Sixteen Ain't So Sweet

Chapter Three - Night, Night

Smoke was thick in the air, coating my tongue and blocking my airwaves; my whole body in a barrage of pain. That, and the insistent shaking had my head, ribs, back... fuck -everywhere hurt!

"Lia! Lia, c'mon, speak to me! Lia!" I could just make out my sister's panic-stricken voice and hands on my face over the pounding in my skull, an unbearably hot heat licking at my skin breaking a whimpered cough through my dry lips. "Oh thank God, I'm going to pull you out, okay?" My mind felt sluggish against the pain and I must've been silent a moment too long for I felt her hastily drag me away from the source of heat, a sharp cry escaping me. White-hot pain crept up my back, twinging in awful spasms between my shoulder blades as something burrowed deeper into my skin. "Shit, I'm sorry, where does it hurt?" My teeth were grit too hard to speak so I did my best to hiss "Back" as she carefully turned me on my side, a whoosh of air blowing past her lips. I didn't take that as a good sign at all.

"Hold still, this is going to hurt..." I clenched my eyes closed, a guttural scream ripping from my throat when she pulled something large from between my shoulder blades and I felt a rush of liquid pool down my skin. "Shh, shh. You're okay, it's not... it's not as bad as you think. We need to move, though -can you walk?" I tried my best to blink past the tears and pain, breathing raggedly before attempting to shift my weight with Jill's help. She managed to pull me to my feet, my head swimming, though half my weight lent against her instead of my left leg; it wasn't broken, that I knew, but it fucking hurt like a bitch.

"Where's Zoe?" I croaked, sweeping my blurry eyes over the train wreckage for any sign of my blonde friend. Jill stilled, her arm tightening around my waist and I felt my heart drop as I tore myself away from her, ignoring her shout of protest, when I spotted Zoe lying just feet away; half buried under debris and unmoving.

"Zoe!" My unsteady limped jog stopped just short from her, my eyes widening at the amount of blood covering her torso and pooling beneath her -the long, jagged piece of metal piercing straight through her chest, her heart. "No... no, no, no! Zoe!"

Jill's hands wrapped around my arms, trying to steer me away from the sight, but I struggled against her while sobbing uncontrollably, screams tearing from my throat. "Lia, Lia! We need to go, I know it hurts, but we have to go. She's gone! It's not safe-"

"I'm not leaving her!" I screamed, desperately trying to reach out to my best friend as flames licked at her body, but Jill was stronger and I could do nothing but struggle fruitlessly and wail as she pulled me further away from the only friend that stuck by me and dealt with all my shit. She didn't deserve this!

"Jill please, I can't-!" My feet stumbled and I fell against her weakly, my sister's arms wrapping around me fully as she shushed me, rocking me gently as I cried. "I know, I know... But you have to keep going, for Zoe, and for me, okay? You need to survive so she can live on, so no one forgets her..." I hiccuped in between my sobs and finally let her steer me away, her arms not once leaving me as she pulled me into her side protectively, moving us down the emergency side-path.

"I think there's a way out over there, stay here and don't move, I'm just going to open the door, okay?" She let me go to wipe at my eyes and face even though more tears fell in their place, and sighed lightly before turning and steering the emergency lock on the door, pushing the heavy metal open. In a matter of seconds she was back, looping her arm around my waist but keeping her weapon gripped tightly in the other and navigating us through a small tunnel that led into an open spaced room. A few handy items were left on tabletops, though I paid them no mind as my thoughts strayed back to Zoe, my heart clenching at leaving her there all alone...