10
The Cave
Anna drove the bike through the forest, careful not to get lost. She had to be quick. The rain was pouring down. It was getting difficult to see. While Anna was able to ride the bike, she didn't have the same maneuverability Elsa had. She drove much slower than her.
Anna couldn't think about Elsa right now. Alone in the cold dark cave. The blood on Anna's hands had washed off. But thoughts of Elsa still clouded her mind. Elsa said she needed to focus. But how had Elsa been shot so… easily? Was it her? Did Anna distract Elsa from her near superhuman abilities to fight?
The bike lurched forwards onto the road. She couldn't tell exactly where she had ended up. Her best guess was to the right she'd most likely end up at the cabin. To the left, the hotel? She couldn't go back to the hotel. She turned right. There was a first aid kit in the bathroom of the cabin. Elsa had used it when Anna cut her hand.
They had been running through the jungle. Anna led the way while Elsa chased her. It was after they saw The Goonies. Anna had been so excited after the movie. The jungle reminded her of the beachfronts of Astoria. They were running, pretending to be pirates when Anna slipped and fell forwards onto a rock. She had sliced her hand down her palm. It wasn't a deep cut. Anna thought it was no big deal. But Elsa stopped and rushed to her side immediately.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me see."
She took Anna's hand without waiting for her response. She leaned in and inspected it. Anna winced as a small sliver of blood oozed out. While Elsa holding Anna's hand gingerly, they made their way back to the cabin. Anna protested the entire way.
"I'll be fine." She said. "It's no big deal, it's just a little cut." But Elsa wouldn't take any of it. As far as she was concerned, Anna had lost her whole hand. When they got to the cabin, Elsa opened the First Aid kit and rummaged through it. She found antibiotic ointments, bandages, disinfectants, and other supplies Anna didn't know the name for.
"This'll hurt for just a second, and then it'll be okay." Elsa squeezed some ointment out onto her latex gloved hand. She removed her normal gloves and used a pair she had found in the first aid kit. Slowly she rubbed the ointment it. Anna grimaced. She could feel Elsa grimace with her. "I'm sorry we have to make sure it's not infected." She reasoned. Anna just smiled.
"Why do you care so much?" Anna asked.
"Well because if it gets infected then you're medical condition will worsen quite rapidly and…"
"No. Why do you care so much about me?" Elsa cocked her head to the side.
"Because some people are worth it." She said with a smile.
Anna shook her head, the rain dripped off as she did. She looked up. She was just outside the cabin. She left the bike behind at the beginning of the driveway. She hid it in a small bush, hoping no one would find it. Although, night was beginning to fall so Anna doubted that anyone would see it anyways. She ran down the edge of the driveway, trying to remain hidden in the forest. Fallen branches, gnarled roots, and misshapen stones threatened to pull her to the ground. By some miracle her footing held after every bounding step. Just over the sound of her panting breath, she heard voices. Immediately she crouched low to the jungle floor. Ferns shrouded her vision. She creeped along the ground, stopping at a clearing. She peered through the undergrowth.
From her spot in the jungle, across from the cabin, She saw a few guards outside the cabin. Instinctively she laid down, pressing herself. to the jungle floor. It was unlikely that they couldn't see her from here. They were moving boxes upon boxes of supplies out of the cabin. Anna's old clothes, Elsa's files. They were taking everything. Anna could only wish that they wouldn't take the first aid kit. Rain dripped form her brow, blurring her vision. She saw one of the men make a rounding motion with his hands. The men took their boxes and loaded them into the car. The cars started. Smoke rose from the car's exhaust pipe. Their tires kicked up mud as they drove off. Anna waited for a few moments, frozen.
What if they someone inside? What if it's a trap? What if Hans is waiting for her?
Anna's heart beat in her chest. She grit her teeth and geared up to run. This wasn't for Anna, Elsa needed this. Before sprinting towards the cabin she waited and listened.
The sounds of the cars began to grow quieter. Rain hit the leaves. A breeze rolled through the trees, causing them to creak and groan. Anna exploded from her position in the woods. She sprinted across the clearing. Water splashed from puddles that had collected on the ground. Mud splashed up, covering her legs. Her feet hit the wood of the patio. She collided with her back to the outer wall of the cabin. She listened again. No movement. She moved around the outside of the wall until she reached the window. She kept her back pressed against it. She peaked her head out.
Inside the house was dark. The living room was cast in utter darkness. She eased the door open and stepped inside. She slid it shut behind her. She moved out of the light of the window. She stood a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The room was turned upside down. The couch was on its side. All the cabinets were open, their contents were strewn across the counter tops. Papers, littered the floor. To Anna's relief, no one sat lurking in the shadows. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Anna made her way across the room. The papers crunched under her feet. The bathroom was equally as torn apart. Luckily the first aid kit sat on the floor. It was open and upside down, as if someone threw them onto the floor in haste. Its contents piled around the metal case. Anna scooped up the various bandages, clothes, ointments, painkillers, ext. She shut the case with a soft click. She stepped out into the living room, the first aid kit tucked under her arm. She motioned to leave but something stopped her. For a moment she stood in the room, taking in the silence. She looked over towards her room.
What if they left something useful behind? It was a flimsy excuse at best but nonetheless she had convinced herself to take the small detour. She looked inside.
Her room, much like the rest of the cabin was torn. Her closet just as she guessed was empty. The whole scene didn't feel like her room, nor did the cabin. These men had violated her space and destroyed it, turning it into something it was not. She walked across the room. Her foot landed on an open piece of chocolate on the floor. She picked up the note next to it.
