My last fic of Whumptober 2023! Thank you to everyone who read any of my fics this month, I hope you enjoyed them! And I hope you enjoy this final installment :)

Prompt(s) Filled: No 10 - Stranded, No 17 - "You're the lump in my throat and the knot in my chest.", No 24 - "I thought they were with you.", No 30 - Bridal Carry, "Not much longer...", No 31 - "Take it easy."

Amy rubbed her hands together over the fire as she shivered.

"Ugh, it's so cold," she moaned.

"Should have brought a jacket," Sierra teased as she pulled her coat tighter around herself. She didn't appear cold in the slightest, and Amy glared at her.

"I didn't know we were going to come out to the woods when I left my house this morning. I thought we were going to the mall."

When her friends had called her that morning saying they had an idea to hang out today, this was the last thing on her mind.

"C'mon, it's fun!" Callum said from where he was crouched next to the fire pit. He was throwing on a few more sticks as the fire grew. "I made a fire."

"It's still cold." She was so close to just heading home.

"I have something that will warm you up." Sierra reached into her backpack and pulled out a can, which she handed over to Amy.

When she saw what it was, her eyes widened.

"How did you get this?"

"Stole it from my brother," Sierra shrugged. "I got a whole six pack."

"Hey, pass me one." Callum held a hand up, and Sierra tossed the can over the fire.

So, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all, and Amy ended up quite enjoying herself. They hung out until all the drinks were gone, and they were left giggling from the alcohol running through their veins.

"Okay, I should head back before my mom kills me." Amy hiccupped as she finished her drink and dropped another empty can onto the floor.

"Yeah, I said I'd be back by dinner." Callum stood up from the log he'd been sitting on, and swayed a little before he found his footing.

Sierra grabbed her backpack, and they started to head off.

"Wait, the fire." Callum quickly stamped on the flames until they became embers, before he ran to catch up with them.

None of them stopped to check if it was actually put out, they just left their empty cans behind as they headed home and didn't think of it again.

"Today was exhausting," Alan whined as he flopped onto the couch.

"You didn't even do much," John said as he sat down next to him.

"Yeah, but talking to family is exhausting. They all wanna pinch your cheeks and make you try their potato salad."

"I'm so sorry your life is so hard." Scott put his hand to his heart, and they all snickered.

"You better not let your Great Aunts hear that." Their Grandma came into the room. "You can show a little more appreciation, young man."

"Sorry, Grandma." Alan sat up as he dipped his head guiltily.

"Why don't you all head out for some fresh air?" She suggested to all of them. "I can cook something up whilst you're out."

They all looked at each other in worry as they turned pale.

"Uh, sure." Virgil gave her a smile which was definitely just a grimace, but she didn't seem to pick up on that.

They all headed out of the house as they left behind what they could only imagine their Grandma would concoct next.

It had been years since they'd all been back at their home in Kansas. There had been many talks about selling the place over the years, but they could never go through with it. In the end, they just settled on hiring someone to handle the upkeep of the house and farm, and occasionally the family headed there for a visit.

Like this weekend. It was their Great Aunt's birthday, and their Grandma insisted on them coming as they didn't see their family much anymore. None of them could say no to her, so one party turned into a short vacation in their childhood home.

"Why don't we go to that forest we always went in as kids?" Virgil suggested as they headed down the steps of the front porch.

"Oh, yeah!" Alan perked up as his steps began to quicken.

"I wonder if that old treehouse is still there." Gordon hurried to catch up to his little brother. "I know a shortcut to it."

"Yeah right," Scott called from behind them. "I bet my way is faster."

"You wanna bet?" Gordon turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, let's bet. Whoever gets there first is the winner."

"You're on," Scott agreed. "Losers have to eat whatever Grandma is making tonight."

They were on vacation, so none of them saw a reason not to join in on the fun. They soon reached the forest around the back of their old farmhouse, and Gordon turned to the rest of his brothers.

"See you on the other side!" He called to them, and was off without giving them any other warning.

"Hey, not fair. Wait up!" He heard Scott yell behind him before he hurried into the forest as well.

Gordon cackled as he ran, but he was not slowing down. He was determined to prove Scott wrong.

Gordon stopped to catch his breath and take in his surroundings. He hadn't considered how late it was, and it was starting to get dark. He also hadn't taken into consideration that it had been a long while since he'd last stepped foot in this forest.

That being said, he was sure he knew where he was. His brothers didn't realise how much time he had spent out here, and the amount of times he'd snuck out of the house to hide away in the treehouse they'd discovered one day as kids.

When he had managed to place where he was, he carried on. However, he didn't make it far until he paused again.

He had spent a lot of his life around fires, from burning buildings to forests that had been set aflame. So he instantly recognised the smell of smoke that snaked through the trees.

Gordon looked around and tried to find the source of the smoke. He walked further through the trees, and the further he went, the thicker the air was. He knew that this had to be more than just someone having a campfire nearby, and as he looked up, he could see the thick cloud billowing over the trees.

