Wounded (for Zombie)

[Chthonic]

Winter had finally come, blowing in one night last week to turn the temperate fall bitingly cold. The sleet had started falling a few days later and showed no signs of letting up, covering the city in dirty, grey slush. The rain came in heavy sheets, thundering down upon the city. It raked icy cold fingers downs Tao's body as he slogged through ankle deep puddles, trying to find a dry place in to wait out the storm. His muscles ached, pulled tense against the cold, and all he could focus on was the need to stop. To rest.

 

Tao's body begged him with each strained pull of muscle against water-logged clothes, each throb at his temples, each rasped inhale of burning cold air. He passed a few empty benches lining the equally empty street and thought of just laying down on one, despite the cold and the sleet. It would just be for a little while... Just to catch his breath...

 

He forced himself to walk past.

 

There was a covered smoking area up ahead, set up behind a large building, out of sight from passer by. It was somewhere he'd slept before. It might not be warm, but at least it would be dry. His body ached though, and even the middle of the street was starting to look like a good place to just lie down for awhile. Tao grit his chattering teeth and pushed on.

 

When the hazy outline of the little over-hang finally came into view in the distance, Tao could've all but cried in relief. He staggered through the ankle deep water rushing along the curb, giddy with the absence of the rain pelting down his back. Even the frost covered, metal bench was a welcome blessing, and Tao sank down on it, panting and relieved.

 

The throbbing ache that had possessed his entire body seemed to have lifted, leaving only a hazy, drowsy warmth and Tao felt his eyelids drooping. Sleep called to him, a siren's song. Dimly, a flutter of awareness tried to nag at him, tried to rouse him, but before Tao could focus on it, the thought was gone. Something about the cold...

 

Tao's eyes slid closed.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

 

 

Name: Jin Huang

Age: 27

 

---

He hated rain. Even with his pants tucked into his boots, reaching up to his mid-calves, it was incredibly difficult to make sure no water got into his shoes and wet his socks. Jin must've looked ridiculous; he tried to jump from one dry spot to another, finding the street to be rather uneven. Somewhere there would be a hole, where more water gathered, and there were the higher spots where it was dried - those were his safety.

 

He seemed to be all alone walking through the streets, trying to find his way home. He managed to leave his car keys at home, and he didn't have enough cash to get back home with a bus. He was in a hurry in the morning, hoping to not be late for rounds. Being a doctor put an incredible strain on him, both physically and mentally. The brunet glanced up, seeing a blurry figure slumping through the streets. The stranger didn't even have an umbrella, and it was really pouring down. Deciding he might as well help him out, at least with an umbrella, Jin followed the stranger, never catching up enough to call out to him.

 

At some point, he lost track of him, until he realized the other had entered one of the many abandoned buildings in the city block. His eyebrows furrowed as he realized this was probably a place where homeless people gathered for shelter... But at this weather, it could be deadly to sleep in such cold, especially while wearing wet clothes. Jin simply couldn't walk past and let a life fade, even if it was a homeless stranger. He was a doctor, his life revolved around saving lives. The brunet hurried inside, setting his umbrella away while carefully stepping towards the unknown male.

 

"Excuse me?" He called out, lightly shaking his shoulder, eyes widening as he could feel how hot the skin was even like that. "Wake up." Jin spoke, crouching down in front of the man while removing his long coat. He would manage without it, but this man probably wouldn't. With one hand, he was already pulling out his phone to call an ambulance. His fever and breathing alone were enough to show the man needed medical attention, the sooner the better.

[Chthonic]

 

((Sorry about the delay and all. My poor laptop died and I only just got it fixed properly. Here's a proper pic and description for you. ))

 

Tao

 

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Age: 25

Height: 6'

Tao has dark brown, almost black hair that just brushes his waist and chocolate brown eyes. His skin is porcelain pale. He is rather underweight, at only 137lbs.

 

 

Warm.

 

Tao couldn't remember the last time he'd really felt warm. Winter had blown in early this year, harsh and angry, bringing sleet and snow. Any sane person had fled indoors in it's wake, and those with no home to speak of had packed what few shelters there were to capacity.

