Chapter 21
"Becca...?" My voice croaked out into the darkness. I waited a few long moments but found no response. "Becca?" I called out again, trying to ignore how weak and fragile I sounded. The light sound of insects chirping drifted from the dark tree line across the field of darkened gold grass. The sky was black, clouds covering the moons and stars. I gulped, nothing but dry spit to make the soreness fade for a split moment. Did she say if they got James out? I jumped up some, trying to shuffle to a better sitting position. Pain surged up my body once again and I found myself gritting my teeth against it. "Where's that superior armor now?" I grumbled through clenched teeth.
Gazing about in a pained daze, I found myself vainly searching for a flash of armor, a glint on a visor, something! But the darkened night prevented even my toes from standing out, despite the rose colored paint on my boots. I squinted, the HUD on my helmet was flashing again, as if trying to adjust again. After a long while of simply sitting upwards, one arm trying to support myself on the pelican piece, I heard something.
It was a pop, like a crackling fire. Quickly, I slid off the metal and my feet hit the ground. It picked myself up, wobbling back and forth and gritting my teeth. A wave of pain surfaced and it took all I had not to make a sound above a hum. I didn't want anything to know I was here if the others were gone. I can't fight like this... There better be a damn med-kit nearby. Blinking against the pitch black, I took weak steps. One foot in front of the other, I made my way towards a pile of metal that would help support me.
Gripping tight with my right hand to a pole that stuck out, I took a quick breather. I bet John isn't beat up like this... A voice whispered in my head, and I shook it away. I was injured BEFORE the crash it was a miracle I was alive, even more so awake. The pops came again, more then before. I sucked in some air, and peered my head around the metal pile.
There was a shadow.
It moved, as if it knew I was looking. The shadow was hard to pick out against the black treeline behind it. I had to squint to even be able to tell it was three feet fall, perhaps five feet long. A sniffling sound came from the shadow, a long head turning towards me. Quickly I ducked my head back around the metal pile. Fingers curled around the handle of my magnum that was still on my hip. I slowed my breathing, trying to detect the sounds from the other side of the metal pile. The sniffling picked up again, louder and louder.
I felt a surge of panic rise but I quickly fought it down, Spartans are strong, they don't panic. I can do this... The long snout was the first to come around the metal pile, a long and smooth muzzle. It glittered with a scaly like skin and then a pair of small black orb eyes glared down at me. I quickly reacted, a hissing sound from it was enough to assure me this thing was hostile. I kicked upwards with my right leg, somehow finding the strength to. It made a solid contact with the muzzle, and a yelping sound shot out from it. It staggered back, ducking behind the pile to safety. I pulled the magnum out and dashed after it, HUD making the shadowed beast stand out against the dark. I pulled the trigger, muzzle of the gun aimed at it dead on.
The beast dodged to the side, and then lunged at me.
I tried to move backwards or forwards, but my body tried to go both ways at once and I was stuck in between. Sharp, glinting fangs fastened onto my right arm, and I couldn't stop the cry of pain as an intense pressure was brought down with the bite. I screamed again as it bit down harder, and wrenched my arm so bad I dropped the magnum. I kneed and kicked the thing, trying to make it let go, but soon its overpowering weight made my movements slower and somehow I found myself slipping. A pair of claws flashed past my face, I blinked in confusion until it swiped at me again.
A wave of pain surged my body from my legs. I looked down just enough to see its hind legs were digging into me, claws slipping in through the more exposed parts of my armor left revealed for mobility. I bit my lip to keep the scream down, a snarl radiated from the beast. Just as I thought I would lose the fight, and after everything become some unknown beast's dinner, it shrieked with pain. The weight of it grew stronger, and I grunted as I was forced down to the dirt. Fear spiked within me, but the beast had... stopped; instantly making my head spin, wasn't it just trying to eat my face off? I squinted at the now still creature, and nearly instantly I realized it was dead. "What killed it?" I wondered aloud as I shoved the bulking mass of meat off my body.
