Chapter 4 - Oh Dang
Clay (and everyone else, actually) was woken the next morning by Omi screaming, "WHERE IS HE?!"
He scrambled out of bed and ran into the kitchen, his hair all a mess. "Where's who, Omi?"
"Elijah!" said Omi frantically. "He's not in the kitchen, and he's not in the garden, and he's not at the training grounds, and he's not in the gazebo, and he's not in his room! He's not where he normally is!"
"Well, where can he be?" said Raimundo. "He couldn't've gone far, where did he go?"
"Oh dang," said Clay, getting his hat and pulling it over his eyes.
"Clay?" asked Kimiko, rounding on him. "Do you know something about this?"
"Yeah, Clay, what did he do when you two came back in last night?" asked Raimundo. "It was pretty late when you came in, and I know because I heard you."
"Where did he go?" said Omi.
"Uh, actually, funny story," said Clay, forcefully laughing awkwardly. No one else laughed, so he stopped. "Somethin' went wrong on the walk, and he ran off."
"What happened?" asked Kimiko.
"Uh, somethin'," Clay mumbled.
"What?" Kimiko persisted.
"Listen, I'm not about to tell you, so you can just forget it," said Clay vehemently.
"Okay, geez, I get it," said Kimiko, backing up a step or two. "Sorry."
"It's fine," said Clay gruffly.
"So did he run off into the forest?" asked Rai.
"Yeah," said Clay. "Yeah, into the forest."
"We must go look for him," said Omi, springing up and running out the door, the others following.
They had been looking for about half an hour when Raimundo found him. "Ho shiz," he said, taking a step backwards, his face turning white behind his tan, giving him an ashen look. "You guys," he yelled in a strangled voice. "He's here!"
"Where?" yelled Kimiko.
"Here!" yelled Raimundo, his voice cracking.
The other three ran to him. "Holy moley," said Clay, stepping back one step.
"Oh my God," said Kimiko, running to Elijah's side.
"Elijah!" squeaked Omi.
Elijah was lying on the ground, beaten to a bloody pulp. His face was pretty badly scratched up, and his arms and legs were completely mangled, one of his arms sticking out at a sickening angle. His glasses were smashed on the ground near him.
"What happened to him?" asked Raimundo, his voice quivering.
Elijah moaned on the ground. "A-at-tacked," he whimpered.
"Shh, baby, it's okay, we're here," said Kimiko. She took his hand that wasn't on the obviously broken arm.
"K-Kimi," moaned Elijah.
"Shh," said Kimiko soothingly. "Shh, it's okay, you're going to be okay." She looked up at Clay and said, "You're the biggest, pick him up. We're taking him back to the temple."
Clay nodded and scooped Elijah into his arms. "Elijah…Elijah, I'm sorry," he whispered as they walked back to the main building. "This is all my fault, I'm so sorry."
"Clay," murmured Elijah. "I-I h-urt," he whimpered.
"Shh, I know you hurt, but we're going to make it all better, okay? I promise, you'll be good as new in no time." He sighed. "J-aysus, Elijah, why do you have to be so…like you?" He began to cry a bit. "Why'd you run off?"
"Be-because…pe-people do…c-crazy things," he winced and moaned, "when…th-ther're in…l-love." He sounded like he was crying, but his face was so bloody Clay couldn't tell. "I-I h-urt," he moaned.
"Shh," said Clay. "Shh, it's okay, just stop talking, it'll feel better."
They walked into the temple and Kimiko screamed, "Master Fung, we need to get Elijah to a hospital!"
"Kimiko, why—" started Master Fung before entering the room.
"Holy!" said Dojo, sliding down from Master Fung's shoulders. "What happened?"
"He said he was attacked," said Raimundo.
"He's still conscious?" asked Dojo unbelievingly.
"Ye-es," moaned Elijah. "I h-urt," he repeated.
"I can call a helicopter," said Kimiko, pulling out a cell phone. She flipped it open and said, "Moshi-moshi, Ken. Get down to the temple, now. Aringato." She closed it and said, "He'll be here in two seconds. Let's get outside."
True to his word, a helicopter appeared outside almost as soon as they'd stepped out. "Hi, Kim—holy s--t, what happened to him?!" asked the helicopter operator.
"Attacked," said Kimiko as the dragons, Master Fung and Dojo climbed onto the helicopter. "Step on it."
They made it to the hospital rather quickly. The nurse behind the counter called up a gurney and some doctors who rushed Elijah off. "Make him okay," said Omi to the doctors who wheeled him off.
"We'll try," said a doctor, smiling slightly at Omi.
The four other dragons, Master Fung, and Dojo took seats in the waiting room. Kimiko curled up on the seat and Raimundo gently put his arm around her. Omi pulled his knees to his chest and stared blankly at the wall, Master Fung put himself in a meditative state. Dojo climbed onto Clay's hat and Clay stood up and began pacing back and forth.
"Clay, what happened to Elijah?" asked Dojo.
"Somethin' went wrong when we took a walk, and he ran off," Clay repeated.
"I heard you talking to Kimiko, so I won't push it," replied Dojo. "What I want to know is why you didn't go after him."
"I-I don't know," said Clay, leaning against the wall. "I guess…he kind of confused me. I just needed time to think, alone." He slid down the wall and sat on the ground. "I just thought he'd come home when he was ready."
"Dang," said Dojo softly. They both sat in silence for a time, and through the night, and into the next morning, when the doctor would finally come.
