DAY 25: CLARKE
"You broke it? Are you sure?!" Her eyes widen with panic and concern.
"Pretty sure," I grumble through my teeth, "I heard a crack."
Moving close, she shoves her hands underneath the leaves around me, frantically running her fingers through the dirt. "Maybe it was a branch," she pants.
"Lex," I moan, as another shot of pain shoots through my body, "it wasn't a branch."
She holds still and her eyes find mine again. I take her hand and direct it to my shin, right below my knee. Her hand hovers over it, holding back, until I give her a small, encouraging nod. That's when she touches me, hesitant and impossibly light. I bite my teeth nonetheless.
"You feel that bump? That's my bone."
She withdraws her hand like she just burned it. Or maybe because she's afraid she'll burn me with it. Her face twists. I know that look. She can deal with pain like no other. She can cause it without a blink, too. But seeing it in the eyes of a loved one... that always kills her.
"I need to get out of here," I tell her. I know I'm stating the obvious, but forcing us to come up with some plan feels like the only way to keep it together right now.
"Y-Yeah," she stammers, glancing around, and then up. The abyss is about eight feet deep. Madi, Raven and Jesus are standing on the edge, looking down on us - their faces as worried as Lexa's. "Can you move? Except for your leg, I mean?" she asks.
I answer her by sitting up a little, which I can't do without making my leg move as well. I wince, trying to fight the sharp sting of tears behind my eyes.
"I'm afraid I have to," I breathe. "I can't stand though, or walk in any way."
"It's not that far anymore. Less than two miles." Looking at us over his shoulder, Jesus carefully lowers himself down. "I can carry you, but I can tell you: it's gonna hurt."
Lexa takes my hand and squeezes it tight. Her eyes move down my body again. "We need to secure your leg."
I open my mouth to answer, but before I can say anything, I am distracted by the sound of a thud right next to me. I turn my head to look at my side. It's a leg brace.
"Raven!" I exclaim. Looking up, I catch her sitting on the ground, leaning on her palms to peek over the edge. "I-I can't take that. You won't be able to—"
"Shut up, will you," she briskly cuts me off. "You're attracting Frankenstein's pets."
"But you can't walk without your brace," I keep protesting. "Let's just... find some sticks, or something."
Raven's sigh is so loud I can hear it all the way down here. "Lexa, can you like... work your magic and keep her quiet for a sec. I'm serious, I'm done fighting these creeps. Just secure that leg and get her to Alexandria. Once there, one of you can make a run and bring it back to me."
"She's right, you can't waste time now." It's Magna, appearing in my field of vision with Yumiko right behind her. "We will stay with Raven," she states, continuing in a softer tone when she notes the concern in my eyes, "We'll keep her safe."
I exhale, then nod a go-ahead to Lexa. She picks up Raven's brace and carefully fixates my leg with it.
"We might need to get you something to bite on," Jesus remarks as he watches my face contorts by her touch.
"I'm fine," I lie, "Just... let's get this over with."
He nods and steps closer, taking Lexa's place. "Alright. Just know this first part will be hell. Your weight won't be such a problem, but I need both hands to climb out of here. Which means I have to carry you on my back, with you holding on to me."
For some reason I suddenly think of the immense radio tower I once had to climb. I might not have been injured back then, but I remember it being a hell of a job for my arms.
"I can handle it," I tell him, as much as myself.
He turns around and lowers himself, while Lexa helps me up and onto his back. As soon as he feels my arms around his neck, he moves to the rather steep slope of the abyss, grabs one of the roots sticking out from the dirt and starts pulling himself up.
The pain in my leg as we move is excruciating and I'm on the verge of screaming, which I know will cause a whole lot of new problems, so instead I hold on even tighter - almost strangling Jesus in his way up. I'd tell him sorry if I could only remember how to form words.
I can tell he's strong, but that he's struggling nevertheless, with the loose sand slipping underneath his feet. But he's not alone in this. Once halfway he meets the reaching hands of Magna and Yumiko, who are both lying flat on their stomachs. With their help, the second part goes slightly smoother, and half a minute later we're back on the road.
Lexa swiftly follows and helps me down, together with the others. They give Jesus a few seconds to catch his breath, then cautiously hand me over to him again. Holding me like a groom who's about to carry his bride across the threshold, he turns around and starts to walk.
Alexandria's doorstep is waiting.
