Crashing the Boardwalk (Human Lapidot)

28. To The Hospital

     Oh God!

     Oh God oh God oh God!

     How do I-what do I do?

     Blue shook with the sword in hand, her ears near bleeding as the at the end of the shop laughed. Blood still dripped onto the floor. The pale woman dangled by her neck. Lazuli was coughing on the floor. She propped Lazuli against the display shelf, whispering to her to hold on. Blue walked over to the Gem, who slowly let her sword slide out of the woman's neck. Blue inhaled through her nose and stopped walking.

    "Hey." She said quietly. Before the Gem could turn, she was impaled through the top of her skull. The terrifying feeling of blade-on-bone stuck in Blue's hands. She dropped her sword and looked to the woman who was first killed. Her blue eyes were still open. Propping her against the wall, Blue took her phone out of her pocket and called an ambulance. She knew they'd probably take a while, and so she rushed to Lazuli to support her.

...

     "Peridot!" Steven shouted.

     "Peri!" Amethyst joined. The blonde rushed to open the door, and she did so just in time for Steven, Amethyst, and Connie to run inside.

     "Woah, hold on!" She exclaimed. She looked outside, and there was no sign of Pearl. "W-wait, where's Pearl?"

     "She-she's fighting..." Steven said between huffs. "She's sword fighting Hessonite.. With-With Lapis and some other girl."

     Peridot's heart stopped. "L-Lapis? But-but she's in the UK!"

     "Apparently not." Amethyst said. "She told us to leave to the base, but I don't feel good about leaving her there."

     "Where are they?"

     "The bike shop." Connie said.

     "Lavender!" Peridot shouted, turning to the door to Pearl's room. "You finish that crossbow?"

     "Um, yeah I-I just did!"

     "Well come on out here! We're gonna kill-" Peridot's phone buzzed. It w a call from Pearl. "Pearl! I-"

     "Hello? Is this Peridot?"

     "Yeah? The hell are you?"

     "Blue. Lapis, Blue. Are you a friend of Lazuli's?"

     "Yes! Yes I am-i-is she there?" Lavender came out of the room holding her crossbow. Amethyst's mouth hung open. The phone conversation continued.

     "Peridot!" It was the Lapis. Lazuli! "Pe-Peri you need to come over-I-we need help!"

     Oh shit! Peridot was overwhelmed. Lapis was back with a double-and wounded-Pearl wasn't on the phone, whoever Hessonite was is supposed to be dead-is she?

     "Wha-what happened? Did you kill Hessonite?"

     "She can't say anymore!" The other Lapis said. "Please, just come over! We need help!"

     Amethyst was shouting at the phone. "Wait! What the-" The phone hung up.

...

     "Come on Jasper! Pull through!" Garnet shouted. She was busy holding off soldiers while Jasper freed herself from her chains. "I can't fight forever."

     Jasper cursed, ripping her arms this way and that. She was chained to the stone wall of a UUU storage unit. She was no idea how they installed the chains, but there they were. Garnet kept beating up Quartz's until she could take no more. Whipping out the gun she stole from Squaridot, she shot the chins off of Jasper, who helped her beat the remaining goons unconscious.

     "Badass chains though." Jasper muttered, looking at the cuffs of chains on her wrists.

     "Don't." Garnet demanded. Her phone rang. Looking around and finding nothing suspicious nearby, she answered it. "Pearl? Why are you calling?"

     "Garnet!" Somebody shouted. It was Lapis, and she seemed weak. "To the bike shop Garnet!" Her voice quivered, and she was wheezing.

      "We'll be right there!" Garnet yelled.

...

     Blue had moved the pale woman over to Lazuli, and struggling to move, she touched her cheek. "Oh God Pearl." She said, tearing up. "Why you?" The pain consuming her and the sorrow of loss drowned Lazuli, and she sobbed. Her chest ached even more then, and she doubled over. "Blue." she said. "If I s-stop moving-I-I've joined Pearl.."

     "Don't talk like that."

     "I'm not r-ready to leave.. But I-I might join Pearl... Sh-She's amazing, but I'm-I'm not ready yet."

     "You don't need to be ready yet. You're not gonna die." Blue gently grabbed her friend's face and looked into her eyes. "I won't let you. D-Don't even say anything, Just breathe, the ambulance is gonna come, ok?"

     Lazuli closed her eyes, nodding slowly. The doors busted open. In rushed Garnet and Jasper. Jasper nodded at Blue and took Lapis' hands whispering things to her. She didn't know what she said. Garnet looked at Pearl and sighed picking up and rubbing her hand before letting it go. "Pearl.." She said.

     The four heard sirens, and Blue rushed to signal them. Jasper lifted Lapis into the ambulance, where they gave her an oxygen mask just as she began to slip from the world. She coughed, clouding up the mask, and still shaking, she watched as Garnet stopped Jasper from joining her in the vehicle with a hand on her shoulder. Blue got inside, however, and Lapis closed her eyes as the doors shut in front of her. They sped away.

...

     An ambulance drove by, momentarily lighting up th streets. Following it was Peridot, Steven, Amethyst, Connie, and Lavender. "Come on you guys!" Steven encouraged. They all ran after it. But as soon as it stopped, it pulled away, and drove by all five of them. Peridot knew Laps had to be in there, and her and Connie turned to follow the vehicle-until Steven began shouting. "Pearl!"

     The two whirled around, and ran to Garnet and Jasper. Garnet held Pearl in her arms, who lay limp within them. Steven shouted again, and Amethyst followed suit. "Pearl! Oh my God what happened?" Everyone was horrified by the now-drying blood in Pearl's neck. Steven grabbed Pearl's hand and started crying. Lavender put a hand over her face and leaned against the wall, a few tears seeping through her fingers. Peridot bit her lip, and Amethyst found a trash can and kicked it over.

     Peridot blinked back tears, breathing in and ot slowly. Garnet began talking "We.. We have to catch up with Lapis. She might be the next to go, and I know nobody would want to miss a chance to greet her before she does. I'll take Pearl back to the base, Peridot, I want you to borrow Greg's van and take anyone who won't fit into Jasper's car."

     "You want me to drive?"

     "No, Garnet, lemme take Pearl." Amethyst said. "You have to drive them to the hospital. I'll catch up somehow. Also, I think it's a better idea to load the van and not a slick sporty car." Amethyst took Pearl from garnet, gently holding her and working around her broken arm.

     "Are you sure you want to take her."

     "Hell yeah, just get going already."

     Peridot patted her back as she got into Greg's van. "Be safe, ok?"

     "Yeah." With pain in her chest, Peridot watched as they drove away from Amethyst, who stood in the street until they could not be seen.