Chapter ten:
The three boys cautiously turn to glance outside.
There doesn't seem to be anyone there.
"Time to go." Matt gets up and begins gently pushing the other two towards the door leading into the lab.
The three sneak through the laboratory until they sneak out of the building quickly moving away from it.
No one wants to take the chance that it was the beasts.
They keep walking then suddenly a beast jumps down from a tree or the laboratory building's roof almost seeming to come from nowhere.
It slashes Near as it grips him not wasting a second to react as it hold Near who can't get free.
Near slightly clenches his teeth in pain and his eyes widen a little as he feels fear that he might very well be the next beast.
Suddenly something inside Mello snaps and his eyes narrow in pure rage.
"GET OFF OF HIM YOU DIRTY GOOD FOR NOTHING TRASH!" Mello snarls then dashes forward just in time to save Near before the beast could grip Near in the right way to plant an egg in him. The blonde slams his body into the beast making it screech but stumble letting go of Near giving him a few more slashes as it is unwillingly forced to let go.
Near lets out a soft hiss in pain but does his best to endure it.
"RUN!" Matt calls and begins doing so.
Mello seems to have calmed down a little now that Near is free and the two turn racing away along with Matt.
The three dash off trying to get away.
Near glances back only to see the beast seems to have found something or someone else then it goes after whatever or whoever it spotted in the direction of the laboratory building. Near turns away still following the other two.
They make it to a cave slipping inside using it as shelter for now.
Mello glances around peering outside to make sure they are safe as Matt waits and Near glances to his wounds that are bleeding not looking good at all.
Near grips some of his wounds on his arm with one hand only for him to sit down by the right wall with his back to it closing his eyes for a moment.
Matt turns to Near slightly wide eyes worried. "Near?" He asks worriedly slightly reaching towards Near.
AT this Mello turns to look at what's going on.
Near opens one eye, on the side of him facing Mello's direction. "I'm ok." He says keeping the other eye closed trying to hide any pain he's in.
Mello comes back into the cave and kneels beside Near. "Here let me look." He says.
Near removes his now bloody hand as Mello inspects his wounds. "Really. I'll be alright." He says opening both eyes to half way after blinking once. "I just need to sit for a moment."
Mello frowns. "These look bad." He says then looks to Matt. "What medical supplies do we have?" He asks.
"Let's see." Matt says taking off his backpack.
The other two do the same but Mello tells Near to rest so he takes Near bag to look.
They find they have limited medical supplies but just enough to help Near.
"It'll have to do." Mello says organizing the few supplies in what they need and don't need. "Take off your shirt. We'll start there." He says.
With a soft blush Near does as told.
The are wounds on his torso and on his arm opposite the wounds on his torso seem to be the worst with the opposite sides from the worst ones are not as worrying.
Mello grabs the cleaner cloths in the packages. He rips the first one he grabs open taking out the small cloth dropping the package. He begins to clean the worst wounds on Near's torso first.
Near very slightly flinches, hardly noticeable, at the harsh sting as Mello cleans the wounds.
Mello continues then has to use a second one to clean the not as bad wounds on Nears torso before he gives that one to let Near clean his hand while Mello wraps the tape like white bandages around Near's torso making sure to do the job of bandaging the wounds well. He then used two new small cloths so one for each of Near's wounds on his arms then bandages the wounds the same way he bandaged Near's torso.
When done it looks good.
"There. Now you should be alright." Mello says putting what they have left back into whichever bag was closest which happened to be Matts.
"Thank you." Near says putting his shirt back on.
"We can go back to grab some clothes." Mello says glancing to the torso rips that also is now stained red where the wounds bled onto the shirt.
Near nods.
"We should stay here for at least tonight." Matt says seeing the sun is setting.
Mello gets to his feet. "Alright. I guess it's my turn to be look out. So I'll stay up. You and Near get some rest." He says.
"Well we need to make a way for us to sleep first." Matt says glancing to the hard floor of the cave.
"Use the backpacks as pillows." Mello says. "It's the best we can do. Just watch out for any glass containers in them." He finds a rock in the middle area between the other two and the entrance to the cave.
"Ok boss." Matt does a small salute to Mello then shifts the bags making sure to use the two without glass containers with the other one having one glass container.
Mello watches as Matt makes sure Near gets safely to one of the bags, that have a small space between them as if Matt instinctively knew that Mello was starting to get protective of Near in some ways; so he had to be careful of that boundary he can't cross.
Matt settles down as Near drifts off into the darkness of unconsciousness.
Mello looks away and looks out of the cave to the darkening sky. He feels protective of the other two but he can't fully place why especially since they could take care of themselves….. Near more than Matt. He doesn't dwell on it long as he switches his thoughts to everything they have learned so far. His mind takes him to the question if they are the last humans alive or not at least in this country as who knows if the beasts have made it all around the world already or not.
A few minutes later….
Mello looks over to the other two as they sleep. He can't help but smile a little as he can slightly see their peaceful sleeping faces in the dim moonlight streaming into the cave though it is a little hard to see their sleeping faces.
Maybe just maybe he can truly by happy like this.
The three of them together and looking out for each other.
Matt his best friend who he considers a brother.
And….
Near his….. Not rival….. Friend?... Acquaintance?
Mello isn't exactly sure what he wants to be with Near but what he does know is that he and Near are no longer rivals. He not only sees Near as not the full of himself person who thinks he better than everyone the blonde thought he was but he also now sees Near in a new light. He sees Near as a boy who had no one since his only friends are gone…He had no one else to turn to as the other orphans, other than annoying Linda as well as when Ace tried to flirt with him, didn't even bother with him unless it was to bully him when they thought Mello wouldn't know.
Needless to say Mello often started fights with them saying it's either because Near is his to bully or saying it's only a coincidence, depending on how things all happened as it makes sense.
Now here they are working together to try to defeat the beasts and to survive.
Sure he's missing his chocolate right now but he only has limited bars right now so he needs to not eat them all at once however he finds he's still feeling happy.
A distant roar makes him turn back to the cave entrance serious and alert.
"I will protect you…. Both of you." He says to himself.
Near's P.O.V.
I shift slightly as I start to awaken from my dream of the three of us at the orphanage seeing how things possibly would have been there had we been closer like we are now. I open my eyes finding sunlight streaming through into the cave as I am laying on my back and….. Someone is snuggled against me. I turn my head to look to my side finding Matt started cuddling me in his sleep. I sit up a little slowly to be safe in case it makes me light headed.
Matt's arm that had been draped over my chest rolls down to my legs as I sit up.
I bring a hand to my hair to twirl a strand of hair. I look to where Mello was keeping watch….. Only he's nowhere to be seen.