Ok I know it's late and you all have every right to be mad at me. In my weak defense that no one probably cares to hear, my boyfriend broke up with me. I know sad right, never happened to anyone else before :P . That was sarcasm in case no one got that. Please no flames for sounding mean. Anyway I did Day's point of view in this. I kind of think you guys would have rather had his than June's at this point. I don't think any of you really want to reread what you already know so yeah…that's my reason and it obviously has nothing to do with the fact that I hate writing as June…yup…none at all.
DAY: Chapter four
Not for the first and probably not the last, I curse the rope biting into my wrists. The van is once again dark. I can't even see June anymore. I can't tell if she's bleeding out or if she's breathing. With a jolt the van is thrust into motion and I hear a groan come from my left. Relief pulses through me like water to a burn. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. At least she's alive, for now. The need to help her is so overwhelming I'm surprised I haven't broken out of the rope by shear will.
Before I can even try to make my way to her, a pain erupts under my skull. This is exactly the wrong time for this to happen. I can't think and I can't move an inch. It's as if my skin has been encased in stone in hopes of keeping the pain in. The blackness around me turns a startling white. No, please, I try to will the light away and squeeze my eyes shut as if it could help. If I black out now she will surly die.
….(Still Day)…
My eyes open and I can't tell if time has passed. There are no noises from June and my heart beats in a panic. I'm on my stomach so it isn't too hard to crawl over to where I had last seen her. She's still there, though too cold for my liking. Never have I seen June like this, except for that sickness weeks ago. Usually she is so strong, stronger than me. Seeing her like this is disconcerting and makes my stomach do flips. A lump in my throat makes it hard to breath and my thoughts muddled. If there was a time when I had to think straight now would be great.
My hands are still bound and for all I know it has only been minutes since June was thrown in here. Or it could have been hours and the June I'm trying to save is long gone.
"Don't think like that." I shake my head and instantly regret it as a wave of nausea wells up in me. Turning my head I empty my stomach and hope we'll be leaving this godforsaken van soon or the smell would kill us both.
My hands being no good I strain my ears to hear a breath and try to recall everything I knew about a bullet wound. I couldn't feel any blood on the van floor so she wasn't in danger of bleeding out. Then again I couldn't exactly tell what was blood and what wasn't any more. I pushed down another wave of nausea. "June can you hear me?" My voice was horse. "June if you can I need you to tell me, somehow. I know you're hurt, just tell me where." Time passes second after aching second and I hear a very small "Dam it" I don't think I have ever been more grateful for a curse than I am now. Her voice was weak but there all the same.
"Shoulder-"It was a gasped and bit out word. This surprised me. A wound to the shoulder though painful, would not probably put June in this kind of state. She would be uncomfortable and maybe black out but not this still, corps like state. I had seen her take on much more than this.
Still the dilemma of my hands stopped me from doing anything productive. I had been brought here in the middle of the night in nothing but my sleep clothes. June had most likely been stripped of any kind of weapon, and she wouldn't appreciate me checking her for one. I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. Now was not the time. Then there was the two guys driving the van. Thomas' ugly face sprang to mind and I almost growled. Thomas must be shaken to the core. He has done exactly what he promised he'd never do. The guy was rotten at his center there was no doubt about that. The hate fills my blood with heat and energy, and a very helpful idea.
"Hey Thomas you coward, what the hell did you do? At least look her in the eye when you kill her!" It's a bluff of course. June is very much alive but for all he knows she has somehow not made it. The pain in my voice is very convincing. Only moments before I had thought her gone…this girl who changed a world just for me, she could have left me. My voice only rises. "Can you at least clean up the blood I can't sit here in it!" The image is too vivid, red liquid seeping into my pant legs and staining my hair. I kick the wall separating us. "Get back here and finish me too. Metias would kill you if he were still here." There's a dim thud. This isn't as soundproof as I had thought it to be. "Were you not satisfied? Could you not help finishing off the whole family, the stain that refused to be washed clean? I bet she followed you out without question. She trusted you and all you did was-"My words were lost as I was flung to the floor. The van had stopped.
I had hardly been able to stand again before light flooded the small space.
