Chapter 2: Sacrificial Offerings
Steering my way through the last bout of traffic before I headed into the mountain roads was a relief. I drove horribly, so why they let me go, I didn't know. I got no volunteers for grocery shopping, but I did all the cooking anyway, so I hardly needed a list to know what materials were needed, but man, any road sucked.
"There'd be no music if they were here," I hummed along to the steady rock beat over the speakers. At least I could institute my own driving rules and no more 'Cye, turn off the music! It's distracting you.'
I slammed the brakes. Damn, they might be right about the music thing, though. I peered over the windshield at the girl lying in the middle of the road. I could already see the blood. I ran out of the car, going to her side. "What happened!" I touched the heavily bleeding stomach wound. She wrenched my arm in her hands, eyes wide with fright. "It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!"
"They.They'll come back.for me!" She moaned in pain. "They.hurt.me."
I hoisted her up into the back seat, laying her horizontally. "It's okay. I'm going to get you help. Calm down." I jumped into the seat, and gunned the jeep into motion. I sped up the driveway at full speed, flying up out of the seat as I careened my way to certain death over the rough gravel and around sharp bends. The need to go faster beat in my head, along with hates for whatever woman basher did this.
"Help!" I threw the car into park in a fluid motion, skidding brakes, and almost going through the windshield. "Help!" I threw myself out the door, running to get the girl out of backseat, covered in blood.
"Cye? What the." Kento walked outside and saw the girl. He rushed over and took her, as I headed into the house, mind already on medical supplies that we kept in our emergency kit.
"What happened to her!" Sage had come down the stairs and had already come over to help me. Rowen and Ryo began to prepare a place for her on the couch.
"I found her in the middle of the road here.good thing we keep this stuff stocked," I brought the Band-Aids and gauze behind Sage, who looked ready to stitch her up.
"That's a bad wound," Ryo took a look at the stomach wound. "Who did this to her? Did she say?"
"No," I prepared to wrap the wound. "She passed out as soon as I got her in the jeep."
I lifted her shirt and began to wrap the gaping stomach wound. "Sage, heal her! She's losing lots of blood!" Sage knelt down, putting his hands above the huge wound. He concentrated very hard, warm power pouring over her gash. I never stopped wrapping, trying to keep the gushing blood in. After fifteen minutes, Sage stopped and immediately passed out. Rowen moved fast and kept him from hitting his head on the floor, and carefully laid him down.
"She needs a hospital," Kento said quickly. "She's lost too much blood. Let's get her out of here." I nodded and went to the car with Kento.
"Kento and I will go," I headed into the passenger side as Kento sat down in the driver's side. We headed down the gravel drive, Kento not going nearly as fast as I would have.
"That's where I found her," I told Kento as we passed the spot. He nodded, concentrating on the road ahead. "I hate women beaters, the sick creatures."
"Yeah," Kento scowled. "Is she awake? She probably knows who did it because she wasn't supposed to live. You know, it kind of works that way."
I nodded grimly. I started at her pale face. I didn't even know her name. She had no purse or wallet either. Great, it'd take hours to explain this to the hospital. "Faster," I demanded Kento.
"We'll get pulled over by a cop," Kento grunted. We'd had a couple bad experiences with the law, mostly misunderstandings. "I'm not driving like you, man, not on the main roads now. I'll cause a wreck."
I drummed my fingers on the dashboard, listening to the raspy breath of the girl. No music blared through the speakers as I watched her pale face, taping incessantly. I peered out the window, wondering why it had taken an eternity to get to the city limits. Faster, oh lord, faster, Kento. "She's going to die!" I screamed at him. Kento broke through two stoplights in a row, white fist clenched on the wheel.
The siren sounded as we pulled into the ambulance parking at the hospital. Ignoring the cops, Kento hopped out and grabbed her from the back, as I ran ahead. "Out of the way! She needs doctors!"
Steering my way through the last bout of traffic before I headed into the mountain roads was a relief. I drove horribly, so why they let me go, I didn't know. I got no volunteers for grocery shopping, but I did all the cooking anyway, so I hardly needed a list to know what materials were needed, but man, any road sucked.
"There'd be no music if they were here," I hummed along to the steady rock beat over the speakers. At least I could institute my own driving rules and no more 'Cye, turn off the music! It's distracting you.'
I slammed the brakes. Damn, they might be right about the music thing, though. I peered over the windshield at the girl lying in the middle of the road. I could already see the blood. I ran out of the car, going to her side. "What happened!" I touched the heavily bleeding stomach wound. She wrenched my arm in her hands, eyes wide with fright. "It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!"
"They.They'll come back.for me!" She moaned in pain. "They.hurt.me."
I hoisted her up into the back seat, laying her horizontally. "It's okay. I'm going to get you help. Calm down." I jumped into the seat, and gunned the jeep into motion. I sped up the driveway at full speed, flying up out of the seat as I careened my way to certain death over the rough gravel and around sharp bends. The need to go faster beat in my head, along with hates for whatever woman basher did this.
"Help!" I threw the car into park in a fluid motion, skidding brakes, and almost going through the windshield. "Help!" I threw myself out the door, running to get the girl out of backseat, covered in blood.
"Cye? What the." Kento walked outside and saw the girl. He rushed over and took her, as I headed into the house, mind already on medical supplies that we kept in our emergency kit.
"What happened to her!" Sage had come down the stairs and had already come over to help me. Rowen and Ryo began to prepare a place for her on the couch.
"I found her in the middle of the road here.good thing we keep this stuff stocked," I brought the Band-Aids and gauze behind Sage, who looked ready to stitch her up.
"That's a bad wound," Ryo took a look at the stomach wound. "Who did this to her? Did she say?"
"No," I prepared to wrap the wound. "She passed out as soon as I got her in the jeep."
I lifted her shirt and began to wrap the gaping stomach wound. "Sage, heal her! She's losing lots of blood!" Sage knelt down, putting his hands above the huge wound. He concentrated very hard, warm power pouring over her gash. I never stopped wrapping, trying to keep the gushing blood in. After fifteen minutes, Sage stopped and immediately passed out. Rowen moved fast and kept him from hitting his head on the floor, and carefully laid him down.
"She needs a hospital," Kento said quickly. "She's lost too much blood. Let's get her out of here." I nodded and went to the car with Kento.
"Kento and I will go," I headed into the passenger side as Kento sat down in the driver's side. We headed down the gravel drive, Kento not going nearly as fast as I would have.
"That's where I found her," I told Kento as we passed the spot. He nodded, concentrating on the road ahead. "I hate women beaters, the sick creatures."
"Yeah," Kento scowled. "Is she awake? She probably knows who did it because she wasn't supposed to live. You know, it kind of works that way."
I nodded grimly. I started at her pale face. I didn't even know her name. She had no purse or wallet either. Great, it'd take hours to explain this to the hospital. "Faster," I demanded Kento.
"We'll get pulled over by a cop," Kento grunted. We'd had a couple bad experiences with the law, mostly misunderstandings. "I'm not driving like you, man, not on the main roads now. I'll cause a wreck."
I drummed my fingers on the dashboard, listening to the raspy breath of the girl. No music blared through the speakers as I watched her pale face, taping incessantly. I peered out the window, wondering why it had taken an eternity to get to the city limits. Faster, oh lord, faster, Kento. "She's going to die!" I screamed at him. Kento broke through two stoplights in a row, white fist clenched on the wheel.
The siren sounded as we pulled into the ambulance parking at the hospital. Ignoring the cops, Kento hopped out and grabbed her from the back, as I ran ahead. "Out of the way! She needs doctors!"