There was a sick thud as if it the grass, and it took all my will not to puke at it when I looked at the corpse. There was blood everywhere, a sick purple color like an elite's. Guts and organs mingled on the grass or on the scaly pelt. Its black orb eyes were pale, clouding and wide with shock. Its jaw was twisted in the pain it felt before death, blood gurgling out of it's agape mouth. And there was a hole, about the size of my thumb, straight through its chest.
Someone shot it!
I twisted, looking around for the gunner. It couldn't be covenant, they used plasma based weapons after all. The only one of their weapons that left holes was the needler; and obviously there wasn't a crystal in the corpse and it needed more then one to enter into a body to kill it. At least seven of them would cause some weird super-combine reaction and explode the victim in a pinkish mist cloud. No... this was human, most definately... human.
"Liz!"
I jumped at the sound of my voice, it seemed almost unfamiliar for some reason. I turned to the sound, whoever it was was beginning to repeat my name like a chant, "Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz..." A chill crept up along my spine with horror, Who is waiting for me now? I reached the pile of metal again, and this time I didn't peak around it. Not yet at least.
After waiting a good five minutes of just listening to my name be chanted over and over again I finally couldn't sit there anymore. I stepped around, magnum once again in hand, and was instantly taken into shock by who it was. "Matthew?" I sputtered, and limped over to the explosion happy Spartan. "You're alive! Becca said they hadn't found you yet!"
He shook his head, helmet clacking as he did so. "I was in a tree, can you believe it?" Matthew joked, taking off his helmet and running a hand through his short blonde hair. "Thing broke my fall... And I kinda broke most of it in return."
I couldn't stop the rumble of laughter that suddenly came up from my chest. It was nice to near him joke for a change. "So the others found you?" He nodded, and then took a step back.
"In fact they led me back here." Was all he had to say for my heart to flutter like a bird's wings. The others were standing a few paces back, letting us talk. John and Becca... but where was James? Worry made me choke up for a moment, and then I had to push it down. Becca said she'd found both of us. So he has to be alive... Right? I was about to ask him when the bright blue armored Spartan came limping up to the others. "Come on." Matthew encouraged, offering help to walk over with an open hand. I simply shook my head, and tried not to look to injured as I made my way over to the others.
Becca's helmet was still off, and she gave me one of the brightest smiles I'd ever seen. "Good to see you up Liz. Sorry for leaving you like that, John needed help getting Matthew out of the tree." She apologized with her British voice I had to admit didn't annoy me so much anymore.
I simply shrugged, "Well next time tell me ok." The joke was obvious, and she nodded in agreement. I looked at John and James, uncertain of who to talk to first. James seemed to have decided it should be John, as he took a step or two forward, and began to talk to Becca. I watched him out of the corner of my visor, grateful for its large view now. When I looked back at the armor-clad John I couldn't resist anymore. I grabbed his hands, both for support and comfort. "You're alive..." I whispered.
"And so are you."
"Yeah... Barely but yeah."
He didn't respond, instead he squeezed my hands. After a simple, brief moment he pulled back, going back to his squad leader mindset. "Alright everyone... We've got to set up some sort of camp for the rest of the night." John sounded tired, really seriously tired.
"Well the crash site seems the most reasonable. The covies could have come looking for us at anytime they wanted. Yet they haven't yet." Matthew said, he and the others coming back over to us. "Then again maybe that's their plan. Let us all get together again, and then strike at once... Maybe the crash isn't such a good idea." With a shake of his head he seemed to take back his offer.
"The crash site is an option yes." Becca said, pulling her helmet back on.
