“Well, as usual it is a miracle that she is still alive.” Doctor William Witherbark explained after pulling Erica out of Molly’s bedroom and then a little further down the hall to make sure they were out of the kids' earshot. “And you have been disposing of all bodily fluids and anything possibly contaminated correctly I assume?”

“Yes…” Erica responded begrudgingly with her arms crossed over her chest. The man had barely even looked at Molly, and it was really starting to get on Erica’s nerves. He had inspected the dark blister on the side of her neck from a distance but that was pretty much the extent of his examination of her daughter’s condition.

“Great, and can you tell me a bit of how she reacted to the latest injection we gave her?” The doctor then asked while taking out a notebook to write something down.

“It didn’t help at all with any of her symptoms, if anything it feels like she has more blisters now than she did a few weeks ago… Her fever went up and she complained a lot about muscle pains in her arm. She also had some serious migraines for a few days, she said she thought her head was going to explode. Not to mention that she keeps having these strange nightmares…” Erica explained with a sour expression on her face.

“Hmm… that is unfortunate, considering her symptoms we were hoping this substance was going to help at least a little with the fever and abdominal pain.” Doctor William Witherbark pondered to himself for a moment while tapping his lead pen against the notebook in his hands.

“How many potential treatments are there left to test?” Erica asked while staring the doctor down. His yellow eyes had a hint of orange around the iris, which did not match his blue robes at all. The light brown hair on his head looked strangely greasy, though it didn’t seem to be because of the natural oils the body released as he both looked and smelled as though he had recently washed. A hint of flowery perfume came off his body which almost made him smell like a street corner prostitute. Using some other strange oil he seemed to have slicked his bangs over the top of his head in a failed attempt of looking stylish.

“Not many, though we have been discussing trying some… experimental treatments. With your consent of course.” The doctor stated with a stern yet assertive tone in his voice.

“What kind of… experimental treatments?” Erica asked carefully, as almost all her faith in these doctors had been destroyed throughout the years.

“I will have to get back to you on that after I have consulted my co-workers on the matter. We will prepare everything and go over it with you when we have all the paperwork and details ready.”

“Is that all you can tell me now?” Erica responded with disappointment riddled all over her face, while her foot gently tapped against the floor as her patience was running thin. Though part of her knew that even if he told her about the treatments she wouldn’t understand much. Most of the things the doctors told her sounded like a foreign language, with words too complicated for her uneducated mind. In a small town like Willowcreak it would also be impossible to fact check any of their statements, yet despite all that she felt it was her duty as a mother to ask.

“Unfortunately, yes.” The doctor said calmly. “But that will soon change.”

“I don’t know why I am even paying you folks…” Erica stated with an audible sigh, not even bothering to hide the mix of contempt and disappointment she was feeling.

“Because it is the only thing left that might save your daughter’s life.” The doctor said and brushed back a few loose strands of hair which had fallen into his face. “And I can assure you we are doing everything in our power to help her.”

“Then why isn’t she at the medical centre right now? Where you can watch over her and help her all throughout the night. The pain and nightmares are waking her up several times per night these days. Do you have any idea how helpless I feel being alone in caring for her like this?” Erica lashed out as her frustrations were boiling over.

“The number of beds we have at the medical centre are limited, and we have a lot of high risk patients staying there. Due to how little we know of this disease, we have no idea how contagious it is. Our immunocompromised patients could be at great risk if we gave Molly the constant care we would wish to give her.” William explained without giving it even a moment of thought, as if this was something he had expected Erica to ask sooner or later.

Erica couldn’t do anything but scowl, as she had no words which could express her disappointment in his statement. It was a valid excuse, yet that was all it was… an excuse. She didn’t even have the energy to argue against it.

“Do you have any other questions?” The doctor asked as he packed away his notebook in the pocket of his robes.

“No… I think that is all for now.” Erica said begrudgingly with her arms crossed. She had several questions, questions she knew he couldn’t answer. There was no point in once again asking how she could help Molly or what she was suffering from, because no one here was competent enough to answer those questions.