"I told you no real bullets. The darts were enough to knock her out for the trip. You and I will get our asses handed to us if she's dead." Still dizzy, I see Thomas climb into our little holding cell. He looks as clean cut as ever if it wasn't for his face. It has morphed into nothing but worry and grief. His eyes hardly glance at me before falling to June. She is playing the part of a corps perfectly. No breath moves her chest and not even as the light hits her do her eyes move. As I look I realize that June isn't bleeding. Hopefully Thomas will be too panicked to notice. He doesn't
Thomas gets closer, kneels down beside her and raises his hand to check her pulse. She understands and it's scary that I can tell she understands. There's no movement, no secret sign that tells me when to act. It's as if one second I'm standing and the next I've launched myself at the other man. I can hear the cry of surprise as June lands a hit. I wonder if Thomas is happy or angry that June lives.
I had only guessed where the other man had been, though I had been roughly correct. He stood outside the van a little to my left. We hit the dirt and I hear something crack under my hands. I see a glint of a knife and almost cackle at the sight, this is exactly what I need. It only takes a second for me to leave an opening to my throat, and then block with the very hands that he would have rather been tamed with rope. The blood rushes back to my fingers and before I can feel the sting of circulation I raise a fist. A punch to the head and a stolen knife to the shoulder knocks him out cold.
I've only just tucked the knife in my waist band when June is thrown out of the van. Instead of the usual graceful landing expect she lands on her back and rolls a few feet. But she's back up again before I can run to help. And then she turns stock still. Her hair is out of its usual ponytail, trailing behind her. She still wears her street clothes, simple things used for lying around the house. She could have just gotten back from a walk, not about to attack her brother's best friend.
"I wouldn't move if I were you June. You and I know full well what this is" I can't see Thomas very well. He's hidden inside the van still, but June can see him and the fear on her face is as clear as I've ever seen. She glances at me, a silent message but this time I don't understand.
"Perhaps Day would like to know? You are always so curious, gets you into too much trouble I think." Thomas steps out and he's holding a gun. Though this shouldn't have frozen June as it has, she's seen more guns than I have and that's a lot of heavy artillery. What made this so frightening to the usually fearless June? "You know what this is don't you June? Meitas must have let it slip once or twice. Even if he hadn't I'm sure you have figured it out by now, having experienced it firsthand." He isn't paying any attention to me. If I'm fast enough I could jump Thomas. But if he hears me he's sure to shoot June. With the way she's staring at Thomas I don't think I want to know what is so strange about that gun. My feet shift and my hands clench in preparation. I know June has already gotten the message. I'm about to strike when Thomas speaks again. "Don't think I'm going back on my word June. I'm only doing what's best for you." She's shaking now though you could hardly tell. Just the slight twitch of her shoulders, the tremor in her boots. I feel a knot in my gut. I have to move now.
I'm already half way there before he even registers me moving. One hand goes to steady his gun but I've already gotten a hold of it. Aimed at the ground, the bullet fires with a bang, it sends shock waves through me. Through my fingers and up my arm, but I don't slow down for a moment. Somewhere behind me I hear June but I shut her out. My other hand goes for a punch that's quickly blocked and matched with a swift kick to my stomach. I lurch back and land with the wind knocked out of me. My head is throbbing with the promise of a headache that could kill but I'm holding the gun now.
With cracking shakiness I stand and point the gun at Thomas. He only laughs.
"For all that genius you have Day you still aren't able to figure it out. Go ahead, shoot." He opens his arms wide and plants his feet firm. June comes up and puts a hand on my arm. Every nerve I have seems to chatter under her touch.
"Day, look" Gesturing to where the bullet had misfired, where it had hit the ground I almost wretch again. There is no chipped stone or lodged bullet. Instead there is something akin to a splattered insect ground into the street, all liquid and nothing more. I can only think of one thing the Republic would use as a weapon that looked like this. Thomas had threatened to inject June with the plague.
My throat closed and my vision blurred. My stomach dropped and I fell to my knees. I was wrong. Thomas had already done it. Back then while I huddled in a van. He pointed this gun at her and gave her a death far worse than any wound could deliver. June was infected and she already knew it. Another does would quicken things, make symptoms more violent. That's why she was so scared.
A hand grips my shoulder and I can feel her digging her fingers into the cloth. What must she be thinking? What is the weight of this betrayal? In the background to the blood rushing in my ears I hear Thomas laugh again.
Yeah I'm sorry about the cliff hangers. They must be driving you guys crazy. Hope you leave a review though, I love, love, love hearing from you guys! Thanks for reading everyone.
PS: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far! You guys make my day :D
-_- that pun was not intended, just saying. Oh, and next chapter will be in June's point of view and should be out...Monday at the latest…maybe.