Making A New Friend

Upon entering the infirmary, a troubling sight greeted us. Dozens of beds stretched the length of the building, all occupied by the injured and dying. The severity of the wounds ranging from minor cuts and burns, to entire limbs missing and gaping injuries laid open. It was a gruesome sight even beyond what I've seen in the slums. I felt my stomach churn a little at the sight of it all.

"First time seeing something like this I take it?" Sophia asked quietly, "Don't worry, in this world you grow accustomed to it over time." She gently took me by the hand and guided me through the building, my gaze never leaving the injured. 

After walking for what felt like forever but surely only took a minute or so, we arrived in front of a closed curtain. Sophia parted the curtain and guided me inside to where a man lay unconscious in the bed. He had bandages over most of his body, blood soaking through them in some spots. His left arm was missing completely, and a large chunk looked to be missing from his right leg. Bandages wrapped around his head showed signs of a serious head injury due to the amount of blood soaking them. There were no machines since technology from the real world couldn't be brought over to this one. She closed the curtain behind us and pulled a couple of chairs to the bedside and guided me to sit, her hand still holding mine firmly and I could tell she was scared. Tears began forming at the edges of her eyes again as she reached out with her other hand and grasped the hand of the man lying in the bed.

"Hey Papa, I have someone I'd like you to meet. His name is Tatsuya, we sort of bumped into one another on my way here." She said with the best smile she could muster. "He's new to The Void, but with my guidance I think he will do just fine. You should see him, he looks like a little kid walking through town, surprised by everything he sees." She laughed weakly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I've only just met your daughter, but she speaks highly of you. She seems like an amazing person, and I'm sure that's attributed to how she's been raised." I bowed to show my respect and spoke to the man as if he could hear me.

Sophia slightly flushed at this, and as if just noticing she was still holding my hand, turned an even brighter red before releasing her grip. "Thank you again for doing this Tatsuya... Having you here, it means a lot to me. Especially considering you've only just met me." She said as her eyes met mine. She had been silently crying this entire time and it left her eyes a little red and puffy. 

I grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and handed it to her, "Don't mention it. You took care of me, now it's only fair I return the favor for a friend." I smiled at her slightly as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the tissue. 

"Friends? You really consider me your friend when we've barely just met?" She seemed genuinely surprised with me for calling her that 

"Of course, you don't have to know someone long to know if they're a good person or not, and well, I'd be honored if you'd consider me your friend as well, if that's alright with you?" I smiled at her. 

She seemed to be choking back tears again at my statement and laughed slightly. "Yes, I would like that very much. Thank you Tatsuya."

We sat with her father for over an hour, talking to him and amongst ourselves. In that time I learned that his name is Alister Winters, a middle class citizen. And that her mother's name was Jezabelle Winters, who, sadly, passed away due to an incurable illness when Sophia was only 6 years old. Sophia entered the gate after her eighteenth birthday a little over seven months ago. Her father entered shortly after the ban was released from the gates nearly three years ago. They had been out hunting creatures numerous times together and he taught her all sorts of things for hunting the creatures in this world. 

Sophia explained that she never had many friends growing up due to helping her father out with the daily work load after her mother passed, but she never regretted it. It's understandable why she and her father are so close, and why the thought of losing him as well traumatizes her. I never truly understood the bond between parents and their children seeing as I never got to know my own parents, but seeing how Sophia is with her father makes me wonder if I would have had a similar bond with my parents. 

Sophia looked nervous for a moment before finding her voice to ask, "Tatsu, if you don't mind my asking, what happened with your parents?"

Thinking for a moment before deciding to tell her everything, I explained my childhood to her. "I never really knew my parents. They were from the slums and when I was still an infant, they were mugged in an alleyway on their way home from the market. When my father tried to resist, they killed him, followed by my mother, hoping to remove any witnesses that could report them. Some kids that were hiding at the end of the alley saw the whole thing and when they came over to help, they found me still in my stroller. They took me in and cared for me, kids taking care of a kid. At least that's what I was told when they explained things to me." 

By the time I finished explaining, Sophia had silent tears flowing down her cheeks again. She jumped over and threw her arms around me, holding tightly. "I'm so sorry Tatsuya, that's horrible."

"I never really knew them, the kids that raised me were orphans as well so I never really put much thought into it. It wasn't so bad though, I had a lot of fun growing up with kids my age, playing and scavenging together. We helped each other stay alive and always had each other's backs." I told her, although now I began to wonder what having parents would have been like. 

She kept her arms around me for a long time, doing her best to comfort me. "Well, even though you're new here, you still won't be alone. You've got me to keep you company now." She said with a smile. In that moment I knew I had made a true friend. When I glanced up, I could have sworn I saw a smile on her father's face. 

"Sophia look!" I practically shouted as I pointed towards her father who's eyelids started twitching. 

"Wha-" her voice cutoff in the middle of the word as she turned to look at her father who's eyelids flickered a little before starting to open ever so slightly, and the corners of his mouth were barely curving up in the best smile he could manage. "Papa! You're awake!" Sophia yelled and cried at the same time before rushing back to his side. He grunted slightly as she lay on his chest and hugged him while sobbing uncontrollably.

"Doctor!" I yelled for the medical teams as he woke up, "Mister Winters is regaining consciousness! Please Hurry!"