When he looked back at the trees around him again, he could see the orange glow in the distance that was rapidly getting closer. He knew he needed to get out of there before he got trapped, so he spun on his heel back towards the direction he came.

However, he only took one step before he stopped again.

His brothers were in these woods too. He didn't know what direction they had gone in. They might have gotten trapped by the fire already, or they had also seen the danger but went looking for him. Gordon couldn't just leave knowing his brothers could be in danger.

He cursed himself for not bringing any form of communication as he began to quickly jog in the direction he had been heading in. If he could get to the treehouse, maybe he would find his brothers, as he suspected they would head there too if they were looking for him.

He started to feel the heat as his path took him closer to the fire, and the crackling of the flames were starting to echo around him. He was forced to pause as he started to choke on the thick smoke, and he doubled over as he started coughing.

He was really regretting his choice to not get out of there earlier when he should have. Gordon wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he panted, and straightened back up. The fire was really raging now, and he knew he couldn't keep going in the same direction. The flames blocked his path, and although he wasn't close to the flames, he could still feel the heat burning his skin.

He just had to hope that his brothers had gotten out of there and weren't trapped behind the fiery wall in front of him.

Gordon turned, intending to head back the way he'd come as he knew that would be the quickest way out of the forest. But as he turned, he realised he wasn't quite sure what way that had been.

The smoke was so thick it would have been hard to see through it if it wasn't for the bright flames that encircled him and almost blinded him with their blaze. His pathway was very quickly being cut off, and he had to dart past the flames before they blocked him completely.

But the truth was that he was swiftly becoming disorientated, and he couldn't recognise anything around him. He had to stop again to cough, his chest feeling like it was being ripped open with every hack as he bent over and gasped for air. With his hands on his knees, he glanced up dizzyingly to try and work out where to go.

There was still a safe break between some of the trees that he could head towards. With a deep breath, he pushed himself upright and stumbled towards it.

He tripped on a tree root, but managed to keep his balance. He tried to just keep going, not even sure if he was heading the right way anymore, but as long as he got away from the fire he didn't care.

There was a loud crash nearby as a branch fell from a tree, and Gordon flinched as he feared something was going to land on his head. He stumbled back, and then there was a sharp pain in his ankle as it twisted sideways.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to disappear beneath him as he fell through the air. When he did eventually hit the floor, he hit it hard, and couldn't stop himself from rolling head over heels as he tumbled down a ditch.

Then, he abruptly stopped as his head smacked into something hard.

Scott coughed as he stumbled out of the forest. He had seen the fire happening a ways off, so he had managed to get out of there before it had reached him. That didn't stop the smoke from getting stuck in his throat though, and he could still taste it as he reached the open field next to the forest.

His brothers were already there, having also gotten out of the forest as soon as they saw the danger. They were either doubled over or sitting on the ground, taking in the fresh air like Scott.

Once Scott's lungs weren't burning as much, he looked over his brothers, searching for any injuries or signs that they weren't okay.

He cast his gaze over them one by one, but froze when he came up short.

"Where's Gordon?"

His brothers all snapped their heads up at him, and then glanced around at their surroundings. They looked behind Scott and back at the forest, like their brother was just going to materialise from the trees.

"We thought he was with you."

Scott glanced back the way he'd come as those words stole more of his breath than the smoke had. Before he realised what he was doing, he sprinted back into the woods.

He distantly heard his brothers yelling behind him, but Scott ignored them. He had to find Gordon.

He headed towards the treehouse as that was his best chance of finding his brother. Gordon had been on his way there, so if he hadn't gotten out, then he was likely still trapped in that part of the forest.

"Gordon!" Scott yelled as he ran through the trees. He still remembered the way even though his path soon became blocked by flames and fallen trees. If he just headed in the right direction, hopefully he would come across his brother. "Gordon!"

The fire was roaring in his ears and he could barely hear his own voice, so he doubted if Gordon would even hear him, or if he would hear Gordon calling back.

"Gordon! Gor-"

Scott choked on his words as he breathed in too much smoke and fell into a coughing fit. He doubled over, and felt the world sway as a feeling of lightheadedness washed over him.

He apprehensively straightened as his coughs died down, wary of the fact that if he collapsed here, then neither he nor Gordon would get out. He had to keep going.

"Gordon!" Scott continued to choke as he went even further into the fire. He didn't even think about if he would be able to get back out of there, he was just going to deal with that once he had found Gordon.

Scott tripped suddenly, and he caught himself on the closest tree to stop himself from toppling over. Everything swayed for a moment, and Scott took that minute to try and breathe, which really just meant more coughing.

As his vision shifted into focus again, he pushed himself off the tree so that he could keep going.

But then something caught his eye. It was only a flash and he almost missed it as he turned, but he did a double take as he saw familiarity in the object.

"Gordon!"

There was no doubt that was his brother slumped at the bottom of the ditch. Scott quickly fell to the ground and slid down the side of the ditch to his brother's side.

