It's that time of year again! Happy Whumptober season!

Day 1

Theme: All Trussed Up and Still Nowhere to Go

Prompt(s): "You have to let go"

Virgil coughed as he came to. He fumbled with the latch of his helmet and then threw it to the floor as he breathed in some fresh air. However, the dust in the air just made him cough harder. Virgil wondered why he was somewhere so dusty, so he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

He didn't remember what had happened. It was dark around him, but the light from his discarded helmet shined a brightness around the small space he was in.

Virgil blinked as he looked around. There was a wall of debris precariously perched above him, somehow kept suspended to not crush him. There was enough space for Virgil to sit up, so he pushed himself up and stretched out aching limbs as he tried to work out what had happened.

He glanced around the small space again, but his gaze stilled as he caught sight of the other person trapped with him.

Virgil crawled across the short distance to reach his brother's side. Gordon made no indication that he realised Virgil was there. His eyes were closed behind the glass of his helmet, and Virgil removed it so that he could check his brother's breathing.

Gordon's breath was faint, but it was there. Virgil placed one hand on his brother's side as the other caressed his cheek to see if he would wake up, but then he frowned as his hand met something wet.

Virgil lifted his hand from Gordon's side. Even in the limited light, he could see the dark liquid on his fingertips.

Virgil sucked in a sharp breath and put his hand back to cover the wound. He tried to coax Gordon awake again, but when he touched Gordon's skin, he noticed how cold it was. Now that he thought about it, the whole air around them was frigid.

Virgil knelt back on his heels and then he pulled Gordon onto his lap and wrapped his arms around his brother, one hand still applying pressure to his side. The cold had yet to reach Virgil, but he didn't know how long Gordon would last in this temperature when he was already hurt, so Virgil offered some of his own warmth to keep his brother stable.

He hoped that help was on the way. He didn't know where they were and he still couldn't remember what had happened, but he was sure that they weren't going to be left there. Gordon needed help, and he would need it soon. Surely someone else knew what had happened to them and would come for them.

Until that would happen, Virgil kept his grip tight on his brother. He wouldn't let anything happen to Gordon. He would keep him warm and keep pressure on his wound.

He kept sending glances down at Gordon to check he was still breathing. A white mist above his mouth as his breaths met the cold air was the only indication that he was still breathing.

Virgil pulled his brother even closer to him and wrapped his arms around him just that bit firmer.

He didn't know how much time had passed. It was all a blur in their little safety pocket. Virgil couldn't hear any sounds from outside and no light peeked in through the debris. He could have been in there for hours or just minutes.

However long he was in there, it was eventually broken by a loud noise coming from the debris. Virgil sent a fearful glance to it, scared that it was about to come down on them before they could get out.

As he watched the direction that the sound had come from, he saw a speck of light break through into their tiny space. Virgil gripped onto Gordon tighter as the light grew, and then a whole section of the debris was moved out of the way.

Virgil squinted against the harsh light that washed over him. There were figures standing in the entrance, silhouetted against the light that shined behind them. One of them moved towards him, and Virgil pulled away, bringing Gordon with him. He didn't know who they were, and he wasn't going to let them touch his brother.

He could see them hesitate, and they paused before they moved any closer. Good. Virgil wasn't going to let them hurt his brother, and he wanted them to know that.

"You need to let us help him."

Virgil was startled by those words. He was sure they were going to hurt Gordon, so they had to be lying. If Virgil let go, Gordon was going to be cold. He had to keep hold of him to keep him warm, and he had to keep pressure on his side to stop him bleeding. How could he be sure these people would do that for him as well?

The truth was that he couldn't. Virgil pulled his brother closer to his chest and sent a threatening look towards the figures, daring them to come any closer.

The figure closest to him took a step further into the small space, seemingly unaware or just uncaring of the look Virgil sent them. They moved slowly and Virgil watched them carefully in case they made a threatening move.

They reached out again and Virgil expected them to try and go for Gordon again, so he was surprised when instead their hand landed on the side of Virgil's head.

"You have to let him go."

Virgil was surprised by the pain the contact caused, and he flinched away. The figure pulled their hand back, and Virgil was shocked to see the blood on the end of their fingers.

He frowned at it in confusion and lifted his own hand to where they'd just touched. He winced at the pain again, and then looked at his hand, where his blood mixed with Gordon's.

He looked back to the figure, who now seemed clearer. No longer were they a shadowy figure. Instead, it was the face of a woman he didn't recognise who was crouched next to him. She was dressed in a firefighter's uniform.

Maybe Virgil had been a bit rash and they were there to help. Besides, he was suddenly starting to feel really tired, and a nap seemed like a good idea right about now.

His limbs started to grow heavy and so did his eyelids. He felt someone grab Gordon from him as his eyes slipped closed, and then he fell.

He was out before he felt himself hit the floor.