Chapter 5
Hey guys I'm finally back! I'm sorry its been so long, my schedule has been so hectic and crazy, ugh I'm so ready to just write out all my frustrations as well as the build up of ideas for this story. Anyways! Onward!
Surprisingly today started really early for me, I was up and I just kinda felt like jogging, being here, trapped has gotten me restless. By the time the sky was starting to lighten up I was already finished with my 3rd lap around the Glade. I stopped at the edge of the trees to rest, I put my right hand on the wall as I wiped the sweat from my face when I felt it. It was a soft rumbling and I felt it all the way up to my elbow. Looking up, I looked towards the Doors, standing there was Minho and another runner I vaguely remembers being named Matthew preparing themselves to run into the Maze, I finally got some answers about whats out there when Clint couldn't stand my constant badgering. As soon as they Doors were open wide enough I watched them sprint into the Maze and disappear.
'Please let them be safe.' I let out a silent prayer, I may not like Minho but from what I was told no one should be stuck in there. Once they were gone I turned back to the Homestead to grab the only other pair of clothes the Box sent up for me and headed towards the showers. I looked around before slipping inside, I placed a horribly made sign on the latch that reminds them that I'm in here and if they come in I will castrate them. Turning on the shower, the room fogged up quickly, the heat makes my skin break out in goose bumps. I shiver and pull my dirty clothes off and keep them separate from my clean clothes before stepping into the stream of water. I make bathing a quick thing since I really have no idea if the boys will obey my sign. After I dried myself off I throw on my jeans, a tank top and another looser tank top on top. I pulled on a sweet pair of boot I'm glad the creators gave me and laced them up. Today I was working with Clint and Jeff and I was kind of excited. I dumped my dirty clothes on my hammock before heading up the stairs to the sick room.
"Clint? Jeff?" I call out to them and I hear shuffling before Jeff pokes his head out from behind a wall in the back of the sick room. I smile and walk over to him, Clint was sitting at a table with a mortar and pestle as he grinds up what looks like leaves.
"What are you two doing?" I ask and peak over Clint's shoulder who shoos me back, I roll my eyes and he finally turns around.
"I'm preparing more salve since were almost out, could you hand me that bottle over there?" He points towards a self on the opposite wall, the jar was a medium size with a green paste like substance in it, I grab it and hand it to the Keeper. He unscrews the lid and the smell of menthol is overwhelming.
"Holy klunk, what is in that?" I ask and I take a moment to process the fact that I just used Glader slang, 'I've been hanging around these boys too much.' I think to myself before focusing on Clint again. He pours a little bit of water into the crushed leaves and he makes a paste.
"Well, if you really want to know, we mix Yarrow with mint leaves and a special sap. We use it mostly for shallow cuts." He hands me the jar and I look in it before looking back to the boys,
"That's pretty cool. How did you know how to make this stuff?" I ask really intrigued. To have these boys who remember nothing but their names, create things that help and heal. Clint shrugs before spinning back around to finish the salve.
"When people get hurt you do what you have to do to help or they die." He states like its the most simple answer in the world. I frown as I think about the fact that death here is eminent, lurking.
Jeff places a hand on my shoulder and he hands me a small basket and a piece of paper with descriptions and pictures of leaves on it.
"Here why don't you go see Zart and ask for these. We need more of them." He smiles kindly at me and I turn around and head outside. The weather outside is rather warm and I'm glad to be out of my long sleeved shirt. I reach Zart and his giant garden that he and his band of Trackhoes manage and I walk right up to him,
"Hey Zart, buddy, old pal. I need something from you." I grin and the blonde boy looks at me with a slightly amused look on his face.
"Anything for you Jo. What can I do for ya?" He chuckles and I hand him the list, he looks down at it and heads to the right, I follow him as he picks off a handful of each of the herbs as he calls them, on the list before handing me back the basket and the paper.
"There, that should keep Clint happy for a while." I smile at him and thank him before I hurry back to the Sick room. As I'm walking up the stairs I hear what sounds like pained screams from one boy and Clint and Jeff's worried voices. I run the rest of the way up the stairs and see Minho back with Matthew who has laying on the bed, his shirt covered in blood and a puncture wound in his stomach with two nasty looking cuts across his chest and a gash in his hair line. The Keeper of the Runners looks up when I burst in and I see his has a split lip and a bleeding cut above his eye, but what gets me the most was the look of anger and rage in his brown eyes. Clint sees Minho momentarily distracted and he looks up and makes eye contact with me.