 

Tao sank into the hazy warmth, let it take him. Rare comfort spread through his body and he forgot why sleeping here had been a bad idea.

 

Wake up.

 

A voice on the edge of his awareness, nagging, prodding. He fought hard to ignore it. God, I just want to sleep. Just let me sleep...

 

But the voice was insistent, pulling at the warmth surrounding him, making it fray, letting icy coldness creep back in.

 

Tao's eyelids fluttered and he let out a pained moan of protest.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Jin's eyes shot back to the man once he heard a sound. "Don't fall back asleep. Can you tell me who you are?" He asked firmly, placing his coat over him so he wouldn't freeze to death. He hated seeing people end up like this, it wasn't fair.

 

As he finally called the ambulance, explained the situation and got the promise to be there in minutes, Jin set his phone away and focused on Tao.

 

"Listen to me. I'm a doctor, I can help you." He spoke, trying to keep the man awake. "You can't fall asleep." He repeated, wiping the water off the other's forehead. How did people even end up like this?.. It hurt him to see others in such situations, hurt him to know people could suffer without anyone giving them help.

 

"The ambulance is going to be here any minute. Just hold on till then... We're going to take care of you." Jin spoke, keeping his voice firm and just loud enough to keep Tao awake. He already knew there would be a problem with the treatment. This guy probably didn't have any insurance... And definitely had no money. While Jin had more than enough to cover for him, he didn't want to do it until he knew how Tao ended up in this situation.

[Chthonic]

Tao's eyes cracked open, bleary slits of chocolate brown. They rolled dizzyingly, trying to find focus, but everything had turned hazy and soft, as if the world had turned to snow while he'd slept.

 

Was there a blizzard? Maybe I fell asleep and died....

 

Somehow that thought didn't bother him as much as he figured it should have. It wasn't so bad really. The cold and pain were fading again, bringing a sleepy numbness. Comfort.

 

Such a foreign thing to Tao, comfort. His whole life had been uncomfortable, a struggle. A constant search for someplace to stay, to live. Hell, to just exist. Always having to fight for whatever scrap he managed to get for himself. First had been the orphanage. Too many lonely children and too few resources to go around. You had to learn to take care of yourself. The foster homes he'd bounced around in hadn't been much better. At least on the street, what was yours, was yours.

 

That voice was piercing into his thoughts again, more urgent now, and someone was shaking him.

Tao forced himself to try and focus on the shape looming over him.

 

 

"What?" Tao managed, his voice thick and slurred.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Jin's lips parted with a sigh of relief when the man spoke, even if just one word. It was still better than nothing. "Can you tell me your name?" He asked while getting a small flashlight from his pocket, using it to check if the other's eyes would respond to the light. At the very least, he would be sure there was no head trauma to go along with his illness.

 

hoped to keep him awake until the ambulance arrived. "It's only going to be a few more minutes, an ambulance will get here and take good care of you. Just stay awake." He kept repeating, making sure Tao listened to that command. He wouldn't let somebody die out on the streets. Not today, not ever.

 

It didn't matter if his patient was a rich old woman or a poor young man. He would try his best to save both, if there were enough resources. Hell, even if there weren't he'd give them his full attention to make sure they were comfortable. He was just like that, always ready to help.

 

In the distance, he could hear the ambulance sirens. "Hear that? The doctors are here. You'll be okay."

[Chthonic]

The pain was back, so sharp and real that it made the scant earlier comfort seem like a dream. It must have been a dream. Because now all there was was pain, flashing white hot along his nerves, consuming his awareness. Tao tried to curl into himself to escape from it; from the cold, the pain, the voice somewhere on the periphery.

 

He tried to fight it when he felt his head turned before light exploded across his vision, making him wince and curl even tighter into himself. God, and he'd thought his head couldn't throb any harder. But it just kept getting louder, and then his ears were ringing. Louder and louder, a shrill wail building until everything else was drowned out. Even the stars dancing against the backdrop of his closed eyelids had gained intensity, pulsing and flashing. Tao felt nauseous, dizzy.