“Alright, then I shall see you in a few days. I will make sure I have all the paperwork about future treatments with me then.” Doctor Witherbark said as he began heading towards the exit, grabbing his hat which he had placed on the dresser in the hallway on his way out. Though as he was leaving he stopped by the door for a moment and turned back to Erica. “Stay strong, we’ll get Molly healthy eventually. You have my word.”

Erica could only nod at the doctor as a response. After all this time she didn’t believe any of the words that came out of his mouth. She almost felt a little insulted over how he had the audacity to spout nonsense about hope while squeezing every single copper out of Erica’s coin pouch.

“Have a good night, and may the gods bless you.” The doctor quickly said before leaving, swiftly closing the door behind him. Once he was gone there was nothing left but silence, her mind which had been racing all day was finally quiet as the exhaustion welled over her. A twelve hour work shift where she had barely had lunch as she had to rush home to serve Molly her food, followed by a doctor’s appointment. There hadn’t even been a minute to relax until now.

She let out a deep sigh as she sat down on the single armchair which was the only remaining furniture in her small living room. Everything else she had had to sell to pay for the rent and her medical bills. Leaning back she simply stared at the ceiling for a moment, her head feeling just as empty as her wallet. After a few minutes she closed her eyes and tried to imagine the last time she was happy yet nothing came to mind. Frustration welled over her and part of her wanted to scream, yet all around her there was nothing but darkness and silence. Until the silence was suddenly broken by a deep and resonant voice which echoed throughout her mind.

“Do not let their words deceive you.” The voice told her in a strange echo that travelled throughout her mind. It almost felt painful and her eyes had shot open to search for the source of the voice.

“Who’s there?” She exclaimed as shivers ran down her spine, yet no one answered her. Several minutes went by where Erica sneaked around her home in a paranoid state while searching for the source of the voice, yet nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Mommy?” Molly’s voice loudly, yet innocently asked as Erica passed her bedroom.

“Yes sweet pea?” Erica quickly responded after opening the door, as if she had been conditioned to immediately attend to her daughter when she was asked for.

“Did something happen?” Molly asked nervously while fiddling her thumbs.

“No? Why do you ask?” Erica said, turning the question back to her daughter as she entered the room.

“It’s just… you normally come back shortly after you leave with the doctor but you were gone for a very long time this time… I was scared the doctor told you something bad…” Molly said with childish fear and guilt in her voice.

“Oh, I am sorry. But I was only gone for a few minutes, I just had to get a breath of fresh air.” Erica said as she sat down on Molly’s bed next to her before giving her a pat on the head. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise you that.”

“But it felt like you were gone forever, I had the time to tell Mr. Bear six bedtime stories.” Molly said in a concerned tone as she held up her stuffed bear.

“What?” Erica asked in genuine confusion as she got up and turned to the window at the other side of the room. Moving the curtain to the side she squinted her eyes at the clock tower in the distance. It was just past eight in the evening according to the tower, which was strange as the doctor had arrived at six and only stayed for a few minutes. Was it possible that she had fallen asleep in her chair? She had never passed out like that before, even on the most exhausting of days. Not to mention that she had felt aware of her surroundings the entire time. She turned back to her daughter shortly after and headed back to her bed to sit down next to her. “That’s strange, looks like mommy lost track of time. I’m really sorry sweety.” She said with genuine guilt in her voice. Worrying her sick daughter was the last thing she wanted to do.

“It’s okay, I am just glad you are alright.” Molly responded with a smile so genuine that only the most wholesome of children and puppies could pull it off. Her eyes reminding Erica of the blue sky on a sunny day, as cheerful and innocent as the girl who sat before her.

Erica gave her a gentle smile yet remained quiet for a moment. Part of her always felt as though she was at a loss for words, as if she was lost without any sort of directions to guide her towards her destination. She wanted to take this disease of Molly’s and return it to whichever hell it came from, but it wasn’t that simple. In a way she felt powerless, as if she was tied up within the strands of fate unable to change anything. At times everything felt so meaningless, her actions, her words, this town, reality. Perhaps that was her mind and body’s way of saying that it needed a good night's sleep, something Erica couldn’t afford to give herself currently. “How about I try to borrow a new book from the church tomorrow? I can go there right after work.” She asked after several moments of silence.