"Jo! Come here we need your help!" He shouts at me as the other two boys work on restraining Matthew. I gasp and run over ,
"Right! What do you need?" I ask and Clint motions towards the back room we were in earlier,
"On the shelf is a serum, grab it and a syringe, I need you to inject him with it! Hurry up we're running out of time!" He yells louder at me and I spring into action, the screaming of Matthew ringing in my ears, making it hard to focus. I grab a needle and with a surprisingly steady hand, stick it into the bottle with a blue serum in it and extract it, I give it a quick push and extinguish any air before I run over to the trashing boy and Minho grips his arm harder allowing me to inject him with it. Once done I step back as his trashing slowly dies down and he slips into unconsciousness.
"What happened to him?" I ask in a voice barley above a whisper and Clint looks up at me.
"He's been Stung." He states in a cold voice that catches me off guard. Clint told me about the Grievers and how they sting their victims, what he didn't tell me was what happened to them after they got stung and now, I'm witnessing it and it terrifies me. Clint and Jeff take the time that they are giving with Matthew out to fix and stitch up his wounds. I look to the dark haired Runner before I point to a chair
"Sit down, I need to clean your face." I try to make myself sound strong and demanding but my voice comes out scared and detached but Minho doesn't say anything instead he obeys me and he silently takes a seat. He stares off in front of him with a tight scowl on his face. I grab a handful of cotton balls as I use an antiseptic to clean the blood off his face. I take a look at the cut above his eyebrow and I sigh
"You're going to need stitches. Are you okay with that?" I ask him and he shrugs,
"Fine by me. Just finish this klunk up so I can leave." His voice comes out just as detached as mine only it holds a sharpness to it that makes me worry if he's going to go off and do something reckless or just brood in silence by himself. Seeing as I really just met him not too long ago I cant really tell what hes going to do. I grab the string used to stitch up wounds and I carefully stick the needle through his skin, he cringes a little and tenses up telling me he doesn't like needles. With that information I make it quick and as soon as I put the needle down he looks up at me,
"We done here?" I nod to him and he stands up with a sigh and looks to the two Med-jacks tending to his fellow Runner,
"Come get me if anything changes got it?" He all but demands and they also nod at him and he leaves. I watch him push open the door and I hear his foot steps as he goes down stairs. I let out a sigh and look to Clint and Jeff,
"What's going to happen to him?" I study the boys face and his skin is almost green with strange blue and purple veins standing out against his skin, she feels so bad for him it makes her wish she could do more. The Keeper looks up at her and he wipes his bloody hands on a towel before pulling her softly towards the back room, he lets her go with a tired sigh,
"I hope we got the serum to him in time because if we didn't well then what you just saw will be the easiest part. But if we did then he's going to go through a hell of a fight before he wakes up." I look over his shoulder at the boy once again before his words pull me back to our side conversation,
"I saw what you did back there. Normally if any of those stupid shanks we're in your position they would have klunked their pants and freaked out but you, you got scared but you knew what to do. And with Minho, you fixed him up perfectly. I want you to become a Med-jack since its just Jeff and I and we could always use the extra hand." His kind brown eyes search my face as I make up my mind with what I want my job to be. After another second green meets brown and I give him a nod with a small smile
"I would love to. Thank you Clint now I finally belong somewhere." I feel a tad bit better but the weight of poor Matthew and his 'condition' holds me back from being truly happy. With one final thank you I excuse myself and head down to my hammock where I curl up and try to get some sleep but my dreams are haunted by Matthews screams.
Whoo! So that was a lot! wow! I got really into it and I almost got carried away haha. I know there are a lot of stories where the girl is a med-jack so that's probably a bit overused but I really like the idea of getting to write out being a healer. So I'm sorry but that's my choice(: Plus I can picture Jo yelling at the stubborn ones and making them do what she needs them to. But please review and I thank you for reading(:
P.S. I'm really sorry for the spelling errors, my computer honestly doesn't have spell check..it sucks.