 

The voice that had been pulling at him seemed to have multiplied, spreading out and echoing all around him. Even the hands on him seemed to multiplied as well, more forceful, more urgent. Tao felt himself being lifted, and his head spun. He felt his gut spasm, once, twice, three times, but there was nothing to vomit up.

 

Somewhere, someone was telling him to relax.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"He's in bad shape. I can barely get a line in, he's so dehydrated."

"Just make it work, we've got to get some fluids on board."

"If we don't get this fever under control..."

"God, he's so young."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

In the end, Jin didn't pull any answer from the other man. He had no idea what his name was, where he was from, there was absolutely no information about him. They couldn't even be sure about any medication they gave him, as Tao could've been allergic to something... How come he didn't have any kind of ID on him? It didn't make sense. Even homeless people had something. This one had absolutely nothing.

 

Jin asked to be Tao's doctor, of course, as he wanted to make sure he was at least taken care of. He found this guy, he was now his responsibility. So dehydrated, so skinny, so sick... It was a miracle he was still alive. Jin stayed by his bedside as much as he could, checking up on his other patients in the meanwhile. Thankfully, the fever at least wasn't rising any more. Sitting by his bed, the doctor was going through some paperwork, of another patient of his own.

 

It made him sick knowing such young people had to live out on the streets. It made him sick knowing that people just ignored the homeless. "I hope you wake up... There's a lot we need to figure out." Jin sighed quietly, looking at his patient. What the hell was he going to do when he woke up? Jin could pay for the treatment, but... Just that wasn't enough. Tao had to have some place to stay in, and he wasn't sure he would want to live with Jin. After all, they were still absolute strangers.

[Chthonic]

It was warm. That was Tao's first thought as he began to wake, eyes blearily taking in his surroundings. He was wrapped in warmth.

 

Where....?

 

Tao's head ached and his eyes kept refusing to adjust to the harsh brightness that surrounded him. Still, he could feel plush softness of a bed beneath him and the stiff scratchiness of over-laundered sheets. There was an aching pull at his wrists when he tried to move, IV's, and the smell of antiseptic and bleach cleaner was making him faintly nauseous.

 

He tried again to force his eyes to adjust and took a few long, exaggerated blinks to try and clear the haziness from his eyes. At first, everything was just white, but slowly shapes started to come in to focus. The bed he was laying propped up in, monitors and IV bags.

 

Damnit There was only one place he could be. A friggin' hospital.

 

Tao tried to scrape together the last thing he remembered, but nothing came. He hurt everywhere, maybe he'd been in an accident? Gotten sick? He seemed to remember being cold...

 

It didn't really matter though. What mattered now was that he'd landed in a hospital that he couldn't possibly pay for. Tao scraped together a little more spatial awareness and tried to sit up before falling back on his elbows with a groan. He was much weaker than he thought. Still, he couldn't stay here. Didn't want to stay here.

 

So long and thanks for the bed. Tao thought with a grimace as he rolled to his side and tried sitting up again, slower this time. Somehow, he managed to get vertical, though he swayed dizzyingly when he tried to stand.

 

"Fine, we'll just sit here a little longer." Tao rasped, panting a little.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Jin's eyes shot up when he noticed the other moving. Oh, crap... Putting the documents aside, the doctor held Tao up slightly, placing a hand over his forehead. "Please lay back down." He requested softly, giving him a gentle push. "You're still sick." He added, keeping a hand over his chest. Seriously, this guy...

 

"If you move too much, you might cause damage. I didn't pull you out here to have you kill yourself the moment you wake up." Jin sighed, gently running his fingers over his brown hair, something he usually did when in stressful situations. "Can you tell me your name? What's the last thing you remember?" He questioned, seemingly just wanting to get some things out of the way.

 

Taking in how Tao looked, the young doctor let out another soft huff, shaking his head. This guy was in no condition to even leave the bed. Finding a stethoscope, Jin gently pressed the cold metal against the other's chest, hoping to have him stay still for long enough to see how well he could breathe. "You have pneumonia, if you leave now, you'll certainly die. I know people in your situations are worried about money... If you answer my questions, I will be able to help out there." Jin said, lightly placing a hand on the patient's shoulder. He didn't use half the money he got from the job. It really paid well, but he literally didn't know where to put his money.