Gordon wasn't moving when Scott reached him, and he didn't respond when Scott tried to shake him.

Gently, Scott turned Gordon over onto his back.

Gordon's face and clothes were covered in ash. His head was coated in blood from a gash on his forehead. Scott looked over to see what the cause of it was, and saw next to Gordon's head there was a rock protruding from the ground, covered in red just like his brother.

Scott quickly held his hand to Gordon's chest, and felt the rise and fall of his shallow, but still there breaths.

He let out his own breath, and then without another second to waste, Gordon was lifted over his shoulder.

Scott climbed back up the ditch, awkwardly with Gordon in his hold. But then once he was up, he hurried back the way he'd come.

He wasn't entirely sure it was the right way, but it was the only path still left that the fire hadn't taken over yet, so he kept moving in that direction.

The heat of the fire was really getting to him now. He hadn't noticed it so much before as his adrenaline for finding Gordon had masked any other thought, but now he knew his brother was safe in his hold, he could feel it wear off.

The sweat that dripped into his eyes mixed with the ash, and caused his vision to blur and sting. It was nothing compared to the pain in his throat though, which with each breath and cough got even more painful.

His skin was burning too and he could feel the heat at his back, like the flames were right behind him and were chasing him out of there. It reminded Scott that it was a race to get out before the fire caught him, and he quickened his pace to get away from the ever-increasing fire.

A pained yell fell from his throat as he tripped. He crashed face first to the floor as Gordon went flying from his grip. For a moment, Scott just had to lay there, panting and gasping after the remaining air had been expelled from his lungs.

Every part of him just wanted to stay on the ground and never move. Just the thought of lifting his head made him want to cry, how was he supposed to get up and keep going?

He thoroughly debated it, but as he opened his eyes again, he could see the limp body of his brother a couple feet away.

Just the sight of Gordon, unresponsive and suffering just as much as him, had Scott pushing himself up without another thought. He could give up on himself, but he would never give up on Gordon.

Scott scooped his arms under Gordon's back and legs. His limbs felt weak, but his grip on Gordon was strong.

His legs protested as he stood up once more, and his steps were slower now, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Each gasp of breath now felt like he was fighting a vice around his chest. The taste of smoke was thick in his throat and he had to fight past it to suck in what little oxygen remained around him.

Not much longer.

That was what he told himself as he took another step, and then another. It became a mantra in his head and kept him going. He soon could barely see past the smoke and his blurry vision, but he continued on. He knew that they would get out soon, there wasn't much further to go.

Not much longer. Not-

He took a step.

Much-

One foot in front of the other.

Longer…

Scott went to take another step, but his legs could no longer keep him up. He crashed to his knees, and it took all he had to not drop Gordon.

Suddenly, there was someone there, and Scott looked up in a daze as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

He hadn't noticed it before, but there were flashing lights all around him. They were unfocused bursts of colour, and they highlighted the silhouette in front of him.

Gordon was pulled from his arms. Although there was a part of Scott's mind that told him he couldn't let go of Gordon, that he had to keep his brother safe, his arms felt too tired to put up a protest.

He couldn't pay attention to where his brother went, as at the same time something was placed over his face. He gasped and choked on the oxygen that was suddenly fed into his throat, and he couldn't breathe it in fast enough.

He grabbed onto the wrist of whoever it was that held it there with as much strength as he could muster, like he was worried they were going to take it away when he wanted it held firmly in place.

"Take it easy," said an unfamiliar voice.

Scott continued to gasp, coughs ripping from his throat between breaths, one hand on the stranger's wrist and the other on the ground as he prevented himself from collapsing forward.

Once he had enough air in his lungs that his vision started to come back into focus, he took in his surroundings. There was someone he didn't recognise crouched next to him, holding the oxygen mask to his face whilst they gripped onto his shoulder. They were dressed in a firefighter's uniform.

There was someone else on his other side, and Scott blinked at them, until he saw Virgil's concerned frown materialise in front of him.

"Take it easy, Scott," Virgil echoed the words of the firefighter. His hands were also there to keep Scott steady, one on his chest and one rubbing his arm soothingly. Scott wondered if without the two of them he would even be upright.

Scott looked past Virgil to see that they were no longer in the woods, and that he had managed to make it all the way out to the field again. There were a lot of people moving around, and there was so much noise that joined the roaring of the fire.

His gaze got caught on the stretcher a little ways away, surrounded by a small, bustling crowd. The figure on it looked so small, making the oxygen mask on them look too big.

Virgil followed his stare, and squeezed Scott's arm as he saw what he was looking at.

"He'll be okay. He's in good hands."

Virgil turned back to Scott, and sent him a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach his concern-filled eyes. Scott was too tired to call him out on it, and instead let Virgil continue to try and comfort him.

"Just breathe," Virgil soothed as he went back to rubbing Scott's arm. "Just breathe."

And Scott did.