“Oh! I’d love that!” Molly exclaimed cheerfully. “Can you get one with a hero who saves everyone and defeats the big, evil… baddie!?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Erica responded with a light chuckle. “But for now I have to go make your dinner. It is important that you get the nutrients you need so you can grow big and strong.”

“Do I have to eat the peas..?” Molly asked carefully as she slid back under the blanket, with Mr. Bear in a tight hug which almost looked as though she was trying to strangle the poor thing with her elbow.

“Yes, but I won’t put as many as I normally do on the plate, okay?” Erica said and ruffled her daughter's hair before she stood up. “I’ll be back with the food soon, okay?”

Molly quickly nodded as a response before Erica headed out the door, leaving the door open so she would hear her daughter in case she needed anything. The walk back to her kitchen through the barren hallway felt uncomfortably long as her mind wandered back to the voice she had heard earlier. It was like nothing she had ever heard before, its resonance sending shivers down her spine. Yet while the voice was terrifying, there was a hint of reassurance in it. Or perhaps it was nothing but mistranslated pity, but it brought Erica some comfort nonetheless. Was this the beginning to one of the gods answering her prayers? Could this be the voice of the god of the sun? Or was this simply the start of her descent into madness with her imagining otherworldly voices in her mind?

“Do not let their words deceive you.”

She pondered over the words the voice had spoken, what did it mean? Whose words was the voice referring to? The doctors? Her boss? Her ‘friends’? All of them? Paranoia began filling her as the hairs on her arm rose. Could the voice be trusted? If it belonged to the god of the sun then she would be able to blindly trust it, as his entire religion was all about fighting for a brighter future, protecting those who were weaker than oneself. They preached a lot about peace, truth, helping others and so on, in an attempt to be some beacon of hope for those who were struggling. But if this truly was the god of the sun, would he not identify himself? Would he not send one of his champions carrying his message? And why reach out to her now instead of a year ago when she went to church on a weekly basis. In the last few months she had only prayed on the days that were particularly rough, and it is not like she was the exemplary beacon of hope and positivity that the sun god's followers strived to be. Was it even possible that the voice belonged to him?

After rummaging through the kitchen she quickly discovered that some of the ingredients for her daughter's meal were missing. She dreaded going out grocery shopping but knew that it had to be done. “Molly, I am heading out to buy some milk and eggs! I’ll be back in a few minutes!” She yelled while donning her simple leather shoes and placing a lavender coloured scarf over her shoulders.

“Alright! Take care mom!” Molly responded from her room, knowing full well that Erica would not leave the house without some sort of reassurance that Molly was aware that she was alone. Erica would rather not have to leave her home at all, as Molly’s condition always filled her with worry, a sensation that ate away at her from the inside out.

She quickly headed outside, locking the door with a large iron key before she faced the world outside her home. The wind quickly brushed her bangs out of her face as the warm summer weather was quickly being replaced with cold autumn breezes. The sky above was filled with grey clouds, which let only a few streaks of light through. In the distance the sky rumbled as a storm was slowly approaching. With the scarf tightly wrapped around her she hurried her steps in the direction of Willowcreak’s small town square. As usual those who took notice of Erica kept their distance, scared of the nonexistent chance that they could catch whatever disease plagued Molly. There was a plethora of false rumours surrounding Erica, her small family and the disease Molly carried, almost as if each individual citizen had their own delusional theory on the situation. Their fear was understandable, yet it annoyed Erica how no one considered that 5 years had passed without Erica catching the disease, with that in mind she thought it should be obvious that the odds of the random townsfolk catching the disease were unfathomably low.