[Chthonic]

God, he'd hoped he could slip out unnoticed, but before Tao could make a move to block the other man, he was already pushing Tao back against the bed and urging him to lay back down. Tao couldn't fight the gentle push back in to pillows, but he shook his head away from others obtrusive touch.

 

Still sick...So that's it then.

 

"I'm fine." Tao rasped, finding his throat dry and chest heavy. His ribs felt bruised and sore, and it hurt to breathe. He'd had worse.

 

Tao gasped at the sudden sensation of cold metal against his skin and raised a hand to weakly push it away. "Said I'm fine." Tao squirmed again and tried to sit up on the other side of the bed. He could feel his limbs starting to tremble and his heart beating erratically.

 

I'm still a little weak. Tao told himself that's all it was.

 

It wasn't the feeling of being trapped, or being vulnerable in front of a stranger. It wasn't the sickeningly smell of bleach that permeated this place, making his stomach cramp. His breath came a little quicker.

 

"Name doesn't matter, and I didn't...I...didn't..." Tao never got the words out, the sentence interrupted by a series of heaving coughs that had the thin young man doubled over.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

"You're clearly not." Jin replied quietly, pushing Tao back down when he tried to sit again. He had to calm down somehow. If Tao continued like that, he would end up damaging not only himself, but the hospital belongings, too. The brunet was ready to inject something in case it was necessary to keep his patient calm.

 

As the other began coughing, Jin began rubbing at his back, gently patting it to help. "Please, try to relax." He spoke soothingly, helping him lean back against the pillows once the fit was over. Looking into the other's eyes, Jin let his lips part with a soft, somewhat tired exhale. "You have to tell me what happened. Without your name, I can't do much, either. Is there any family we could contact?" He asked, glancing at the monitor to check his vitals.

 

Looking back to his patient, he placed a hand over his chest, mostly to make sure he didn't try to sit up again. "Just relax and answer my questions. We will take good care of you." He promised softly, a bit of sadness visible in his eyes. He truly couldn't stand it when he saw people like Tao in the streets. So young, with so much potential, and the reason most of them got into situations like this was because of the lack of money. If everyone got an equal amount, the world would become a much better place.

[Chthonic]

Tao let himself be laid back in the bed, too tired and too weak to protest. His skin crawled as the other tried to comfort him and Tao knew there was nothing he could do but lay there. The heart monitor beeped faster in the background. He hated being helpless, hated that his own body could care less how much he wanted to get up, to just leave.

 

Tao bit back on the choked pants trying to escape, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to focus on taking one breath at a time.

 

Just breathe through it. This isn't then, and you're not there anymore.

 

The heart monitor counted out a few more seconds of erratic beating before a long sigh juddered out from between Tao's chapped lips, some of the tension in that too thin body going with it. He swallowed thickly, trying to wet his impossibly dry mouth.

 

"Tao." he rasped finally, shrugging off the other man's touch. "And don't bother, there isn't anyone."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Jin exhaled in relief when the other finally relaxed, even telling him his name. "Alright, Tao. Is there any chance some documents could be recovered about you? I couldn't find any ID on you." He spoke, moving around the bed to make sure the IV's were in place, and his patient was comfortable in general.

 

Getting a glass, the doctor filled it with water and offered it for Tao. "Drink, you'll feel a bit better." He said, a small smile on his face as he sat back down on the chair. A quiet sigh passed his lips. This was stressful. He could've ended up like this if he made a wrong choice somewhere. Anyone could've ended up like that if they didn't do well enough in school, or got with the wrong people, or if they refused or took the wrong offer. Life was confusing. Had he went out of the house a few minutes too late someday, he could've gotten hit by a car, too.

 

"Is there anything else you need?" Jin asked, taking the documents back into his hands. "And... are you aware of any allergies that you may have?" He questioned, readying a pet to fill up the documents at least a bit while he had the time. He genuinely hated it when people that didn't have any documents ended up in hospitals. Not because he didn't want to take care of them, because it was hard for them to pay for it later on.