The Darkness

"Oahhh, my head…" I managed through the ringing. Thoughts and colors swam inside my skull, entirely jumbled. Jaws snapping, a voice yelling, the pounding of heavy running, trees and endless forest. Why could I smell the rain? There had been no rain. Or had there been? I couldn't recall. I remember falling through the emptiness, trying desperately not to lose purchase on Al's hand. The well had seemed to go on forever, sapping and draining our energy. I remember pulling Al into my arms to shield him from the multiple impacts as we hit the hard stone walls. Finally the walls themselves vanished and then there was nothing. Swirling nothingness. I opened my eyes to behold the abyssal darkness filling every corner of the new world we'd been thrust into. There was nothing, save the mirky blue mist that sparkled amidst the black. I tried to move but couldn't. There was a heavy mass pressing on me, pinning me in place. A few seconds passed and the fog enveloping me lifted and singular clarity rang through my mind like a bell struck by iron. Brother!

"Al? Al?" I called before even attempting to rise again. He had to be ok…he had to…

"Owe…" The twit returned loudly, groaning from on top of me. I nearly wept when I realized the softness I felt on my face was his own and the mass that was pinning me was the twit's body. His lips slowly brushed against mine as he adjusted himself with another sore groan.

"Al are you alright?" I asked watching him open his eyes and come to his senses.

"I… think so. Its a good thing I had such a soft cushion to land on" He returned humorously before collapsing back onto me with a tired "oomph".

"AHhhhhh." I managed a shout, wincing as waves of pain shot through me. It was as if my entire body were on fire. I could feel the shock resonating through every inch of tissue and bone, like a blood crows shrieking cries.

"Scor? You alright?" the twit asked worriedly trying not to move. I was suddenly very afraid. My heart was racing and the hairs on my arms, legs and neck bristled wildly. Tears came to my eyes as the pain welled up.

"No. I think… I may have broken something…"

"Scor… I'm."

"Don't be sorry Al… just don't let us die down here."

"Deal, but I need to make sure you're alright. I'm going to move now. Ok Scor?" Al asked, preparing me for another wave of pain. I didn't answer him. I merely took a moment to look around, though I could barely move my head. Everything was hurting so badly.

We had landed on a mountain of luminescent fungi bells large enough to brace us on impact, but Al's added weight had definitely been responsible for whatever was now broken. After his slow extrication from my wounded form, Al placed a soft hand on my chest. Its warmth was rather a pleasant diversion from the pain, so I simply let it flow into me.

"I'm going to open your shirt to check for injury ok?"

Gods Al just get on with it. Sometimes he can be so weird. Although… this kindness was a welcome sight after his brief transformation into that Slytherin creature he'd become up in the forest. It was so frightening to see his eyes turn red and slitted. I had been half afraid that looking into them might have turned me to stone.

"Stop asking me if everything is ok… i'm already… huff… thoroughly broken… just… huff… get… on with it."

I hadn't meant to sound so harsh. His hands fumbled nervously at my shirt, as though he were afraid to find out how bad I really was. He finally managed to undo the buttons and began moving a slow hand over my chest and stomach, looking for any sign of…

"OWE!"

"A broken rib… Scor…"

"We're just lucky it didn't puncture a lung."

"I don't know how to fix this… you know I can't…" Al was so terrified. He looked as though he might break out into tears.

"Just… see what else is broken before we start worrying."

"But… but… Ok, here we go." He returned before renewing the painful process once more. If my head weren't swimming from the injuries, I'd have hit him for his indecisiveness.

"Owe" I offered repeatedly each time he'd proceeded to check a new area. I could feel something wet trickling down from my nose and mouth as my head began to spin faster. My vision was also starting to blur and the ringing had only gotten worse, but at least the pain wasn't so bad anymore… Al's hands were nice and warm on my chest. I liked how soft they were... and the way they moved over my skin. Something told me deep in my heart that the absence of pain was a really bad sign… and the cold… it could only mean…

"Your pants are wet. I can't tell if its a gash or... if your bone broke through..."

"Just... do it Al... I huff..."

I couldn't finish my statement. I nearly motioned for him to continue. It was all I could manage. He unbuckled my belt and lowered my pants as gently as possible without causing further injury. As the last of the fabric slid off of me I could feel my leg fall back to the ground in a quick sharp motion. Before I could scream he had already begun running his soft hands slowly over my legs. I winced when he reached a long deep cut along my left shin. He looked relieved that no bones had pierced through the flesh. They could still have been broken or fractured internally… I didn't want to think about it. I was having trouble breathing and that scared me more than anything else. It was like drowning. He grabbed my wand and performed three short spells so quickly that I couldn't catch what they'd been. Once he seemed satisfied with that he managed to seal the cut with a mere wordless wave of his hand. At least that much he could do that for me.

I started coughing violently then and each time my lungs tried to pull in air, I felt pain and pressure in my chest.

He returned then to put his ear to my torso, fighting to keep me from hurting myself.

"Oh Scor… this is really bad. Mending injuries like these… I don't know if I… You're bleeding internally Scor… and you do have a punctured lung... I…" Al started terrified, checking my eyes and feeling my forehead. He managed to wipe the red stuff from my nose and mouth. I could see tears forming in his eyes. Al put his forehead to mine then, crying softly. "Please Scor… what do I do?"

"We'll be fine Al. I'm just fine…" and I was up until everything went black.

APOV

"Scor… Wake up! I… can't lose you again! Please… you're my family. Please don't leave me… I… I… love you…"