This is a really short chapter. I know I said that this one would be long, but I lied. My bad. But I am thinking about writing a Hunger Games ff. (team Cato, of course!) I just can't decide if I want to get this completely finished first, or if I should go ahead and start it. Ideas? And thanks for such great reviews, you guys. It really means a lot to me! I just hate it when you get a really amazing review and it's someone who isn't logged in and you can't message them DX Sad day. I love you guys!
Until I heard the barking.
It started off pretty far away, nothing too alarming. Then I realized it was coming our way.
"Guys?"
"I hear it." Seth muttered, squeezing my hand tightly, then standing up. "We need to get out of the middle of this field. We're sitting ducks."
"Where do you expect us to go, Seth? There's nowhere to hide."
"The trees!" Stella yelled. There was a small patch of trees about fifty yards away. They were our only hope. We stood and ran for the trees, no time to grab or worry about anything else besides us getting to safety. As we reached the patch, I registered that the barking was far too close for comfort. I turned just in time to see the "dogs" bust onto the field. But they weren't dogs. They were... beasts. Six feet tall and at least eight feet long, with razor sharp fangs that I could see from across the field, even in the dark. These beasts were savage, they were out to kill, and they weren't slowing down.
"They're here!"
When we reached the trees, we split quickly. We couldn't all fit on one tree. Stella, Sara and Steven quickly scaled one tree, Jon was ten feet up another in a matter of seconds. Travis was on a low branch, holding his hand out for me. I reached up to take it, but I couldn't help myself. I had to look again. I wish I hadn't. They were HERE. Ten feet away. Two bounds, if even that.
"Seth!"
He turned and braced just as the closest beast lunged at him, but it just hit him and crumpled to the ground. But that didn't matter. There were still dozens of these beasts surrounding us.
"Go, Syd!"
But I was frozen. I couldn't move. Travis reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. As he did, one of beasts bit into my side. I felt his razor sharp fangs sliding into me, and it felt like he ripped my body in half.
"SHIIIT!" Oh, God. It hurt so bad. So fucking bad. I didn't want to move. But I had to get Seth. "SETH?"
"I'm alright! I'm fine! Get higher up, Syd! NOW!"
"No, Seth! Just come on! Please!"
"Travis, get her higher up!"
"C'mon! You're hurt! Bad! Being down here won't do any good!" He went to go pick me up, but I shot him one of my glares.
"Fucking touch me. I dare you. I'm not going anywhere without Seth. If he wants to stay down there and die, then I'll just stay right here."
"Syd. He's not going to die. He's fucking invincible, remember? Did you not just see what happened to that Brax that lunged at him?"
"No. I'm not leaving." I didn't want to leave Seth. Plus, I didn't think that I COULD move, even if I wanted to. It hurt. Oh, God. It hurt. So fucking bad.
"Seth, she won't go without you."
"Damn it, Syd! Just go!"
"Syd!" I heard Sara's voice from the tree beside me. "Syd, Seth will be fine! But if you don't get higher up in the tree, he will be so worried about you, he might get distracted! If you want Seth to be okay, go higher!"
"Fine. Fine! Only, I can't fucking move because I have half of my side missing!"
"What?"
"Brax got her. I'll get her up." Travis told her. "Syd, I'm going to need you to put your hands around me, okay? I know it's going to hurt, but I have to get you higher!"
"Fine." I lifted my hands up and wrapped them around his neck/shoulders. Going to hurt? Hell yeah. I felt like my body was on fire, being ripped and torn, stabbed and prodded all at once. "Just hurry!"
We got a few more limbs up before he stopped, laying me in a fork in the tree. "Let me look, okay?"
"I don't fucking care what you do."
"Grrr. Not very friendly when we're in pain, are we?"
"... Sorry. I just want Seth up here."
Travis looked over the side and reported back to me, "He's good. He's perfectly fine. There's about five or six Brax's left, then he'll be up here." Then he lifted my shirt.
And vomited, right over the side of the tree.
"That bad?"
"It's not pretty. It took off a good chunk of your skin. And side. You shouldn't move. Just... don't move." He put my shirt down.
"Ha, I feel like I'm going to vomit every time I even think about moving."
"Just... Don't move... Keep breathing."
"I'm breathing. I'm not moving."
"Jon, we're going to need you over here as soon as possible."
"How is it?" I heard Sara ask.
"Not good."
I felt the tree shaking as Seth climbed up to the fork we were laying on.
"Is she okay?"
"No... She's hurt. Bad. Lift her shirt."
Seth carefully walked over to where I was laying and bent down to me.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, swiping my hair out of my eyes and kissing my forehead.
"Like death warmed over."
"I'm just going to lift your shirt, okay?"
"Kay."
I was feeling weak. I just wanted to go to sleep. The fire in my body had almost become numb until Seth lifted my shirt. I felt it coursing through my body like a brand new fire the second he did. "God, Syd. I can't believe I let this happen to you."
"Don't blame yourself, silly boy. I chose to stop and stare. It's not your fault."
"I should have protected you."
"From all sides? You can't be everywhere at once, Seth."
"Sara. Can you lift her to the ground?"
"I can try. But... I've never lifted something so large."
"Is that a fat joke?"
"Just be careful."
They were ignoring me now, all of my comments. I suppose they weren't exactly making much sense. But it made sense to me. At the time. Sara did lift me to the ground. It was such a weird feeling. I was flying. I think I made some Peter Pan and Tinkerbell comments, but I was ignored still. Jon came over and lifted my shirt.
"Can you fix me, doc?"
"Shhh, Syd. Save your energy." He whispered. My body had gone numb after the raging fire of Seth lifting my shirt, and I didn't even feel it when I saw him put his hand on me. I hadn't taken the plunge and actually looked at myself yet, but I'm not sure I could have handled it.
"Just go to sleep, Syd." Seth comforted me. We were still laying under the trees with Stella, Steven and Sara taking watch. Seth was holding my hand and letting my head rest in his lap. Travis was on my other side, holding my other hand.
"You're not supposed to sleep when you get a boo boo. You could go into a coma."
"Syd, this is different. Just go to sleep. You'll be all better when you wake up." Travis promised. "Jon can't fix you while you're awake."
"Seth?"
"I'm not going to leave your side, Sydley." He promised.
"I love you, silly boy."
"I love you, Sydley." He kissed my forehead and I allowed myself to drift off to the unconsciousness that had been beckoning me for so long, but I had been restraining myself from dropping in to.
DUN DUN DUUUUN! How much would you guys hate me if Jon couldn't save Syd and she died?