Save him or kill him
986 Words
Someone you save today might save you tomorrow.
Mother's words rang in my head.
I ran back, cleared the snow from his face, then checked his pulse. It was weak, but still there. I dug him out and gently carried him on my back.
My footsteps were heavy, and I walked at a slow pace. His hands, dangling by my side, seemed lifeless. I kept praying he would survive.
The walk home was tiring. My throat was dry, and every bone in my body ached. My feet wobbled beneath me, and I lost my balance. We fell into the snow, and I heard him groan faintly.
"Sorry, I slipped," I apologized.
This far from where I had found him, I was exhausted. I remained in the position I fell, resting. Then a thought crossed my mind.
Am I doing the right thing?
I rolled onto my back, facing the sky.
"Father, Mother, I am worried," I muttered.
It was getting dark when I finally saw the roof of my parents' house drawing closer, and I pushed my tired body forward.
My little sister, Sophia, was sitting outside. Her tiny face lit up with joy when she saw me. She ran toward me but stopped when she saw I wasn't alone. She stared at my back, confused.
"Thank God, Elena, you're late. We were worried about you."
My neighbor, Mrs. Arden, stopped mid-sentence when she saw me clearly.
"Oh my! Who's this, Elena? A man! You brought a wounded man home? Aren't you scared he could die in your hands? How could you?"
Alarmed, she questioned me.
"I couldn't leave him to die. He was buried in the snow."
I was about to take him into our house when she stopped me.
"Bring him to my house. You are a young, unmarried lady. It's improper in our town for an unmarried woman to be living with a man. Did you see anyone on your way home? You don't want people to start talking, do you?" she asked.
Hearing those words, my grip on the man loosened slightly, so I turned and headed to Mrs. Arden's house. Our houses were connected.
We got to her house, and she helped me lay him on the bed.
"My husband went out, and he hasn't returned yet. Stay here while I go bring him back. Sophia dear, stay with your sister. Don't leave the room."
She instructed us before hurrying out into the cold night.
I sat on a stool next to him, watching him silently. His face looked calm, but a strange toughness showed in his features. His clothes were a bit torn.
My eyes drifted to the hand that had touched me a moment ago, and I gasped.
Blood was streaming down his fingertips onto the wooden floor, and I panicked.
I raised his shirt and saw a deep wound on his shoulder and an even deeper one by his side. Blood gushed out relentlessly.
He was bleeding badly. A chill cold ran down my spine.
What the hell!
I have to do something.
I stood up and searched the room for medicine. The room was like a mini clinic where animals were treated by Mr. Arden, a traditional healer. I had assisted him many times, so I had some experience with wounds and bleeding.
I quickly poured some herbs into a bowl. The smell was strong.
I wanted to add more, but my hands stiffened. I wasn't sure of the quantity. His wounds were deeper than any I had seen before, and he was a human, not an animal.
I glanced at the wounds again, my eyes narrowing.
Without hesitation, I emptied the medicine bag in my hand into the bowl.
"Get me some water, Sophia."
"No. I can't," she blurted out.
"What? I said get me some water," I repeated slowly.
I had never raised my voice at her.
"Mrs. Arden said I should not leave you alone with him," she said innocently.
"You don't need to stay with me. I am not a child," I replied.
She pouted her lips, and I sighed.
“Okay. You stay with him. I will be right back”
I rushed out and returned with a basin filled with water and a piece of cloth in my hand.
I adjusted his sleeves, cleaned the wounds, soaked the cloth with blood, and applied gauze.
I picked up the mixed medicine and spoon-fed him while he lay there half-conscious.
A few minutes later, the door burst open.
The couple came in looking breathless.
Eyes wide, Mr. Arden moved closer. He checked each medicine bag, and his eyes landed on the last one on the floor.
He picked it up, opened it, and found it empty.
His mouth fell open.
Speechless, he looked at me. His eyes lingered on the bowl in my hands for a moment.
"Did you empty all of this into that bowl?" he asked.
"Yes. It's the medicine I see you use for the horses you treat. I took some of those, but the one you were holding, I wasn't sure about because the bleeding was worse than that of the horse. So I used all the medicine," I explained.
"More bleeding means an increased dose, doesn't it?" I added.
Mr. Arden stared at me, bewildered.
He dropped the empty bag and turned to the wounded man. His gaze remained calm.
He placed a hand beneath the man's nose, then rested his head against his chest.
"Thank goodness," he murmured.
Then he looked at me.
His expression turned serious, and I frowned.
"It doesn't work that way. That medicine—even for a horse—only requires a little. It's not about quantity."
With this portion you gave him, Elena, do you wa
nt to kill him or save him?"
The words hung in the air.
I stared blankly at him, and the bowl almost slipped from my hand.
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