"But what about that thing that nearly killed me?" I practically blurted out. They all, but Matthew, looked at me with obvious confusion even though I couldn't see anyone's face at this point. "Ugh, it was some sort of... animal. Big and kinda like a dog I guess." I rolled my eyes in my helmet. "If it weren't for Matthew I would have died a few minutes ago." It didn't take a moment for the Spartan to puff out his chest in obvious pride at my praise and gratitude. "Seriously dude, thanks." John and James both gave him a nod, Becca patting her brother on the shoulder for a brief second.
"So you're saying that this site is compromised right now?" James asked, looking around for a flash that seemed almost nervous.
"No, but I'm saying it could be." I countered.
"Certainly all of us could hold off some feral beasts." Becca said, there seemed to be a roll of her eyes in the way she moved her body to place a hand on her hip.
I opened my mouth up to speak, but before I could respond Matthew was. "I don't know, these things are about as big as me, and that's not even on full hind legs. Powerful and scary, pitch black like the night and stealthy like a predator should be." Obviously he wasn't going to soon forget the creature that nearly had had me for a midnight snack. A chilling shudder went up my spine before I could stop it, hitting me so quickly I couldn't even hide it. My armor clanked as I shook right there next to the others, their instant attention on me making embarrassment rise up.
"Its just cold out guys. Come on, here seems best for a little while. Till we rest enough and then we get ourselves a better place." James quick thinking adverted the unwanted attention and I felt the embarrassment die down... only slightly. They argued it back and forth for a few more minutes, and then John signaled that we would be here for now. James moved back, practically stumbling over his own feet. I sighed with relief, body aching terribly, as I sat down on a piece of the pelican's wing. The siblings looked around for a means of a safe place to sleep.
The sound of footsteps suddenly flared up from behind me. "I'm fine John, really." I lied, not bothering to look at him. "I'm alive, and I'll be better in the morning. Promise." I flatly said, weary with exhaustion as my eyes drooped.
"Liz, you don't have to act like Ms. Tough right now. You're hurt, badly." He said in a gentle tone. "Can I at least inspect the wound?"
With a reluctant pout, I shifted where I sat on the shredded wing so that John could look at my limp left arm. "Not much we can do huh? Pretty certain there's a hole the size of a meteor in my arm."
"There is a hole, yes, but not other size of a meteor." He responded with a light laugh, "Most of it looks like shrapnel punctures, burns, dried blood, possible fracture, torn muscles-"
"You a medic now as well as being squadron leader?" I playfully cut him off, trying to get him to stop telling me what was wrong unless we could fix it here.
There was a small pause, then a laugh, "Not quite." John gave my wound a few more inspections, then got up to look for Becca. once he returned, which was no more then a minute later, he began to dress the wound. He sprayed it with disinfectant, I piped away blood,and then wrapped the section up in bandages. James had crossed over from where he and Matthew had been dragging metal chunks around t block off the woods from easy access.
"Need an help?" James questioned my 'medic' who nodded his head quickly.
"Find me anything I can use to splint her arm. Getting sticks would mean getting close to the trees, so try first over here." John responded something he was doing made me tingle, a lot actually.
"How long do you think it'll be before the Covies come looking for us?" I questioned John, "Or the UNSC?"
John responded almost instantly, "The Covenant will be here sooner then any UNSC forces will. We'll head out into the words at break of dawn." His certain voice was refreshing, because I was nowhere near as confident anymore. "Liz isn't this the arm that the brutes stabbed you twice in?" He suddenly teased.
I blinked, looked at my abused left arm, and then laughed. "Would seem so. Poor thing, I'm probably going to get a prosthetic at this rate."
He didn't respond like I expected him to, instead, he removed his helmet, and then mine. And suddenly the next thing I knew, his mouth was slammed against my dry, and bruised lips. Without waiting a beat, John pulled me closer with a tight embrace. I let out a little squeak as his hands lowered from my back to my waist, and then a little lower even then.
"John I think I-" An arriving voice cut itself off as it witnessed us rather heatedly kissing. We broke the kiss, turning to see just who had walked in.
Oh fuck, its James.