Madi and Lexa make sure to stay close, one of them on each side of us and with their swords still at the ready in case more problems show up. Fortunately though we're spared this time.
After what feels like forever, yet probably not more than thirty minutes later, we reach the outer wall of a settlement that actually looks like a small village. I can see the roofs of stone build houses, and even the blades of a windmill. The welcome sign next to the gate tells us that we have reached a so-called Safe Zone, which feels reassuring, yet the facial expression of the woman that's coming to meet us is not exactly inviting - although I can't really blame her, considering we're covered in blood and two of us are still swinging their swords.
Lexa and Madi must share my thoughts, since they both quickly lower them down as the woman draws closer.
"God, you've been saving damsels in distress again?" she moans as soon as reaches us.
"Let's keep my dear father out of it," Jesus replies. His bright laughter surprises me. It doesn't just tell me he might actually get us in without too much trouble, it's also the very first time I actually hear it. "It's good to see you too, Rosita," he goes on with a smile in his voice.
She cocks her head and narrows her eyes. "So who did you bring?"
"These are Clarke, Lexa and Madi. They are—" He hesitates for a moment. "They are old acquaintances of mine. They've been staying at Oceanside for a while, but are now escorting yet another friend of theirs. Some girl who wants to meet Eugene."
An unexpected chuckle falls of her lips. "Voluntarily?!"
Jesus laughs along. "What, isn't he your friend?"
"He sure is, but only because I know his manual." Her eyes move to me. "So what's up with you?"
"I broke my leg, about two miles back," I answer with great difficulty. By now even talking hurts.
She just nods, before looking at Jesus again.
"Is Siddiq around?" he asks her.
"Let's find out," she answers, already turning around, yet continuing over her shoulder, "No weapons though. You can all leave them at the gate for now."
We follow Rosita through the gate, where we hand over our weapons to one of the guards. I really want to find out more about this place, since it looks surprisingly appealing, but right now I feel I just need to lay down. Thank god they don't decide to linger.
As we make our way to this Siddiq-guy, I learn he's the doctor in town, and when we get there, we're in luck as he's actually at home. He leads us into his office, where Jesus gently lays me down on the examination table. He doesn't give himself a well-deserved break though. As soon as the brace comes off my leg, he picks it up and steps backwards.
"I'm off getting the others," he tells Lexa on his way out. "Don't worry, she's in good hands here."
He's gone before we can even say bye... or thank you.
"What's your name?"
I turn my head to the man standing next to me. He's got a pair of scissors in his hand, but doesn't move just yet.
"Clarke," I groan in response.
"I'm Siddiq," he says, "Can I take a look?" Clenching my jaw, I force myself to nod. I watch him as he starts to cut open my pants. He has an olive-colored skin, brown almond-shaped eyes and a warm smile. I decide to like him straight away.
When my leg is fully exposed, he looks up again. "So, what happened exactly?"
Not sure how to deal with the whole talking part any longer, I draw in a deep breath. Right then Lexa comes to my rescue. She steps closer, gingerly resting her hand on my shoulder. "She tripped and fell into an abyss," she explains on my behalf, "About seven or eight feet deep. She thinks she broke her leg. There." She points at the large, bruised swelling below my knee, then takes my hand. "Right?"
I just nod, squeezing her fingers as Siddiq starts to examine my leg.
"I can't make any x-rays, but by the looks of it I think you're right. Your skin is still intact, which is good, but that doesn't mean you didn't hurt yourself." He tilts his head, his eyes moving between the two of us. "Looks like a greenstick fracture to me."
"Can you fix it?" Lexa asks.
Siddiq looks pensive. "Well, I can set it and put a splint on. Give you some pain medication for the first days. But it's mainly up to you. Your leg's gonna need rest - a lot of it. Four weeks at least, maybe five or six. Which means that whatever your plans are, you can most likely forget about them."
"Six weeks," Lexa gasps. "But we need to get back. People are waiting for us."
"Well, I can't talk for you and the kid, but Clarke here really shouldn't travel," he shrugs.
As I let his words sink in, I instinctively tighten my grip on Lexa's hand. Our eyes meet.
"We're not splitting up," she states, "There's no way."
He lifts his shoulders again.
"Alright. Guess you're gonna have to stay here then." He gives a brief flicker of a smile. "That is, if they'll have you."
... ...