It wasn’t far to the centre of the small town, where several farmers were slowly packing up their goods early to make it home before the arrival of the inevitable approaching storm. Dread filled Erica as she spotted a familiar face selling eggs at the market, just the sight of the woman made Erica want to turn around and head back home. Yet her hopes to cook Molly a nice dinner gave her the strength to push forward towards the market stall. The woman Erica dreaded meeting had brown hair with red streaks through it, all tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head. Her brown eyes would appear rather dull if it wasn’t for the impressive amount of make-up she wore, a quirk she had possessed since the two of them were but young teens. While Erica’s dreams had long since changed, Jessica still dreamed of moving to a big city, like Laverne, Caerleon or Dameril. Despite having grown up as a farmer’s girl and spent a big portion of her life working as a small town waitress, she had always dressed in what she believed was what the rich folk of Laverne wore. Yet she had never even met a rich person in her life. Her red dress showed more of her chest than what Erica was comfortable seeing, a large gemstone necklace almost sliding down between her breasts. It was some worthless rock polished and carved to fool those who didn’t know enough about gems into thinking that it was a ruby or at least a garnet. The only reason it didn’t fool Erica was because she knew her family could afford no such thing.

Through the rumours Erica heard while listening in on the drunkards at the tavern, it seemed her parents were still making an effort to marry her off to someone who at least lived in one of these towns that Jessica had dreamed of living in. It seemed she had become quite the talk of the town after being overheard going on a tirade on why none of the country bumpkins of Willowcreak were good enough for her. None of this surprised Erica in the slightest, as Jessica had always been a bit full of herself. Erica was merely the introvert that Jessica adopted and reformed into someone who dared to open their mouth in public.

As Erica approached Jessica gave her a bit of an annoyed look, as if Erica had personally darkened the clouds in the sky just to piss on her parade. “Look what the cat dragged out.” She said jokingly in an attempt to come off as friendly, yet it all sounded so fake to Erica now.

“Yes, the cat dragged me out here to get some milk and eggs.” Erica responded in an attempt to end this conversation before it could start, knowing Jessica was likely just fishing for something new to gossip about with the other girls that they both knew yet Erica hadn’t spoken too in what felt like forever.

“I can tell, it looks like it did a number on your hair too. You really should do that mud treatment I showed you, it does wonders for split ends.” Jessica began rambling in a way which made Erica want to roll her eyes.

“I would, but life sure gets in the way of such things these days. I don’t have time to sit down and relax anymore. I need these for dinner, so I’ll take two bottles of milk and eight eggs.”

“Ah yes, your life sure went downhill since you birthed that little cursed… thing…” Jessica said, seemingly failing to think of a better descriptive word for Erica’s precious daughter. “I can’t even remember the last time I saw you smile.”

“She isn’t cursed, she’s just sick. Before you know it she’ll be better again.” Erica responded while trying not to grit her teeth at the woman.

“Oh no, you are right, she isn’t cursed, she is a curse. She sucked the fun right out of you.” Jessica said nonchalantly as if it was some twisted joke, while packing up the milk and eggs in a paper bag.

Erica took a deep breath in an attempt to prevent herself from slapping the life out of the woman before her. “You speak a lot of things of which you know very little. Though I guess that is something you have always done. I guess such ignorance is to be expected from an uneducated farmer’s girl.”

Jessica visibly frowned as Erica knowingly had insulted her in the place where it hurt the most. Nothing stung more to Jessica than to be reminded of her small town, farmer’s girl heritage. “No need to be rude, you know I am only saying this because I care about you. The girls and I miss you… Rachel is a little scared of catching that plague or whatever your daughter has, but beyond that we all miss hanging out with you.”

Jessica put the exact change on the wooden boards between them which made up the market stall and then picked up the paper bag containing the milk and eggs. “No offence, but I don’t think you are capable of caring about someone else, at least not more than you care about yourself. So you should stop spewing nonsense and try to warm that cold, dead heart of yours.” She said and quickly walked off, as the anxiety was beyond overwhelming and she doubted she could keep a straight face much longer. She wanted to cry, yet there was a sense of satisfaction to finally say those words to Jessica’s face. Part of her wished she could see Jessica’s reaction but turning around would likely lessen the effects of her words so she chose not to, and continued walking.