Homer's Odyssey: A Narrative Fiction

He stared down at the small pool of blood at his feet. The thick, red liquid cooling on his fingertips. The iron smell burnt his nostrils as his tears stung his eyes. He wiped them away furiously, streaking blood across his face. His father looked down at him with a scoff. “Let’s go, boy.” The young man lifted up the carcass of a deer, it’s body stained crimson. It was heavy, but he knew he could walk a few miles with it. He stood up, the deer hanging lifelessly around his neck. His father gave him a stiff smack to his shoulder. It was meant to be encouraging, he knew, but it just felt as cold and rigid as the deer whose life he had taken. The boy gave him a weak smile. His father slung his rifle over his shoulder and they walked at each other’s sides down the dirt road. The boy looked down at his …show more content…
I just…” Eli closed his eyes.
“I know, man. You guys were really close. You look just like her,” he paused. “How is Lydia?”
“She’s going to kill herself, Andy. I don’t know what to do to save her. She needs you to protect her.”
“Eli, you know I’m gonna die soon,” he coughed hard, as if to prove his point. He pointed at the garbage bin near the side of his bed. Eli handed it to him, and he spit out a mouthful of blood. He looked up at Eli smugly. “Besides, Lyd never liked me anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter whether she likes you or not. She needs someone strong to save her. There’s something about me… I’m not good enough to be the one to keep her around. I need you to get better and I need you to save her.”
“You know that no one survives the disease, dumbass. Don’t think I’m any different.” He shifted around in the bed. It looked like he tried to roll over, to turn away from Eli, but he grimaced and stayed put. Andrew grabbed Eli’s hands weakly. He looked into his eyes. “You should kill me, Eli.”
Eli widened his eyes and threw his brother’s hands back. “Don’t even say that. Why would you say that? I just told you that you have to stay alive. Why would I kill