulled her down.

Startled, Corinne opened her mouth and breathed in the cold water. Ice on her skin and fire in her lungs. Her world narrowed down to the thudding of her heart, the pressure around her and the feeling of falling while the hand dragged her down. There was nothing she could do but give in.

Corinne crashed into the wall of water. Coldness slapped her skin once again and she coughed out the water from her body. Tears prickled in her eyes as her throat and her lungs and her limbs ached. But the adrenaline made her feel good, healthy.

"You've returned." A voice spoke and Corinne made herself lift her head, ignoring the emerging fear at the sight in front. That creature, that same blue-skinned, black-eyed woman stared at her, with her fangs bared and her long nails scratching the ground. A part of her body was still hidden by the wall of water.

"What were you expecting?" Corinne's voice was hoarse and broken, but angry.

"You've kept up your part of the bargain." The woman said, sounding just a little bit surprised. She doubted. It made Corinne wonder how many people she offered this bargain to.

"Yes." Corinne willed sternness to her voice. "And now it's time to keep up yours." She lifted her gaze, forcing herself to stare into those dark pits. "Give me the cure."