Hope this makes up for the plane ride. Anna's hand balled into a fist. She felt angry tears well in her eyes.
Elsa. The image of Elsa in the cave alone ripped her back into reality. She would make these men pay for what they've done. She ran out of the room, laying waste to her sense of caution she had before. She ran out the doors and through the puddles in the driveway. She disappeared into the forest towards the woman who vowed to protect her. Now invigorated to return the favor.
Her footsteps echoed through the cave. It took her far longer than she anticipated to find the cave again. She was surprised that Elsa had even found it in the first place, but then again, Elsa knew what to look for.
At least it's dry in here. Anna thought. She heard the woman somewhere deeper down in the cave moan.
"Don't worry, it's just me." She said softly. There was no response. Anna couldn't see in the darkened cave. The dim light of the moon and stars outside didn't help much. Anna stuck her arms out, reaching into the darkness. One hand held the first aid kit. She could just make out the Red Cross on the side.
Her foot hit something soft. The woman groaned again.
"Oh my god I'm sorry." Anna crouched down, set the first aid kit next to her and opened it. She felt around in the tin case. Pills? Bandages? She pulled that one out and set it on the ground. Ointments? Packages? Then her hand touched something she didn't recognize. It was a tall cylinder with a plastic cap. A flare? What were flares doing in a first aid kit? It didn't matter. Why was she even thinking about this in the first place? She was wasting so much time.
How do these things work? she wondered. How do they do these in the movies? Anna yanked off the plastic cap. She held it in her hand a moment, judging exactly how she was going to light it before slammed the stick on the ground. Bright red light exploded in the cave. She dropped in it shock.
Tall stalagmites rose around her. They were as far back as they could be in the cave. Elsa lay in front of her on a flatter part of the cave floor. The ground itself was relatively clean. A few stones and some sand littered the floor. There weren't any animals that she could see. A smear of liquid led from Elsa's position on the floor to a few feet behind her, towards the entrance of the cave. Anna couldn't tell from the color but she knew what it was. She shivered.
She leaned over Elsa, getting a better look at the wound. It was small, maybe ¼ to ½ inch across. Somehow it seemed smaller than before but perhaps it was the light. It was still it was bleeding but not as much as before. Still, she felt woozy. She set her hand down on the cave floor to steady herself. After a few moments of slow breathing, she reached her hand around and picked Elsa up on the side. Using her hand she felt for an exit wound, all the while trying not to make eye contact with the hole in Elsa's stomach. She felt another hole on the other side.
"Thank god." She said aloud. If the bullet was stuck inside she would've had no idea what to do. She set Elsa back down. Her skin felt rubbery and cold. She looked up to Elsa's face. It was in no way peaceful. Although she was most likely unconscious, her face twisted in pain. Even in the odd red light of the flair, she looked even paler than usual. Her body was still, except for the shallow movements of her chest, up and down. Anna looked back to the first aid kit.
She saw a few random items scattered around. The bandages she had taken out lay on the floor. She skimmed over the packets, looking for anything useful. She saw a small, shiny silver and plastic package labeled suture. She grabbed it and ripped it open.
A small curved needle and some thread fell out. Anna looked back to Elsa's bullet wound. She sighed, know what she had to do. She took sewing in high school… 4 years ago… or was it 5? How hard could it be? She grabbed some medical tape and moved into a stable position over the wound. She hesitated and looked over at the bandages once more. She shook her head and leaned in closer to the hole.
She gripped the needle and took a deep breath. The needle plunged into Elsa's side followed shortly by the black thread. Blood oozed out covering her hands. She pulled the thread all the way through, the string went taught in her hands. She pushed the needle through the skin again and pulled it through the wound. Already it was becoming more difficult. The needle was slipping in her grip. She looked around the cave and saw the bandages. With her free hand, she grabbed it and pulled it closer. She wiped it on one of the bandages on the ground before continuing. She pushed the needle through Elsa's skin again. How deep am I supposed to go? Anna had no idea. She was just happy Elsa was unconscious. If she was awake for this she'd no doubt be going berserk. Anna pulled the needle out again, pulling it tight. The wound was beginning to close near the bottom.
After more blood and a few more stiches, Anna was able to close the wound. A tiny trickle of blood and an a few stiches were all that was left of the bullet hole. She was even able to turn Elsa over and close the exit wound too. Elsa was laying on the ground face up now. Her breath still shallow but it seemed more controlled. That could've just been Anna's imagination thought. She covered the stitches with bandages and medical tape.
She finished and let out a big sigh, almost admiring her handiwork. She walked over to a spot on the cave floor where a puddle from the rain had collected to wash her hands. The puddle turned dark red, but it was hard to tell exactly how red because the flare tinted everything in a red glow. Anna noticed that the red glow was beginning to fade. She rushed to Elsa's side, not wanting to lose her again in the darkness of the cave. She laid next to Elsa as the light faded.
Even in an unconscious, pain induced slumber, Elsa could look so beautiful. Anna sighed again. She sat up and took Elsa's head and put it in her lap. She pet Elsa's silvery hair until the cave turned dark. So much had happened over the past few days, Anna was unable to process it all. In the matter of a few hours, her life had been turned upside down. She yawned but continued to pet Elsa's hair anyways. She wanted to be awake when Elsa woke up. Unfortunately, the darkness of the cave lulled Anna into a deep sleep.
A/N: Kind of a smaller one but I'll make the next one a bit longer. I'll probably be late end up uploading Thursday or Friday though. As always, If you hate it, let me know by leaving a review, if by some miraculous chance you enjoyed it, you can leave a review for that as well. Thanks for the feedback!