It hurt.
So much.
Adam was still soaked to the bone with freezing water, but his movements were slowly increasing his body temperature, which was good. On the other hand, it also meant his blood was circulating at a faster pace, which meant the further he went the worse his bleeding got.
Which was very bad.
Thankfully, Adam had ripped the sash that hung from his belt into thinner ribbons and tied them around his stomach. It wouldn't do much, but it would stave off a death from blood loss, at least for an additional hour or so. He'd also done the best he could to dress the wounds, applying antiseptics and using the minuscule amount of thread he had on him to close them. He'd even used a painkiller to help keep the growing agony at bay.
A cold sneer grew on Adam's face. People always wondered why he had so many zippers on his uniform. Apparently, they'd even made fun of them behind his back. Well, who's laughing now? He was alive and well thanks to his precautions, and they were lying dead on a floor.
"Ha….. aha….. ahahaha… hahaha… hahahahACK!"
Adam's weak chuckling soon gave way to violent coughs, forcing him to bend over, covering his mouth in a vain attempt to stop. Eventually, the fit passed, and Adam removed his hand, disturbed by the amount of blood his glove was now covered in. Grimacing at the iron taste in his mouth, Adam promptly resumed his limp forward. It was fine. All he had to do was survive long enough for his aura to recover. Once that happened, his survival was basically assured. Then all that was left to do was find a replacement for Wilt and…
And…
And…
"Bla… Blake…"
Blake. He'd find her. Her and that disgusting, yellow parasite as well. He'd find them, and kill them both. So much for protecting each other. Ideally, he'd kill Yang first while making Blake watch, just to make her feel that little bit worse. On the other hand, it might be more ironic for the traitor to be denied the honor of being killed last.
Of course, he'd need to find them first. Assuming they'd already left, he'd probably find them in Atlas. Once he was there, he could mobilize the White Fang remnants that were stationed there to organise a search of the city. Well, assuming they didn't know about the incident at Haven Academy. But even then, he'd probably be able to rally the lower classes into doing something. Anything that would either allow him to search for Blake or draw her out.
It was around the time that Adam began wondering how he would actually get to Atlas that he noticed he'd stopped walking. In fact, he was currently lying facedown on the floor. Furrowing his brow slightly, Adam lifted his upper body and looked over his shoulder, and was surprised to see a trail of blood extending behind him. Looking down at his stomach confirmed that his wounds had reopened and were once again leaking blood, the red liquid seeping through his sash.
Damn…
Turning back onto his front, Adam started to push himself up, only for a sudden spike of pain to stab him in the gut. With a cry, he fell back down, his nose smashing against the floor, prompting another involuntary sob as it began bleeding.
Already sensing what was coming, Adam began rapidly blinking, trying to hold it back, but it was too late. The branding had rendered the tear ducts in his left eye useless, so instead, all he'd feel was a sharp stinging sensation. It was so much worse in many ways, if for no other reason that it did nothing but remind him of his loss, of his subjection, his humiliation.
"Fuck… fuck…."
Finally, Adam snapped. Flipping onto his back, the man began screaming curses as loud as he could, straining his vocal cords as he spat out every expletive he could think of. He wasn't even sure if he was directing them at anyone in particular, or just desperately trying to vent in some way. Tears were streaming down his right side in an unending river as his howls began subsiding in favour of raspy, demented laughter. Cackling madly, Adam roughly palmed his left eye, as if began attempting to force a reaction other than pain out of it. Unfortunately, the only reaction his body gave him was a vile, sinking feeling in his gut. Looking down, Adam was once again reminded of the fact that he had two holes in his stomach; the sight only served to make him laugh harder as he began thrashing around aimlessly like he was having a seizure.
Eventually, Adam's laughs devolved into strained giggles, his grin spread thin and wide across his face. By now, the entire bottom half of his jacket was covered in blood, and his body was rapidly dropping. His spasms had stopped, and now he just lay twitching, staring up at the rock ceiling. He felt lighter than ever, yet he seemed to be sinking into the floor, the tunnel roof getting further away with every passing second. At least the pain seemed to have stopped.
Sighing, Adam let his head roll to the side, no longer possessing the will to even keep his neck straight. Maybe if he stopped moving entirely, he'd finally be able to get some rest. Granted, he was somewhat curious about the person kneeling in front of his face, but he could deal with that when he woke up.
Letting out one last breath, Adam closed his eyes, and let himself sink into his mind.
