Washed Up ≫ A.I

Chapter [32]

[Charlotte Kendall]
Day 17

My night was stressful. My days were a mess. My life was over. I haven't taken my eyes off of Emma's paralyzed body. She was breathing heavily through her closed lips, her ribs were rising every so often in a loud wheezing noise and all I wanted was her to magically heal in seconds.

All six of us still standing, fought through every will, climbing down the side of the broken earth to reach the bottom of the ditch where Emma was sprawled across. We tugged her body up the side of dirt pile with sturdy vine and wrapped each other together. Michael was the first to slide down the slope the fastest and trusted Ashton with the other end of the rope. Once Michael secured them both, Emma and Michael soon scooted up the side of the ditch and back over the edge onto flat ground.

A little more than twenty four hours later and I keep replaying the cries in my mind, over and over again.

+

Emma was barely awake but breathing. Michael laid her out flat against the grass and stepped away once Denise dove in beside him. Her and her brother gathered on either side of Emma, rubbing their hands together as they shouted out ideas to one another.

I couldn't think straight and seeing those two fight over how to save Emma's life was making me even more mad."Emma. . ." My voice was hoarse now and dragged out into a weak gasp.

Ashton was still behind me, his arms wrapped tight around my waist as I tried to wiggle away from his grip. However, every time I tried to turn our bodies towards Emma he would pick me up into the air and toss me aside without letting go.

"Charlotte no!" He growled in my ear, keeping me from taking a glimpse at my injured friend.

"Her leg Dee!" I heard Brandon shout before a painful scream echoed throughout the trees.

I yanked my shoulders upwards into the air and tried to throw Ashton off of me but it was no use. He was simply much stronger than I ever was. I kept fighting against his will with all that I had left, screaming and crying to see Emma. There was another cry, a crackling voice much similar to Emma's tone of voice before a popping noise.  Loud gasps and huffs filled the heavy air and I pulled away from Ashton's shoulder. His hands slipped from my waist as I dashed around his side and tripped to the dirt.

"Wait! I don't want you to see this!" I heard Ashton call out from above me as I crawled over beside Denise.

"Charlotte please!" Denise tried to elbow me out of the mix but I kept poking my head between the two to see Emma.

My body was yanked backwards into the air again and I screamed out for Emma. I received no response just huffs from Denise as she pulled over the thick vines and driftwood. Brandon's back covered Emma's head from my angle and it wasn't until Ashton accidentally pulled me to the right when I got the first glimpse of Emma's broken leg. I squeaked at the amount of blood and the shape of her leg. It was twisted outwards and swollen purple with broken skin and blood gushing from her shin.

"It's completely in half Brandon I have no idea what to do!"

"Just close up the wound and we can tie her to the boards." Brandon seemed to be the only one with his tone of voice under control.

Meanwhile I'm here cursing loudly into the wind, wrestling a six foot man with my fragile weight. My knees flew into the air as I cried and screamed to be put down. I shut my eyes and slammed my fists behind me to Ashton's sides hoping to get a loose reaction from him. It wasn't until my heel kicked out into Ashton's soft under region when my eyes opened in panic. I was dropped to the ground and spun around by Ashton's wide hands, stunned once I was turned to be face to face with him again. His eyes were watery and beat red as he hands gripped tightly on my shoulders.