Ruth removed the ocean-water-soaked black fabric; the sickening pitapat of red droplets followed its removal.
"Definitely infected..."
She commented, watching as the reopened wound leaked watery pus and dark blood. The slurry: a sickening sight, but the wound itself was not too egregious.
Ruth turned to the small container, within which were common medicines—such as flu medicine and pain killers—but also more uncommon products.
A squeeze bottle of saline water, for example.
Lifting the cap from the nozzle, she carefully inserted it into the open wound: a slit two fingers wide, and half a finger deep. Squeezing the bottle, Ruth whinced lightly as the saline water flushed the infected area of pus and residual ocean water.
The pain seethed within her, but only the most subtle clenching of her teeth appeared on her expression.
Having used most of the contents in the bottle, she gently patted the wound dry with the fabric Rene retrieved.
'Sterilise, then pack... Then—.' Ruth recited to herself with what little spare thoughts she had, which was disrupted as a coarse fabric dropped on her head.
Rene had found a towel and opted to pat-dry Ruth's hair.
"Is there anything else I may get you, Overseer?" Rene asked from above, his tone as soft as his touch.
"Tear me off a piece." She handed the white fabric back to Rene, and he complied.
The torn fabric, once a flawless white, darkened as Ruth doused it in the rest of the saline water. She packed her wound with the damp material and used the rest of the fabric to bandage her torso.
She sighed, leaning back into the worn couch. The rough patchwork offered little respite, but it reduced her chances of bleeding out.
The moonlight filtered through the windows, highlighting Ruth's pallor and half-lidded eyes.
"I'll keep an eye out, Overseer Ruth... Please, rest easy." Rene consoled as he stood from the couch.
Ruth let out a tired mumble, but closed her eyes as she lay down, hair spilling over the cushions.
...
'I hope you're all out there...'
Rene mumbled to himself as he strided to a window.
The night was quite late, and the crescent moon hung lazily in the sky.
The moonlight glinted quietly in Rene's eyes as he gazed outward. But the subject of his attention was not reflected in his eyes, but a memory.
Figures and faces rose in his mind, and longing bloomed in his heart. Although he couldn't reminisce for too long, he had to keep watch.
Still, he gathered Ruth's soaked uniform, wrung them out and draped them over the windowsill. Quietly dragging a chair to the window, he sat down and waited.
...
Hours had passed since then, and morning dew started to collect on the exterior of buildings.
As sunlight poured into the building, Ruth was roused from her sleep.
The blanket that smothered her unfurled, revealing the somewhat healthier colour of Ruth's skin. A hint of life warmed that paleness.
"Warmth... returned, wound..." Ruth mumbled drowsily, checking over her wound, which healed nicely—though it still stung as she shifted.
"Rene?" She called out, wiping her dry eyelashes.
As her vision cleared, she saw the man sitting by an open window, sunlit, as the rays of morning light embraced his body.
His 'open' body, that is.
With his shirt hiked up to his neck, his torso was bare, and his chest was open. Each pec was like a flap, opening outwards to reveal an array of black panels, all drinking up the yellow-gold light.
"Morning." He turned to face her, asking tentatively, "Is your wound okay...?"
"It is in much better condition than yesterday."
"That's good to hear."
"What's your charge at?"
"Almost full, about eighty-ish."
Ruth felt around her blanket.
"What did you want to do next, Overseer?"
"Let's try to get in contact with any survivors, as long as they aren't too far, they should have a signal for us to connect to.
A brief glint of light flashed in Rene's eyes.
His chest closed as he refitted his shirt. Though he kept some attention towards the world outside, Rene was undoubtedly eager towards Ruth's proposition.
The lights of the Comm. Device flickered to life, detecting the faint signals of other Comm. Devices.
'Three within the area...' Ruth murmured internally, but with another thought, she spoke aloud,
"Don't speak until after I finish checking these three signals."
Rene nodded, and with that, Ruth connected to the first.
After a moment of silence, the speaker released a low, muffled hum. After listening for a few minutes, the only nuance to the humming was the occasional distortion.
"The recipient must be underwater," Ruth concluded.
'So dead...' thought Rene.
Ruth simply tried connecting to the second device, but the signal was abruptly lost.
Lightly surprised, Ruth stifled a sigh before connecting to the third signal, and after another moment of silence...
"Hello?" A deep, male voice sparked through the speaker, "Anyone there...?"
Rene raised a brow towards Ruth, mouthing, 'I don't recognise this voice'.
She spared him a glance, but Ruth replied,
"Thank the heavens, there's another survivor out there!" Ruth cried into the Comm. Device, pleading, "Where are you? Are you somewhere safe? Are there others—"
"Whoa, calm down, lady... I'm not sure who you are, or what happened, but I guess you might be friends with this other woman here?"
The tone of this voice was amiable, albeit gruff and quite direct.
"Other woman?" Ruth met Rene's eyes for a brief moment, then continued in her somewhat shaky voice, "What does she look like? Is she wearing a beige coat?"
"No... She's wearing all black."
The voice continued, continuing by listing the most noticeable features: black hair, a pale face with a faint grey hue, and...
"She has a tattoo on her jaw... right on the bone, that must've hurt."
"Tattoo... Is she awake?"
"She's unconscious, I just heard this thing here beeping as I passed by. I can let you know where we are now, and you can come around." The voice offered.
"Really? Please, tell me where you are! Are there others with you?"
"Just me... and this woman... I'm currently by the town's square. Do you know your way around Anapauo?"
"Anapauo...? This town? No... My ship just crashed here, I haven't been able to find anyone else..."
Rene watched from the background, this back and forth between Ruth and the other voice on the Comm. Device.
'So other Cleaners have survived...'
As Rene thought to himself, Ruth continued her discussion for a while longer before finally turning off the device.
"So... We're actually going to meet up with this guy?" Rene mused, poking a question at the once pleading, shaky-voiced woman.
Ruth stood up and ruffled her hair to appear messier,
"Of course. Be ready, we'll depart in a minute."
"Understood, Overseer."