Ash and Cinder

8| Nightmare

Delilah is a lot worse for wear. She all but collapses the moment we're in the cave. Her soaked limbs flop like limp ropes on the ground around her.

Sky leans on the cave wall near a meager fire, shoulder blades pressed against the curve as if they belong there. His goggles are shoved up on his forehead, emphasizing the crease between his brows, and his hand spins in an unending loop, fingers snapping impatiently. The moment he lays eyes on us the snapping halts and his forehead loses its stress crease. A wry smirk twists his lips when he sees Anushka.

"Funny, I thought Dieter was a dude."

"Stuff it," I grumble. I grab Anushka's arm and all but drag her to the back of the cave. Her feet scrape on the stone, but it doesn't make a difference. She's weak and light, and while she's here surrounded by kids who pack more power in their thumbs than she could dream of, the only defense she has is the gun in her holster. I push her in front of me. The force knocks her into the rock wall. I'm too rough and it's not entirely on purpose, but she doesn't need to know that. She turns, her face blank as it's been since Maverick decided to give her a chance. It's not until I reach for the gun at her side that she finally reacts. She sidesteps, face clouding over as her hand hovers protectively over the grip.

Maverick stops me.

"I got it, Trick," he says, "get some rest, you need it." He slides between me and Anushka easily, nudging me away.

The spot I'd curled up in earlier is open, I claim it again, easing my aching body to the floor. Piper has ended up at Delilah's side and is coaxing her closer to the fire. Half the group has stripped off their sweaters and shirts and spread them out to dry. I tug my soaking wet sweater and shirt over my head. They come off as one article, and it takes a bit of prying to separate the two so I can wring them out.

When I'm done, I contemplate the makeshift bandage around my shoulders and chest. The sodden fabric clings to my skin and rivers of pink-and-brown tinged water run down my sides when I move. It's not the healthiest idea to take it off, but it might be even worse to leave it on while it's soaking wet. Shivering, I pick at the knots with cold-dulled fingers until the strips come free. I have to peel the strips off, taking fresh scabs with them.

Stars, it's cold. I crush my hands into fists but that does next to nothing to stop my violent shivering. My teeth chatter. It feels like ice water drips through my veins and rests in blankets over my shoulders. I'm coldest where the grenade cooked off most of my skin. Maybe taking the bandages off wasn't such a good idea after all. Too late now. I crumple the strips up, squeezing rainwater and blood from them. The insides of the strips are stained with ugly red blotches.

The base of my neck twinges, an ache that settles in my stiff shoulders. I dig in my pocket for the pain pills. My hands meet with fabric and nothing else.

Frantically, I search the pocket again. I pinch the inside of both pockets and turn them inside out. Thin muck sloughs out and nothing more. The bottle of pain pills is gone.

I bite my tongue, holding in a bitter curse. The bottle must have fallen out while we were out in the storm. It could be anywhere by now, I'm never getting those pills back.

Unusual tightness pinches the skin across the back of my ribs. Without medication to numb it, the burn is going to hurt like hell. Without medication, all of me is going to hurt like hell. As if on cue, the pins and needles that have been plaguing me since before the storm begin to escalate into searing pain.

I glance up at the others. They're all bedding down on the cold rock floor of the cave, making the most of the thunderstorm by catching up on the sleep they lost last night. Nobody noticed my outburst, not even Maverick. Good, I don't want to be the one to cause another delay when we have no time to waste. I'll keep my trap shut. I can worry about getting more pain pills when Elle is safe. I pull my damp sweater on to hide the injury and gain as much heat as I can. For now, that's the best I can do.