7. CHAPTER 7 #2
I was in shock, unsure if I could produce a sound.
Pain shot through my entire body. I sank to my knees, pressing my hand against the wall for support, praying I wouldn’t fall off the mountain.
I was destined for more, and this wasn't my end.
I had to fight. Callum had collapsed forward, tears streaming down his face.
What the hell just happened? How did this occur?
“Are you two alright?” Ophelia cried out behind us.
“I… don’t… know,” I cried out to her. The pain was all around, and I was seeing stars.
“Let’s figure this out.” Asher was next to me .
“He’s not going to make it. One of these is in his heart, and the other is in…” Ophelia said before she faded into the distance.
“No, no…” I cried out before everything went completely dark.
“Hey there, stay with us,” Ophelia said softly, as I tried to open my eyes.
“How bad is it?” I asked her.
“Mostly flesh wounds, nothing life-threatening. You will likely experience pain and need a Healer. An arrow went into your calf, which is the worst one. You have one in your back, but it only pierced the skin. You also have one lodged in your hip and upper arm.”
“Fuck. Everything is burning.”
We need to set one of the arrows on fire and cauterize the wounds to stop the bleeding so we can move on.
“Shit.” All I had were curse words, plenty of them. “Is Callum… is he?”
“He didn’t make it…”
Oh gods. No... Why? My heart broke in two.
He and I had grown close over the past few weeks, and now he was gone like that.
This was the reason I didn’t want to make friends or get close to anyone.
People die here. Tears streamed down my face as I mourned the loss of my friend.
I knew I had to stand and move. We could not sit here.
I did not know how long I was unconscious or if other squads passed by us while they triaged me.
I pulled myself into a sitting position to gather my thoughts.
“Where is Callum?” I asked, confused.
“Instructor Pascal already came and took him, wherever they take them to,” Beau said.
I surveyed the remaining members of my squad, checking each one to confirm they were okay.
Our group now consisted of eight: Beau, Ophelia, Asher, Selene, Jeremy, Theodore, Atlas, and me.
I pushed myself upright, using the wall to steady my balance.
I wasn't sure if I could walk. My calf throbbed painfully, unlike anything I had felt before.
My left ankle still ached, and I struggled to bear weight on my right.
My legs trembled uncontrollably, and eventually, I collapsed back onto the cold ground. This was really fucking bad.
“I think you guys might need to leave me,” I told them .
“Absolutely fucking not,” Beau shook his head. “Someone will need to take the lead, checking for land mines and trip wires. I will carry Auriella on my back.”
“I’ll take the lead. I’ve been training for Infantry since I was a child,” Theodore said.
“We can alternate carrying her. Let me know when you need a break,” Asher added.
Theodore stepped to the front of the line, with Jeremy behind him and Asher after. Beau knelt before me. I extended my arms over his shoulders, and he grasped my thighs and lifted me onto his back. Soon, I sensed my eyelids growing heavy, my stomach uneasy, and the world spinning around me.
“I think… I might… Vomit,” I barely got the words out.
He paused and sucked in his breath.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
"It’s okay, take some deep breaths. The nausea comes from the blood loss and pain. What do you always tell us? Refocus yourself."
“Okay… I smell your hair, and you need a bath.” I inhaled deeply.
“I tasted the bland bread I was eating earlier.” Another deep breath.
“I see the back of your head. You definitely need a bath.” Another inhale.
“I feel your warm skin under mine.” I took in the largest breath.
“I hear all the rocks crumbling under our boots.”
He let out a small chuckle. “Good, keep breathing, you’re going to make it down this mountain, we all will.”
I started to doze off again, my eyes feeling heavy. I leaned my head forward onto his shoulder. I felt so weak. I hated this. I hated feeling weak. I hated slowing my squad down. I hated for them to see me vulnerable and weak. I drifted into sleep.
“Hey Auriella, Asher is going to take you now,” he said, tapping my thigh to wake me up.
“You can call me Auri…” I said. The words came out slowly. The world spun, everything was blurry, and my head pounded. I believed I was somewhat worse than what Ophelia claimed .
Beau knelt carefully, gently placing me on the uneven ground.
He swapped places with Asher, who confidently reached down and lifted me just as Beau had earlier.
The setting sun cast a warm, orange glow as we appeared to inch closer to completing this.
My eyelids drooped, my body ached with exhaustion, and a strange sweat broke out on my forehead.
If you feel like your body is on flames, while also in an icebox, you have an infection, Auri. It’s important for you to get the wound tended to before it spreads. Wound infections are the top reason we lose cadets at astronomical rates.
I remembered my mother's words—an aggressive infection was spreading fast. If I didn’t see the Healers soon, my condition could worsen dramatically. Tears welled up and traced down my cheeks, some entering my mouth and tasting salty. It finally dawned on me that I was crying.
“Hey, you okay back there?” Asher whispered.
"I have an infection that’s spreading fast, and I need to get to the infirmary soon."
“It’s okay, you’re okay. Close your eyes, I got you.” He kept this voice low and steady.
“Hey squad, we need to pick up our steps a little faster. Auri isn’t doing so well.”
I could feel our speed increasing slightly. I needed to remember to thank all seven of them for this. The bouncing of being carried reminded me of when I was a little girl, and my mom would bounce me to sleep. I drifted off into darkness.
“Hey Auri, we’ve made it...” Jeremy was tapping my thigh.
I was currently on his back, but I wasn’t exactly sure when I had shifted from Asher's to him.
I gradually opened my eyes. It was dark outside, illuminated only by the stars and the moon.
We were now at the base of the mountain, the starting point of this journey four days prior.
I could see a mix of blurry figures standing near the college, my eyes struggling to stay open, vision coming and going. .
I caught sight of the striking light blue eyes that had mesmerized me from the very first moment I saw them.
He locked eyes with me, but my heavy eyelids made it difficult to keep my gaze on him.
His worried expression puzzled me, yet I couldn't quite figure out why. He didn’t entirely know me.
I felt a strange chemistry between us that I couldn't explain.
My head jerked forward, and my eyes shut.
“Instructor Pascal, we need your assistance. NOW!" Beau shouted.
I felt shifted from one arm to another, I felt us through the air. I thought we were flying, but I wasn’t sure. My bones ached, muscles burned, vision cloudy, the arms that held me were warm.
“Please don’t die Blackcreek, your father will…”
My eyes sealed shut.