Just a Bad Dream

Present Day

Alex woke to the sound of something crackling near him. Then someone was talking to him. Or maybe he was imagining it. Alex slowly sat up, groaning in pain. He hurt all over, and he was freezing. Where was he? What happened? Panic started to consume the boy. The talking continued and Alex couldn't make out where it was coming from. The teen slowly swivelled his head to try to find the source of the noise. What if he was in danger? The teen looked around more frantically, trying to find the mysterious voice. Alex could only just make out the words they were saying through the ringing in his ears. They were calling his code name. How could they know his code name? Alex looked around again before spotting his walkie-talkie lying in the mud about five metres away. His hazy mind took a second to connect the pieces, but after a moment he practically dived for the object. He picked it up with shaking hands held down the button to talk to whoever was there.
"H-hello", his voice was hoarse, and his teeth made a lot of noise as they clattered together, making it hard to hear what he said.
"Cub! Cub! Can you hear me? Over", came the voice on the other end. Alex couldn't place a name to the voice through his muddled mind, but he knew it sounded familiar.
"I think- I think I... I think I need help", the boy said, taking his surroundings one more time.
"What happened? Where are you?", came the urgent voice on the receiving end. It made Alex's head pound. The teen went to answer when he realised he didn't even know what happened, or where he was. Terror consumed the boy once again, and he didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry- I think I need help"
"It's okay, we're coming. Where are you?". The pain was all Alex could think about. His entire body burned. His feet and hands felt numb.
"My... it hurts", was all the boy could manage to force through his chattering teeth.
"Where are you?", came the reply on the other end, sounding even more urgent.
" 'm sorry"
"I'm not mad at you, I just need you to tell me where you are"
Alex looked down at his shirt to see a large patch of blood, with a stick stuck in his stomach. At first the boy was confused. Why was he bleeding? He could hear the person on the walkie-talkie trying to talk to him.
"I'm bleeding? I'm bleeding. I-I-I-", the teen cried out. He was bleeding. Oh God there is a lot of blood. Should it hurt this bad? Who is he talking to? Where is he? What happened? Is Scorpia back? They can't. No, not again. Not again. Not again.
"Where are you?!", the man yelled from the other end.
"Help me. Please help me"
"I'm coming! Where are you!?", the urgency in the man's voice was unsettling. Can he trust him? What if they are with Scorpia. Maybe that's why they sound familiar. But why are they on the walkie-talkie?
"Please help me. I'm sorry. I need help. Please help me. Someone help me. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry". The pain. Why does it burn so much?
"I'm on my way"
"I need help. Someone help me. I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry. I need help. I need help. I need help. Anyone?", Alex cried. What if they are Scorpia? It can't be. It can't. Because that didn't happen. Right?
I'm still here. Can you tell me where you are?", the voice had a new tone to it. Calm? Alex forced himself to take a breath. If they can be calm, so can he.
"I... I don't know. I think I need help. Are you coming?"
"Yes, just tell me where you are". The radio started crackling slightly, and for a second Alex couldn't hear anything come from it.
"Hello? Are you there? I... I think I am going to pass out". The world was starting to spin, and Alex barely heard the reply before he hit the ground unconscious.
"WHERE ARE YOU!" .... .... .... "Hello?" .... "Shit"