The Fight of Our Lives - NewScapeSquad Fanfic

Back to Ashes

Ashlie's POV

It was dark when I finally woke up again.  The sweet smell of wet dirt filled my nose, and a frog croaked. I slowly sat up, causing a blanket to fall off me. I looked quizzically at it, wondering how it had gotten there.  But it didn't really matter right now.

The floor creaked as I slowly stood.  I looked over at where the boy was resting. He wasn't in the bed. I sorta freaked out, until I walked around the bed and found him lying on the hard floor in the shadows, just like I was.  He was lying on his stomach, and I think he might have rolled out of the bed. Giggling softly to myself, I finally noticed the small puddle of blood that had formed around his midsection. Gasping in horror, I rushed over, placing my hands on his shoulders, trying to flip him over and lift him up into a sitting position against the wall.

He groaned, his eyes flickering open for the first time. In the dark, I could see that they were a deep brown color, full of life, but cloudy from pain.  They widened as he saw me bent over him, but then relaxed, as if he recognized me.

"Who are you?" he croaked, with a voice hoarse from misuse.  I was a little taken aback.  I hadn't expected him to talk immediately, especially with such a direct question.

I tried to respond, but all that came out was a tiny squeak.  Apparently, I couldn't speak either.  I put my hand to my chest and coughed, clearing my throat. "My names Ashl..." I tried, but I stopped.  My voice was little more than a whisper.

He gave me a concerned look as he watched me struggle to speak. I gave up and gestured to his side, miming for him to relax so I could unwrap the blood-soaked fabric and replace it. He looked down, seeming to just notice the reopened wound on his side.  He suddenly groaned, and sunk down onto the wall in pain.  I reached for the bandage tentatively, silently asking for permission, and he opened his eyes, nodding at me weakly before collapsing back down.

I grabbed the piece of silk. Peeling it off, I almost gagged at the amount of blood that stuck to his side. I looked up at his face.  It was pale white in the darkness.  I jumped to my feet. 

When he opened his eyes and looked at me, I made a 'stay' gesture and ran out of the room, down the stairs, stumbling as I stubbed my toe on a loose board, but I was determined.  While exploring the house the first time, I had found a plastic bucket underneath a cracked overhang, full of clean rainwater.  If I could find it, and if I could wash his side off in time, I we would be able to make sure that no infection would set in.

When I reached the bucket, I bent down to grab it, but my hand closed around empty space, and I stumbled in the dark, extending my arms, trying to gain my bearings.  As I stood still, impatiently waiting for my eyes to adjust, I could faintly make out the shape of the bucket, but it was tipped over, contents spilling through the cracks in the floor. I groaned in disappointment, my breath rasping in my throat, and sat down, rubbing my head, trying to remember the last time I had seen fresh water around. 

Then something strange happened.  When I opened my eyes, it felt like I could see everything. My senses were acute and sharp, and my vision could penetrate the darkness, allowing me to see for miles through the trees.  It was a staggeringly big change, and it was very disorienting. It seemed like I was looking out of my own body. I could see the lights of the city through the trees, and in the other direction, I could see the pit that I had woken up in with the boy, yellow police tape surrounding it. Just past it, I saw the glimmer of water.  A natural spring!  This is perfect!

I blinked a bunch of times, and my vision slowly turned back to normal. I looked up the stairs quickly, making sure that the boy hadn't tried to follow me. Then I started to run in the direction that I'd seen the water, scooping up the bucket as I flew past.