Short Story: Copper Mountain

Words whispered under their breath. Words not meant for anyone to hear. Stepping over the fallen stones and waving away the dust, a body comes into view. A single body broken and bruised under rock. A man, barely breathing but alive... for now. The landslide caused enough commotion that the townspeople of Shiver flood from their houses and gather around the base of Copper Mountain. High enough not to be seen, they can work without the fear of word getting out. That would ruin everything. Moving carefully, they move as close as they can to the victim of the landslide, giving the greatest amount time and efficiency. Pulling a needle out of their pocket and discarding the plastic cap, they flex their arm so that the blue veins stand prominent. Pushing the sharp end of the needle into the largest vein sends pain, than numbness through their body. …show more content…
Eleanor struggles but she already breathed in the chemical. Weakly, Eleanor grabs at the hood covering Jared’s face. She rips down the hood and his fluffy, white hair shines in the setting sun. His face is distorted from the effects of the chemical, but Eleanor takes her last minutes of consciousness to memorize every details she can.

White hair, blue eyes. Not the most helpful information. Picturing Jared’s face produces a blurry outline that could be anyone. Eleanor can’t remember a solid and reliable image of what he looked like. His whole body was covered in cloth, not an inch of skin shown. Maybe that could help. Maybe that’s some kind of culture he can be traced back to. Something slimy brings Eleanor out of her head and back to reality. She slowly opens her eyes to come face-to-face with a long, pink tongue. Eleanor almost flings the disgusting thing off her, but someone removes the creature before she has to move. "Eleanor?" Walker asks, sitting on a chair beside her head. "Are you